Suspicious Activity

by David Yurkovich, William F. Crandell

Devil's Party Press proudly presents its fifth anthology, SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY, a thrilling crime anthology featuring work by twenty-three unique voices. Edited by David Yurkovich and Dianne Pearce, this volume contains the following original works:

Puzzle Box No. 1 by Heidi J. Hewett

Reflections of Miss Ava by Phyllis Humby

Detective Show #2647 by Monte A. Anderson

i finally know how a girl disappears by Kari Ann Ebert

Suicide by Marriage by Judith Speizer Crandell

Acts of Magic by David Yurkovich

Mark Twain’s Unscheduled Trip to Shanghai by Dianne Pearce

On Crime and Crustaceans by William F. Crandell

The Couple by Bayne Northern

Mis Problemas by Bernard Max Resnick

A Murder in Manila by Jonathan Ochoco

Sleep To See Tomorrow’s Memories of Yesterday by Robert Lewis Heron

Silver Webs Form Insect Shrouds by Robert Lewis Heron

The Case of the Mislaid Eggs by Patsy Pratt-Herzog

In Death, She Speaks the Truth by Liliana Widocks

Night Vigil by David W. Dutton

Isla de Corazón Piedra by Michael Sarabia

The Crime of Overstanding by Carrie Sz Keane

The Fruit Stands by Lisa Fox

The Discovered Country by Tom Barlow

Seventy-Three Steps and Stale Sweat by Robert Lewis Heron

Insomnia by Sharon Berg

An Endless Shot of Trouble by William F. Crandell

The Infiltrator by Paulene Turner

Ceremony by Judith Speizer Crandell

My Own Man by Roberto Sabas

A Blue Bird by Wendel Young

My Illness Looks Like Darkness by Wendel Young

The Women of Royal Palm Breeze by Mark Alan Polo

Devil's Party Press publishes exclusively writers over the age of 40!

226 pages, Paperback

First published November 26, 2018

About the author

David Yurkovich is the 2017 Delaware Division of the Arts Fellow in the category of literature (fiction). David began writing in 1992 with a focus on graphic novels and comics. His first self-published comic was funded by a grant by the Xeric Foundation. As a writer and illustrator, his works include Death by Chocolate and Less Than Heroes (both published by Top Shelf Productions) and Altercations (published by Sleeping Giant).

In 2007 David wrote, designed, and published Mantlo: A Life in Comics, a benefit magazine to help aid in the medical expenses of Bill Mantlo (creator of Rocket Raccoon and numerous other Marvel properties). In 2016, David was among 10 prose authors statewide selected to attend the Delaware Seashore Poetry & Prose Writers’ Retreat. His short story, “The Last Day of Summer,” appeared in the 2016 anthology Beach Nights (Cat and Mouse Press). He has published two prose novels, Glass Onion and Banana Seat Summer, with two manuscripts in development. In June 2017, David provided an introduction to the second volume of the Deadly Hands of Kung Fu Omnibus, published by Marvel.

Most recently, David designed, edited, and contributed to Halloween Party 2017!, the first issue of The Milton Workshop Anthology Series, published by Devil’s Party Press. He and his family reside in historic Milton, DE.

David can be reached at davidyurkovich.wordpress.com

Reviews

[Phyllis L Humby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The cover of this crime anthology will draw your attention immediately with its sepia old era newsprint design and taunting headlines. On closer examination, and I'm reluctant to say that I didn't catch on at first, the headlines all relate to the stories in the book. Then I started at the first story and read my way through. I couldn't have been more impressed. I didn't realize crime could take so many forms. Evil mixed with humour and grit from the past, present, and future. Few would expect poetry and screenplays, but it's all there. It is one of the best anthologies I've read. I admit that my work is part of this collection but I hasten to say that this tends to make me more critical. And I'm proud to be a part of this publication.

[Debbie Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

DISCLOSURE: I originally purchased this book to support the two Canadian authors (and friends) who had short fiction included in this anthology. At the time, I was not familiar with Devil's Party Press based in Milton, DE but was curious as this was a fairly new small US press aimed at publishing 'older' or 'more mature' writers who had never been published before. Twenty writers were featured in the collection, most of them from the state of Delaware, the rest from Australia, California, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and the U.K. (I already mentioned the two from Canada.) Many of their bios were impressive and I would be interested in reading more of their work.

What I liked the most about this anthology of crime-themed work was the variety: 20 short stories, 8 poems, and 1 play. Each work also had its own voice and I marvelled at the differences within each genre. For example, some stories were set in the past with the 1940s murder of a fan dancer, others in the present, and others in the future where artificial intelligence threatened human existence. Some stories were humourous or fantasy/science fiction based. Some were more traditional with a detective solving the crime. I even saw metaphors and layers not normally seen in genre work. Overall, 226-pages filled with snappy dialogue, lyrical descriptions of characters and setting, plot driven, character-driven, open-ended, poetic, twists and turns and surprise endings, and so much more. Even a limerick hidden between the pages.

I was impressed by the quality of the writing and almost gave the collection a five-star rating. However, being a poet, I felt a couple of the poems could have used some extra editing. One or two of the stories also didn't hold my attention as much as the others but it was more to do with the subject matter versus the way it was written.

An excellent summer read! You bet! How can you ignore a story that starts with, "The books killed me"?

As the editor wrote in her introduction, "Don't expect to put this book down. Do expect to be up all night!"