Into the Weeds, by Alice Hatcher

 "Into the Weeds," by Alice Hatcher, in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, January/February 2025.

I have said before that my favorite stories tend to have at least one of four characteristics: a brilliant premise,  heightened language,  a twist ending, or, as in this case, great characters. 

Mark Rousseau, the narrator, is the only cop in a small town.  He laments that "There's a certain kind of loneliness that comes from living in a place where you know everyone, but where most people associate you with the worst day of their lives."

 An interesting observation, but Officer Rousseau is not the great character.  That would be Mrs. Stockard, eighty-five years old and, well: "People who don't know any better -- tourists -- would probably call Mrs. Stockard 'spry' or 'feisty'. I would call her 'mean.'"

I would agree.  She might say she simply doesn't suffer fools gladly but she thinks just about everyone is a fool, or lazy, or a junkie, etc.

She interrupts the cop's breakfast to tell him she struck a man on a back road that morning. Not her fault, of course. He "walked into my truck... Am I talking too fast for you?"

There aren't a lot of surprises in this story.  The whole plot is spelled out pretty clearly as we go.  But you will enjoy spending some time with Mrs. S., even if Rousseau does not.

The Guardianship of Willie Musselburgh, by Kevin Egan

"The Guardianship of Willie Musselburgh," by Kevin Egan, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, January/February 2025.

I was surprised to note that this is the first time I have reviewed one of Egan's stories here, since I have enjoyed many of them.  They have frequently featured a man who works as a troubleshooter for judges in Manhattan, but this tale is about a different part of the legal system - one I don't remember ever reading a story about.  

Keiran Lenahan is a lawyer turned golf pro.  When the titular Willie, an elderly designer of golf clubs, takes a fall which puts him in a coma, a judge assigns Lenahan to be the court evaluator.  That means he has to decide who should be Willie's guardian, in charge of care decisions and controlling his assets.  One candidate is Willie's nephew; the other is his live-in caretaker.  

Our hero looks into the pair and finds red flags.  This being a crime story, there will be crime.

Egan, a retired attorney, shows us a side of the law far from Perry Mason, but important and interesting. 

Shadow of the Badger, by Steve Hockensmith

 

"Shadow of the Badger," by Steve Hockensmith, Black Cat Weekly, #178, 2025.

This is my first review of a story published in 2025 and an excellent time to remind authors, editors, and publishers that they are welcome to send me publications for possible review. I forgot to mention that the publisher sent me this magazine.

Today is also  the eighth story I have reviewed here by my friend and fellow SleuthSayer, Steve Hockensmith . It's a bit different than the others.

It is not long after the Civil War and a German-American family is trying to farm in the wilderness.  The mother and new baby are so sick there is fear they might not survive a long winter.  But Conrad, the oldest child, has a brilliant solution.  Everyone knows if a badger sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter, so all he and his brother have to do is find a badger and chase it back into its hole.  Clever, no?

Younger brother Gustav suspects that clever no is exactly what this is. But he goes with Conrad to hunt along the stream for the meteorological musteloid.    He doesn't find them but he encounters some people are up to no good.

Is Gustav shrewd enough to detect what they are up to?  And sufficiently quick-witted to get out of the situation?

An enjoyable lowkey historical tale.

Best of 2024

At SleuthSayers today I list the best stories of 2024, as chosen by yours truly.

 

Internal Monologue of a Creative Writing Professor, by Richie Narvaez

 "Internal Monologue of a Creative Writing Professor," by Richie Narvaez, in Kings River Life, December 18, 2024.

Internal monologue is the key here. We are following the thoughts of a creative writing professor so it is not surprising that he is constantly editing himself, correcting his description, adding background and detail, as he goes.

His mind is an interesting place to be.  (Old joke: What's the last thing to go through a mosquito's mind? A windshield.)

What makes this particular monologue  so interesting is that, well, here is how it starts:

There is a school shooter in the building.

Wait, let me set the scene.

See? Already revising.

He describes the classroom in which they are hiding.  ("Today's lesson is creating a sense of place.") He describes the students. (Is one of them a future victim?  Perhaps the shooter?)

Witty, suspenseful, and satisfying.

 

Murder in the Kitchen, by Alan Orloff

 "Murder in the Kitchen," by Alan  Orloff, in Agatha and Derringer Get Cozy, Down and Out Books, 2024.

I have a story in this book.

This is the second appearance in this column for Orloff. 

The trick when writing about something trendy is to pick one that will still be trendy when the tale is finally published.  In this case, the author chose well.  The scene is a pickleball tournament for seniors:

This year had proven to be more successful than last year's event, mirroring the explosive growth of pickleball around the world. The players liked it, the spectators liked it, and the area orthopedists liked it, too, because their business had increased right along with the sport's popularity. 

From that you may deduce that this is not a terribly serious story.  In fact, wit is its main charm.

Our hero is Morty Weissbaum, program director of the community's 55+ group.  His problems start when one of the finalists for the doubles match is found dead on the court.  Looks like a heart attack ("I think his cardiologist was on speed dial"), but anyone who reads crime fiction knows better.

Morty investigates, meeting with the dead man's enemies and acquaintances (he doesn't seem to have any friends). For example, there is the community bookie: "I even got a pool going to predict the next resident to fall and break a hip.  You want to put some money on that?"

A witty story with a clever solution. 

"Shots," by Claire Booth

"Shots,"  by Claire Booth, in Lost and Loaded: A Gun's Tale, edited by Colin Conway, Original Ink Press, 2024.

I have a story in the book.

Raina's friend Tina is getting married and she and all the bridesmaids are out with a limousine for a night in the town.  Something goes disastrously wrong.  But Raina is also aware of something else that is going much more subtly wrong...

It is interesting how one author's work can remind you of someone else's, even though they are completely different.

Booth's story of a girl's night out makes me think of Richard Stark, the hardboiled alter ego of Donald Westlake, and his novels about a hardboiled burglar named Parker.  In terms of subject matter and character these two works have little in common.  But there is  a style connection.

One trick of Stark's I have always admired is this: He will give detailed descriptions of something, like the planning of a crime, and then when you get to what you think is the climax he tosses it off like an afterthought.  In one book, having gotten his hands on his enemy, Parker breaks "three bones, all fairly important."   End of description.

Booth does something like that here, leaving the reader to work out exactly what happens, and why.  Editor Chantelle Aimee Osman once advised "Don't steal the reader's crayons." In this clever tale Booth leaves you plenty to color in.

Do You See the Light? by James D.F. Hannah

 

"Do You See the Light?" by James D.F. Hannah, in Lost and Loaded: A Gun's Tale, edited by Colin Conway, Original Ink Press, 2024.

I have a story in this book. The premise of the anthology is that in each story, all set in Spokane, the protagonist finds a gun, uses it in a crime, and discards it.  That actually is a very minor part of the plot in this one, which doesn't matter in terms of the story's quality.

This is the third story by Hannah to make my Best of the Week column, and the second this year.

Can a noir story be funny and still be noir? Wit and disaster are not a natural pair.  Certainly a really farcical story is not a good candidate. But this story is truly noir and still caused me to laugh out loud a few times, or the way to the Required Bleakness.

John owns a record shop, selling vintage discs to fanatical collectors.  His friend Danny makes his living as a clown at children's parties, which doesn't really match his personality: "You oughta be able to hunt five-year-olds for sport."

They find something that leads them to believe a very valuable album (five figures!) might be in a wealthy home in town, and decide to try a short career as burglars.

"They should be wearing masks.  Of course, what's a mask matter when your accomplice is in a clown costume?"

Well-written and delightful. 

Burned, by Hugh Lessig

 "Burned," by Hugh Lessig, in Mickey Finn 5, edited by Michael Bracken,  Down & Out Books, 2025.

This is Lessig's second appearance in this column.  That's not so unusual, but it is also his second visit here this month. That''s pretty rare.

Being a single mom can be tough.  Now imagine if your only child is  a teenage boy determined to run off to find his father who vanished years before.  That's the situation Jenna finds herself in.

A new neighbor moves into the apartment complex.  "Brooks Badger. That sounds like a cartoon character, but it really is my name." For a while he seems like a good influence on Jenna's son, Henry.  But she is suspicious (and honestly, so are you, right?)  

Turns out Brooks has a secret or two in his past.  Turns out Jenna does too.  Don't underestimate her.  A nice suspense story with its twists slowly revealed.

Eight Very Bad Nights, by Tod Goldberg

"Eight Very Bad Nights," by Tod Goldberg,  in Eight Very Bad Nights: A Collection of Hanukkah Noir, edited by Tod Goldberg, Soho Crime, 2024.

This is the fourth appearance in this space by Tod Goldberg.  A short story? I think it's a novelette, but that counts.

Jack Katz runs his late father's furniture business, which was a sinking ship long before he took the helm.  Now it's Hanukkah and he doesn't have the money to met payroll.  This leads to him making a series of increasingly worse decisions as the nights of the holiday pass.

How bad? Well, there's confronting gangsters, drugs, theft, more drugs, sex, arson...   It's a satisfying roller coaster ride.