"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?
