Tag: Short Story
John Polidori’s The Vampyre
Before the arrival of Bram Stoker’s Dracula on the literary scene in 1897, there was Lord Ruthven, “a nobleman, more remarkable for his singularities, than his rank.” Lord Ruthven’s origins and the story in which he appears germinated one infamous night in June 1816 at the same gathering that birthed the idea for Frankenstein. John… Read More ›
Buffalo Noir
Akashic Books continues to grow their line of Noir titles, and this one hits a little closer to home (at least for me). Most of the Noir books have been set in big and iconic cities like Boston, Chicago, New Orleans, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and the New York City boroughs. Or they’ve been set… Read More ›
Short Story: The Confession
They gathered in the library, the place where it had happened. Last Friday, Tony Pagliano, the gym teacher at St. Ann’s Elementary, had been found dead among the dusty volumes in the very room where they now sat fidgeting. In The Confession, a phys ed teacher at an elementary school has been murdered. The suspects… Read More ›
By Its Cover: Wait For Signs
An owl perched in front of a full moon was the very first thing that caught my eye. Then I say the author’s name: Craig Johnson, and that this was part of the Longmire series. From the inside jacket description: “Sheriff Walt Lonmire, first knocked readers dead in the Hillerman award-winning short story “Old Indian… Read More ›
By Its Cover: The Martini Shot
How do we choose what we read? Reviews? Word of mouth? Familiarity? Or by its cover? I’ll admit the first thing that caught my eye about this book was its title: The Martini Shot. Then I noticed it said “a novella and stories” and that it was by George Pelecanos. Now, working in a library,… Read More ›
The Old Man in the Corner
“There is no such thing as a mystery in connection with any crime, provided intelligence is brought to bear upon its investigation.” An old man sits down at a table beside news reporter Polly and makes this startling observation at the beginning of this collection of twelve short stories. Throughout one may wonder what kind… Read More ›
The Purloined Letter
“He had called to consult us, or rather to ask the opinion of my friend, about some official business which had occasioned a great deal of trouble.” The shortest of the Dupin tales, The Purloined Letter is perhaps the most ingenious. The Prefect of the Parisian police pays a visit to Monsieur C. Auguste Dupin… Read More ›
Crime Square
New York City’s Times Square becomes Crime Square in this anthology of 21 short stories. “Spanning more than one hundred years—from Longacre Square’s rechristening on April 19, 1904 to the contemporary “Disney-ized” neighborhood—Crime Square is the ultimate collection of crime stories, set in the world’s ultimate destination.” Thus the book’s back cover boasts along with… Read More ›
Celebrate National Short Story Month
May is National Short Story Month! Short stories are ideal for readers, who may be pressed for time, but are craving something to read. Most short stories clock in at 20 pages or less, and they can be a great way to discover new authors, or sample established ones, before investing the time reading a full-length novel. … Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini VII
It’s long past time for Part VII of The Poisoned Martini, an original eStory written by yours truly. To protect his grandson, Thaddeus Alcott will investigate a murder… Recent college grad Rick Gray met an intriguing and pretty co-ed who invited him to a party at her sorority. The next morning, Rick woke up and discovered a young co-ed… Read More ›
The Poisoned Martini 