Blood Business: Crime Stories from This World and Beyond

by Mario Acevedo (Editor and Contributor), Joshua Viola (Editor and Contributor), Paul Goat Allen

Two books, one anthology.

The grift. The scam. The double-cross. Blackmail and burglary; murder and larceny. Blood Business tracks the underbelly of human nature as it drags itself through the muck of our lesser angels in twenty-seven crime stories set in this world... and beyond.

Foreword by Gary Phillips

Introduction by Mario Acevedo

Doubling Down on Death: Two Fatal Features by Edward Bryant

Bone on Wood by Mark Stevens

Black and Blue by Carter Wilson

Girls Gone Wild by Cat Rambo

Night in Tunisia by Manuel Ramos

An Officer and a Hitman by Gary Jonas

Slug by Paul Goat Allen

Morphing by Alvaro Zinos-Amaro

The Pledge by Mark Stevens & Dean Wyant

Shadows within Shadows by Mark Stevens & Dean Wyant

It Doesn’t Mean Anything by Shannon Baker

The Guessing Game by Sean Eads

Straight to the Top by Trevor Jones

Bitten off by Edward Bryant

A Clamor of Bones by Alyssa Wong

Divided They Fall by Patrick Berry

Jane Doe Must Die by Angie Hodapp

Outsorcery by Joshua Viola

Do It Already by Stephen Graham Jones

Lunchtime by Jeanne C. Stein

Numeral Eleven by Jason Heller

A Rose by Any Other Name by Betsy Dornbusch

Shoe by Aaron Michael Ritchey

Card Sharp by Kat Richardson

Takers Finds Givers by Mario Acevedo

The Combo by Warren Hammond

The Group Home by Chris Holm

Afterword by Christine Goff

The Ash of the Phoenix: Remembering Edward Bryant by Sean Eads

Genres: Horror, Anthologies, Short Stories

334 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 7, 2017

About the author

Born in El Paso, Texas and grew up in Las Cruces, New Mexico, but visited family in Chihuahua. Joined the US Army and flew attack helicopters.

Was artist-in-residence for Arte Americas in Fresno, California and served as a combat artist in Operation Desert Storm. Also teaches/taught art to prisoners at Avenal State Prison.

Reviews

[Yvonne Glasgow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Broken down into two sections, crime stories from this world and crime stories from beyond, Blood Business is filled with murder, mystery, psychopaths, hitmen, and so much more. It's a gore-filled (sometimes), scary (most of the time) read that delves you into the underbelly of crime, from those that only dabble to those that do it for a living. The editors did a good job curating a collection of stories that would appeal to a wide range of readers, while I personally found a few of the stories slow going.

I had two favorites that stood out to me, that I enjoyed the most, and that peeked my imagination and interest. "Black and Blue" by Carter Wilson was the first story that really drew me in. It's a lesson in why you should talk to your doctor before you stop taking prescribed medications, to keep the story short. The other, which is by far my favorite story in this lengthy collection, was "Slug," by Paul Goat Allen. I loved the way the author broke up the story with various definitions of the word "Slug." I enjoyed the imagery his words evoked and I especially enjoyed the twist!

There are plenty of twists and turns throughout this anthology. Plenty of theft and murder too.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

The short stories in Blood Business are filled with horror, mixed in with crime, mystery and gore. It isn’t simply blood lust, but the authors have a way to captivate the reader with risky dialogue, strange characters (hitmen, burglars, assassins, vampire, etc.) and unexpected scenes—straight out of the unlawful, illicit world, where people crave money, power and getting away with murder. Often, these stories move away from the traditional, polite narrative, and into the experimental realm of horror. A few of the pieces stuck out to me as being strong on dialogue. Often, it was the dialogue and action moving the story, more so than character development. There was also a humorous tone to some of them, despite being quite bloody and sadistic, as in “A Clamor of Bones,” where the main killer is a badass female, who is able to talk to the dead and discover clues. “Takers Find Givers,” a story about a vampire and his friend escaping a crime scene, had well-crafted dialogue, characters, setting, and a killer, mind-bending twist.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, well well, this book is not for the faint of heart! If you want to read a creepy and often stomach churning set of stories, this is absolutely your best choice. One of my favorite stories in here was "Girls Gone Wild" (not what you think it's about) and it's a great way of someone getting their "just desserts" so to speak with a nifty twist at the end. The other stories were just spine chilling and creepy and not the kind of thing you want to read before a meal (or before bed), I'd say. I thought at first these would be more along the lines of crime solving, like murder mysteries, but these stories are a tad more violent than that. It's the type of stories that will stay with you long after they are over. I'm very much into short story collections like this because each story is uniquely told all under the same umbrella of "crime."

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Blood Business: Crime Stories From This World And Beyond is one hell of an anthology. As a reader, I love anthologies because it allows me to sample a wide variety of writers centered around a common theme. This one, which Is really two volumes, makes for an epic crime themed anthology. It is not your usual detective noir stories, at least not throughout. There are some along those lines, but they are interspersed among horror, true mystery, pulp fiction and even fantasy, for crying out loud. The one element they all share is excellent writing, and a love for character development. Whether the tale is told from the viewpoint of the thief or the law, each one is a vibrant rendition of its chosen niche, and immensely entertaining. There are so many different styles present in these books, and it was a delight to devour each and every one.

[Corrie Thompson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murder, mystery, and monsters lurk in every corner of this world and beyond. You can follow these strong and cleverly-crafted characters down dark alleys, into the darkest parts of their memory, and—in some cases—even into the realms of demons and ghosts. Beware, for even petty thievery may turn out more of a guise than you bargained for in these stories.

The strong description and twisted plots within the majority of these stories will disturb and intrigue you. This Blood Business: Crime Stories From This World and Beyond anthology is definitely a must-read.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology of spooky stories has a little something for everyone! From the creepy and supernatural, to the gruesome yet thrilling, this book is filled with scary but fun reads. The short story formula not only allows for a quick reading break, but also makes sure that the stories are concise so they can be packaged neatly into just a few pages. The condensed nature of short stories really packs a lot of action and intrigue into each story, which is a great way to enhance the urgent feeling of these terrifying tales.

[Rory Costello · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the concept here, in particular the stories "from beyond" (although there were a couple too many that played with the hardboiled tropes). Chris Holm's piece was the one that got me in the door, and it was quite a good one. The standout for me, however, was "Lunchtime."

[Ben Tuthill · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice combination of short stories, many of which take place in Denver. Half of the book deals with “mortal”/human noir the other half is supernatural in nature. Both halves are well written by their respective authors. Well done.

[Luanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Loved these collection of short stories.
Great plots and lots of variety.

[Jessica Gomes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't read with the lights off.

I haven't read a crime and mystery anthology in months. It has a story for everyone who likes this genre but it's not for the faint of heart.

[David Hollen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Supernatural noir? Yes.

The "normal" noir stories are ok. It really gets fun when the supernatural elements get introduced. Fairy noir? A real hoot!

[Wanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed most of the Stories

But a few of them just didn't make sense to me. Overall it was a good read, great for Riding on the train or a bus headed to work.