Volume 3, No. 6

Welcome to the twenty-first issue of Crime and Suspense, the ezine for fans of crime, suspense and mystery fiction. School is out, summer has begun and the heat is on!

Our authors this month are Donna Nowak, with the second installment of her three-part serial, Kim Mallin, Gary R. Hoffman, J.T. Deckard, William G. Schweizer, Robert Wangard and even a story by the editor, Tony Burton. You can read more about all these authors in the Rogues' Gallery on the Crime and Suspense website. And, as authors have indicated that they would like to hear from the readers about the readers' opinions on their stories, we have created email links on the names of each of the authors listed below. Feel free to let the authors know what you think of their work!

We are trying to increase the number of subscribers, so here is an incentive: if you join(ed) between May 25 and June 5, you have a chance to win a copy of the Crime and Suspense Anthology I. In fact, more than one copy may be given away! For every 20 new subscribers during that time, I will randomly pick a name from among those new subscribers and send that person a copy of the new Crime and Suspense Anthology I.
With a free subscription and the chance to win a great book, how can you lose??

Both MWA and Sisters in Crime will have booths there. If you are in the area, support your favorite genre!

Write Domains, one of the partners whose sales help to support Crime and Suspense and keep subscriptions free, has recently reduced their pricing for domain names and hosting. AND, they have introduced a new, free service with their hosting packages: Online Photo Filer. If you don't have a web site, you are missing out on a powerful marketing and communication tool. Write Domains provides very reasonably priced domain registration and web hosting—with PLENTY of space and without any of those annoying banner ads or pop-up ads that characterize free web sites.

Another short-story contest is on the horizon!

And this one will have a First Prize of $150, a Second Prize of a collection of autographed copies of some great books on the craft of writing and marketing, and a Third Prize of a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate.

There will be a fee to enter, unfortunately, unless you are in favor of my robbing a Seven-Eleven to finance the prizes.

Stay tuned to this ezine for more details!

This Month's Featured Stories...

The Burglar's Tale by Robert Wangard Don't you hate cleaning up someone else's mess? The local garage near me has a rate card posted and it has these rates listed: "$50 per hour. $60 per hour if you watch me work. $75 per hour if you've already tried to fix it."

Charlie Fain wasn’t a cold case man. He liked to arrive at the scene of a crime while the blood on the floor was still warm, hook his thumbs in his belt, and take charge from the get-go. Mopping up after other detectives just wasn’t his thing.

But that was back when he could be choosy. Before he had to dance to the tune of his new boss, Springdale police chief Duane Berens. And the chief wanted him to take a fresh look at a case that had been cold as the polar ice cap for over two years.

The Cold Reader by William G. Schweizer Psychics. Mentalists. Swamis. Clairvoyants. Mediums. They're con artists and swindlers, one and all. Or are they?

I don’t know what happens when people die. Is there something on the other side or nothing? I myself have no idea, and I guaran-damn-tee that nobody sucking oxygen knows any more than me. One thing I’m certain is that whatever it is, it’s the same for everyone, no matter who, especially no matter what life you’ve led, and the same for every living creature, fish, flesh, or fowl. It’s only logical.

Yeah, I’m logical. Combination maybe of personality quirk and defective wiring. I could always see the strings on marionettes, painted backdrops, hairpieces, phony boobs. I’m simply unable to suspend disbelief. Obviously, I’ve never been much fun at a puppet show. Get the picture?

Weapon of Choice by Gary R. Hoffman. If you were going to kill someone, what would you use as the weapon? A knife? A gun? A frozen leg of lamb? Poison?

“Mrs. Cain, your husband claims you asked him to buy some citric acid because you were going to start canning vegetables.”

“Detective, you’ve searched my home. Did you find any canned vegetables there? Sorry, I’m not that domestic.”

“Let me ask you about the victim. You knew her, right?”

She chuckled. “Oh, yeah, I knew her. I thought she was my best friend. Then what does she do? She starts shacking-up with my husband. I recommended her for the job as his secretary. Some thank you, huh?”

Two-Thirty-Six by J.T. Deckard People have said that a lot of strange things happen when you are badly injured. Some say your life flashes before your eyes. Others say that time seems to stand still. I've heard some people who say that they don't even notice the injury until well afterwards, when blood starts to puddle around their feet. What do you think would happen if you were suddenly shot?

It took me two minutes and thirty-six seconds to realize I’d been shot. The moment I heard the blast, the moment that searing heat cut into me and blackness rained into my eyes, a clock began ticking in my skull. One, two, three, and so on, and each time it reached sixty seconds there was a ding, like a dinner bell, accompanied by a deep, echoing voice, saying “One” the first time and “Two” the second. Hands fumbled around me, reaching into my pockets and taking things. Then there was just the counter, the metronome, the second hand, whatever.

First Annual Crime Writers' Retreat
Weekend of Mystery

Chicagoland area - June 29 - July 1, 2007

Worshipping Luna by Kim Mallin Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. The importance of their looks to some people is amazing—some will spend huge quantities of money or even risk their lives to look "better" than they did before. And of course, there are always those willing to help with the beautification... for a substantial fee.

She kept looking in the mirror. Any changes yet? How long did it take? Pulling up the corners of her eyes, tilting her chin up, turning her head back and forth. Was it her imagination or did she notice a difference? Please God, this had to work. If not, she really would kill herself.

At last, something seemed to be happening, or at least she certainly was beginning to feel strange. She had expected some nausea but not this, this dizziness or blurred vision… oh thank God, the kitchen door was opening, her husband was home. He’d kill her if he knew…she’d worry about that later, she was too scared right now. She opened her mouth to call for him…but nothing came out. Screaming silently, she stumbled down the hall, weak, stiff, almost paralyzed, crumbling to the floor before she was halfway there…

The Great Manhattan* Mystery Conclave!

(*That's Manhattan, Kansas, folks!)

As Clean As Death by Tony Burton Have you ever moved into an apartment or house and wondered about the previous occupants? What were they like? How did they live? Or in some cases, how did they die? I think moving into a house where someone has previously shuffled off this mortal coil might be especially unnerving.

For the third time in as many weeks, Jeannette Johnson was scared out her wits. She arrived home at 5:45 as usual, unlocked the two deadbolts on her door and entered to find her house immaculately clean and tidy. She screamed and dropped her purse.

The problem was, when she left for work that morning her home was a disaster. Dirty dishes filled the sink and overflowed onto the counter top. Wet towels and three days worth of dirty underwear were scattered on the bathroom floor. Newspapers and junk mail were strewn across the living room.

Crime and Suspense Anthology: Volume I contains stories from 2005 and 2006 Crime and Suspense issues.

This anthology, released May 1, is intended to be the first of a series of anthologies showcasing stories published in the Crime and Suspense ezine. (And if your story is published in the ezine, it could be in the next Crime and Suspense Anthology. You never know!)

If you'd like a copy, the retail price is $9.95, and many of the authors now have the book. It would make a great gift for that crime fiction lover on your gift list... maybe Mom for Mother's Day or Dad for Father's Day? I encourage you to order from one of the authors, but if they don't have it, go to the Wolfmont Publishing web site or your favorite local bookstore to order your copy.

Saved by Miss Bell Episode 2 by Donna Nowak. The second of three episodes of our neo-Golden-Age mystery by Donna Nowak. People are dying... and disappearing!

“What was she wearing?” Miss Bell asked.

“Red.” He dug in his breast pocket. “Here is a copy of our e-mails. She describes the costume. Red with white polka dots.”

* * *

“Do we want to find her?” Miss Bell said. “She’s probably better off without him. He sounds terribly controlling.” We were standing on the other side of the French doors, looking at a short hall which led to servants quarters and the master bedroom on one end and to the landing and main staircase on the other.

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. We'll give you some free exposure in the Members' Hall of Fame!