White Elephants, by Peter W.J. Hayes

 "White Elephants," by Peter W.J. Hayes, in Mystery Most International, edited by Rita Owen, Verena Rose, and Shawn Reilly Simmons, Level Short, 2024.

I have a story in this book.

This is Hayes' third appearance in this blog.  It's a nice little spy story.  Levon Grace isn't a career guy, mor of a free-lancer.  The CIA uses him as a bagman, bringing money to places in Asia.  

But his current assignment is different.  He is bringing a priceless painting to a gangster in Asia.  In return the gangster is giving him valuable information about the latest crackdown and new personnel in the government of China.  

This would be a very short story if everything went right, so of course it doesn't.  Chinese agents want Levon's swag, but dodgin them, deadly as they are, is only part of the problem, because the gangster isn't playing straight.

If you like your spy stories tangled and action-packed you will enjoy this one.

For a Better City, by Peter W.J. Hayes

"For a Better City," by Peter W.J. Hayes, in Mystery Magazine, September 2022.

 This is the second appearance in this space by Mr. Hayes.

Charlie is six months out of prison, and six months sober.  He is living in a halfway house and trying to deal with some decisions he regrets.  

Into his life wanders Ivan who is somehow allowed to hang around the halfway house and claims that he wants to help the residents.  But Charlie is wisely skeptical.  Ivan asks him for a favor and he is willing to pay for it, but Charlie realizes there are strings attached.  Nevertheless he figures he has no choice but to say yes.

The strings, when they arrive, are very tangled indeed.  A nice noirish tale. 

"The Black Hand," by Peter W.J. Hayes

"The Black Hand," by Peter W.J. Hayes, in  Malice Domestic: Murder Most Historical, edited by Verena Rose, Rita Owen, and Shawn Reilly, Simmons.

It seems like every year or so I have to chide some editors who don't know what a noir story is supposed to be.  Today I feel like I have the same problem in reverse. Sort of.

I am not sure of the definition of a "Malice Domestic" story, but I know this one is not what I expected, or what the rest of the anthology (so far) led me to anticipate.  Hayes' story is not cozy.  It would, on the other hand, would feel quite cozy between the pages of Black Mask, circa 1928, which is around the time it is set.

Brothers Jake and David fought over a girl named Bridgid and Jake left Pittsburgh for logging work in the midwest.  David became a very successful mobster, until his body shows up in a river.

The story begins with Jake coming home to try to discover how his brother died and who is responsible.  The first thing he learns is that Bridgid was murdered a few weeks before, and a lot of people think David killed her.  Is there a connection between the deaths?  Can Jake stay alive long enough to find out?

This is an excellent salute to a classic subgenre of pulp fiction.