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Sookie Stackhouse #9.3 - Dahlia Underground
Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries from the Dark Side
A winning mystery collection edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris—featuring an original Sookie Stackhouse story. Nighttime is the perfect time for the perfect crime—especially in the realm of the paranormal. Featuring fascinating, frightening, and sometimes funny stories by Mystery Writers of America including Carolyn Hart, Barbara D'Amato, Margart Maron, Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane, and Elaine Viets, Crimes by Moonlight is your portal to the dark side and all its wonders.
434 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 6, 2010
290 people are currently reading
3183 people want to read
About the author
Charlaine Harris
203 books37k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
March 6, 2021
Great short story about revenge on the Fellowship for the Pyramid bombing. Loved it!
November 16, 2012
Dahlia Underground by Charlaine Harris: ★★
A vampire who felt nothing but contempt towards humans learns otherwise.
Hixton by William Kent Krueger: ★★
Five boys disappear without a trace..and pigs.. and sweets!
Small Change by Margaret Maron: ★★★
A girl tries to find out who's stealing from her father.
The Trespassers by Brendan Dubois: ★★
Devil worshippers and ghost hunters both find their way to a small sleepy town.
Madeeda by Harley Jane Kozak: ★★
You know the story where a sweet girl gets assaulted by her co-workers and haunts the wife till she finds out what happened? Yeah, that!
House of Horrors by S. W. Hubbard: ★★★
A family adopts a little girl who..got your attention, didn't it?
Sift, Almost Invisible, Through by Jeffrey Somers: ★★★
What'd you do if a think man showed up in every photograph of yours?
The Bedroom Door by Elaine Viets: ★★
Bedroom doors as soothsayers.
The Conqueror Worm by Barbara D’Amato: ★★
Phantom emailer and guilt-as bad a combo as vodka and aspirin!
In Memory of the Sibylline by Lou Kemp: ★★
A story about how a wizard came to name his ship the Flying Dutchman.
The Bloodflower by Martin Meyers: ★★
Meh.
The Awareness by Terrie Farley Moran: ★★★
Banshee investigates a death.
Was going so well but the ending ruined it!
Tadesville by Jack Fredrickson:
Boring. Skipped most of it!
Limbo by Steve Brewer: ★★
Gangsters, murders and a zombie!
The Insider by Mike Wiecek: ★★★
A ghost who gives stock market tips!
Swing Shift by Dana Cameron: ★★★
Vampires, Werewolves,Nazis and Drug dealers!
Riding High by Carolyn Hart: ★★★
Heavenly helper solves two problems in one turn.
Grave Matter – A Mike Hammer Story by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane: ★★★
Voodoo techniques and science!
Death of a Vampire by Parnell Hall: ★★★
He's a vampire..right?
Taking the Long View by Toni L. P. Kelner: ★★★
A vampire mystery!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2015
Crimes by Moonlight: Mysteries From the Darkside ( The Southern Vampire Mysteries) Short Stories and Novellas #11 is a 2010 Berkley publication.
My husband bought me this book several years back because he recognized Charlaine Harris' name and knew I enjoyed her Sookie Stackhouse series. However, once I took a closer look at the book I realized my sweetheart of a husband had been duped by unscrupulous marketing tactics. Charlaine Harris writes the forward and is the editor, but she only has one short story in this 20 author anthology. While Charlaine Harris' name is boldly and prominently displayed on the cover in HUGE letters, the other authors listed on the cover are not as obvious. So, as an impulse buy my husband did not understand what he was actually getting when he bought the book. I really don't like it when publishers do that, but enough of my whining.
This book has languished on my shelf for some time now and I meant to get to it, but it kept slipping down the old TBR list. Finally, I decided it had gathered dust long enough. A collection of short stories should be easy reading. When I went down the list of authors who contributed stories for the book, I was blown away. Twenty authors, twenty stories with names such as Carolyn Hart, Max Allen Collins, and Margaret Maron just to name a few. So with such heavy hitters as these, I was sure I was in for a treat. Well, not so much.
There was not one single story in this collection that was great. One or two were good. A few of these stories made no sense at all. I forced myself through each story because I kept thinking that surely one of them had to be worth my time. But, sadly that never happened. I wish I had let this one gather dust indefinitely. 2 stars
My husband bought me this book several years back because he recognized Charlaine Harris' name and knew I enjoyed her Sookie Stackhouse series. However, once I took a closer look at the book I realized my sweetheart of a husband had been duped by unscrupulous marketing tactics. Charlaine Harris writes the forward and is the editor, but she only has one short story in this 20 author anthology. While Charlaine Harris' name is boldly and prominently displayed on the cover in HUGE letters, the other authors listed on the cover are not as obvious. So, as an impulse buy my husband did not understand what he was actually getting when he bought the book. I really don't like it when publishers do that, but enough of my whining.
This book has languished on my shelf for some time now and I meant to get to it, but it kept slipping down the old TBR list. Finally, I decided it had gathered dust long enough. A collection of short stories should be easy reading. When I went down the list of authors who contributed stories for the book, I was blown away. Twenty authors, twenty stories with names such as Carolyn Hart, Max Allen Collins, and Margaret Maron just to name a few. So with such heavy hitters as these, I was sure I was in for a treat. Well, not so much.
There was not one single story in this collection that was great. One or two were good. A few of these stories made no sense at all. I forced myself through each story because I kept thinking that surely one of them had to be worth my time. But, sadly that never happened. I wish I had let this one gather dust indefinitely. 2 stars
June 11, 2013
This is my first attempt at reviewing an anthology and I'm going to experiment with tackling it one story at a time:
Dahlia Underground: A vampire tries to protect the firefighters who saved her life after her hotel was bombed, and to track down those responsible. An interesting little Sookie Stackhouse interlude. Focuses on one-off characters, but it's set in the True Blood books universe. I liked it better than a lot of Harris's work that I've read, but it's not one that stuck with me. (Other than the image of a tiny vampire woman playing GTA with a group of burly firefighters - as the daughter of a former fireman I found this both endearing and surprisingly near the mark, except in my day it was Tomb Raider and as far as I know I wasn't a vampire.) ***
Hixton: A journalist tracks down a retired police officer in the hopes of shedding new light on a series of disappearances twenty years before. The first of several stories in the anthology to go with a '30s/'40s noir vibe. The twist is fairly easy to spot but I liked that this 11-page story involved aspects of police and journalistic procedure. *** 1/2
Small Change: The detective here is a teenage girl who can shapeshift into inanimate objects, which comes in handy when her father's antiques store becomes the target of a very ambitious burglar. The mystery was a little fuzzy, but the main supernatural element was pretty interesting. ***
The Trespassers: Well written but not much to the plot. A small town policeman attends the scene of an accidental death in a reputedly haunted house that some out-of-town types are hoping to turn into a B&B. ** 1/2
Madeeda: A pregnant woman who feels isolated after her husband moves their family halfway across the country to take a high-powered corporate job becomes increasingly paranoid as her twin sons start claiming to see the ghost of a witch. The mystery and supernatural elements in this story combine very well in their own right, but it gets an extra star for being genuinely creepy if you read it on your own at night. ****
House of Horrors: The premise isn't very original but the handling was great, and the characters very well drawn. A family on vacation to celebrate their adoption of a young girl get caught up in the disappearance of a teenage boy. The funhouse setting for the 'crime' was a nice touch of misdirection, too. *** 1/2
Sift, Almost Invisible, Through: An investigator who may or may not specialise in the paranormal is hired by a man whose photographs reveal an eerie presence following him around - a promising set-up, but I couldn't decide whether the main character's profession was made adequately clear or not; either way, some of the characters' responses to very scary situations seemed far too relaxed and they couldn't all have been paranormal experts. The ending was abrupt and a little unsatisfying. ** 1/2
The Bedroom Door: A woman whose grandmother has a visions of people standing in her bedroom doorway 72 hours before they die gets obsessed with the idea that her soon-to-be-deceased business partner is having an affair with her husband, while largely ignoring the teenage daughter whom she repeatedly claims she's desperate to form a closer bond with. Interesting premise hindered by the fact that I could feel no sympathy for the narrator and saw the twist coming a mile off. **
The Conqueror Worm: A fairly unoriginal tale of a haunting via modern technology. A man receives increasingly threatening emails from a dead friend which only he can see. The dialogue was flat and the story ended without really going anywhere, with a predictable final twist. * 1/2
In Memory of the Sybilline: A slow-starter with a frame narrative that gets abandoned at the end; not without its problems, in other words, but it has pirates, wizardry, a Christie-esque setting and an anti-hero with plenty of charisma. What more could you ask for? ***
The Bloodflower: Disappointingly lacking in any real mystery/crime elements, this is a story of a group of thoroughly unpleasant TV execs, one of whom is also damningly "ugly" (and so of course is also frigid, boring and painfully lacking in intelligence and social skills) until suddenly granted power and beauty by a witchy individual who never shows up again to explain why she bothered. A supernatural tale of horrible ironic consequences that are visible a mile off. (Seriously, one of the characters has a dream on the first page that spells out the ending!) *
The Awareness: I enjoyed the premise of this one very much. A banshee who has followed a family of Irish immigrants to America and through several generations, mourning their deaths and easing their passage into the next life when their times come, encounters her first murder and decides it's her duty to investigate when the police come up empty. Her actual investigation is pretty routine but the mythology is a lot of fun, and it was nice to see one of the lesser appreciated horror creatures get an outing. ***
Tadesville: This story incorporated crime elements without worrying too much about creating mystery, allowing the author to focus on the creation of some quite creepy horror. The whole story has a nicely dreamlike quality that makes you question what is real and what is the influence of the titular town on the narrator's mind, with the one unfortunate side-effect that the ending lacked clarity. *** 1/2
Limbo: A man who works as muscle-for-hire for a number of competing crime syndicates wakes up in the middle of his own autopsy and tries to solve the mystery of his murder. Good in that it was one of the few in the anthology where I didn't guess "who dunnit"; not so good in that it set up an interesting supernatural premise (a beam of - heavenly? - white light emitting from the reanimated victim's wounds) but then didn't do much with it. ** 1/2
The Insider: The ghost of a murdered man is giving excellent stock market tips to former business associates, who are understandably torn between desire to cash in and fear that some really sinister forces must be at work, so they hire a paranormal PI to investigate the phenomenon. The shades-of-grey morality held by most of the characters is cleverly drawn without the point being laboured, and the author even finds time for a red herring or two before bringing the whole thing to a satisfying conclusion. *** 1/2
Swing Shift: Another one heavily in the '30s/'40s noir vibe, to the point of being kind-of sort-of set in WWII. Someone's infiltrated a group of code-breakers in New York in what appears to be a locked-room mystery, so it's up to a werewolf detective and his femme fatale vampire cousins to sort things out. Also featured: drug deals, jazz clubs, corrupt FBI agents. I think it's a prequel to a series, and if you're a follower of that series I imagine this would contain some gems of internal continuity, but since I'm not I enjoyed it without getting too into it, really. I also found it very hard to keep track of all the characters; I felt there were a few too many for a 22-page story, particularly since they weren't given enough time to be easily distinguishable. (Again, this may be a series thing, I don't know.) ** 1/2
Riding High: A ghost whose 'job' consists of returning to earth to help solve crimes has a few hours to kill and decides to attend a country club social, where she stumbles upon an apparent case of spousal abuse where something's even more iffy than that sounds. I was kind of ambivalent towards the main character (again, the protagonist of a series I'm not familiar with), not so much because of her personality, which was quite engaging, but due to her literal ghost-in-the-machine abilities which made it all a bit too easy to foil the villain, but nevertheless the crime/drama thread was enjoyable and surprisingly original. ***
Grave Matter: Yet more '30s/'40s noir! This one gets bonus points straight off the bat for having genuine roots in a series from the era, being officially a continuation of the Mike Hammer (a.k.a. Mike Danger) comic books. Unsurprisingly, it has a more cartoony feel to it than the others in the anthology, with an obvious nod to various film versions of Frankenstein in the setting (a creepy Gothic mansion improbably located in a mid-sized American town). The interesting attempt to throw a semi-serious point about bioethics into the mix may have been undermined by the fact that I read this in the same week that a successful arm transplant was performed and received quite a bit of publicity - this draft of the story may only have been written three or four years ago but it already feels as though technology and medicine has come on a long way. ** 1/2
Death of a Vampire: One of the most interesting stories in the anthology, since despite its title it is the only one to make the inclusion of a supernatural element ambiguous and open to interpretation. An annoying goth girl hires a PI to find out if her vampire boyfriend is really what he says he is. (The word "twilight" is never used, but the narrator gets a couple of digs in nevertheless.) Things are complicated by her overprotective dad, who isn't keen on her having a boyfriend of any variety. The PI doubles as narrator and nicely turns a lot of investigator clichés on their heads in his little asides - he's a somewhat curmudgeonly old gent in late middle age who prefers more sedate cases, is happily married to a cheery and contented wife, and has no interest in sleeping with his immature client, who obviously regards herself as something of a femme fatale. It's clear that every character in the story thinks they're in an entirely different genre to everyone else, but the author cleverly overlays the humour of this situation with genuine pathos when the titular death takes place, with the PI unable to decide what disturbs him more: the thought that vampires might exist, or that someone might be so desperate to be loved that they would dedicate their dying moments to fulfilling someone else's impossible ideal of them. *** 1/2
Taking the Long View: A vampire courtroom drama that manages to make the most of the premise without running into trouble by taking itself too seriously. At an official meeting of important members of the supernatural community, one vampire is found murdered after having the curtains of his bedroom opened during the day and coming into fatal contact with sunlight. His human familiar is the only suspect, and the main character (who I believe is the protagonist of a number of other stories and novels by the author) takes it upon herself to defend the young woman, despite her personal dislike of her, since she knows she won't receive a fair trial as an 'inferior' creature accused of murdering her 'owner' (drawing nice parallels with real-world civil rights issues through time, without becoming overt or laboured). It's a cleverly plotted story with good pacing, and rounds off the collection nicely. ***
Dahlia Underground: A vampire tries to protect the firefighters who saved her life after her hotel was bombed, and to track down those responsible. An interesting little Sookie Stackhouse interlude. Focuses on one-off characters, but it's set in the True Blood books universe. I liked it better than a lot of Harris's work that I've read, but it's not one that stuck with me. (Other than the image of a tiny vampire woman playing GTA with a group of burly firefighters - as the daughter of a former fireman I found this both endearing and surprisingly near the mark, except in my day it was Tomb Raider and as far as I know I wasn't a vampire.) ***
Hixton: A journalist tracks down a retired police officer in the hopes of shedding new light on a series of disappearances twenty years before. The first of several stories in the anthology to go with a '30s/'40s noir vibe. The twist is fairly easy to spot but I liked that this 11-page story involved aspects of police and journalistic procedure. *** 1/2
Small Change: The detective here is a teenage girl who can shapeshift into inanimate objects, which comes in handy when her father's antiques store becomes the target of a very ambitious burglar. The mystery was a little fuzzy, but the main supernatural element was pretty interesting. ***
The Trespassers: Well written but not much to the plot. A small town policeman attends the scene of an accidental death in a reputedly haunted house that some out-of-town types are hoping to turn into a B&B. ** 1/2
Madeeda: A pregnant woman who feels isolated after her husband moves their family halfway across the country to take a high-powered corporate job becomes increasingly paranoid as her twin sons start claiming to see the ghost of a witch. The mystery and supernatural elements in this story combine very well in their own right, but it gets an extra star for being genuinely creepy if you read it on your own at night. ****
House of Horrors: The premise isn't very original but the handling was great, and the characters very well drawn. A family on vacation to celebrate their adoption of a young girl get caught up in the disappearance of a teenage boy. The funhouse setting for the 'crime' was a nice touch of misdirection, too. *** 1/2
Sift, Almost Invisible, Through: An investigator who may or may not specialise in the paranormal is hired by a man whose photographs reveal an eerie presence following him around - a promising set-up, but I couldn't decide whether the main character's profession was made adequately clear or not; either way, some of the characters' responses to very scary situations seemed far too relaxed and they couldn't all have been paranormal experts. The ending was abrupt and a little unsatisfying. ** 1/2
The Bedroom Door: A woman whose grandmother has a visions of people standing in her bedroom doorway 72 hours before they die gets obsessed with the idea that her soon-to-be-deceased business partner is having an affair with her husband, while largely ignoring the teenage daughter whom she repeatedly claims she's desperate to form a closer bond with. Interesting premise hindered by the fact that I could feel no sympathy for the narrator and saw the twist coming a mile off. **
The Conqueror Worm: A fairly unoriginal tale of a haunting via modern technology. A man receives increasingly threatening emails from a dead friend which only he can see. The dialogue was flat and the story ended without really going anywhere, with a predictable final twist. * 1/2
In Memory of the Sybilline: A slow-starter with a frame narrative that gets abandoned at the end; not without its problems, in other words, but it has pirates, wizardry, a Christie-esque setting and an anti-hero with plenty of charisma. What more could you ask for? ***
The Bloodflower: Disappointingly lacking in any real mystery/crime elements, this is a story of a group of thoroughly unpleasant TV execs, one of whom is also damningly "ugly" (and so of course is also frigid, boring and painfully lacking in intelligence and social skills) until suddenly granted power and beauty by a witchy individual who never shows up again to explain why she bothered. A supernatural tale of horrible ironic consequences that are visible a mile off. (Seriously, one of the characters has a dream on the first page that spells out the ending!) *
The Awareness: I enjoyed the premise of this one very much. A banshee who has followed a family of Irish immigrants to America and through several generations, mourning their deaths and easing their passage into the next life when their times come, encounters her first murder and decides it's her duty to investigate when the police come up empty. Her actual investigation is pretty routine but the mythology is a lot of fun, and it was nice to see one of the lesser appreciated horror creatures get an outing. ***
Tadesville: This story incorporated crime elements without worrying too much about creating mystery, allowing the author to focus on the creation of some quite creepy horror. The whole story has a nicely dreamlike quality that makes you question what is real and what is the influence of the titular town on the narrator's mind, with the one unfortunate side-effect that the ending lacked clarity. *** 1/2
Limbo: A man who works as muscle-for-hire for a number of competing crime syndicates wakes up in the middle of his own autopsy and tries to solve the mystery of his murder. Good in that it was one of the few in the anthology where I didn't guess "who dunnit"; not so good in that it set up an interesting supernatural premise (a beam of - heavenly? - white light emitting from the reanimated victim's wounds) but then didn't do much with it. ** 1/2
The Insider: The ghost of a murdered man is giving excellent stock market tips to former business associates, who are understandably torn between desire to cash in and fear that some really sinister forces must be at work, so they hire a paranormal PI to investigate the phenomenon. The shades-of-grey morality held by most of the characters is cleverly drawn without the point being laboured, and the author even finds time for a red herring or two before bringing the whole thing to a satisfying conclusion. *** 1/2
Swing Shift: Another one heavily in the '30s/'40s noir vibe, to the point of being kind-of sort-of set in WWII. Someone's infiltrated a group of code-breakers in New York in what appears to be a locked-room mystery, so it's up to a werewolf detective and his femme fatale vampire cousins to sort things out. Also featured: drug deals, jazz clubs, corrupt FBI agents. I think it's a prequel to a series, and if you're a follower of that series I imagine this would contain some gems of internal continuity, but since I'm not I enjoyed it without getting too into it, really. I also found it very hard to keep track of all the characters; I felt there were a few too many for a 22-page story, particularly since they weren't given enough time to be easily distinguishable. (Again, this may be a series thing, I don't know.) ** 1/2
Riding High: A ghost whose 'job' consists of returning to earth to help solve crimes has a few hours to kill and decides to attend a country club social, where she stumbles upon an apparent case of spousal abuse where something's even more iffy than that sounds. I was kind of ambivalent towards the main character (again, the protagonist of a series I'm not familiar with), not so much because of her personality, which was quite engaging, but due to her literal ghost-in-the-machine abilities which made it all a bit too easy to foil the villain, but nevertheless the crime/drama thread was enjoyable and surprisingly original. ***
Grave Matter: Yet more '30s/'40s noir! This one gets bonus points straight off the bat for having genuine roots in a series from the era, being officially a continuation of the Mike Hammer (a.k.a. Mike Danger) comic books. Unsurprisingly, it has a more cartoony feel to it than the others in the anthology, with an obvious nod to various film versions of Frankenstein in the setting (a creepy Gothic mansion improbably located in a mid-sized American town). The interesting attempt to throw a semi-serious point about bioethics into the mix may have been undermined by the fact that I read this in the same week that a successful arm transplant was performed and received quite a bit of publicity - this draft of the story may only have been written three or four years ago but it already feels as though technology and medicine has come on a long way. ** 1/2
Death of a Vampire: One of the most interesting stories in the anthology, since despite its title it is the only one to make the inclusion of a supernatural element ambiguous and open to interpretation. An annoying goth girl hires a PI to find out if her vampire boyfriend is really what he says he is. (The word "twilight" is never used, but the narrator gets a couple of digs in nevertheless.) Things are complicated by her overprotective dad, who isn't keen on her having a boyfriend of any variety. The PI doubles as narrator and nicely turns a lot of investigator clichés on their heads in his little asides - he's a somewhat curmudgeonly old gent in late middle age who prefers more sedate cases, is happily married to a cheery and contented wife, and has no interest in sleeping with his immature client, who obviously regards herself as something of a femme fatale. It's clear that every character in the story thinks they're in an entirely different genre to everyone else, but the author cleverly overlays the humour of this situation with genuine pathos when the titular death takes place, with the PI unable to decide what disturbs him more: the thought that vampires might exist, or that someone might be so desperate to be loved that they would dedicate their dying moments to fulfilling someone else's impossible ideal of them. *** 1/2
Taking the Long View: A vampire courtroom drama that manages to make the most of the premise without running into trouble by taking itself too seriously. At an official meeting of important members of the supernatural community, one vampire is found murdered after having the curtains of his bedroom opened during the day and coming into fatal contact with sunlight. His human familiar is the only suspect, and the main character (who I believe is the protagonist of a number of other stories and novels by the author) takes it upon herself to defend the young woman, despite her personal dislike of her, since she knows she won't receive a fair trial as an 'inferior' creature accused of murdering her 'owner' (drawing nice parallels with real-world civil rights issues through time, without becoming overt or laboured). It's a cleverly plotted story with good pacing, and rounds off the collection nicely. ***
March 29, 2011
"Dahlia Underground" - Charlaine Harris ★★
"Hixton" - William Kent Krueger ★★★
"Small Change" - Margaret Maron ★★★
"The Trespassers" - Brendan DuBois ★★★
"Madeeda" - Harley Jane Kozak ★★★★
"House of Horrors" - S. W. Hubbard ★★★★
"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through" - Jeffrey Somers ★★★★★
"The Bedroom Door" - Elaine Viets ★★★
"The Conqueror Worm" - Barbara D'Amato ★★★
"In Memory of the Sibylline" - Lou Kemp ★★★
"The Bloodflower" - Martin Meyers ★★
"The Awareness" - Terrie Farley Moran ★★★
"Tadesville" - Jack Frederickson ★★
"Limbo" - Steve Brewer ★★★
"The Insider" - Mike Wiecek ★★★
"Swing Shift" - Dana Cameron ★★
"Riding High" - Carolyn Hart ★★★
"Grave Matter - A Mike Hammer Story" - Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane ★★★
"Death of a Vampire" - Parnell Hall ★★★
"Taking the Long View" - Toni L. P. Kelner ★★★★
"Hixton" - William Kent Krueger ★★★
"Small Change" - Margaret Maron ★★★
"The Trespassers" - Brendan DuBois ★★★
"Madeeda" - Harley Jane Kozak ★★★★
"House of Horrors" - S. W. Hubbard ★★★★
"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through" - Jeffrey Somers ★★★★★
"The Bedroom Door" - Elaine Viets ★★★
"The Conqueror Worm" - Barbara D'Amato ★★★
"In Memory of the Sibylline" - Lou Kemp ★★★
"The Bloodflower" - Martin Meyers ★★
"The Awareness" - Terrie Farley Moran ★★★
"Tadesville" - Jack Frederickson ★★
"Limbo" - Steve Brewer ★★★
"The Insider" - Mike Wiecek ★★★
"Swing Shift" - Dana Cameron ★★
"Riding High" - Carolyn Hart ★★★
"Grave Matter - A Mike Hammer Story" - Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane ★★★
"Death of a Vampire" - Parnell Hall ★★★
"Taking the Long View" - Toni L. P. Kelner ★★★★
February 23, 2015
I really enjoyed reading these short stories. I can't wait to read books by some of the authors I discovered in the book!
August 2, 2011
This is a collection of paranormal short stories. As with any collection some were good and some not so much. An okay read for fans of the genre or the specific authors. Can’t rave about it!
August 24, 2014
An enjoyable collection of short stories by some of my favorite spooky mystery authors. Just enough to make me keep them on my "to be read' list.
January 7, 2013
Another anthology put together by Charlaine Harris... These stories weren't the worst supernatural novellas that I have read, but they didn't make me want to go out and find other things that these authors have written.
1. Dahlia Underground: After the incident in Rhodes during one of the Sookie Stackhouse books, a vampire named Dahlia works to keep human firefighters safe after the Fellowship of the Sun targets them for helping rescue vampires and vampire sympathizers from that incident (sorry, I'm trying not to spoil an entire book in that series). Good story, pretty much exactly what I'd expect from Harris at this point. If you like her writing, you'll like this, if not, you probably won't enjoy this story.
2. Hixton: Martin goes to visit a retired investigator who once worked a case in Martin's hometown involving 5 missing boys, in order to see what exactly the investigator had to say about that case. I didn't like this story very much, so I personally wouldn't recommend it.
3. Small Change: A teenage girl learns that she can change into inanimate objects, and uses that power in order to help figure out who is stealing things from her father's store. This was a very strange plot idea, being able to shift into objects like lamps and vases, I've never read anything like this. I'd say this was worth reading, just for the novelty of that idea.
4. The Trespassers: A small town police chief is called in to investigate the death of a ghost hunter studying an old house where strange things have been happening to the new owners. I didn't think that this was a very interesting story at all, it was very simple and boring.
5. Madeeda: A woman deals with her twins getting visits from a strange spirit named Madeeda and her husband working for a company that is doing very illegal things, only to have both plotlines twist together in an unexpected way. This story definitely was not what I was expecting when I started reading it, and I'd recommend it as the plot twist, in my opinion, was interesting enough to make reading the novella worth it.
6. House of Horrors: A man wonders if his foster daughter had anything to do with the disappearance of a high school boy from a haunted house tour. This was pretty much like the typical story of a girl with supernatural powers, though this girl wasn't evil like, for example, the girl in The Orphan was. Not a bad story, but nothing very original.
7. Sift, Almost Invisible, Through: A guy investigates the case of a mysterious stranger who shows up in the photos of another man, even though the stranger couldn't physically be seen at the times the photo was taken. I thought this was a very good novella, though the plotline has probably been done several times before.
8. The Bedroom Door: Francine has a grandmother who can see dead people in her bedroom doorway 3 days before they die, and her latest victim is Francine's own business partner. I was actually surprised by the twist in this story, and that's enough of a reason for me to recommend this novella.
9. The Conqueror Worm: Neal gets emails from a dead friend of his, however, they are not visible to anyone except for him, thus driving him slightly insane. I didn't like the way this story ended - it was very anticlimactic and i felt kind of cheated for reading it.
10. In Memory of the Sybilline: A magician prisoner on a ship helps a family of three through various difficulties throughout the journey. I was a bit confused by this story, but it wasn't really interesting enough to get me to read it through a second time to try and understand it.
11. The Bloodflower: Hope, having just moved into a new apartment, appears to develop the powers of her landlord (which involve the goddess Hecate). This makes Hope, a formerly shy and plain girl, a popular and gorgeous young woman who ends up as the host of TV's newest hit show, Sexploits - though she does have a trail of bodies behind her on her way to the top. I enjoyed this story a lot, and I'd definitely recommend it to just about anyone.
12. The Awareness: The banshee for the O'Conor family is faced with her first homicide. Unhappy with the unnatural death, she ends up investigating and then solving the murder of one of her charges. I feel like banshees have not been covered often in supernatural literature, so I liked this story right away for focusing on an unusual creature. It was also a story that was actually fun to read, unlike some of the others in this anthology.
13. Tadesville: Henry and some of his friends bum around the upper Midwest after serving in the Korean War, playing in a jug band and earning or stealing just enough to get them to the next small town. After arriving in Tadesville, Henry splits from the rest of the group, sees a mysterious woman in the woods who gives him a ring before disappearing, and leaves the town only to spend the next 10 years stealing, drinking, and in prison. Henry decides to return to Tadesville and is fairly surprised by what he finds there. Honestly, I didn't like this story that much - maybe it was the comment on human nature by having everyone act like a drunken thief, but it just didn't interest me.
14. Limbo: A man with connections to several mafia organizations wakes up in the morgue and is given a second chance in order to find out who killed him. This was a very short story, easy to get through, but not very interesting.
15. The Insider: A man is called in to investigate when a financial analyst (I think) has a ridiculous investing hot streak that is due to a ghost with perfect market tips. I really liked this story, especially the slight twist at the end. I'd recommend this novella.
16. Swing Shift: An FBI agent asks Jake for help with a problem. Jake and his family help the agent, and he discovers that this family has some special powers. This wasn't a bad novella, but it wasn't good enough for me to be interested in anything else the author has written, even if it involves the same characters.
17. Riding High: A spirit comes down to help one person, but before she leaves ends up trying to help another one who is being secretly abused. I liked the way this story unfolded, and I'd recommend it.
18. Grave Matter: Mike Hammer (a character who I assume stars in other stories by this author) goes to investigate the death of a friend of his, and finds a strange town with an extremely unhelpful police chief and a beautiful, intriguing woman named Victoria. I feel like I've read the basic plot of this story several times before...
19. Death of a Vampire: An investigator named Stanley is hired by a girl to find out if her boyfriend is actually a vampire, like he claims to be. This story had an extremely weird and kind of sad ending, which took away from the rest of the plot - therefore I wouldn't really recommend it.
20. Taking the Long View: At a party surrounded by old vampires who have little but contempt for him, Mark (a young vampire) finds himself at a vampire trial, defending a human concubine from the charge of murdering her owner. I liked the characters and the plot a lot - I would recommend this novella and also think it was good enough to read other books by this author.
1. Dahlia Underground: After the incident in Rhodes during one of the Sookie Stackhouse books, a vampire named Dahlia works to keep human firefighters safe after the Fellowship of the Sun targets them for helping rescue vampires and vampire sympathizers from that incident (sorry, I'm trying not to spoil an entire book in that series). Good story, pretty much exactly what I'd expect from Harris at this point. If you like her writing, you'll like this, if not, you probably won't enjoy this story.
2. Hixton: Martin goes to visit a retired investigator who once worked a case in Martin's hometown involving 5 missing boys, in order to see what exactly the investigator had to say about that case. I didn't like this story very much, so I personally wouldn't recommend it.
3. Small Change: A teenage girl learns that she can change into inanimate objects, and uses that power in order to help figure out who is stealing things from her father's store. This was a very strange plot idea, being able to shift into objects like lamps and vases, I've never read anything like this. I'd say this was worth reading, just for the novelty of that idea.
4. The Trespassers: A small town police chief is called in to investigate the death of a ghost hunter studying an old house where strange things have been happening to the new owners. I didn't think that this was a very interesting story at all, it was very simple and boring.
5. Madeeda: A woman deals with her twins getting visits from a strange spirit named Madeeda and her husband working for a company that is doing very illegal things, only to have both plotlines twist together in an unexpected way. This story definitely was not what I was expecting when I started reading it, and I'd recommend it as the plot twist, in my opinion, was interesting enough to make reading the novella worth it.
6. House of Horrors: A man wonders if his foster daughter had anything to do with the disappearance of a high school boy from a haunted house tour. This was pretty much like the typical story of a girl with supernatural powers, though this girl wasn't evil like, for example, the girl in The Orphan was. Not a bad story, but nothing very original.
7. Sift, Almost Invisible, Through: A guy investigates the case of a mysterious stranger who shows up in the photos of another man, even though the stranger couldn't physically be seen at the times the photo was taken. I thought this was a very good novella, though the plotline has probably been done several times before.
8. The Bedroom Door: Francine has a grandmother who can see dead people in her bedroom doorway 3 days before they die, and her latest victim is Francine's own business partner. I was actually surprised by the twist in this story, and that's enough of a reason for me to recommend this novella.
9. The Conqueror Worm: Neal gets emails from a dead friend of his, however, they are not visible to anyone except for him, thus driving him slightly insane. I didn't like the way this story ended - it was very anticlimactic and i felt kind of cheated for reading it.
10. In Memory of the Sybilline: A magician prisoner on a ship helps a family of three through various difficulties throughout the journey. I was a bit confused by this story, but it wasn't really interesting enough to get me to read it through a second time to try and understand it.
11. The Bloodflower: Hope, having just moved into a new apartment, appears to develop the powers of her landlord (which involve the goddess Hecate). This makes Hope, a formerly shy and plain girl, a popular and gorgeous young woman who ends up as the host of TV's newest hit show, Sexploits - though she does have a trail of bodies behind her on her way to the top. I enjoyed this story a lot, and I'd definitely recommend it to just about anyone.
12. The Awareness: The banshee for the O'Conor family is faced with her first homicide. Unhappy with the unnatural death, she ends up investigating and then solving the murder of one of her charges. I feel like banshees have not been covered often in supernatural literature, so I liked this story right away for focusing on an unusual creature. It was also a story that was actually fun to read, unlike some of the others in this anthology.
13. Tadesville: Henry and some of his friends bum around the upper Midwest after serving in the Korean War, playing in a jug band and earning or stealing just enough to get them to the next small town. After arriving in Tadesville, Henry splits from the rest of the group, sees a mysterious woman in the woods who gives him a ring before disappearing, and leaves the town only to spend the next 10 years stealing, drinking, and in prison. Henry decides to return to Tadesville and is fairly surprised by what he finds there. Honestly, I didn't like this story that much - maybe it was the comment on human nature by having everyone act like a drunken thief, but it just didn't interest me.
14. Limbo: A man with connections to several mafia organizations wakes up in the morgue and is given a second chance in order to find out who killed him. This was a very short story, easy to get through, but not very interesting.
15. The Insider: A man is called in to investigate when a financial analyst (I think) has a ridiculous investing hot streak that is due to a ghost with perfect market tips. I really liked this story, especially the slight twist at the end. I'd recommend this novella.
16. Swing Shift: An FBI agent asks Jake for help with a problem. Jake and his family help the agent, and he discovers that this family has some special powers. This wasn't a bad novella, but it wasn't good enough for me to be interested in anything else the author has written, even if it involves the same characters.
17. Riding High: A spirit comes down to help one person, but before she leaves ends up trying to help another one who is being secretly abused. I liked the way this story unfolded, and I'd recommend it.
18. Grave Matter: Mike Hammer (a character who I assume stars in other stories by this author) goes to investigate the death of a friend of his, and finds a strange town with an extremely unhelpful police chief and a beautiful, intriguing woman named Victoria. I feel like I've read the basic plot of this story several times before...
19. Death of a Vampire: An investigator named Stanley is hired by a girl to find out if her boyfriend is actually a vampire, like he claims to be. This story had an extremely weird and kind of sad ending, which took away from the rest of the plot - therefore I wouldn't really recommend it.
20. Taking the Long View: At a party surrounded by old vampires who have little but contempt for him, Mark (a young vampire) finds himself at a vampire trial, defending a human concubine from the charge of murdering her owner. I liked the characters and the plot a lot - I would recommend this novella and also think it was good enough to read other books by this author.
November 16, 2010
Boy this book was so long! I kept wishing it would end so I could move on to another book. These long anthologies are not a good idea. I averaged my ratings and it came to 3.2 stars, which I'll call 3 stars for simplicity's sake. :) Overall the book was pretty good, some really great stories, some stinkers, a lot of middle of the road ones. I like to read everything about the Sookie universe by Charlaine Harris so if you're like me, you should at least read that story. Below I'll try (unsuccessfully) to give a concise review of each story.
1. Dahlia Underground by Charlaine Harris. Dhalia was in another short story about Taffy's wedding to a werewolf. Dahlia had met and fell in love with another werewolf at the wedding but I guess that didn't work out because she was at the Pyramid with a new short term man when it exploded (in one of the Sookie books). The Rhoades vampire cell are embarrassed by not knowing in advance and they go out to capture the Fellowship terrorists, making friends along the way. ***
2. Hixton by William Kent Krueger. Martin DeAngelo goes in search of a state investigator to find out if he knows anything about 5 missing boys in Martin's home town of Hixton. Well, the investigator knows a lot. ****
3. Small Change by Margaret Maron. Laurel is a teenage shapeshifter, including inanimate objects and she found out she's not alone. Cute story. ***
4. The Trespassers by Brendan DuBois. My peeve for this story is the following sentence: "It was the middle of October, just a couple of weeks left before Halloween, but I didn't see any trick-or-treaters about, . . . ." Hello!?! It's a couple of weeks before Halloween NOT Halloween. A ghosthunter-type show goes to a small town in Massachusetts and one of their team falls and is impaled by a banister. The police chief goes to investigate and maybe do a little more. Disturbing little story. ***
5. Madeeda by Harley Jane Kozak. A woman's twins see a "witch" in their dad's bed and in dreams. The mom starts seeing things too and figures out someone
s trying to help her from the beyond. ***
6. House of Horrors by S.W. Hubbard. John & Miriam take their kids including their new foster daughter Grace to an amusement park. While in the House of Horrors they learn that Grace has a special ability with bad people. ***
7. Sift, Almost Invisible, Through by Jeffrey Somers. Mr. Marks is brought paranormal problems to solve. One is for a Mr. Harrows who has a strange man appear in his photos. Marks finds out it would have been better not to get involved. This story is very familiar to me - Twilight Zone or Outer Limits? ***
8. The Bedroom Door by Elaine Viets. Francine's Grandma sees dead people 3 days before they die and sees Francine's business partner Angela. There's nothing she can do to stop it. Very sad (to me) ending. ****
9. The Conqueror Worm by Barbara D'Amato. Neal gets e-mails from beyond. The story wasn't very good or scary. **
10. In memory of the Sibylline by Lou Kemp. Now this was a really good short story. Mr. Celwyn is a prisoner of a ship that a Dr. Perideaux and his family are aboard. Mr. Celwyn is also a dark arts witch/magician - he goes by both. Mr. Celwyn decides to help the family for a price. I would read this as a full length novel. ****
11. The Bloodflower by Martin Meyers. Hope somehow becomes Hecate, becomes beautiful and ambitious, meets Rusty, starts a sex show on TV and gets rid of her competition. I liked some of the story except the TV show parts which weren't very good and Rusty was a wimpy afterthought. **
12. The Awareness by Terrie Farley Moran. Rynne is a banshee for the O'Conor family. When Casey is murdered, she goes out to find out who did it. Okay story. ****
13. Tadesville by Jack Fredrickson. After the Korean War, Henry and his army friends start a jug band traveling around for change and browsing (stealing). They come to one town where no one comes out when they start to play and when they go browsing Henry is asked a question whose answer could affect the rest of his life. Dark, interesting story. ***
14. Limbo by steve Brewer. A mob negotiator is killed, given a 2nd chance and then in trying to find out who killed him, is killed for good. Short and sweet. ***
15. The Insider by Mike Wiecek. A paranormal investigator is hired by a Wall Street investor because a ghost is giving him good inside picks and he'd like to find out who the ghost is and why the ghost is helping him. ***
16. Swing Shift by Dana Cameron. Harry, an FBI agent, asks Jake for help with a problem during WWII. Jake gets his family to help and together they combat the evil Germans. It helps that Jake and his family are something "special". ***
17. Riding High by Carolyn Hart. Very cute, amusing story about the dead in heaven sent down to help we on earth out. Ruth is the helper and as she's about to go back for her next assignment, she helps out a young man about to used and abused. ****
18. Grave Matter by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane. A story Mickey Spillane had that was not successful, was tweaked and then nothing was done with it. Mike Hammer goes to Hopeful to check out the death of a war buddy and finds out there are a lot of secrets the town is hiding. Good story. ***
19. Death of a Vampire by Parnell Hall. Stanley Hastings is an investigator hired to find out if a girl's boyfriend is a vampire like he claims. This story started out funny and ended really sad. ****
20. Taking the Long View by Toni Kelner. Mark, a new vampire, defends a vampire's concubine against a murder charge. Funny story. ***
6.
1. Dahlia Underground by Charlaine Harris. Dhalia was in another short story about Taffy's wedding to a werewolf. Dahlia had met and fell in love with another werewolf at the wedding but I guess that didn't work out because she was at the Pyramid with a new short term man when it exploded (in one of the Sookie books). The Rhoades vampire cell are embarrassed by not knowing in advance and they go out to capture the Fellowship terrorists, making friends along the way. ***
2. Hixton by William Kent Krueger. Martin DeAngelo goes in search of a state investigator to find out if he knows anything about 5 missing boys in Martin's home town of Hixton. Well, the investigator knows a lot. ****
3. Small Change by Margaret Maron. Laurel is a teenage shapeshifter, including inanimate objects and she found out she's not alone. Cute story. ***
4. The Trespassers by Brendan DuBois. My peeve for this story is the following sentence: "It was the middle of October, just a couple of weeks left before Halloween, but I didn't see any trick-or-treaters about, . . . ." Hello!?! It's a couple of weeks before Halloween NOT Halloween. A ghosthunter-type show goes to a small town in Massachusetts and one of their team falls and is impaled by a banister. The police chief goes to investigate and maybe do a little more. Disturbing little story. ***
5. Madeeda by Harley Jane Kozak. A woman's twins see a "witch" in their dad's bed and in dreams. The mom starts seeing things too and figures out someone
s trying to help her from the beyond. ***
6. House of Horrors by S.W. Hubbard. John & Miriam take their kids including their new foster daughter Grace to an amusement park. While in the House of Horrors they learn that Grace has a special ability with bad people. ***
7. Sift, Almost Invisible, Through by Jeffrey Somers. Mr. Marks is brought paranormal problems to solve. One is for a Mr. Harrows who has a strange man appear in his photos. Marks finds out it would have been better not to get involved. This story is very familiar to me - Twilight Zone or Outer Limits? ***
8. The Bedroom Door by Elaine Viets. Francine's Grandma sees dead people 3 days before they die and sees Francine's business partner Angela. There's nothing she can do to stop it. Very sad (to me) ending. ****
9. The Conqueror Worm by Barbara D'Amato. Neal gets e-mails from beyond. The story wasn't very good or scary. **
10. In memory of the Sibylline by Lou Kemp. Now this was a really good short story. Mr. Celwyn is a prisoner of a ship that a Dr. Perideaux and his family are aboard. Mr. Celwyn is also a dark arts witch/magician - he goes by both. Mr. Celwyn decides to help the family for a price. I would read this as a full length novel. ****
11. The Bloodflower by Martin Meyers. Hope somehow becomes Hecate, becomes beautiful and ambitious, meets Rusty, starts a sex show on TV and gets rid of her competition. I liked some of the story except the TV show parts which weren't very good and Rusty was a wimpy afterthought. **
12. The Awareness by Terrie Farley Moran. Rynne is a banshee for the O'Conor family. When Casey is murdered, she goes out to find out who did it. Okay story. ****
13. Tadesville by Jack Fredrickson. After the Korean War, Henry and his army friends start a jug band traveling around for change and browsing (stealing). They come to one town where no one comes out when they start to play and when they go browsing Henry is asked a question whose answer could affect the rest of his life. Dark, interesting story. ***
14. Limbo by steve Brewer. A mob negotiator is killed, given a 2nd chance and then in trying to find out who killed him, is killed for good. Short and sweet. ***
15. The Insider by Mike Wiecek. A paranormal investigator is hired by a Wall Street investor because a ghost is giving him good inside picks and he'd like to find out who the ghost is and why the ghost is helping him. ***
16. Swing Shift by Dana Cameron. Harry, an FBI agent, asks Jake for help with a problem during WWII. Jake gets his family to help and together they combat the evil Germans. It helps that Jake and his family are something "special". ***
17. Riding High by Carolyn Hart. Very cute, amusing story about the dead in heaven sent down to help we on earth out. Ruth is the helper and as she's about to go back for her next assignment, she helps out a young man about to used and abused. ****
18. Grave Matter by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane. A story Mickey Spillane had that was not successful, was tweaked and then nothing was done with it. Mike Hammer goes to Hopeful to check out the death of a war buddy and finds out there are a lot of secrets the town is hiding. Good story. ***
19. Death of a Vampire by Parnell Hall. Stanley Hastings is an investigator hired to find out if a girl's boyfriend is a vampire like he claims. This story started out funny and ended really sad. ****
20. Taking the Long View by Toni Kelner. Mark, a new vampire, defends a vampire's concubine against a murder charge. Funny story. ***
6.
June 17, 2016
When I picked up this book, I somehow missed the "Mysteries from the Dark Side" subtitle. I saw it when I was working in the library used book store and thought it would be a fun read because I was going on a trip where I would be spending several nights alone in a hotel room. I used to subscribe to "Ellery Queen" and "Alfred Hitchcock" mystery magazines and thought this book would be a similar read. I was not familiar with most of the authors. If I had known that the supernatural was to be the theme that tied the stories together, I would never have picked up the book.
Normally, I don't read other reviews until after I have written my own, but I did this time and it was an eye-opener. I was not familiar with Charlaine Harris, who was the editor of this book of short stories. Her intro about putting the book together was delightful so I was pleased to see that she wrote the first story. Unlike most of the other reviewers who seem to be her fans, I truly did not like her story--so much that I wasn't sure that I wanted to read the other stories.
Fortunately, not all of the other stories really delved into the supernatural. There were a few stories where a ghost was a character, but it wasn't a scary ghost. Sort of like the old Topper movies where George and Marion Kerby are ghosts, but they are there to complicate Topper's life in comedic ways not to scare him.
Of the 20 stories in the book, I enjoyed reading 14 or 15 of them so the book turned out to be a good choice. Mickey Spillane was listed as a co-author on one of the stories and Max Allan Collins, the other co-author, explained in a foreword that Spillane had created a comic book character named "Mike Danger." The character was not successful so Spillane changed the last name from "Danger" to "Hammer" and wrote "I, the Jury." The rest, as they say, is history. The short story they co-authored for this book starred Mike Hammer and it was one of the stories I really enjoyed.
Normally, I don't read other reviews until after I have written my own, but I did this time and it was an eye-opener. I was not familiar with Charlaine Harris, who was the editor of this book of short stories. Her intro about putting the book together was delightful so I was pleased to see that she wrote the first story. Unlike most of the other reviewers who seem to be her fans, I truly did not like her story--so much that I wasn't sure that I wanted to read the other stories.
Fortunately, not all of the other stories really delved into the supernatural. There were a few stories where a ghost was a character, but it wasn't a scary ghost. Sort of like the old Topper movies where George and Marion Kerby are ghosts, but they are there to complicate Topper's life in comedic ways not to scare him.
Of the 20 stories in the book, I enjoyed reading 14 or 15 of them so the book turned out to be a good choice. Mickey Spillane was listed as a co-author on one of the stories and Max Allan Collins, the other co-author, explained in a foreword that Spillane had created a comic book character named "Mike Danger." The character was not successful so Spillane changed the last name from "Danger" to "Hammer" and wrote "I, the Jury." The rest, as they say, is history. The short story they co-authored for this book starred Mike Hammer and it was one of the stories I really enjoyed.
April 28, 2010
Most of these stories were written by authors who don't write 'woo-woo' (their word for supernatural) and it does show rather badly in several of them. Since I am not a general mystery fan, and do not read these authors' non-woo-woo works, I found myself skipping about, starting and often not finishing stories. The story I picked the collection up for (Charlaine Harris) was excellent; I would rate it at least four stars. The rest are a mix of some quite good, others quite...boring. If you like mysteries, you'd probably rate this collection more highly. Me, I just wanted a little more woo.
September 17, 2015
This was one of the most fun books I have read, ever! All the stories were great. Some were excellent. I savored this book in little bits, and treated myself to it occasionally. I really had a great time reading them all. I have a few favorites. I also suggest, you check out the Mystery Writers of America Cook Book. A great follow up to this great collection of stories! Thank you all!
October 29, 2017
This is what I've finished so far:
"Grave Matter - A Mike Hammer Story" - Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane
This was a fairly amusing story. Though there wasn't much of a point to me.
"The Trespassers" - Brendan DuBois
Like another of his stories, I didn't like this story.
"The Conqueror Worm" - Barbara D'Amato
Oh wow, wtf did I just read?
"Dahlia Underground" - Charlaine Harris
meh...
"Hixton" - William Kent Krueger
"Small Change" - Margaret Maron
"Madeeda" - Harley Jane Kozak
"In Memory of the Sibylline" - Lou Kemp
Oh gods, this was so creepy...
"Tadesville" - Jack Frederickson
This was clever...
"Limbo" - Steve Brewer
"The Bloodflower" - Martin Meyers
"The Awareness" - Terrie Farley Moran
"The Insider" - Mike Wiecek
"Swing Shift" - Dana Cameron
"House of Horrors" - S. W. Hubbard
"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through" - Jeffrey Somers
"The Bedroom Door" - Elaine Viets
"Riding High" - Carolyn Hart
"Death of a Vampire" - Parnell Hall
"Taking the Long View" - Toni L. P. Kelner
"Grave Matter - A Mike Hammer Story" - Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane
This was a fairly amusing story. Though there wasn't much of a point to me.
"The Trespassers" - Brendan DuBois
Like another of his stories, I didn't like this story.
"The Conqueror Worm" - Barbara D'Amato
Oh wow, wtf did I just read?
"Dahlia Underground" - Charlaine Harris
meh...
"Hixton" - William Kent Krueger
"Small Change" - Margaret Maron
"Madeeda" - Harley Jane Kozak
"In Memory of the Sibylline" - Lou Kemp
Oh gods, this was so creepy...
"Tadesville" - Jack Frederickson
This was clever...
"Limbo" - Steve Brewer
"The Bloodflower" - Martin Meyers
"The Awareness" - Terrie Farley Moran
"The Insider" - Mike Wiecek
"Swing Shift" - Dana Cameron
"House of Horrors" - S. W. Hubbard
"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through" - Jeffrey Somers
"The Bedroom Door" - Elaine Viets
"Riding High" - Carolyn Hart
"Death of a Vampire" - Parnell Hall
"Taking the Long View" - Toni L. P. Kelner
August 31, 2020
1.5 Stars
I definitely could have done without reading this one. I was thinking it would be on par with Sookie's series...it wasn't.
Merged review:
Review is for Dahlia Underground by Charlaine Harris Only
1.5 Stars
I definitely could have done without reading this one. I was thinking it would be on par with Sookie's series...it wasn't.
I definitely could have done without reading this one. I was thinking it would be on par with Sookie's series...it wasn't.
Merged review:
Review is for Dahlia Underground by Charlaine Harris Only
1.5 Stars
I definitely could have done without reading this one. I was thinking it would be on par with Sookie's series...it wasn't.
dnf
February 28, 2012I used to be fond of the short-mystery-with-a-twist story; I don't know if I outgrew them or this collection just wasn't very good, but after the first four stories I felt no inclination to read on.
August 10, 2011
Ne vous y laissez pas prendre ! Il n'y a qu'une toute petite nouvelle de Charlaine, les autres sont d'autres auteurs et vraiment sans interet... Décevant, tres decevant....
September 15, 2014
A great collection of mysteries that take a little detour through the dark side. Most authors in this collection I hadn't read before. I will be remedying that.
February 8, 2015
Of course some stories were better than others. Overall, spooky and a fun read.
December 30, 2016
Omnibus
It was an OK read
It was an OK read
to-read-anthologies
September 6, 2019✔️Charlaine Harris- "Dahlia Underground" (Sookie Stackhouse Universe)
May 8, 2011
Courtesy of Lost Art Audiobook Review, http://literaryurbanfantasyreview.blo...
On Narration:
This short story compilation was narrated by Natalie Ross and Jeff Cummings. I expected that Natalie Ross and Jeff Cummings would duly read the stories and was a bit let down when that Natalie Ross and Jeff Cummings read without collaboration since I find men mimicking female voices a bit comical. I enjoyed most of Natalie Ross's readings in that her voice has a soft lilt that complemented some stories, like "Riding High" and "Small Change." That same voice unfortunately emphasized things I didn't like in other stories. Jeff Cummings has a great voice for film-noir type stories like "Grave Matter" and "Limbo," but his voice is just too cheerful for other stories, like "Tadesville."
1. Dahlia Underground – Charlaine Harris
Taking place during or right after the 7th Southern Vampire Mystery series book, All Together Dead. Dahlia Lynley-Chivers, a several-hundred-year-old vampire finds herself stuck in a hole with a dead vampire and a dead human after the conservative, anti-vampire hate group, Fellowship of the Sun, bombed her hotel during a vampire convention in Rhodes, Illinois. About 300 vampires are dead. Cedric, sheriff of Rhodes, sends Taffy and Dahlia to infiltrate the Fellowship and bring the culprits to justice. It’s a fun story, but there’s not much conflict and little tension. It's clearly for the avid fans of the series, and if you’re not familiar, you’re not going to truly enjoy the story.
2. Hixton – William Kent Krueger
People come to ornery old Albert Goreman’s pig farm for the most delicions hams around, home-made from the pigs he pens, even thought Albert sits on his porch with a shotgun. Martin Deangelo traveled from Hixton to visit Albert Goreman for a different reason. He is there investigate the disappearance of five Hixton teenage boys from back when he was young. Martin Deangelo tells Goreman, who was the investigator back than, that he is a reporter, that he wishes to learn the truth. This short story brings back the old adage: be careful what you wish for. This short story is a very fun listen. It has a feel of a familiar urban legend or maybe just a story you probably already read in a newspaper a long time ago. The mystery is well foreshadowed and expected, but the ending is not. It has a unexpected karmic twist to it.
3. Small Change – Margaret Maron
A 13-year-old girl whose dad owns an antique story tries to solve a mystery after a number of small items of little value begin disappearing. With her unique gift of shape-shifting into inanimate objects, Laurel transforms into a cheap statute of a goddess in order spy on the pilferer and to catch him or her in the act. Unfortunately, she's the one who gets caught. Next thing she knows, she finds her inanimate self kidnapped, stolen, and driven away in the trunk of the shoplifter’s car. A surprising story. It’s cute, mysterious, and it’s nice to see a shape shifter who isn’t a werewolf or something similar to it. There’s almost a coming-of-age feel to it, and a pseudo-happy ending.
4. The Trespassers – Brendan DuBois
The Logan House, located in the small New England town of Salem Falls, has an interesting history. The new owners purchased the it with dreams of renovating to place into a Victorian bed and breakfast. As a publicity stunt, they invited two teenagers to do a paranormal investigation. When one of the investigators drops dead, apparently from a fall, they find themselves with more of a problem than they can handle. This is another urban legend type short story, like “Hixton.” This one is told from the point of view of the town’s sheriff, which gives it an unexpected twist toward the end. However, it does start off a bit slow though. It’s worth a listen, but not particularly great.
5. Madeeda – Harley Jane Kozak
A pregnant woman, her husband, and their 2-year-old twins sold their small Pennsylvania home and moved across the country so that her husband could work his dream job for a major corporation. The dream job turns into a nightmare when her husband accidentally discovers that the company is involved in a white-collar crime cover-up. In their old, fixer-upper home, Jane’s twins start seeing a ghost - Madeeda, a purple witch. The disturbances keep coming. The twins start repeating a series of strange numbers “twelve-e-twenty-one-e.” Jane makes her bed, but a few hours later, it looks like someone had slept there. Jane sees cracks in the window that disappear the next day. The family pet throwing up because the twins insist that Madeeda made the dog sick. The pregnant Jane starts to unexpectedly hemorrhage, which sends her to the hospital. There's not enough that can be said about this short story. I am not surprised that “Madeeda” has been nominated for an International Thriller Writer award. This short story basically has it all. It has a wonderfully creepy tone, and it has a moral theme. You empathize with the narrator, but you also understand what her husband is going through. You even come to feel for Madeeda.
6. House of Horrors - S. W. Hubbard
John and Miriam Harrigan and their two sons, the older Gordon and the younger Christopher, are an average family. Or rather, they were, until they took in Grace, a quiet and precocious 9-year old with a muddled past. The family decides to celebrate the addition of Grace to the family with their first official outing to Seaside Heights at the Jersey Shore. On the family's way into the House of Horrors attraction, a high-school-aged jerk makes fun of Grace's new family. Mysteriously, that jerk disappears inside the fun house. The police get involved. Miriam is sure that Grace is simply a strange little girl because of her past experiences with her disappearing parents, her disappearing uncle, and her abandonment by her other family to the foster system. John starts to suspect Grace has something to do with all the mysterious disappearances. This is probably one of my favorite stories in this collection. “House of Horrors” is strangely cerebral in that you really understand where John is coming from, how he’s feeling, and why he’s afraid of the little girl. Moreover, there is no overt supernatural element in this short story. It’s merely a question of belief. Miriam believes it’s all imagination while John believes it’s all real. What makes this story one of my favorites is without a doubt the ending. It’s not climactic, but it’s very satisfying.
7. Sift, Almost Invisible, Through - Jeffrey Somers
Marx is a jaded reporter on the paranormal, so he gets to hear all sorts of strange stories. However, he doesn't know what to make of the one he just received. A man comes to him for help. He brings him photos of himself taken through the years. In different locations and at different times. At his home and in foreign countries. In each photo, there appears to be a man staring at the camera. In the oldest photos, the man is so far away, he's part of the scenery. However, with each more recent photo, the man is getting closer and closer. Marx's new informant swears that not only does he not know the identity of this man, but that, in fact, this man is the man who wasn't there. This is an interesting story because of the twist in the middle of it, but I found it a bit too The Ring at the end, which if you've ever seen the movie, you'll know is not morally satisfying. It has a nice urban legend feel to it and it's a good listen, but the strange mystery is never really solved so the story didn’t gel with me.
8. The Bedroom Door - Elaine Viets
Francine was never as pretty as her business partner Angela, who has friends with benefits and still maintains a strict professional life. She was never as pretty as her 15-year old daughter. In high school, Francine was a nerd. But she's a happy woman, with a loving husband, a great interior design career, a daughter who will one day surely outgrow her teenage angst. All this changes when Francine's grandmother tells her she saw Angela in her bedroom doorway. You see, Francine’s grandmother has a strange gift, or rather a strange curse. When she sees a person in her bedroom door, he or she is sure to die in three days. And Francine’s grandmother also has a feeling that Angela's death will involve Francine, and a crime of some sort. Maybe I’m too jaded, but I saw the surprise twist in the end coming pretty early on in this story and it ruined it for me. Also, whenever you have a story where the hero is told in the beginning what will happen to them in the end, and they still step into that scenario, the story may lack credibility it isn’t properly steered. This hero should have, due to circumstances, really, truly, had no choice but to act the way her grandmother had predicted. However, even in the emotionally charged way that this story was written toward the end, I felt that our hero should have (and more importantly could have) acted differently.
9. The Conqueror Worm - Barbara D'Amato
Neil is a careful man with a guilty conscience. This conscience starts sending Neil emails. Emails from Burko, his friend who had died. Emails that call him by a nickname only he and Burko knew. Emails that details a night of horror that only he and Burko could remember. Emails that accuse him of being the cause of Burko's death. Emails that disappear after reading, that don't show up in photos, that no one else can see. This story definitely has an urban legend feel, which usually makes me enjoy it, but this short story missed the spot for me. There was something that felt kind of O.C.D. about the characters. I didn’t connect with Neil enough to care about him. I cared more about his girlfriend, which made the ending fun and definitely made me smile, but she’s not the main character, so the majority of the story was very Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart.”
10. In Memory of the Sibylline - Lou Kemp
This tale is the beginning of one ofthe most well-known ghost stories to date. It takes place when most of the Third World was part of some larger European-based empires, back when Britannia ruled the waives. A doctor, his pregnant wife, and his young daughter Felicity find themselves on board with an unscrupulous captain who has dealings with pirates and a mysterious, magical prisoner who is to be kept away from all other persons.The prisoner tells us he has been imprisoned because he practices witchcraft. We soon learn that he is no prisoner at all, but that all others are really his prisoner. I loved this story. It’s recognizable, especially now with the popular Pirate of the Caribbean. Parts of the story still remain a mystery, as the short story seems to start at the end. Perhaps I didn’t pay close enough attention, but I’m not sure exactly what happens at the end either to Felicity or to the doctor.
11. The Bloodflower - Martin Meyers
Hope was ugly, fat, limp hair, bad skin, and had a terrible job in the mail room of the cable station. Then she met Pandora, her landlady, who gave Hope an amulet in honor of the goddess Hecate. Now, Hope is beautiful, sexy, with a great job as a cable producer. She is everything she ever wanted to be, but at what cost? I did not enjoy this story. I think the author was going for a moral, but I cannot figure out what it was since every character is despicable. Perhaps the point is that beauty is skin deep, but when Hope was ugly, she didn’t seem much better a human being. Her love interest, Rusty, is also morally bankrupt. He best friend is awful. Her bosses, her coworkers, all terrible human beings. It just seems like this story is filled to the brim with outwardly beautiful, internally awful humans who end up in a hell of their own making, but deserve each other and deserve to be there.
12. The Awareness – Terrie Farley Moran
A banshee who has followed the O’Connor clan in America has spent her life properly mourning the line and their descendents with the banshee cry to mark each of their deaths. But when the banshee gets the awareness of Casey Rinegold's death, something is different. It isn’t just a death, but likely a murder. And the banshee feel that the proper send off is not to merely wail but to solve the crime and bring the murderer to justice. This story is a typical mystery with some fun references to Irish lore. Personally, I always roll my eyes when at the end the culprit spills all of her or her plans and reasons for killing and how it was done. It just seems too easy. But overall, a surprisingly fun listen,
13. Tadesville – Jack Fredrickson
Jim Crack (as in Jimmy crack corn) returned from the war to Michigan in 1954. He, a banjo man, and his veteran buddies (jug and the washboard) travel town to town, playing grassroots favorites and “browsing” or rather pilfering. Then they come upon Tadesville, a seemingly abandoned village. When no one comes out to hear them play, the boys go browsing. Jim Crack starts to worry about his choices in life, about his moral standing. Instead of stealing gasoline as he's instructed, he finds a woman in the woods of Tadesville. She's beautiful. She asks him if he’s “greedy." When he says no, she gives him a cheap-looking ring. This was a strangely depressing story. It reminds me of something that happened to a bunch of Odysseus’s men in the Odyssey. Rolling with that theme, the whole grassroots hoedown band reminds me of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? I honestly didn’t expect it to be depressing. It was a good listen, but the ending threw me.
14. Limbo – Steve Brewer
A hired thug wakes up in the morgue, light streaming out of bullet hole in his head. He has no memory of what happened, how he got there, and who tried to kill him. But has some memory of some of the bad guys he's had dealings with. The thug binds up his head, steals the clothes off the morgue attendant he scared to death, and goes out for revenge. I didn’t particularly like this story. The characters is typical as are the twists. What I did like in this short story was the sense of karma and the idea of killing someone you hate twice.
15. The Insider – Mike Wiecek
Earnest Appleworth comes to a private security man, one who specializes in ghosts and used to work for the Lehman Brothers, with a very strange problem. Earnest is making too much money. A ghost of a horribly massacred man in tattered businessware is giving Earnest tips on the stock market. The ghost is always right. So is it a crime for Earnest to accept these tips? Is it a case of insider trading? That depends on who this ghost was in real life. Earnest would like the security man to find out. This story was saved by the twist ending. The ghost’s motivations in making Earnest rich don’t particularly jive with me. I didn’t really care one way or the other who killed the ghost. What hits the spot is the answer to the real question: how does this ghost know which stocks to bid on? Surely ghosts can’t go forward in time, so how can our nameless ghost always be right on which stocks will make money? The answer is a bit like peeking under a magician's sleeve. It will make you smile.
16. Swing Shift – Dana Cameron
It’s war-time America, maybe 1940s, and Jake is asked by his friend, Harry, an FBI man, to fly to Boston to investigate how government secrets are being leaked out of a research facility in Cambridge. Jake plays the part of a janitor and easily discovers that one of the research workers is unwittingly leaking information to her boyfriend. But the case is just too easy. Why couldn’t Harry figure it out himself? This story had a nice war-time feel to it that will appeal to those who enjoy a good historical story. As a mystery, it’s okay. As a paranormal mystery, I thought it was a bit overdone. There were a lot of gratuitous supernaturals in such a short story to make sense. It was almost like the Justice League of preternaturals.
17. Riding High – Carolyn Hart
Bailey Ruth is a ghost – er, “emissary” - who works for the Department of Good Intentions. Her job is to assist those in trouble. Bailey Ruth isn’t that great at sticking to all the rules though and is on probation when she finishes her last mission. She followed the rules this time, but has to wait for the Express to take her to heaven, and that means hovering over a country club for a few hours. Getting restless, Bailey Ruth notices a woman who seems to be a victim of domestic violence, and simply has to intervene, rules be damned – er, darned. This story is just plain cute. There is a twist in the middle that I didn’t see coming, but from that point on, cute is the word to describe it.
18. Grave Matter – Max Allan Collins & Mickey Spillane
In the early 1950s, Mike Hammer (the hero of the 1947 “I, the Jury” comic) is a big-shot detective from New York City. He comes to the sorry little hamlet of Hopeful to investigate the death of his friend, Bill Reynolds. Bill was a football hero, a war hero, and ended up a disabled veteran working in Hopeful as a handyman. Then, Bill’s body was found in the park, and the police assumed Bill was hit by a car. Hammer finds out that Bill had worked for the gorgeous, secretive Dr. Victory Riddle. Hammer finds out that Dr. Riddle’s last handyman was also an amputee like Bill. And who also died mysteriously. The story is very, unsurprisingly, comic-book like. Mike Hammer is your average trench-coat-wearing, big-talking, New York City investigator in a small town. Victory Riddle is your average mad-scientist with a killer body and maybe a killer mind. There are very few surprises, and I’m still not sure there was anything supernatural in this short story.
19. Death of a Vampire – Parnell Hall
“How do you kill a vampire? Silver bullets?”
“That’s werewolves.”
“Garlic?”
“That’s French bread.”
A private investigator is hired by a Columbia student, a goth chick who wants the private investigator to find out if her boyfriend is truly a vampire. The girl’s father is also very curious about the young man, whom he hates. But our investigator can’t seem to pin the so-called vampire down. He talks to him, but can’t get a straight answer. The next thing he knows, the vampire's dead and so is the answer to his identity. Like with “Grave Matter,” and “House of Horrors,” I’m not sure there’s anything supernatural in this short story, but I suppose that’s the point. It’s cheeky, but the story has the same problem I’ve seen in a few other stories like "Bloodflower": I don’t sympathize with any of the characters. The goth chick/client is too annoying and childish. The perhaps-vampire boyfriend is too philosophical and evasive. Our investigator and his friend are too callous and self-interested. I understand the dilemma, but I'm not engaged enough to care about these people.
20. Taking the Long View – Toni L. P. Kelner
Marc, a freshly turned vampire, goes to a gala with his maker and lover Stella. The party is thrown by Ramon, the joker of the vampire community, for Velmous, Stella and Ramon’s maker. The party turns into a murder mystery after a beautiful human concubine, Rinette, is suspected of having killed her vampire employer Jeff. Marc, a contract attorney, is certain that Rinette – however greedy and dumb – is innocent. He takes on her case to keep her from being sentenced as a slave to Jeff’s maker. I liked this story. I didn’t see the ending coming, and even though the main characters are all of the fanged variety, the story illustrates all the same human flaws that undeath can’t seem to cure like lust, greed, betrayal, love, pride and financial dependence. It’s a regular dinner-theater murder mystery with a little Perry Mason thrown in.
On Narration:
This short story compilation was narrated by Natalie Ross and Jeff Cummings. I expected that Natalie Ross and Jeff Cummings would duly read the stories and was a bit let down when that Natalie Ross and Jeff Cummings read without collaboration since I find men mimicking female voices a bit comical. I enjoyed most of Natalie Ross's readings in that her voice has a soft lilt that complemented some stories, like "Riding High" and "Small Change." That same voice unfortunately emphasized things I didn't like in other stories. Jeff Cummings has a great voice for film-noir type stories like "Grave Matter" and "Limbo," but his voice is just too cheerful for other stories, like "Tadesville."
1. Dahlia Underground – Charlaine Harris
Taking place during or right after the 7th Southern Vampire Mystery series book, All Together Dead. Dahlia Lynley-Chivers, a several-hundred-year-old vampire finds herself stuck in a hole with a dead vampire and a dead human after the conservative, anti-vampire hate group, Fellowship of the Sun, bombed her hotel during a vampire convention in Rhodes, Illinois. About 300 vampires are dead. Cedric, sheriff of Rhodes, sends Taffy and Dahlia to infiltrate the Fellowship and bring the culprits to justice. It’s a fun story, but there’s not much conflict and little tension. It's clearly for the avid fans of the series, and if you’re not familiar, you’re not going to truly enjoy the story.
2. Hixton – William Kent Krueger
People come to ornery old Albert Goreman’s pig farm for the most delicions hams around, home-made from the pigs he pens, even thought Albert sits on his porch with a shotgun. Martin Deangelo traveled from Hixton to visit Albert Goreman for a different reason. He is there investigate the disappearance of five Hixton teenage boys from back when he was young. Martin Deangelo tells Goreman, who was the investigator back than, that he is a reporter, that he wishes to learn the truth. This short story brings back the old adage: be careful what you wish for. This short story is a very fun listen. It has a feel of a familiar urban legend or maybe just a story you probably already read in a newspaper a long time ago. The mystery is well foreshadowed and expected, but the ending is not. It has a unexpected karmic twist to it.
3. Small Change – Margaret Maron
A 13-year-old girl whose dad owns an antique story tries to solve a mystery after a number of small items of little value begin disappearing. With her unique gift of shape-shifting into inanimate objects, Laurel transforms into a cheap statute of a goddess in order spy on the pilferer and to catch him or her in the act. Unfortunately, she's the one who gets caught. Next thing she knows, she finds her inanimate self kidnapped, stolen, and driven away in the trunk of the shoplifter’s car. A surprising story. It’s cute, mysterious, and it’s nice to see a shape shifter who isn’t a werewolf or something similar to it. There’s almost a coming-of-age feel to it, and a pseudo-happy ending.
4. The Trespassers – Brendan DuBois
The Logan House, located in the small New England town of Salem Falls, has an interesting history. The new owners purchased the it with dreams of renovating to place into a Victorian bed and breakfast. As a publicity stunt, they invited two teenagers to do a paranormal investigation. When one of the investigators drops dead, apparently from a fall, they find themselves with more of a problem than they can handle. This is another urban legend type short story, like “Hixton.” This one is told from the point of view of the town’s sheriff, which gives it an unexpected twist toward the end. However, it does start off a bit slow though. It’s worth a listen, but not particularly great.
5. Madeeda – Harley Jane Kozak
A pregnant woman, her husband, and their 2-year-old twins sold their small Pennsylvania home and moved across the country so that her husband could work his dream job for a major corporation. The dream job turns into a nightmare when her husband accidentally discovers that the company is involved in a white-collar crime cover-up. In their old, fixer-upper home, Jane’s twins start seeing a ghost - Madeeda, a purple witch. The disturbances keep coming. The twins start repeating a series of strange numbers “twelve-e-twenty-one-e.” Jane makes her bed, but a few hours later, it looks like someone had slept there. Jane sees cracks in the window that disappear the next day. The family pet throwing up because the twins insist that Madeeda made the dog sick. The pregnant Jane starts to unexpectedly hemorrhage, which sends her to the hospital. There's not enough that can be said about this short story. I am not surprised that “Madeeda” has been nominated for an International Thriller Writer award. This short story basically has it all. It has a wonderfully creepy tone, and it has a moral theme. You empathize with the narrator, but you also understand what her husband is going through. You even come to feel for Madeeda.
6. House of Horrors - S. W. Hubbard
John and Miriam Harrigan and their two sons, the older Gordon and the younger Christopher, are an average family. Or rather, they were, until they took in Grace, a quiet and precocious 9-year old with a muddled past. The family decides to celebrate the addition of Grace to the family with their first official outing to Seaside Heights at the Jersey Shore. On the family's way into the House of Horrors attraction, a high-school-aged jerk makes fun of Grace's new family. Mysteriously, that jerk disappears inside the fun house. The police get involved. Miriam is sure that Grace is simply a strange little girl because of her past experiences with her disappearing parents, her disappearing uncle, and her abandonment by her other family to the foster system. John starts to suspect Grace has something to do with all the mysterious disappearances. This is probably one of my favorite stories in this collection. “House of Horrors” is strangely cerebral in that you really understand where John is coming from, how he’s feeling, and why he’s afraid of the little girl. Moreover, there is no overt supernatural element in this short story. It’s merely a question of belief. Miriam believes it’s all imagination while John believes it’s all real. What makes this story one of my favorites is without a doubt the ending. It’s not climactic, but it’s very satisfying.
7. Sift, Almost Invisible, Through - Jeffrey Somers
Marx is a jaded reporter on the paranormal, so he gets to hear all sorts of strange stories. However, he doesn't know what to make of the one he just received. A man comes to him for help. He brings him photos of himself taken through the years. In different locations and at different times. At his home and in foreign countries. In each photo, there appears to be a man staring at the camera. In the oldest photos, the man is so far away, he's part of the scenery. However, with each more recent photo, the man is getting closer and closer. Marx's new informant swears that not only does he not know the identity of this man, but that, in fact, this man is the man who wasn't there. This is an interesting story because of the twist in the middle of it, but I found it a bit too The Ring at the end, which if you've ever seen the movie, you'll know is not morally satisfying. It has a nice urban legend feel to it and it's a good listen, but the strange mystery is never really solved so the story didn’t gel with me.
8. The Bedroom Door - Elaine Viets
Francine was never as pretty as her business partner Angela, who has friends with benefits and still maintains a strict professional life. She was never as pretty as her 15-year old daughter. In high school, Francine was a nerd. But she's a happy woman, with a loving husband, a great interior design career, a daughter who will one day surely outgrow her teenage angst. All this changes when Francine's grandmother tells her she saw Angela in her bedroom doorway. You see, Francine’s grandmother has a strange gift, or rather a strange curse. When she sees a person in her bedroom door, he or she is sure to die in three days. And Francine’s grandmother also has a feeling that Angela's death will involve Francine, and a crime of some sort. Maybe I’m too jaded, but I saw the surprise twist in the end coming pretty early on in this story and it ruined it for me. Also, whenever you have a story where the hero is told in the beginning what will happen to them in the end, and they still step into that scenario, the story may lack credibility it isn’t properly steered. This hero should have, due to circumstances, really, truly, had no choice but to act the way her grandmother had predicted. However, even in the emotionally charged way that this story was written toward the end, I felt that our hero should have (and more importantly could have) acted differently.
9. The Conqueror Worm - Barbara D'Amato
Neil is a careful man with a guilty conscience. This conscience starts sending Neil emails. Emails from Burko, his friend who had died. Emails that call him by a nickname only he and Burko knew. Emails that details a night of horror that only he and Burko could remember. Emails that accuse him of being the cause of Burko's death. Emails that disappear after reading, that don't show up in photos, that no one else can see. This story definitely has an urban legend feel, which usually makes me enjoy it, but this short story missed the spot for me. There was something that felt kind of O.C.D. about the characters. I didn’t connect with Neil enough to care about him. I cared more about his girlfriend, which made the ending fun and definitely made me smile, but she’s not the main character, so the majority of the story was very Edgar Allan Poe’s “Tell-Tale Heart.”
10. In Memory of the Sibylline - Lou Kemp
This tale is the beginning of one ofthe most well-known ghost stories to date. It takes place when most of the Third World was part of some larger European-based empires, back when Britannia ruled the waives. A doctor, his pregnant wife, and his young daughter Felicity find themselves on board with an unscrupulous captain who has dealings with pirates and a mysterious, magical prisoner who is to be kept away from all other persons.The prisoner tells us he has been imprisoned because he practices witchcraft. We soon learn that he is no prisoner at all, but that all others are really his prisoner. I loved this story. It’s recognizable, especially now with the popular Pirate of the Caribbean. Parts of the story still remain a mystery, as the short story seems to start at the end. Perhaps I didn’t pay close enough attention, but I’m not sure exactly what happens at the end either to Felicity or to the doctor.
11. The Bloodflower - Martin Meyers
Hope was ugly, fat, limp hair, bad skin, and had a terrible job in the mail room of the cable station. Then she met Pandora, her landlady, who gave Hope an amulet in honor of the goddess Hecate. Now, Hope is beautiful, sexy, with a great job as a cable producer. She is everything she ever wanted to be, but at what cost? I did not enjoy this story. I think the author was going for a moral, but I cannot figure out what it was since every character is despicable. Perhaps the point is that beauty is skin deep, but when Hope was ugly, she didn’t seem much better a human being. Her love interest, Rusty, is also morally bankrupt. He best friend is awful. Her bosses, her coworkers, all terrible human beings. It just seems like this story is filled to the brim with outwardly beautiful, internally awful humans who end up in a hell of their own making, but deserve each other and deserve to be there.
12. The Awareness – Terrie Farley Moran
A banshee who has followed the O’Connor clan in America has spent her life properly mourning the line and their descendents with the banshee cry to mark each of their deaths. But when the banshee gets the awareness of Casey Rinegold's death, something is different. It isn’t just a death, but likely a murder. And the banshee feel that the proper send off is not to merely wail but to solve the crime and bring the murderer to justice. This story is a typical mystery with some fun references to Irish lore. Personally, I always roll my eyes when at the end the culprit spills all of her or her plans and reasons for killing and how it was done. It just seems too easy. But overall, a surprisingly fun listen,
13. Tadesville – Jack Fredrickson
Jim Crack (as in Jimmy crack corn) returned from the war to Michigan in 1954. He, a banjo man, and his veteran buddies (jug and the washboard) travel town to town, playing grassroots favorites and “browsing” or rather pilfering. Then they come upon Tadesville, a seemingly abandoned village. When no one comes out to hear them play, the boys go browsing. Jim Crack starts to worry about his choices in life, about his moral standing. Instead of stealing gasoline as he's instructed, he finds a woman in the woods of Tadesville. She's beautiful. She asks him if he’s “greedy." When he says no, she gives him a cheap-looking ring. This was a strangely depressing story. It reminds me of something that happened to a bunch of Odysseus’s men in the Odyssey. Rolling with that theme, the whole grassroots hoedown band reminds me of Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? I honestly didn’t expect it to be depressing. It was a good listen, but the ending threw me.
14. Limbo – Steve Brewer
A hired thug wakes up in the morgue, light streaming out of bullet hole in his head. He has no memory of what happened, how he got there, and who tried to kill him. But has some memory of some of the bad guys he's had dealings with. The thug binds up his head, steals the clothes off the morgue attendant he scared to death, and goes out for revenge. I didn’t particularly like this story. The characters is typical as are the twists. What I did like in this short story was the sense of karma and the idea of killing someone you hate twice.
15. The Insider – Mike Wiecek
Earnest Appleworth comes to a private security man, one who specializes in ghosts and used to work for the Lehman Brothers, with a very strange problem. Earnest is making too much money. A ghost of a horribly massacred man in tattered businessware is giving Earnest tips on the stock market. The ghost is always right. So is it a crime for Earnest to accept these tips? Is it a case of insider trading? That depends on who this ghost was in real life. Earnest would like the security man to find out. This story was saved by the twist ending. The ghost’s motivations in making Earnest rich don’t particularly jive with me. I didn’t really care one way or the other who killed the ghost. What hits the spot is the answer to the real question: how does this ghost know which stocks to bid on? Surely ghosts can’t go forward in time, so how can our nameless ghost always be right on which stocks will make money? The answer is a bit like peeking under a magician's sleeve. It will make you smile.
16. Swing Shift – Dana Cameron
It’s war-time America, maybe 1940s, and Jake is asked by his friend, Harry, an FBI man, to fly to Boston to investigate how government secrets are being leaked out of a research facility in Cambridge. Jake plays the part of a janitor and easily discovers that one of the research workers is unwittingly leaking information to her boyfriend. But the case is just too easy. Why couldn’t Harry figure it out himself? This story had a nice war-time feel to it that will appeal to those who enjoy a good historical story. As a mystery, it’s okay. As a paranormal mystery, I thought it was a bit overdone. There were a lot of gratuitous supernaturals in such a short story to make sense. It was almost like the Justice League of preternaturals.
17. Riding High – Carolyn Hart
Bailey Ruth is a ghost – er, “emissary” - who works for the Department of Good Intentions. Her job is to assist those in trouble. Bailey Ruth isn’t that great at sticking to all the rules though and is on probation when she finishes her last mission. She followed the rules this time, but has to wait for the Express to take her to heaven, and that means hovering over a country club for a few hours. Getting restless, Bailey Ruth notices a woman who seems to be a victim of domestic violence, and simply has to intervene, rules be damned – er, darned. This story is just plain cute. There is a twist in the middle that I didn’t see coming, but from that point on, cute is the word to describe it.
18. Grave Matter – Max Allan Collins & Mickey Spillane
In the early 1950s, Mike Hammer (the hero of the 1947 “I, the Jury” comic) is a big-shot detective from New York City. He comes to the sorry little hamlet of Hopeful to investigate the death of his friend, Bill Reynolds. Bill was a football hero, a war hero, and ended up a disabled veteran working in Hopeful as a handyman. Then, Bill’s body was found in the park, and the police assumed Bill was hit by a car. Hammer finds out that Bill had worked for the gorgeous, secretive Dr. Victory Riddle. Hammer finds out that Dr. Riddle’s last handyman was also an amputee like Bill. And who also died mysteriously. The story is very, unsurprisingly, comic-book like. Mike Hammer is your average trench-coat-wearing, big-talking, New York City investigator in a small town. Victory Riddle is your average mad-scientist with a killer body and maybe a killer mind. There are very few surprises, and I’m still not sure there was anything supernatural in this short story.
19. Death of a Vampire – Parnell Hall
“How do you kill a vampire? Silver bullets?”
“That’s werewolves.”
“Garlic?”
“That’s French bread.”
A private investigator is hired by a Columbia student, a goth chick who wants the private investigator to find out if her boyfriend is truly a vampire. The girl’s father is also very curious about the young man, whom he hates. But our investigator can’t seem to pin the so-called vampire down. He talks to him, but can’t get a straight answer. The next thing he knows, the vampire's dead and so is the answer to his identity. Like with “Grave Matter,” and “House of Horrors,” I’m not sure there’s anything supernatural in this short story, but I suppose that’s the point. It’s cheeky, but the story has the same problem I’ve seen in a few other stories like "Bloodflower": I don’t sympathize with any of the characters. The goth chick/client is too annoying and childish. The perhaps-vampire boyfriend is too philosophical and evasive. Our investigator and his friend are too callous and self-interested. I understand the dilemma, but I'm not engaged enough to care about these people.
20. Taking the Long View – Toni L. P. Kelner
Marc, a freshly turned vampire, goes to a gala with his maker and lover Stella. The party is thrown by Ramon, the joker of the vampire community, for Velmous, Stella and Ramon’s maker. The party turns into a murder mystery after a beautiful human concubine, Rinette, is suspected of having killed her vampire employer Jeff. Marc, a contract attorney, is certain that Rinette – however greedy and dumb – is innocent. He takes on her case to keep her from being sentenced as a slave to Jeff’s maker. I liked this story. I didn’t see the ending coming, and even though the main characters are all of the fanged variety, the story illustrates all the same human flaws that undeath can’t seem to cure like lust, greed, betrayal, love, pride and financial dependence. It’s a regular dinner-theater murder mystery with a little Perry Mason thrown in.
March 15, 2024
Originally bought this book for the short story “Dahlia Underground”. That story and others are really good. There were a couple of stories in this collection by Mystery Writers of America that were not that great, but that is the amazing thing about short stories. It’s over quickly if you don’t like it and the ones you like help introduce you to authors you may not have read before.
My favorites from this collection were “Hixton”, “House of Horrors”, “Sift, Almost Invisible, Through”, “In Memory of the Sibylline”, and “Tradesville”.
“Dahlia Underground” takes place directly after the Pyramid Hotel Explosion in All Together Dead. She is featured in other story stories as well as All Together Dead including “Tacky” and “Bacon” which take place before All Together Dead; “A Very Vampire Christmas” and “Death by Dahlia”. Some of these have their own reviews and some do not. Most of the Sookie Stackhouse short stories are contained in one collection however the Dahlia ones are not. She is worth the read though!
My favorites from this collection were “Hixton”, “House of Horrors”, “Sift, Almost Invisible, Through”, “In Memory of the Sibylline”, and “Tradesville”.
“Dahlia Underground” takes place directly after the Pyramid Hotel Explosion in All Together Dead. She is featured in other story stories as well as All Together Dead including “Tacky” and “Bacon” which take place before All Together Dead; “A Very Vampire Christmas” and “Death by Dahlia”. Some of these have their own reviews and some do not. Most of the Sookie Stackhouse short stories are contained in one collection however the Dahlia ones are not. She is worth the read though!
May 30, 2017
I could have finished this collection of short stories sooner, but I wanted to savor them. Twenty paranormal mysteries by as many different authors. Although bracketed by vampires, these tales include an amazing variety of characters: ghosts, shape-shifters, werewolves, Medusa, Circe, etc. There were not only haunted people but a haunted town and a haunted computer program. The grim reaper makes an appearance, as does the Flying Dutchman. And I loved the banshee story. I've read several of these compilations by Charlaine Harris but this is my favorite one. Many of the mystery authors (would you believe a contribution by Mickey Spillane?) are new to the genre and there is plenty of thinking outside the box. I expect to visit this book again but the wide range of styles and subject matter means that it will never grow stale.
September 30, 2019
I'm giving this one an overall 3 stars. That's not to say there wasn't a great range of stories in it, I just think short stories don't work perfectly for me. I don't connect with the story in that short a time and in rare cases I do I just want more.
Dahlia Underground ~ 🌟🌟
Hixton ~ 🌟🌟
Small Change ~ 🌟🌟
The Trespassers ~ 🌟🌟🌟🌟 ~ read a bit like the show Supernatural.
Madeeda ~ 🌟🌟🌟
House of Horrors ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Sift, Almost Invisible, Through ~ 🌟🌟🌟
The Bedroom Door ~ 🌟🌟
The Conqueror Worm ~ 🌟🌟
In Memory of the Sibylline ~ 🌟🌟
The Bloodflower ~ 🌟
The Awareness ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Tadesville ~ 🌟🌟
Limbo ~ 🌟🌟🌟
The Insider ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Swing Shift ~ 🌟🌟
Riding High ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Death of a Vampire ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Taking the Long View ~ 🌟🌟🌟 ~ This gave me the feel of Sookie Stackhouse seriesm
Dahlia Underground ~ 🌟🌟
Hixton ~ 🌟🌟
Small Change ~ 🌟🌟
The Trespassers ~ 🌟🌟🌟🌟 ~ read a bit like the show Supernatural.
Madeeda ~ 🌟🌟🌟
House of Horrors ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Sift, Almost Invisible, Through ~ 🌟🌟🌟
The Bedroom Door ~ 🌟🌟
The Conqueror Worm ~ 🌟🌟
In Memory of the Sibylline ~ 🌟🌟
The Bloodflower ~ 🌟
The Awareness ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Tadesville ~ 🌟🌟
Limbo ~ 🌟🌟🌟
The Insider ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Swing Shift ~ 🌟🌟
Riding High ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Death of a Vampire ~ 🌟🌟🌟
Taking the Long View ~ 🌟🌟🌟 ~ This gave me the feel of Sookie Stackhouse seriesm
Read
February 9, 2021From Follett: The Mystery Writers of America presents an all original anthology sure to appeal to Twilight fans with an interest in crime. While vampires are well represented among the 20 selections, most notably Parnell Hall's darkly humorous Death of a Vampire, bestseller Harris ensures that werewolves, ghosts, and magicians also get their due. Harley Jane Kozak does a superb job of integrating a ghost into a contemporary setting in Madeeda, in which an expectant mother is concerned over her two year old twins' visions of a bad witch. A phantom ship figures in Lou Kemp's In Memory of the Sibylline, a highly effective horror story set in the 19th century.
October 22, 2021
Charlaine Harris, author of the Sookie Stackhouse series and several mystery series, edits this collection of short stories about crimes and vampires. The volume includes a short story set in the world of Sookie Stackhouse and the events in the story occur between books 7 and 8 of the series.
Other authors in the collection are mystery writers but for some this was their first venture into supernatural fiction. They include: Steve Brewer, Dana Cameron, Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane, Barbara D'Amato, Carolyn Hart, Toni L. P. Kelner, Lou Kemp, William Kent Kreuger,
Margaret Mahon, Elaine Viets and others.
Other authors in the collection are mystery writers but for some this was their first venture into supernatural fiction. They include: Steve Brewer, Dana Cameron, Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane, Barbara D'Amato, Carolyn Hart, Toni L. P. Kelner, Lou Kemp, William Kent Kreuger,
Margaret Mahon, Elaine Viets and others.
July 28, 2013
"Dahlia Underground" by Charlaine Harris was another delightful tale starring Rhodes resident vampire Dahlia Lynley Chivers who has appeared in a couple other anthologies in the past. This time she is trying to deal with an explosion at the hotel she was staying in, the Fellowship of the Sun, and something Dahlia hasn't had to contend with in ages even when her werewolf husband Todd was still alive: human emotions.
"Hixton" by William Kent Krueger was an interesting and entertaining tale about a "reporter" in the 1950's trying to solve the disappearance of six young men in the small town of Hixton in the midwest. Of course, when he tracks down the lead investigator some years later, Mr. D'Angelo gets a lot more than he bargained for and not just in the information department.
"Small Change" by Margaret Maron detailed the story of a teenage girl who has an interesting and unusual ability who tries to find out who is stealing from her fathers' antique shop and finds herself in a dangerous and odd predicament.
"The Trespassers" by Brendan Dubois was a strange and oddly engaging tale of a small town sheriff investigating a mysterious death of a young man who was found in a historical house that holds more secrets and sinister features than he or anyone else could imagine.
"Madeeda" by Harley Jane Kozak was kind of a creepy story about a young mother who is having strange dreams about a witch her children claim lives in their home. I liked the twist of this story and the paranormal undertone as well. Nice addition to the anthology!
"House of Horrors" by S.W. Hubbard was an interestingly strange story about a family who goes to the Jersey shore on vacation and enters the "House of Horrors" with unexpected frights that have nothing to do with the house itself. I liked the emotional aspect of the story as the father tries to emotionally except his adopted child while still trying to understand the mystery of her.
"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through" by Jeffrey Somers was a quirky, yet interesting story about a private detective who gets hired by a client who believes he is being stalked by a shadowed man. I liked the macabre yet entertaining essence of the story.
"The Bedroom Door" by Elaine Viets was an odd and unexpected treat in this anthology of a woman who suspects her husband of cheating while she tries to find out what her daughter is hiding from her. Definitely a mind bender but interesting all the same.
"The Conqueror Worm" by Barbara D'Amato was an odd and okay addition to this anthology involving a straight-laced computer nerd who gets an email from a past acquaintance thought long dead.
"In Memory of the Sibylline" by Lou Kemp ended up being a fun and adventurous tale of a doctor and his family sailing on a ship that has a mysterious prisoner aboard that is more than meets the eye.
"The Bloodflower" by Martin Meyers was a strange and almost disturbing story of an average wallflower who meets her gypsy neighbor and gets everything she has ever desired but at a high cost.
"The Awareness" by Terry Farley Moran was a fun mystery centered on a banshee going over her genealogy chart and after taking care of a deceased relatives soul decides she must discover the truth about his death.
"Tadesville" by Jack Fredrickson was a shocking and vivid portrait of a musician who recounts his life after arriving in a small town with no people and losing his band mates in the process. Loved the feeling of the character almost being in limbo and his way of trying to get free.
"Limbo" by Steve Brewer was an action-packed short about a hit man who wakes up in the morgue with no memory of how he got there or who put him there but he has every intention of finding out.
"The Insider" by Mike Wiecer was about a private detective who specializes in the supernatural hired by a financial tycoon to find out who the dead ghost feeding him tips is, who killed him, and why he is haunting him.
"Swing Shift" by Dana Cameron was an interesting satire about two former law enforcement partners trying to find spies in a government lab that recent leaks of information to the Germans has been discovered. Of course, there is a lot more going on than either could believe and some secrets even the best of partners don't know about one another.
"Riding High" by Carolyn Hart was a fun and quirky story of a guardian angel just off assignment who stumbles across a married couple who have some sinister things going on that may lead to a more permanent state of being for both parties.
"Grave Matter" by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane was a fun and macabre story about a PI, Mike Hammer, who goes to small town Hopeful to find out how and why his former friend had died and to put him to rest while meeting his strange and seductive employer in the process.
"Death of a Vampire" by Parnell Hall tickled me with the witty repertoire of the main character as he is hired by a college student who wants to know if her boyfriend is really a vampire and where he lives.
"Taking the Long View" by Toni L.P. Kelner was an interesting and funny story about a vampire couple set to visit another vampire in their acquaintance and both end up being part of a tribunal to decide the innocence of a human woman accused of murdering her benefactor.
All in all, this anthology had its ups and downs, and it had its winners and close-calls, but all the authors had good stories to go with the theme and I enjoyed the overall idea of each tale in turn.
"Hixton" by William Kent Krueger was an interesting and entertaining tale about a "reporter" in the 1950's trying to solve the disappearance of six young men in the small town of Hixton in the midwest. Of course, when he tracks down the lead investigator some years later, Mr. D'Angelo gets a lot more than he bargained for and not just in the information department.
"Small Change" by Margaret Maron detailed the story of a teenage girl who has an interesting and unusual ability who tries to find out who is stealing from her fathers' antique shop and finds herself in a dangerous and odd predicament.
"The Trespassers" by Brendan Dubois was a strange and oddly engaging tale of a small town sheriff investigating a mysterious death of a young man who was found in a historical house that holds more secrets and sinister features than he or anyone else could imagine.
"Madeeda" by Harley Jane Kozak was kind of a creepy story about a young mother who is having strange dreams about a witch her children claim lives in their home. I liked the twist of this story and the paranormal undertone as well. Nice addition to the anthology!
"House of Horrors" by S.W. Hubbard was an interestingly strange story about a family who goes to the Jersey shore on vacation and enters the "House of Horrors" with unexpected frights that have nothing to do with the house itself. I liked the emotional aspect of the story as the father tries to emotionally except his adopted child while still trying to understand the mystery of her.
"Sift, Almost Invisible, Through" by Jeffrey Somers was a quirky, yet interesting story about a private detective who gets hired by a client who believes he is being stalked by a shadowed man. I liked the macabre yet entertaining essence of the story.
"The Bedroom Door" by Elaine Viets was an odd and unexpected treat in this anthology of a woman who suspects her husband of cheating while she tries to find out what her daughter is hiding from her. Definitely a mind bender but interesting all the same.
"The Conqueror Worm" by Barbara D'Amato was an odd and okay addition to this anthology involving a straight-laced computer nerd who gets an email from a past acquaintance thought long dead.
"In Memory of the Sibylline" by Lou Kemp ended up being a fun and adventurous tale of a doctor and his family sailing on a ship that has a mysterious prisoner aboard that is more than meets the eye.
"The Bloodflower" by Martin Meyers was a strange and almost disturbing story of an average wallflower who meets her gypsy neighbor and gets everything she has ever desired but at a high cost.
"The Awareness" by Terry Farley Moran was a fun mystery centered on a banshee going over her genealogy chart and after taking care of a deceased relatives soul decides she must discover the truth about his death.
"Tadesville" by Jack Fredrickson was a shocking and vivid portrait of a musician who recounts his life after arriving in a small town with no people and losing his band mates in the process. Loved the feeling of the character almost being in limbo and his way of trying to get free.
"Limbo" by Steve Brewer was an action-packed short about a hit man who wakes up in the morgue with no memory of how he got there or who put him there but he has every intention of finding out.
"The Insider" by Mike Wiecer was about a private detective who specializes in the supernatural hired by a financial tycoon to find out who the dead ghost feeding him tips is, who killed him, and why he is haunting him.
"Swing Shift" by Dana Cameron was an interesting satire about two former law enforcement partners trying to find spies in a government lab that recent leaks of information to the Germans has been discovered. Of course, there is a lot more going on than either could believe and some secrets even the best of partners don't know about one another.
"Riding High" by Carolyn Hart was a fun and quirky story of a guardian angel just off assignment who stumbles across a married couple who have some sinister things going on that may lead to a more permanent state of being for both parties.
"Grave Matter" by Max Allan Collins and Mickey Spillane was a fun and macabre story about a PI, Mike Hammer, who goes to small town Hopeful to find out how and why his former friend had died and to put him to rest while meeting his strange and seductive employer in the process.
"Death of a Vampire" by Parnell Hall tickled me with the witty repertoire of the main character as he is hired by a college student who wants to know if her boyfriend is really a vampire and where he lives.
"Taking the Long View" by Toni L.P. Kelner was an interesting and funny story about a vampire couple set to visit another vampire in their acquaintance and both end up being part of a tribunal to decide the innocence of a human woman accused of murdering her benefactor.
All in all, this anthology had its ups and downs, and it had its winners and close-calls, but all the authors had good stories to go with the theme and I enjoyed the overall idea of each tale in turn.
December 7, 2017
"Crimes by Moonlight" is a unimpressive collection of short stories. While a few of the stories stood out, most of them were forgettable and would be given a two-star or three-star rating individually. The book is also marketed as something it isn't. The information about it makes "Moonlight" sound like a collection of mystery short-shorties with a supernatural edge. In truth I could probably count the stories with an actual mystery on one hand. This may not make a difference for some people, but it made a difference for me.
You won't miss anything by skipping "Crimes by Moonlight."
You won't miss anything by skipping "Crimes by Moonlight."
March 5, 2019
20 short stories featuring elements of mystery and the supernatural. Read because it contains a Charlaine Harris short story (I’m hoping to get through the entire “Sookieverse” this year) but I found that I really enjoyed many of the other stories more: notable mentions go to William Kent Kruger’s “Hixton”, Jeffery Somer’s, “Sift, Almost Invisible, Through”, Elaine Viets, “The Bedroom Door” and my favourite, “Tadesville” by Jack Fredrickson. Should have realized how well the short story genre works with urban legend-esque mystery!!
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