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Tough 2: Crime Stories
Contents
Michael Bracken “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
Thomas Pluck “The Third Jump of Frankie Buffalo”
Matt Mattilla “Day Planner”
William R. Soldan “Tally Ho”
C.A. Rowland “Beach Body”
Nick Kolakowski “Viking Funeral”
Andrew Welsh-Huggins “Long Drive Home”
Rob McClure Smith “Masonry”
Tia J’anae “Once Upon a Time in Chicago”
S.A. Cosby “The Grass Below My Feet”
Evelyn DeShane “No News is Good News”
Alec Cizak “The Bag Girl”
Preston Lang “Sarah, Sweet and Stealthy”
Chris McGinley “With Hair Blacker Than Coal”
Mary Torson “She Goes First”
Michael Bracken “Itsy Bitsy Spider”
Thomas Pluck “The Third Jump of Frankie Buffalo”
Matt Mattilla “Day Planner”
William R. Soldan “Tally Ho”
C.A. Rowland “Beach Body”
Nick Kolakowski “Viking Funeral”
Andrew Welsh-Huggins “Long Drive Home”
Rob McClure Smith “Masonry”
Tia J’anae “Once Upon a Time in Chicago”
S.A. Cosby “The Grass Below My Feet”
Evelyn DeShane “No News is Good News”
Alec Cizak “The Bag Girl”
Preston Lang “Sarah, Sweet and Stealthy”
Chris McGinley “With Hair Blacker Than Coal”
Mary Torson “She Goes First”
190 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2019
23 people want to read
About the author
Rusty Barnes
47 books228 followersRusty Barnes is a 2018 Derringer finalist and author of the story collections Breaking it Down (Sunnyoutside Press 2007) , Mostly Redneck (Sunnyoutside Press 2011), and Kraj The Enforcer: Stories (Shotgun Honey 2019), as well as four novels, Reckoning (Sunnyoutside Press, 2014), Ridgerunner (Shotgun Honey/Down & Out Books, 2017), Knuckledragger (Shotgun Honey/Down & Out Books 2017) and The Last Danger (Shotgun Honey/Down & Out Books 2018), His fiction, poetry and non-fiction have appeared or are forthcoming in many journals and anthologies, like Dirty Boulevard: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of Lou Reed (Down & Out Books 2018), Best Small Fictions 2015, Mystery Tribune, Goliad Review, Smokelong Quarterly, Red Rock Review, Porter Gulch Review and Post Road. His poetry collections include On Broad Sound (Nixes Mates Press, 2016) and Jesus in the Ghost Room, (Nixes Mates Press 2017). He founded and edits Tough, a journal of crime fiction and occasional reviews. Find him on Twitter @rustybarnes23
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 22, 2019
Michael Bracken kicks things off with “Itsy Bitsy Spider” with a private detective, Morris, his tattooist friend, and the trouble a young woman brings into his life. The way Bracken weaves the detective’s work life in with the personal life worked well, even if at the end I felt almost as dissatisfied as Morris did. There’s a feeling that you are only getting a small piece of the overall story, but in that way it more clearly mirrors reality. Stories end when we decide we’re done telling them.
Thomas Pluck brings us “The Third Jump of Frankie Buffalo,” and Korean war veteran Frank. Frank’s got bills to pay and retirement he wants to enjoy, so when a couple of young bloods decided to rob an armored car, Frank signs on. Only there’s a snag when he gets stuck at a railroad crossing. Pluck weaves the current with the past, giving us insight into Frank and why he is why he is (and how he got the nickname Buffalo). It’s a nice sharp bit of writing, and Pluck shows how to tell a great story in a short space.
“Day Planner” by Matt Mattilla breaks apart the standard narrative by telling a story broken up into small discrete chunks as it follows the day of a young homeless man simply called The Kid. It follows his routine, how he tries to disguise that he’s homeless, how he uses a restroom to get clean as much as he can, how panhandles for money, how he has a cough and it’s bad but no money and no insurance means there’s no doctor. The tension builds nicely at the end when his daily routine is roundly interrupted by the unexpected, but it is left open whether he will break out of his daily routine or if it was merely a roadside distraction.
“Tally Ho” by William Soldan reads like a variation on Taxi Driver (and yes, that’s meant as a compliment). Gordon drives a cab and one night he picks up a young woman in distress. He discovers that she is a prostitute working out of motel, working in conjunction with her boyfriend/pimp. Gordon offers to help her get out of the life, offers her some of his savings so she can start over. Then he discovers it was all a scam. Gordon realizes he’s no Travis Bickle, however, realizes there’s no way he can go out in a blaze of glory, and well, some people don’t want to be saved and that the story of Taxi Driver might be as much of a fairy tale as anything told by the Brothers Grimm. The end twists the narrative in a great way and makes no mistake where the narrator finds Gordon on the hero/villain line.
“Beach Body” by C.A. Rowland features a woman and her husband walking along a beach, far from their usual Chicago life, and stumbling upon a dead body. Only, the husband knows the body because he was having an affair with her. Rowland explores the nature of infidelity, along with the virtues of discretion and careful planning and I will admit to not having scene the twist coming at the end where the only one I was left feeling sorry for was the victim left on the beach.
Nick Kolakowski’s “Viking Funeral” felt like a small piece of a much larger story. Two people (hard to call them friends), tied by bonds of having served in the military together, journey to the home of a fellow solider, dead now two years, to put his remains in the car he restored and set the whole thing on fire. There’s allusions to things done while over seas that might come back with a vengeance on the main character, but what and why is never really explored. Maybe it was me, but I felt like I was staring at a puzzle with a solid chunk of the pieces missing.
A road trip from Ohio to Florida is the set-up for Andrew Welsh-Huggin’s “Long Drive Home.” Marty works for Shayne, driving down to Florida to buy pills from small pharmacies using forged prescriptions, then driving back up to Ohio where they’re sold to addicts. Only Marty is used to working with two other men and Shayne never goes with. Marty has a sister with kids he’s trying to do right by, even if it means skimming from Shayne to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Alex had dreams of working at Walt Disney World as a princess, dreams derailed when she met Aunt Jodie and ended up having her body sold out of motel rooms. The story lines come together nicely at the end, with both Marty and Alex left to what comes next.
“Masonry” by Rob McClure-Smith features Cowan who is on his way to meet two men, Jalil and Prince. The question is “Why?” The sense is that Cowan is intruding on their turf and they want him dead, but they pick a relatively public place and its still daylight. Cowan isn’t going down without a fight, however. Again, this is one of those pieces that alludes to a bigger story that the reader isn’t privy to. In this case the focus is more on the action, but I was still left wondering exactly what Cowan’s motivation was and what he was involved with. The dialogue and sense of place was a real strength in the piece.
“Once Upon a Time in Chicago” by Tia J’Anae, features a woman with her lover, her plans for the future, and how a few bullets can change all of that. In such a short story, I got a real sense of Carla, her motivations, and her ability to sense an opportunity. While ultimately a selfish character, I couldn’t help but root for her and hope she gets what she is after.
“The Grass Beneath My Feet” by S.A. Cosby features a convict released long enough to go to his mother’s funeral. Along the way we discover why he’s imprisoned, why he holds a grudge against his mother, and the experience of the fleeting freedom of being out of prison for even a short period of time. It also explores how dehumanizing incarceration can be and what it can do to a person.
“No News is Good News” by Evelyn Deshane explores the violence experienced by trans individuals (especially trans women) and the overall difficulties faced by those in that community, be it from forced group sessions, to reading crime reports hoping that one of your friends isn’t next, to the jealousy when someone in the community is able to get more than you. The characters are shown in all their humanity and the narrative is never played for a cheap thrill. I haven’t read any of Deshane’s work before but will definitely keep an eye out for that name in the future.
“The Bag Girl” by Alec Cizak is a great slice of small-town crime and bad decisions where a local girl helps her boyfriend find marks that he can attack in the parking lot. Only his actions draw the attention of the police, making it that much more difficult for them to score cash they need to feed their addictions. It’s also a bit of a morality story in that people who are pushed into corners might not respond they way you think. Cizak’s writing, as to be expected, is gritty, and grimy and might have you paying more attention to the people you interact with on a daily basis.
“Sarah, Sweet and Stealthy” by Preston Lang features a stolen table, sports betting, and laureate poets. A case study in how actions cascade, one upon another, and how poetry (still) doesn’t pay. I found the characters engaging and humorous while at the heart of the story is how little it takes to push someone out of their comfortable life.
“With Hair Blacker than Coal” by Chris McGinley is a fantastic piece of Appalachian noir that blends in a decent amount of local folklore. Curley Knott is after two brothers who’ve been poaching bears, only when he comes across them, one of them is dead and the other might not be far behind. The question becomes “What killed them?” There’s a sense that moving deeper into the wilderness moves the characters into a different world, one where people don’t rightly belong. The reader is left wondering if there is a woman living in the woods with bobcats or if the sheriff imagined it, but in such a way that the story feels complete even with the central mystery left to interpretation.
“She Goes First” by Mary Thorson features the events surrounding the execution of Ruth Snyder, and the circumstances of how her photograph was taken at the moment of her execution. The focus of the story is around the wife of the photographer, her struggling marriage, with the circumstances of the execution acting as a backdrop. The story, if anything, highlights the ever day cruelty that can be life, even when there isn’t anything as horrible as a murder to frame it.
Thomas Pluck brings us “The Third Jump of Frankie Buffalo,” and Korean war veteran Frank. Frank’s got bills to pay and retirement he wants to enjoy, so when a couple of young bloods decided to rob an armored car, Frank signs on. Only there’s a snag when he gets stuck at a railroad crossing. Pluck weaves the current with the past, giving us insight into Frank and why he is why he is (and how he got the nickname Buffalo). It’s a nice sharp bit of writing, and Pluck shows how to tell a great story in a short space.
“Day Planner” by Matt Mattilla breaks apart the standard narrative by telling a story broken up into small discrete chunks as it follows the day of a young homeless man simply called The Kid. It follows his routine, how he tries to disguise that he’s homeless, how he uses a restroom to get clean as much as he can, how panhandles for money, how he has a cough and it’s bad but no money and no insurance means there’s no doctor. The tension builds nicely at the end when his daily routine is roundly interrupted by the unexpected, but it is left open whether he will break out of his daily routine or if it was merely a roadside distraction.
“Tally Ho” by William Soldan reads like a variation on Taxi Driver (and yes, that’s meant as a compliment). Gordon drives a cab and one night he picks up a young woman in distress. He discovers that she is a prostitute working out of motel, working in conjunction with her boyfriend/pimp. Gordon offers to help her get out of the life, offers her some of his savings so she can start over. Then he discovers it was all a scam. Gordon realizes he’s no Travis Bickle, however, realizes there’s no way he can go out in a blaze of glory, and well, some people don’t want to be saved and that the story of Taxi Driver might be as much of a fairy tale as anything told by the Brothers Grimm. The end twists the narrative in a great way and makes no mistake where the narrator finds Gordon on the hero/villain line.
“Beach Body” by C.A. Rowland features a woman and her husband walking along a beach, far from their usual Chicago life, and stumbling upon a dead body. Only, the husband knows the body because he was having an affair with her. Rowland explores the nature of infidelity, along with the virtues of discretion and careful planning and I will admit to not having scene the twist coming at the end where the only one I was left feeling sorry for was the victim left on the beach.
Nick Kolakowski’s “Viking Funeral” felt like a small piece of a much larger story. Two people (hard to call them friends), tied by bonds of having served in the military together, journey to the home of a fellow solider, dead now two years, to put his remains in the car he restored and set the whole thing on fire. There’s allusions to things done while over seas that might come back with a vengeance on the main character, but what and why is never really explored. Maybe it was me, but I felt like I was staring at a puzzle with a solid chunk of the pieces missing.
A road trip from Ohio to Florida is the set-up for Andrew Welsh-Huggin’s “Long Drive Home.” Marty works for Shayne, driving down to Florida to buy pills from small pharmacies using forged prescriptions, then driving back up to Ohio where they’re sold to addicts. Only Marty is used to working with two other men and Shayne never goes with. Marty has a sister with kids he’s trying to do right by, even if it means skimming from Shayne to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Alex had dreams of working at Walt Disney World as a princess, dreams derailed when she met Aunt Jodie and ended up having her body sold out of motel rooms. The story lines come together nicely at the end, with both Marty and Alex left to what comes next.
“Masonry” by Rob McClure-Smith features Cowan who is on his way to meet two men, Jalil and Prince. The question is “Why?” The sense is that Cowan is intruding on their turf and they want him dead, but they pick a relatively public place and its still daylight. Cowan isn’t going down without a fight, however. Again, this is one of those pieces that alludes to a bigger story that the reader isn’t privy to. In this case the focus is more on the action, but I was still left wondering exactly what Cowan’s motivation was and what he was involved with. The dialogue and sense of place was a real strength in the piece.
“Once Upon a Time in Chicago” by Tia J’Anae, features a woman with her lover, her plans for the future, and how a few bullets can change all of that. In such a short story, I got a real sense of Carla, her motivations, and her ability to sense an opportunity. While ultimately a selfish character, I couldn’t help but root for her and hope she gets what she is after.
“The Grass Beneath My Feet” by S.A. Cosby features a convict released long enough to go to his mother’s funeral. Along the way we discover why he’s imprisoned, why he holds a grudge against his mother, and the experience of the fleeting freedom of being out of prison for even a short period of time. It also explores how dehumanizing incarceration can be and what it can do to a person.
“No News is Good News” by Evelyn Deshane explores the violence experienced by trans individuals (especially trans women) and the overall difficulties faced by those in that community, be it from forced group sessions, to reading crime reports hoping that one of your friends isn’t next, to the jealousy when someone in the community is able to get more than you. The characters are shown in all their humanity and the narrative is never played for a cheap thrill. I haven’t read any of Deshane’s work before but will definitely keep an eye out for that name in the future.
“The Bag Girl” by Alec Cizak is a great slice of small-town crime and bad decisions where a local girl helps her boyfriend find marks that he can attack in the parking lot. Only his actions draw the attention of the police, making it that much more difficult for them to score cash they need to feed their addictions. It’s also a bit of a morality story in that people who are pushed into corners might not respond they way you think. Cizak’s writing, as to be expected, is gritty, and grimy and might have you paying more attention to the people you interact with on a daily basis.
“Sarah, Sweet and Stealthy” by Preston Lang features a stolen table, sports betting, and laureate poets. A case study in how actions cascade, one upon another, and how poetry (still) doesn’t pay. I found the characters engaging and humorous while at the heart of the story is how little it takes to push someone out of their comfortable life.
“With Hair Blacker than Coal” by Chris McGinley is a fantastic piece of Appalachian noir that blends in a decent amount of local folklore. Curley Knott is after two brothers who’ve been poaching bears, only when he comes across them, one of them is dead and the other might not be far behind. The question becomes “What killed them?” There’s a sense that moving deeper into the wilderness moves the characters into a different world, one where people don’t rightly belong. The reader is left wondering if there is a woman living in the woods with bobcats or if the sheriff imagined it, but in such a way that the story feels complete even with the central mystery left to interpretation.
“She Goes First” by Mary Thorson features the events surrounding the execution of Ruth Snyder, and the circumstances of how her photograph was taken at the moment of her execution. The focus of the story is around the wife of the photographer, her struggling marriage, with the circumstances of the execution acting as a backdrop. The story, if anything, highlights the ever day cruelty that can be life, even when there isn’t anything as horrible as a murder to frame it.
September 29, 2019
Michael Bracken’s short story, “Itsy Bitsy Spider” starts off the fifteen 15 tales that make up Tough 2: Crime Tales. Mona Peterson was trouble from the moment she walked into Morris Ronald Boyette’s office. She had walked over from the University in the rain, sans umbrella and bra, and wants to have the detective to deal with the Professor’s sexual harassment. That case is one of several that take up his time in “Itsy Bitsy Spider” and is easily the most consequential to the good detective’s future.
Frank is a long way and many years in Chosin, Korea in “The Third Jump of Frankie Buffalo” by Thomas Pluck. A choke point is anywhere where things get really narrow and something can happen and the railroad crossing ahead of him is definitely a chokepoint. The cement mixer Frank is driving has a job to do and the stalled traffic is nothing more than an inconvenience. That is until, as the clock ticks and his mission takes a turn, it isn’t.
The time is also a major part of “Day Planner” by Matt Mattilla. In a story where events are marked by the hour and minute, the kid goes through his day trying to blend in and not draw attention to himself for good reason. Easier said than done. Especially when others cause issues.
Driving a car for Valley Cab is usually fairly easy for Gordon Jurewicz. He has his routine and an uneventful life. Then she jumped into his backseat and started screaming for him to drive in “Tally Ho” by William R. Soldan. She needs help and Gordon is eager to do so.
Anne and James talk a walk every morning on the beach of Amelia Island, Florida. It has been their routine for two years now. In “Beach Body” by C. A. Rowland, their walk is interrupted by the discovery of a body. James knew the now dead woman and probably knew her intimately. Anne knows that another scandal, just like what happened in Chicago, is soon in store and her marriage might not survive this one.
Piosa had loved the old Mustang and had spent many hours working hard to restore it. It only seems fitting that his ashes joins the car in a sort of “Viking Funeral.” In this tale by Nick Kolakowski, setting the car ablaze is easy. Dealing with the aftermath of the fire, just like dealing with the aftermath of what they experienced over there, proves not so easy.
Marty had no idea how much he was in trouble with Shayne until after they ate at the diner just south of Charlotte. This time isn’t like the many other runs to West Palm Beach and back. In “Long Drive Home” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Marty has to figure out a way to deal with the new situation. Things are going to get very complicated very fast
It is a beautiful afternoon and Cowan wishes he was sitting in a seat on the plane cutting through the cobalt blue sky far above him in “Masonry” by Rob McClure Smith. He isn’t. He is also being followed. The kid who is following him is just the vanguard of a bigger problem known by the name of Prince Hall. Outnumbered and outgunned, running his mouth could be his only option. Until it isn’t.
Carla has plans and needs Arron to spring for what she wants. She knows how to work her feminine magic in “Once Upon A Time in Chicago” by Tia J’anae. But, this night is off and she felt that way from the start. She really should have listened to her inner voice that was shouting a warning.
Turner didn’t want to go behind bars, but it is what it is in “The Grass Beneath My Feet” by S. A. Cosby. Cold Water Correctional Facility is what it is. At least they let him out for a brief visit to a chapel to pray his respects to this deceased mother. It has been a long 15 years and plenty is on his mind.
Marsha knows everybody says a dead body looks like a mannequin, but it really does in “No News is Good News” by Evelyn Deshane. Even though it always seemed silly to her and she knew it was a cliché, Marsha now realizes it is definitely true. She had seen the van pull away from the nearby bus stop so maybe she has a lead for the police. A lead that the police don’t seem to care about at all because some victims just don’t matter.
Bagging groceries isn’t that great a job, but it is a job. In Haggard, the options job wise are very few. In “The Bag Girl” by Alec Cizak, she does what she needs to do to survive. She has a job at the store and another at home and both are mind numbing and hard in their own ways.
From direct personal experience, Jean knew what the man who called himself “Samson” did two years ago. The fact that he stole the table was just a symbol of everything he stole that night. That night changed the course of her life forever. In “Sarah, Sweet and Stealthy” by Preston Lang, a form of justice comes slowly and with some help.
Back in the 40’s, a mother abandoned her newborn in in the woods of Red Thrush Mountain. When a search party went looking after the young mother confessed, all they found was a small feed sack dress covered in feline fur. It may be years later, but the legend of what happened is still strong and a menacing presence. In “With Hair Black Than Coal” by Chris McGinley, strange things are again going on in the woods and Sheriff Curley Knott is on the case.
“She Loves First” by Mary Thorson is the final read in Tough 2: Crime Stories. Lula has been left behind as Tom is in New York to covertly photograph an execution for a New York Paper. His bird is still present and is seriously annoying. Something is going to have to change as she can’t keep living like this.
Like its predecessor, Tough: Crime Stories, the new book, Tough 2: Crime Stories, is a solidly good read. Most of the tales are on the dark side, but there are the occasional flashes of muted humor. Even if that humor tends to be on the dark and twisted side of the ledger. As one would expect from the title, these are not tales of cozy mystery where a death is gently and politely discussed by the flickering light of the fireplace while one sips tea. These are often tales where the gut churns with physical fear and one can smell the scent of murder on the night wind. While not present in every single story, these characters are often desperately clinging to life in situations where the price each day for existing to another sunrise is to kill before being killed. A mix of styles, locations, and crimes makes Tough 2: Crime Stories an enjoyable and often complicated read.
Tough 2: Crime Stories
Editor Rusty Barnes
Redneck Press
August 2019
ISBN# 978-0578487809
Paperback Only
194 Pages
$14.95
ARC PDF supplied by Editor Rusty Barnes with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
Frank is a long way and many years in Chosin, Korea in “The Third Jump of Frankie Buffalo” by Thomas Pluck. A choke point is anywhere where things get really narrow and something can happen and the railroad crossing ahead of him is definitely a chokepoint. The cement mixer Frank is driving has a job to do and the stalled traffic is nothing more than an inconvenience. That is until, as the clock ticks and his mission takes a turn, it isn’t.
The time is also a major part of “Day Planner” by Matt Mattilla. In a story where events are marked by the hour and minute, the kid goes through his day trying to blend in and not draw attention to himself for good reason. Easier said than done. Especially when others cause issues.
Driving a car for Valley Cab is usually fairly easy for Gordon Jurewicz. He has his routine and an uneventful life. Then she jumped into his backseat and started screaming for him to drive in “Tally Ho” by William R. Soldan. She needs help and Gordon is eager to do so.
Anne and James talk a walk every morning on the beach of Amelia Island, Florida. It has been their routine for two years now. In “Beach Body” by C. A. Rowland, their walk is interrupted by the discovery of a body. James knew the now dead woman and probably knew her intimately. Anne knows that another scandal, just like what happened in Chicago, is soon in store and her marriage might not survive this one.
Piosa had loved the old Mustang and had spent many hours working hard to restore it. It only seems fitting that his ashes joins the car in a sort of “Viking Funeral.” In this tale by Nick Kolakowski, setting the car ablaze is easy. Dealing with the aftermath of the fire, just like dealing with the aftermath of what they experienced over there, proves not so easy.
Marty had no idea how much he was in trouble with Shayne until after they ate at the diner just south of Charlotte. This time isn’t like the many other runs to West Palm Beach and back. In “Long Drive Home” by Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Marty has to figure out a way to deal with the new situation. Things are going to get very complicated very fast
It is a beautiful afternoon and Cowan wishes he was sitting in a seat on the plane cutting through the cobalt blue sky far above him in “Masonry” by Rob McClure Smith. He isn’t. He is also being followed. The kid who is following him is just the vanguard of a bigger problem known by the name of Prince Hall. Outnumbered and outgunned, running his mouth could be his only option. Until it isn’t.
Carla has plans and needs Arron to spring for what she wants. She knows how to work her feminine magic in “Once Upon A Time in Chicago” by Tia J’anae. But, this night is off and she felt that way from the start. She really should have listened to her inner voice that was shouting a warning.
Turner didn’t want to go behind bars, but it is what it is in “The Grass Beneath My Feet” by S. A. Cosby. Cold Water Correctional Facility is what it is. At least they let him out for a brief visit to a chapel to pray his respects to this deceased mother. It has been a long 15 years and plenty is on his mind.
Marsha knows everybody says a dead body looks like a mannequin, but it really does in “No News is Good News” by Evelyn Deshane. Even though it always seemed silly to her and she knew it was a cliché, Marsha now realizes it is definitely true. She had seen the van pull away from the nearby bus stop so maybe she has a lead for the police. A lead that the police don’t seem to care about at all because some victims just don’t matter.
Bagging groceries isn’t that great a job, but it is a job. In Haggard, the options job wise are very few. In “The Bag Girl” by Alec Cizak, she does what she needs to do to survive. She has a job at the store and another at home and both are mind numbing and hard in their own ways.
From direct personal experience, Jean knew what the man who called himself “Samson” did two years ago. The fact that he stole the table was just a symbol of everything he stole that night. That night changed the course of her life forever. In “Sarah, Sweet and Stealthy” by Preston Lang, a form of justice comes slowly and with some help.
Back in the 40’s, a mother abandoned her newborn in in the woods of Red Thrush Mountain. When a search party went looking after the young mother confessed, all they found was a small feed sack dress covered in feline fur. It may be years later, but the legend of what happened is still strong and a menacing presence. In “With Hair Black Than Coal” by Chris McGinley, strange things are again going on in the woods and Sheriff Curley Knott is on the case.
“She Loves First” by Mary Thorson is the final read in Tough 2: Crime Stories. Lula has been left behind as Tom is in New York to covertly photograph an execution for a New York Paper. His bird is still present and is seriously annoying. Something is going to have to change as she can’t keep living like this.
Like its predecessor, Tough: Crime Stories, the new book, Tough 2: Crime Stories, is a solidly good read. Most of the tales are on the dark side, but there are the occasional flashes of muted humor. Even if that humor tends to be on the dark and twisted side of the ledger. As one would expect from the title, these are not tales of cozy mystery where a death is gently and politely discussed by the flickering light of the fireplace while one sips tea. These are often tales where the gut churns with physical fear and one can smell the scent of murder on the night wind. While not present in every single story, these characters are often desperately clinging to life in situations where the price each day for existing to another sunrise is to kill before being killed. A mix of styles, locations, and crimes makes Tough 2: Crime Stories an enjoyable and often complicated read.
Tough 2: Crime Stories
Editor Rusty Barnes
Redneck Press
August 2019
ISBN# 978-0578487809
Paperback Only
194 Pages
$14.95
ARC PDF supplied by Editor Rusty Barnes with no expectation of a review.
Kevin R. Tipple ©2019
September 10, 2019
Tough (Tough Crime) is a crime fiction website run by Rusty Barnes who publishes stories online for anyone to read. Tough 2 is the second collection that publishes the work in print. This particular volume is drawn from mid- to late 2018. It’s a terrific anthology well worth your support.
October 1, 2023
I liked this a bit better than the first collection. Solid bunch of crime stories.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews