Short Story Monday: Stardust by Phil Lovesey

by Carol6 Comments
I loved this quirky little story. It's told in the first person by a thief who in on parole, again, after having been released from  jail, again. By his own admission, he's not a very good thief. (and I do count myself as competent at breaking in, it's the getting out and away with it that tends to be a little more problematic) After being released, he is set up in an apartment in a run-down building. On the top floor lives a man who spends most of his time looking out his window through an expensive, fancy telescope. This man, who people refer to as Buzz, as in Lightyear, has a proposition for our narrator. The characters make this an enjoyable story. The narrator has an off-beat way of looking at life, and he's so honest about his faults, about the system, about his outlook. Buzz is just nutsy enough to be uniqe, and I enjoyed the interactions between the two of...
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Short Story Monday: Dolly’s Trash and Treasures by Lawrence Block

by Carol7 Comments
I've read at least one full-length book by Lawrence Block before, one of his Bernie Rhodenbarr series, but I don't remember which one. I also enjoyed his story in the Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop collection, so I expected to like this one too and I wasn't disappointed. The subject of hoarding is popular lately, from tv shows to books. It seems to both fascinate and repel people, and this story is Block's contribution to the phenomena. The story is told in a unique format. It's all dialogue and short passages giving us the inner thoughts of the main character, Dorothy, or Dolly to her friends. In the beginning of the story, two representatives of Child Protective Services show up at Dorothy's door, telling her that the neighbor's are worried about her children. Dorothy explains that her children left, they couldn't stand living with her stuff anymore so they took off, maybe went to live with their father. After seeing the state...
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“Method Murder” by Simon Brett

by Carol4 Comments
"Method Murder" by Simon Brett This short story was not impressive for me. The main character, Kenny Mountford, is an actor who wants wants to be respected. And really that meant doing more theatre. For the more obscure and impenetrable the theatre work, the higher the integrity of the actors involved. This meant, in effect, working with one of a small list of trendy directors, directors who didn't pander to the public by making their work accessible or simple entertaining. That section made me laugh out loud, but that was pretty much the high point. One of these select directors tells Kenny that he will put him in a play, but first Kenny has to "become" the character by infiltrating a London gang, which he does. The problem is Kenny is not bright, doesn't see what the director's up to, just goes along with the orders of the gang leader, but in the end he ends up better off than he was before. Maybe...
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“Lie Like a Rug” by Margaret Maron

by Carol3 Comments
"Lie Like a Rug" by Margaret Maron I've already mentioned my new toy, but the other day I subscribed to Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. A new magazine full of fabulous storis delivered straight to me every month. I don't know why I never subscribed to the print version; it just never crossed my mind. Back to the story. I have read one novel by Margarat Maron, Bootlegger's Daughter, but it was years ago, before I kept any notes or records of what I read. I remember enjoying it, though, which is this was the first selection I read in the magazine. Mack Parker is on trial for killing his wife, Felicia. From the testimonies, we learn it is a well-known fact around town that Mack beat her up on a regular basis, and all the facts point to his guilt, including that a rug is missing from the house. The body is never found. The story then picks up years after the trial. I...
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Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler

by Carol9 Comments
Christmas at The Mysterious Bookshop edited by Otto Penzler I do love Christmas mysteries, a combination of my favorite things really. Murder and theft for the holiday. This book collects 17 stories by am amazing list of writers. Each original story was commissioned by Otto Penzler, one a year beginning in 1993, printed and given to his bookstore customers as a holiday gift. The only requirements were that the story must take place during the Christmas season, involve a mystery and have a least some of the action take place at the Mysterious Bookshop in New York. I am so happy that he's sharing the stories with the rest of us! Each of the stories is written by a well-known author in the genre, and they vary from light-hearted and heart-warming to dark, like "The 74th Tale" by Jonathan Santlofer where a man discovers Poe and a penchant for burying people alive, and everywhere in between. As with most collections, I had...
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The Dream Woman by Wilkie Collins

by Carol7 Comments
"The Dream Woman" by Wilkie Collins There are several versions of "The Dream Woman" earlier known as "The Ostler." The one I read, according to the introduction, was the version prepared for Collins' US readings and is remarkably different from the one printed in the collections. The story is subtitled "A Mystery in Four Narratives." The first section is told by Percy Fairbank, a well-off man who is traveling with his wife in England. They have to stop at an inn when one of their horses goes lame and there they meet Francis Raven, the stableman. When they first stumble upon him, he's asleep, obviously in the middle of a nightmare involving a woman. Percy, by the way is quite amusing. His asides about the relationship between him and his wife are funny and true to life. they obviously love each other dearly and know each other quite well. In the second narrative is Francis' story to this point, told by himself. Ten years...
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