Level Up, by Shawn Reilly Simmons

 "Level Up," by Shawn Reilly Simmons in The Most Dangerous Games, edited by Deborah Lacy, Level Short, 2025.

 I have a story in this book.

 This is the third appearance in this column for Simmons.

Natalie is a PhD student in Medieval Literature.  No surprise then that she is in desperate financial straits.  The big surprise is when she receives an invitation from DARE+ that begins:

Congratulations! You've been selected for an exclusive opportunity to earn real money through fun challenges.  Based on your profile, you could earn up to $500 in your first week. Interested? 

Interested, sure.  Skeptical, absolutely. What kind of scam is this?

The first challenge is, yes, easy, and the money arrives as promised.  But after the first bite of the apple things always get complicated, don't they?

A nicely suspenseful story that heads in a direction I did not expect. 

The God You Save May Be Your Own, by Michael Thomas Ford

 "The God You Save May Be Your Own," by Michael Thomas Ford, in Black Cat Weekly, 224, 2025.

Every December brings us a Christmas-themed fantasy mystery or two.  Most of them center on Santa Claus, logically enough.  This one, not so much.

The narrator is the mayor of New Orleans liaison.  Liaison with who, you ask logically enough. But in this case it's more of a what then a who.

Poppy is an Elder God (think Lovecraft's world) who has dwelled in NOLA for over a century.  She manifests as a nine-year-old girl but in her real form is somewhat more tentacle-y.

As the story begins someone has killed and dismembered the mayor.  Someone may be trying to frame Poppy.  Or maybe something even more diabolical is going on.

A very entertaining tale.  The funniest line is the only reference to Lovecraft, which I won't spoil for you.

Picture Palace Blues, by Colin Campbell

"Picture Palace Blues," by Colin Campbell, in Celluloid Crimes, edited by Deborah Well, Level Short, 2025.

I have a story in this book.

This is a character-driven piece and the character is McNulty, formerly a cop in Yorkshire, now a dedicated fan of old movies.  He had his friend, retired criminal Donk, are catching a Bogart double feature at a revival house when McNulty's copper instincts tell him something is wrong.  

Turns out some bad guys have robbed the box office. But surely there isn't enough cash in there to be worth the gang's attention.  So what's their real goal?  

Fun to watch McNulty figure it out.  More fun to see him thwart the plan.

 

The Skies Are Red, by Richie Narvaez

 

"The Skies Are Red," by Richie Narvaez, in On Fire and Under Water, edited by Curtis Ippolito, Rock and a Hard Place Press, 2025.

This is the third appearance in this blog by Narvaez, and a very clever tale it is.

It is an oral history of  a TV series that never aired, told in fragments of interview with the cast and crew.  Criminal Takedown: Climate Change Cops was supposed to be the latest hit spinoff from that hugely successful television empire. (Hmm... What could Narvaez have had in mind?)

This particular show was the brainchild  of Sal Cassady, who had made it big in hippy movies and was a dedicated environmentalist.  He thought that he could change hearts and minds by approaching the issue of climate change through the classic crime format.

Didn't quite work out.  The interviews show us a toxic combination of Hollywood ego, corporate doubletalk, denialism, and just bad (hah) chemistry. Like a lot of the stories in this book this one tends toward the polemic, but it is excellent fun.