Front Desk Staff, by Bethany Maines

 

 "Front Desk Staff," by Bethany Maines, in Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk,, Superior Shores Press, 2025.

The publisher sent me a copy of this book.

Camila, our narrator, works the front desk of a fancy spa hotel.  She's not too pleased with her co-workers, especially Zack, who is trying to cheat her out of a big tip.  "Zack's sexual orientation was money. And he would code switch to the language of whatever got him cash the fastest."

And don't get her started on the customers: "The next guest was a typical Wall-Street-Suit-Bro. The kind of fifty-ish guy with an ex-wife he met in college, a trophy wife he met somewhere cooler, and a girlfriend he met at the strip club." 

Camila has a nasty tongue in her head and that's the best part of the story.  When she finds out a guest is up to no good she has to figure out a way to save the day - hopefully without ruining the hotel's reputation or cutting into her own money-making schemes.

A funny story that is a lot of fun.

Ant Street, by Nora Luttmer

 "Ant Street," by Nora Luttmer, in Hamburg Noir, edited by Jan Karsten, Akashic Press, 2025.

The publisher sent me a free copy of this book.

Lien is an older woman who moved from Vietnam to Germany many years ago. Now she works alone, running her pho restaurant in a bad neighborhood.  On top of the troubles that come with age and managing a small business there are some nasty men running a protection racket.  

"You owe me eight hundred euros, for last month," he rasped, his voice harsh, raw. You could hear that he smoked too much.

"Oh, so you're Erik's partner?"  she replied, speaking as though Erik was a friend.

"Partner?" the man snorted. "I'm Erik's boss."

"I gave Erik the money," Lien said. "Just last week." She smiled the way she thought the man might expect her to.  Asian women were always smiling like that, weren't they? Even when an extortionist showed up. What bullshit.

Maybe the old woman isn't as vulnerable as she seems.  This story has several nice surprises.

The Artist, by Linda Bennett

 "The Artist," by Linda Bennett, in Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers, edited by Judy Penz Sheluk,, Superior Shores Press, 2025.

The publisher sent me a copy of this book.

Nick and his boys are a team of pickpockets and they are about to test  their newest recruit.  Frankie is so good he claims to be an artist of the profession  Michael, our protagonist ,is not so sure about Frankie, and he has good instincts.  I can't say much more without spoiling things so let's just say the story is cleverly plotted and satisfactory.   

Tarzan Must Die!, by Loren D. Estleman

 "Tarzan Must Die!," by Loren D. Estleman, in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, May/June 2025.

I am astonished that this is only the third time Estleman has made my Best of the Week list.  He writes so many great short story series: Amos Walker, the Four Horsemen, Claudius Lyon... and in today's adventure, Valentino.

Valentino works for the film school at UCLA and his job is searching for missing movies.  This suits him since he a cinema fanatic.  In today's story he meets his match, Darrien Bix, a former child star, now appearing in a dreadful cheapo Tarzan movie.  Turns out Bix is obsessed with the Lord of the Jungle and has a bit of film history Valentino would love to get his hands on. 

But this being a mystery Bix dies - and in a bizarre manner.  Clever puzzle, sharp writing, interesting characters.