Volume 2, No. 9

Welcome to the twelfth issue of Crime and Suspense, the ezine for fans of crime, suspense and mystery fiction. Yes, we've actually survived for an entire year, and it's all because of you, the great readers. Thank you, thank you!

School has started back now throughout most of the U.S., after the summer hiatus. (I'm not sure I should call it a vacation, all things considered!) Students are in hot, over-crowded buses and older students have flown back to their campuses, sans liquids. Teachers have revamped their classrooms and bus drivers have practiced their dodging of errant kids and crazy drivers.

I hope you enjoy this issue. Fact is, although the theme for this issue is "School Daze", I had hardly any submissions for the theme. Maybe the thought of going back to school is just too scary on its own? (At least, if you are a student or a teacher. For parents, it's usually a relief!) Anyway, you'll find that not all stories match the theme. My apologies!

We're exploring a couple of new things to make the ezine more enjoyable for all concerned. Stay tuned!

Our authors this month are Che Gilson, Sandra Seamans, Jenny Schwartz, John J. Wilson, John M. Floyd, Nick Andreychuk and Tonya "Katt" Dunsmore. You can read more about all these authors in the Rogues' Gallery on the Crime and Suspense website.

Earl W. Staggs gives us a review of Rob Walker's City for Ransom, and Wil Emerson tells us all about the good act of reading Tami Hoag's Prior Bad Acts.

Since this is the School Daze issue, I thought it couldn't hurt to get a little academic, with a scholarly comparison of two classics of detective fiction, Poe's "The Purloined Letter" and Doyle's "A Scandal In Bohemia", written by Beverly Taylor.

This Month's Featured Stories...

Perfect Angels by Che Gilson. People who prey on the innocent make my skin crawl. And even the police can't always catch the perps. But sometimes, the scales balance out with a little extra help.

Mrs. Pinehurst had the angriest laugh I'd ever heard. Full of bile and absolutely humorless.

My partner and I sat in her plastic mausoleum of a living room while she sucked on her fourth menthol since we got there.

"Sure, I saw those boys. I see lots of boys. And girls. The elementary school is only blocks from here." She gestured with her cigarette. She had perfect poise with that thing in her hand. Not a speck of ash anywhere.

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The Drop-Kick-Lunge Lesson by Sandra Seamans. There are school, and there are SCHOOLS. The School of Life, the School of Experience... oh, and we mustn't forget the School of Hard Knocks.

Detective Kidd Corbett and his partner, Wally Burns, watched as the coroner zipped Louie Lu into a body bag.

"Jeez, Kidd, we got one dead Karate instructor and the prime suspects are three little old ladies. There's something wrong with that picture."

Kidd laughed, "Makes a guy glad he wasn't taking lessons from old Louie, don't it?"

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All In the Family by Jenny Schwartz. Family squabbles. Domestic disputes. Policemen will tell you that they are the most dangerous and most unpredictable of calls to answer. I daresay it's been that way for a long time. Who knows what sort of anger and hatred fester and seethe beneath the façade of a family?

Sir Gerald was typical of these self-made men. Knighted for his contribution to the commerce of the Empire, he was loud in support of the British lion and the Empire on which the sun never set. On the home front, Sir Gerald lived lavishly. Rosdene was a moderately sized estate, but the manor house was substantial, and Sir Gerald had modernised and furnished it luxuriously.

His amours were carried on in the decent anonymity of London. Over the years, Sir Gerald's trips to the metropolis gradually lessened. Now in his seventy-third year, Sir Gerald's interests were centred solely around his estate. It was his child, his passion, and the manor house was its jewel.

Caught Cheating by John J. Wilson. I was a teacher once upon a time, and know from experience that schools are full of intrigue, politics, lies and scandal. Most of the time it's pretty small-time, tame stuff, but sometimes, it can get deadly.

"There she goes, man!" Brett said with a wide grin, pointing up ahead.

"I got her, I got her. Looks like she’s maybe going into the Mesa," was Jeff’s quick reply.

He accelerated to stay with the other vehicle and negotiated his dark metallic-blue Silverado pickup around the corner just as the light turned yellow.

The small sports car had taken a right off of Jasper Street and into the Blue Mesa Mall parking garage as suspected, the driver getting a stub from the automatic gate. Slowing down now, they saw the little car glide in and around the first level, then head up the ramp to level two of the four-story garage. It was a Friday night in late September so it was still hot in north-central Texas and he caught a glimpse of her long blond hair blowing out the open window as she swung past the rows of cars and empty spots. Watching from the street curb, the boys waited until they saw her lights go up the ramp to level three before entering the garage themselves.

Frankie by John M. Floyd. When you were in school, did you stutter? Maybe you just clammed up when you tried to get up and give an oral presentation. Or maybe you were just sort of geeky (like I was), and had a hard time fitting in. There comes a time when you just feel like you have to do something about it!

Frankie Nestor was hiding behind the door when the students filed into the classroom.

He had picked a good spot. The door was always left open, and had plenty of room behind it for a skinny 14-year-old. Even when everyone was seated and the last bell had rung and Mr. Bennett had taken his place at the desk twelve feet away, Frankie remained hidden. So far, his plan was working.

That, in itself, was unusual. Frankie wasn’t much of a planner. He wasn’t even much of a thinker. He knew it and so did his classmates, most of whom either teased him or ignored him. He even stuttered when he tried to speak, which only made matters worse.

As Long As It Reads Like Fiction by Nick Andreychuk. Writing an assignment according to an assigned theme can be really, really difficult. Just ask any of the Seven By Seven authors! There are times when the pressure is just pure murder.

“School daze... School daze... Ugh, I’ve got nothing!”

Rachel looked down at the stack of rejection letters pierced through by a chrome paper spike on her desk, and vowed that the response to her next story would not end up in that pile.

She looked around her dorm room in frustration, as if an idea for a story might jump off of her cluttered bookshelves or out of her roommate’s empty pizza boxes. Fat chance that. Rachel learned a long time ago that there’s no such thing as a “Muse.” Writing is hard work, and it’s almost impossible when she’s “blocked.”

Of Days Gone By by Tonya Dunsmore. History can be a dry subject to some people. They think of the past as dead and buried, and why worry about it any more? One thing that can really bring a lesson to life, though, is honest-to-goodness hands-on learning.

"Mrs. Doliver? Can you explain the assignment to me again?" asked Abigail Paycer from her front row desk. Since she was one of the more conscientious students in the class, Ann Doliver was more than happy to take a few extra minutes for Abigail.

"Of course, Miss Paycer. Come on up to my desk; pull up a few chairs. Class, while I'm going over this again with Miss Paycer, and anyone else who needs it, the rest of you can start reading Chapter 16 in your textbooks, the chapter on the Trials themselves," Mrs. Doliver. swept a quick look around the classroom as the expected, collective groan arose from the students, marking down in her mind which students were looking to go to sleep or pass notes. She closed the large tome on her lectern that she had planned to read to the class from and then sat down to explain the events that led to the Salem Witch Trials, the next chapter to be covered in their Massachusetts State History books.

Don't forget the Members' Hall of Fame!

If you are a subscriber to this ezine and have written a crime, mystery or suspense novel, or have been part of a published anthology of such stories, or if you have written a book on the craft of writing, we want to know about it! Send your information, including your name, book title and ISBN (if available). We'll give you some free exposure in the Members' Hall of Fame!