Shakedown Street, by James D.F. Hannah

 

"Shakedown Street," by James D.F. Hannah, in Friend of the Devil: Crime Fiction Inspired by Songs of the Grateful Dead, edited by Josh Pachter, Down and Out Books, 2024.

 This is the second story by Hannah to appear here.

Beau is a bartender, a retired boxer, and an ex-con.  His big problem is Phil, who comes around regularly to collect his "taxes," which are paid to a gang boss named Swerve.  His second problem is that Leigh, a woman who frequents the bar, is Phil's ex and Phil doesn't take kindly to being exed.  Beau finds himself in the middle, and he gets squeezed.

There is lovely use of language in this one.

When they say you never forget your first time, they don't mean concussions.

 The drinkers are recovering from weekend sins, reciting empty promises like the Rosary, vowing they'll never do again what they did last weekend -- at least until next weekend.  They count on memories to be short, nature to be healing, livers to be regenerative.

Temptation is a Gun, by James D.F. Hannah

 

"Temptation is a Gun," by James D.F. Hannah, in Trouble No More: Crime Fiction Inspired by Southern Rock and the Blues, edited by Mark Westmoreland, Down & Out Books 2021. 

The evening after he gets out of prison after 22 years, Roy returns to the dingy tavern where his life went off the rails.

If you are now thinking: "Hmm.  Sounds like noir," then congratulations.  You have just aced your quiz in Subgenre Recognition 101. 

The story slips between Roy's present visit to Murphy's Tavern and his first fateful encounter there at age 16.  Turns out that back then he met Murphy's much-abused wife.  And you know what happens when a noir protagonist meets an attractive woman.

Classic noir with some clever twists.  

The Tennis Church, by Sophie Hannah

 

"The Tennis Church," by Sophie Hannah, in The C Word, Spellbound Books, 2021.

The proceeds from this book go to support Britain's National Health Service.  The title refers to COVID, but few of the stories make any reference to that plague.  Always weird to come across an anthology with no editor.

"I haven't disappeared," said the voice on the other end of the line.  No hello, no introduction, nothing.

Nice starting point.  The person receiving the call is Charlie Zailer, She's a cop.  And the caller, she realizes is Tasha, an old friend she hasn't heard from in years.  What was this strange conversation about?

Charlie has her own problems, mostly in-laws who have a very different worldview than she and her husband.  And oddly enough, that is not unrelated to the trouble with Tasha who, on Christmas day, does seem to have disappeared. 

A clever story with a satisfactory ending.