Retired Suffolk County cop Gus Murphy is living a dead existence. Alive, barely functioning, and deep in a well of painful memories that has destroyed his marriage, his relationships, and nearly him. He has been that way since his son died. Divorced, he drives a courtesy van at night for The Paragon Hotel of Bohemia, New York located close to Long Island MacArthur Airport. He lives at the Paragon as well and tries to not think by any means possible. His grief is overwhelming and shows no sign of abating.

He never thought Thomas Delcamino would ever be in his world again let alone show up at the Paragon looking for him. Known to cop and crook alike as Tommy D., the man tracked him down because he wants the old Gus, the Police Officer Gus, of more than two years ago who always treated him fairly despite the fact that Tommy D. was/is a known dirtbag. He did plenty of stuff, nothing really major, and was often arrested and in the system for one thing or another.

Four months ago Tommy’s son, TJ, was tortured and ultimately killed after some pretty horrible things were done to him. Tommy D. gave the detectives some leads of people to talk to and a few other things and waited for the cops to do their jobs. He didn’t try to do anything on his own. Absolutely nothing at all has happened with the case. TJ may have had a bad man as his father, but that does not mean he deserved what he got or for the cops to do nothing about his murder.  Tommy D. wants to hire Gus to find out who killed his son.

Gus isn’t about to help a piece of human waste like Tommy D. find out anything. Tommy D. is devastated over his son’s murder and his pain is far too much for Gus to handle in his own state. He’s got too much pain over the loss of his own son to think about anyone else. That is until everyone at all levels of local law enforcement as well as other folks start warning him away from the case. Another murder ensures that the case of what happened to TJ is something he can’t let go.

No review will tell you just how good Where It Hurts by Reed Farrell Coleman truly is. This review doesn’t do it justice either. It is an incredible read and one that works on every possible level.

Just read it already.

Where It Hurts: A Novel
Reed Farrel Coleman
http://www.reedcoleman
G. P. Putnam’s Sons (Penguin Random House)
http://www,penguin.com
January 2016
ISBN# 978-0-399-17303-9
Hardback (also available in audio and e-book formats)
363 Pages
$27.00

Material supplied by the good folks of the Plano Library System.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

Thuglit: Issue 21 continues the anthology tradition of hard hitting noir stories. Eight new stories that tell tales of folks living on the edges doing what needs to be done due to compulsion or  to survive. Of course, since these are short stories, it is not possible to say much as to do otherwise would create spoilers. It can be said that as always these tales will make you consider your own circumstances and the realization that things could be far worse.

It was a street kid and his dog near an on ramp in Sacramento that caused Alan to stop in “The Long Drive Home” by William R. Soldan. Hopper and his dog, Maggie, are headed to Chicago to see family. Maggie is a far better traveling companion.

If you have kids you are probably well aware of the issue of life threatening nut allergy as no doubt at least one kid in the school your child attends has this life threatening problem. “Nut Lobby” by Preston Lang takes a different tack on the idea by focusing on the lobbyists of both sides who make presentations before school boards and the like. For Lydia Todd of the national peanut council it is a life and death battle as well.

At least this time when he wakes up Fred does not find a dead hooker in the bed with him. Still, he knows Connor did something really bad. He is about to find out what that was in “Being Fred” by Travis Richardson opens thanks to a phone call from Vladmir Dvoynev. A wakeup call from him, or any other time, can’t be a good thing.

Back in Oct. 2012, the gigantic statue known as “Big Tex” burned down to its metal frame at the Texas State Fair. It was not terrorists, as first reported by local television stations, but a simple electrical short. A fictionalized version of that fire is just part of the deal in “The Night They Burned Ol’ Big Tex Down” by Christopher Fulbright. All Darla-May and Ray have to do is get rid of Toby when the moment is right. Fair Park in Dallas is a long way from Afghanistan, but a bullet does the same damage/death thing everywhere.

Jamie insists on being a virgin and plans to remain so. They have known each other since the first grade as Jamie lives down just down the street. It isn’t surprising that sometimes the narrator goes to the woods behind the house to check out the bedroom view in “Virgin Sacrifice” by David Rachels. Graduation is coming and there are plans.

Cici has been gone for a few years, but is back in Maui. In “Paradise” by Rena Robinett, Trelani is missing and Cici is on the hunt as a mother does what she has to do.

Bad enough to come home and find your place ransacked. Your daughter’s toys were one of the few things not messed with while you and your family were at the movies. Especially annoying to find out that your two AR-15s are gone. In “A Nice Pair Of guns” by Nick Kolakowski the hunt is on for the guns and these responsible.

His father Hal told him to only trust his eyes and ears and ignore what was on television and in the paper. He apparently never said a word about watching out for stuff falling on your head by the way of a crane on the hard docks of Oakland. He certainly isn’t going to say anything at all how thanks to the blow caused by six tons of Malaysian tin hitting his head. Jimmy is still coping with the aftermath of that is so many ways in “Mercy” by Dale Sandlin.

The bios of eight authors involved and the editors Todd Robinson, Allison Glassgow and Julie Mccarron bring the latest issue to a close.

If you have read Thuglit before you know what you are in for as this issue meets high standards. If you have not, this series is not about unicorns and rainbows. If any are present, they are because of your imagination is in whacked out over drive as you have been chasing meth and alcohol the last 36 hours in a desperate attempt to get some money together in a cock eyed plan to rip somebody off. Or, somebody hit you over the head and you had strange dreams while lying unconscious as god knows what went on around you and to you. Thuglit: Issue 21 is another dark read and another good one.

Thuglit: Issue 21
Editors Todd Robinson, Allison Glassgow, and Julie Mccarron
Thuglit Publishing
http://www.thuglit.com
December 2015
ASIN#: B01A1I89H6
E-Book (Paperback also available)
132 Pages
$1.99

Material was purchased to read and review back in late January by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

The anthology Top Suspense: Favorite Kills features 12 very strong suspense tales. Assembled and published in 2011 by Top Suspense Group the short stories are ones that were previously published in various places. Due to their length as short stories one can’t go into too much detail without giving away spoilers, but much is at work in each one of them. They all are good ones and a couple are downright creepy bordering on the horrific.

The award winning story, “Archie’s Been Framed” by Dave Zeltsman gets things going. Julius has plenty of money in the bank and can enjoy the finer things in life for a while. He has no reason to work until Archie is framed for the murder of  27 year old Denise Penny. If the nature of Archie’s existence were revealed that is not an option.  Julius does not have a choice – he has to investigate and clear Archie.

Bordering on the horrific in this reader’s opinion is the next story by Harry Shannon titled “Night Nurse” by Harry Shannon. Bud is in the hospital and suffering big time. The only one who seems to have any compassion is his ongoing medical drama is his night nurse.

Several of the Solomon and Lord series by Paul Levine are on my e-book tbr pile. In this anthology, Solomon and Lord appear in “Solomon and Lord Drop Anchor.” Steve Solomon plans to go out to sea on a boat with Manuel Cruz ostensibly to go fishing. The same Miguel Cruz they are about to sue after he embezzled three million from a local car dealership nearly making the elderly owner bankrupt. Victoria Lord knows her law partner isn’t telling her everything and she intends to attend the deep sea business meeting as well to protect her partner and their interests.

The Korean women that perform the massages at the spa in Korea Town seem to be uniform in appearance and anonymity. Ann’s masseuse goes by the name “Number 19” and is supposed to get a $20 tip. But, will she actually get that money and more is questioned in “Number 19” by Naomi Hirahara.

The two elderly women live in Davis, Florida when they can garden a bit, feed some cats, and once a month go to the beach for a swim. They also smoke pot a bit and fantasize about trip to Hawaii.  Then, a homeless guy by the name of Henry becomes part of their lives in “Sweet Dreams” by Vicki Hendricks and things evolve from the normal routine.

Larry and Marge Falls took the trip to Vegas in “House Rules” because Marge desperately wanted to do something new and different. But the trip is not going well and the side trip to Red Rock Canyon hasn’t helped. It’s time for change.

Doing the crime is one thing. Making sure the cover up stays intact is another. That is the premise behind “Angie” by Ed. Gorman. One seriously creepy story with lots at stake for all involved.

For Travis Runnels every single day is a knife fight. Being in jail is just an occupational hazard for him. It is a public defender like Alex Stone who Travis is going to have to rely on to get him out of a death penalty murder case. The fact that she is a Jew and lesbian doesn’t impress him any more than the fact he is an African-American impresses her in “Knife Fight: An Alex Stone Short Story” by Joel Goldman.

If you remember or ever saw “Dragnet” starting Jack Webb you will get a kick out of this one titled “Jack Webb’s Star” by Lee Goldberg.  If you haven’t, go check out at least a couple of episodes first before you read this dark and funny twisted tale. You need the frame of reference.

Holly has had a rough night. At least the kids are okay. But, she really needs to get out of the emergency room in “Restraint” by Stephen Gallagher. She also needs to get her car from the bottom of the embankment before the cops start poking around it too much. This is another dark tale, but nothing funny is at work here.

Texas author Bill Crider is up next with his tale “Top Of The World.” Thanks to Sam Cobb he met Vicky. It might have been better for everyone if they had never crossed paths. She is dangerous and just might get him killed. Or kill him herself.

The final tale is “A Matter Of Principal: a Quarry Story” by Max Allan Collins. Quarry knows he recognizes the guy in the convenience store in the middle of the night. It has been ten years since they last ran into each other and though the guy does not recognize him, Quarry knows him and knows something is up. The only option is to tail him and get some answers and maybe just a little payback.

12 short stories bios of the author involved bring the read to a close.

Published in 2011 by Top Suspense Group, the 12 tales here are all good ones. These are not tales that feature happy people doing happy things. No, the suspense tales here at times push the edge into horror as the characters live difficult lives often on the edges of society. One does what one has to do to survive and that desperation is always at work in Top Suspense: Favorite Kills.

Top Suspense: Favorite Kills
Top Suspense Group
http://topsuspense.blogspot.com/
2011
ASIN: B00757WMQQ
E-Book only
232 Pages
$4.99

According to Amazon I picked this up on March 8, 2014. I have no idea now if I bought it by way of funds in my Amazon Associate account, because it was a free read on that date, or because it was given to me. I had forgotten I even had it until Barry Ergang, who was reading it awhile back, mentioned it to me and I hunted for it.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016

We know from the first line of Ruth Rendell’s A Judgement In Stone who did the crime. Eunice Parchman killed the Cloverdale family. We know from the second line of the compelling book the reason why she did it. But, that reason is far more complicated than described. Yet, at the same time, it truly is as simple as described.

What happened at Lowfield Hall, the Cloverdale home located ten miles outside the small village of Stantwich, is fairly clear. Why it happened at the manor home is as complicated as the layers of an onion. If one little thing had been done differently the crime could have been stopped in so many ways. Yet, it wasn’t as events and quite possible fate itself made sure of the crime.

A Judgement In Stone is not a classic mystery. Readers know from the start the crime, the guilty party, and the stated motivation. Instead, the read is a very complicated character study. Not just of the killer Eugene Parchman, but everyone in the book. Her accomplice who is clearly insane by the time of the brutal killings, the victims known as the Cloverdales, as well as the people of the local town, and many others.

Every crime leaves a wake of wreckage in its wake. That wake of wreckage in all its parts– big and small– is what the very good A Judgement In Stone by Ruth Rendell is all about from start to finish.

My thanks to Barry Ergang who provided an e-book version for me to read and review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2016