"Truth or Die," by Austin S. Camacho, in Scattered, Smothered, Covered & Chunked: Crime Fiction Inspired by Waffle House, edited by Michael Bracken and Stacy Woodson, Down and Out Books, 2024.
A few pages into this tale I felt awash in a cozy wave of nostalgia, which is odd since it is not a cozy or nostalgic story. Let me explain.
A century ago a staple of Black Mask Magazine was a tale in which a stranger arrived in a corrupt big town or small city and started clashing with the resident gang of crooks (or competing gangs). It takes a while for the reader to figure out whether the newcomer is a good guy or a bad guy - or, this being the world of hardboiled, a good bad guy or bad good one.
This story begins with Skye getting off a bus at 4:25 in the morning. She quickly finds an injured man in a dumpster and she pulls him out. Does that make her a good guy? Then she arranges to meet up with the head of one of two rival mobs. Bad guy?
A nice and suspenseful story. I was left with one question: Where does the first dead body end up?
I just wanted to thank you for your kind words about my story, Truth or Die. Having my story picked as your favorite read of the week is particularly sweet because of the quality of the other stories in the anthology.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the trip down memory lane, so to speak.
ReplyDelete