Bloodroot : Best New England Crime Stories

by Susan Oleksiw (Editor/Contributor), Ang Pompano (Editor/Contributor), Leslie Wheeler (Editor/Contributor)

Bloodroot contains 24 stories in every sub-genre of crime fiction by some of the best known writers working today as well as new voices. Stories include a cozy featuring Amelia Earhart, an insecure bank robber, a lawyer on the verge of losing a case, a business man about to go bankrupt, a woman out for a hike in the desert, a researcher on a ship in the Aleutian Islands, a graduate student in English literature visiting England, and a man marooned in his apartment during a blizzard. In these and other stories, protagonists of all stripes are challenged to survive.

309 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 7, 2021

About the author

"People say that life is the thing, but I prefer reading." Logan Pearsall Smith

I can't imagine a life without books. Some of my best memories of a quiet rainy afternoon when Dad let me poke among his books and pick something to read.

Born and raised in New England, I have long been fascinated by the traditional New Englander and the way of life found here. I try to capture that world in two of my series.

My most recent book, Below the Tree Line, is set on a farm in central Massachusetts. Felicity O'Brien has inherited the family farm, but she has also inherited, from her mother and ancestors, the ability to heal. This is both a blessing and a burden.

My first mystery series features Chief of Police Joe Silva, in the town of Mellingham. The books in the series follow the ups and downs of people in the town but also the changes in Joe's life. He begins as a bachelor and in the most recent books is clearly a happy stepdad.

In the second series, my sleuth is an Indian-American photographer who lives at her aunt's tourist hotel on a popular beach. Raised in India, she has no desire to leave and follow her parents home to the States. She finds herself involved in all sorts of problems trying to keep her aunt's hotel solvent and out of trouble. Her aunt, for her part, despairs of ever turning Anita into a proper young Indian woman. The stories give me a chance to write about a country where I once lived and which I have loved since a child.

All three series are cozies, with fun as well as surprises.

Series:
* Joe Silva Mellingham
* Anita Ray

Reviews

[Matthew Cost · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fine collection of short stories! There was such a wide range of content that it's hard to cover in detail. I particularly liked the shorts by Bruce Coffin, Leslie Wheeler, and Vaughn Hardacker. My compliments.

[April M Morin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to Ang Pompano, Susan Oleksiw, Leslie Wheeler, Crime Spell Books and Mystery Lover's Kitchen for a copy of Bloodroot-The New England Crime Stories. I don't give away spoilers in my reviews.
I live in Connecticut and am a huge fan of crime stories - both fiction and non-fiction. I enjoyed the short stories in this book and especially loved the New England slang. In one story, the teenagers "bang a left" while driving and I laughed out loud. I have lived in three other states and no one understood that phrase.
I can't pick a favorite story since I enjoyed them all. I am familiar with two of the writers - Leslie Wheeler and Edith Maxwell. I am always looking for new-to-me authors and have no discovered many more thanks to Bloodroot.
For anyone who loves short stories and crime stories as well as any New Englander - this would be a great book when you want a short story.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been lucky enough to read several of the Best NE Crime Stories Anthologies over the years and I have to say Bloodroot is my favorite and is chock full of fantastic shorts. Even if short stories aren't your thing, you'd be hard pressed to not enjoy this brilliantly curated collection of short crime stories!