Her Dangerously Clever Hands, by Karen Odden

 

"Her Dangerously Clever Hands," by Karen Odden, in Crimeucopia: Through the Past Darkly, Murderous Ink Press, 2024.

The publisher sent me a free copy of this magazine.

London, 1879. Inspector Michael Corravan is held in some suspicion at Scotland Yard because he is Irish by way of the infamous Whitechapel neighborhood.  But when the head of a well-known band of female thieves is murdered, his familiarity with the place gets him the job of investigating. 

It turns out that the main suspect is the woman he had a crush on years ago, before she was transported to Australia for theft.  This is a complicated story, rich in period detail, and with a satisfactory solution.

How Easily Things Can Explode, by Daniel C. Bartlett

 "How Easily Things Can Explode," by Daniel C. Bartlett, in Crimeucopia: Totally Psycho Logical, Murderous Ink Press, 2024.

The publisher sent me a copy of this book.

Nolan is not a normal guy. He is somewhere between an awkward loner and neurodiverse.  His life went off the rails in high school when a comment in a stress-filled moment was interpreted as a bomb threat.

 Years later he is working as a garbage man and when unexploded bombs are found in the city he knows the police will be coming to check him out.  It's a dangerous time, combining an upcoming election and a classic cross-city football game that is turning the wealthy and poor sides of the town against each other.

Things get more complicated when Nolan learns about someone involved in one of the dangerous incidents -- and it is someone he has a connection to. 

Can Nolan do the right thing? What is the right thing? A moving story.