Published
by Orenda Books,
15 November 2017.
ISBN: 978-1-910633-92-2 (PB).
978-1-910633-91-5 (HB).
15 November 2017.
ISBN: 978-1-910633-92-2 (PB).
978-1-910633-91-5 (HB).
A writer who’s determined not to
relinquish her crown as The Queen of
Mystery, Anna Mazzola’s family makes a Return
to the Lake where a teenager went missing, twenty years ago, mysterious
notes warn ‘You’ll be dead by dawn’ ... and
those are just the opening stories in this cracking compendium of short stories
by a selection of crime-writing’s finest.
A
new CWA anthology is always an event, and this collection of twenty-eight
stories doesn’t disappoint. The theme is travel and intriguing destinations.
Florida’s Key West is the setting for Kate Rhodes’ Snowbird, a retirement destination turned horror-story, and there’s
an equally chilling finish to the South African Three on a Trail by Michael Stanley, and A Clever Evil, set in the atmospheric ruins of an old city, by
Sarah Rayne. The heat of Greece was beautifully evoked in Cath Staincliff’s The White Goddess, and ex-pat Spain was
the backdrop to Take the Money and Run?
by Gordon Brown, where the protagonists suddenly acquires the proceeds of a
bank robbery. There’s cross and double-cross in The Naked Lady of Prague, by Kate Ellis, and an unusual motive for
murder in Bombay Brigadoon, by Vaseem
Khan. Naturally, several tales involved crime writers: at a convention in Ann
Cleeves’ The Queen of Mystery and the
chilling The Repentance Wood by
Martin Edwards; Judith Cutler’s The
Mystery Tour has an author arriving at a launch to find it cancelled by
someone pretending to be her, Cruising
for a Killing, by Maxim Jakubowski, has a writer working aboard a cruise ship, and Writer’s Block by Paul Gitsham has an aspiring writer who gets
caught up in a robbery. We meet some
very unpleasant characters, like the men in C.L. Taylor’s You’ll be dead by Dawn, or the bullying husbands in High Flyer by Chris Simms, The Last Supper, by Carol Anne Davis,
and Wife on Tour, by Julia Crouch,
and I’m happy to say they get their come-uppance, as does the narrator of Matricide and Ice-Cream by William
Burton McCormick. No Way Back is J.
M. Hewitt’s vivid portrait of a bullied child, and there’s a band of ageing
musicians in Paul Charles’ The Riddle of the Humming Bee, a young
musician in The Prodigy, by Shawn Reilly Simmons, and a burglar in
Peter Lovesay’s Moroccan-set Lady Luck.
The Spoils by William Ryan focuses on
the relationship between two women when one is promoted over the other. Most of
the stories are contemporary, but A
Mouthful of Restaurant by Martine Bailey involves a grand tour in
eighteenth century France. The stories range in length up from the very
short A Postcard from Iceland by Ragnar Jonasson, to the twenty pages of
Glasgow-set Travel is Dangerous, by
Ed James. Christine Poulson’s clever Accounting
for Murder is told in a series of
bills.
Twists,
revenge, the innocent avenged and the biter bit ... this selection is treat for
crime lovers, and perfect for carrying with you for those moments when you’re
waiting at the hairdresser or dentist, or on a short bus journey. Highly
recommended.
------
Reviewer: Marsali
Taylor
Martin Edwards was born 7 July 1955 at Knutsford, Cheshire and
educated in Northwich and at Balliol College, Oxford University, taking a
first-class honours degree in law. He trained as a solicitor in Leeds and moved
to Liverpool on qualifying in 1980. He
published his first legal article at the age of 25 and his first book, about
legal aspects of buying a business computer at 27, before spending just over 30
years as a partner of a law firm, where he is now a consultant. He is married
to Helena with
two children (Jonathan and Catherine) and lives in Lymm. A member of the Murder
Squad a collective of crime writers. In 2007 he was appointed the Archivist of
the Crime Writers Association and in 2011 he was appointed the Archivist of the
Detection Club. Martin is currently chair of the CWA. For more information
visit:
Marsali Taylor grew up near
Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently
a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and
two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is
fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive
dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a
keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of
her local drama group. Marsali also does
a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.
Click on the title to read a review of her recent book Ghosts
of the Vikings
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