| Chief Editor Tony Burton |
SAMPLE ISSUE THE ORANGE LINKS DON'T WORK - ALL LINKS WORK IN THE FULL ISSUE. |
Editor Intern Reviews Editor |
Welcome to the twenty-seventh issue of the Crime and Suspense
ezine, the ezine for lovers of short crime, mystery and suspense
fiction.
In this issue we celebrate the wonderful, carefree days of Spring Break and Summer Vacation... and how all that free time on our hands can make some of us into criminals. My granny always said, "Idle hands are the devil's tools," or something like that. We have an assortment of stories, from the lighthearted to the grim, with tales of terrorists and murderers, treasure-chests and drugs, revenge and Druidic rituals. I apologize for the low story count this issue, but I guess when people read the theme for this issue, somehow they started thinking about spring break or going on summer vacation, and decided not to write a story! We hope we make up for it with quality, though!
Our fiction authors for this issue are Janice Alonso, Therese Kinkaide, Clair Dickson, Gary R. Hoffman, Mike Madoc and James Clar. In addition to our fiction authors, we also have an article giving us the lowdown on the Amazon Kindle from Chris Ryan and an interesting interview with author James Grippando from Contributing Editor Dorinda Ohnstad.
In the Reviews department, we have reviews of PROTECTOR by Laurel Dewey, SHADOW IN THE WATER by Inger Frimansson, SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN by Donna Leon, TWISTED JUSTICE by Patricia Gussin, VALLEY OF THE RAVEN by Ken Ramirez and MEMORY OF A MURDER by Earl Staggs.
The audio portion of this issue consists of a performance of a story following this issue's theme "Spring Into Summer," with a story written and performed by Tony Burton, titled "Dressed to Kill."
You can learn more about these contributors and authors in the Rogues' Gallery.
New improved payment rates for stories, including audio stories.
Check the Guidelines page for details.
Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave Oct. 31 - Nov. 2, 2008 |
June 20-22, 2008 |
Harriette Austin Writers' Conference |
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Crime Fest 2008 Bristol, United Kingdom June 5-8, 2008 |
The great folks at TBO Tech have graced us with another $25 gift certificate! (Isn't Steve Thibeault a great guy?) Anyway, to receive this certificate*, click on the link right below here for TBO Tech's Self Defense Products, and take a look around their site. They have a LOT of stuff, and it's very reasonably priced. Once you've looked around there send me an email with the words TBO TECH in the subject line, and tell me what product you'd just LOVE to purchase with a $25 gift certificate. It doesn't have to be under $25, because you can always add a buck or two to the certificate. Then, on June 1 (the deadline for getting the entries to me is May 30), I'll draw a name randomly from those who have sent me email entries, and that lucky person will get the gift certificate.
I have another $25 Amazon gift certificate to give away to someone. If you want to be considered for this little deal*, then send me an email with the words AMAZON GIFT CERTIFICATE in the subject line. The deadline for this is also May 30, and on June 1 I'll draw a name randomly from those who have sent me email entries, and that person will receive the Amazon gift certificate for $25. Isn't that simple??
* Please Note: you MUST be a subscriber to the ezine to receive either of these items. Sorry, but that's the way it works. Take a look at the rules governing prizes and giveaways HERE.
Review of THE SHADOW IN THE WATER -- Readers, authors, critics, and academics debate just what constitutes a mystery, and the opinions are “as the sands of the sea” for number. Whether this latest offering from Pleasure Boat Studio’s Caravel Mystery line fits one’s narrow definition of mystery or not is immaterial to the enjoyment of the book, a darkly suspenseful tale...
We'd love to see one of your stories for a future issue of Crime and Suspense! Check out the themes and guidelines!
Review of SUFFER THE LITTLE CHILDREN -- Given Commissario Brunetti's fifteen previous outings, you might think there is nothing new Donna Leon can do with him. You'd be right, but in this series that's actually a good thing....
Review of VALLEY OF THE RAVEN -- The first “real hardback” book I ever bought was a secondhand copy of The Secret of the Old Mill, by Franklin W. Dixon, which introduced me to the delightful world of Frank and Joe Hardy and their cadre of mystery-solving chums, a world I entered repeatedly over the next several years, and still remember fondly....
Review of MEMORY OF A MURDER -- (Author Earl Staggs, a well-known figure to members of the Crime and Suspense family, recently had the honor of his first novel being republished. Here is a review of that novel.) Former FBI Agent Adam Kingston has a reputation around Ocean City thanks to his paranormal ability. Because of a freakish accident, objects that have come into contact with people carry deep meaning for him and allow him to see the people elsewhere. This remote viewing ability works with friends, family or complete strangers....
Amazon Kindle vs. Traditional Books -- If you are on this website you’re a reader, and you may have considered the possibilities of the Amazon Kindle. Most have heard about its convenience, and its lightweight, comfortable design. But serious readers want to know whether it is a satisfying reading experience. Having spent the past few weeks with the Kindle like newlyweds in a honeymoon suite, I can say this device has me reading longer and more often, every day....
Interview with James Grippando -- Every voracious reader, while remaining true to their favorite authors, yearns to find a new author to fall in love with. Sometimes we’ll start a book and see a glimmer of hope only to have it dashed before we’ve reached the end. Then sometimes upon rare occasion we’re lucky enough to find a new author whose book has unexpectedly kept us up late at night...
The readers of Crime and Suspense chose Peg Herring's story "The Blizzard and Mrs. Beard" as their favorite for the March/April issue of Crime and Suspense. The theme for that issue is "Weather Or Not!" So, we sent Peg a nice Crime and Suspense t-shirt (sorry, Peg, we were all out of size Medium!!) and here's a picture of her modeling her new finery. Enjoy it in good health, Peg, and tell everyone about your story in Crime and Suspense!
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Compromised Situation by Gary R. Hoffman
He wasn't supposed to find it, but now that he did, his curiosity was driving him crazy. His unit didn't have a door with an electronic keypad lock in the back of a walk-in closet. The evening after he found it, he even went out in the hallway and paced off the distance he figured the Barlow's condo would cover. There was a difference between the inside and outside dimensions. There had to be a fair-sized room behind that door.
As far as Charlie Ona was concerned, July and August were the best months of the year. Not that he ever got to take what you might call a “vacation,” but with schools out all over the mainland the streets of Waikiki were teeming with tourists and their teenage children – every one of them out to have a good time. And ole’ Charlie was there to help make their dreams come true. This was a good case in point. A Friday evening in late July, he had sold nearly thirty-two ounces of really righteous weed from the Big Island...
Midsummer Nightmare by MIke Madoc
To me, that looks more like human sacrifice than a wedding ceremony, was the thought running through my mind as I watched Jeffrey’s wedding. His eyes bugged out as he stared at the dagger-carrying Druid priestess conducting the ceremony. But his bride to be, Tamara, was all smiles.
Why was a wedding ceremony being conducted at a large block of stone glimmering in a moonlit meadow? Jeffrey, a friend from the racquetball courts at the gym, had explained it to me.“Tamara is into this Earth Goddess religion, and you know, I’m agnostic, so I really don’t care. She thinks it’s important though, so we’re having a Druid priestess perform the ceremony. It all works out, since the college is on summer break and the wedding is scheduled for the night of the summer solstice. Please say you’ll come..."
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The Skeleton Key by Therese Kinkaide
Nathan was still pouting that
Patrick, the baby of the family, had
found the old skeleton key sticking up
in the sand. Ten year old Nathan
trudged along behind Mom, Dad and
Patrick; two nearly perfect sand dollars,
his own beach treasures, clutched in his
hand. Patrick walked between Mom
and Dad, still yakking about the stupid
skeleton key. Nathan dragged his feet
in the sand and fell further and further
behind his family.
Summer Highs by Clair Dickson
"Bo Fexler?"
I nodded.
Jay slid onto the picnic table bench
opposite me with a nod. No handshake. Maybe
that's not cool for one of his ilk. He had
growing sweat stains under his arms and a face
wet with perspiration. He had a tee-shirt with the sleeves cut off and his jeans polka-dotted with
holes.
"So, you're a real private eye, huh?" he asked, nodding as if it was all cool.
"I am. You said on the phone that you wanted to hire me to find someone."
"Yeah. This girl. Met her at the beach. Damn, she was smoking!" He grinned.
This issue's audio story is written and performed by Tony Burton, and is titled "Dressed to Kill."
Danny watched his ex-wife walk across the parking lot. The rising wind tossed her tawny hair. She wore a tight-fitting rose-red dress, slit halfway up her well-tanned thigh. Her dress also exposed generous cleavage that moved in sensuous rhythm with the swaying walk she had perfected. Her spike heels added to the effect. She always dressed to the max for these little meetings. He didn’t know if it was because she was trying to make him sorry for what he was “missing” or because she was always in the market for another sucker.
Here is a short sample of the story...
*If you are an auditorily-impaired subscriber, please let me know via email, and I will be happy to send you a viewable copy of the story. Thanks!
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