I really enjoyed Seasonal Work by Laura Lippman, my first short story collection crafted by a mystery author. All but one of the 12 short stories have appeared in previous publications.
Each of these stories is like a mini crime novel, beginning somewhat innocuously to set the stage and then the twist happens fairly quickly, given the story's length. They were like eating a rich truffle rather than a big piece of chocolate cake. All feature a strong woman character, but given the genre, she's not always using her powers for good.
Since I haven't read her novels, I didn't realize a character in the titular story is the heroine in her Tess Monaghan series, but it didn't impact my appreciation for it. As in any short story collection, I enjoyed some more than others. My favorites were Seasonal Work, The Book Thing, Tricks, and Waco 1982.
This was fabulous on audio as a different narrator perform each story. Several voices were familiar including Sophie Amoss, Carlotta Brentan, Sarah Naughton, and George Newbern. Ms. Lippman narrates an interesting Author's Note at the end.
Each of these stories is like a mini crime novel, beginning somewhat innocuously to set the stage and then the twist happens fairly quickly, given the story's length. They were like eating a rich truffle rather than a big piece of chocolate cake. All feature a strong woman character, but given the genre, she's not always using her powers for good.
Since I haven't read her novels, I didn't realize a character in the titular story is the heroine in her Tess Monaghan series, but it didn't impact my appreciation for it. As in any short story collection, I enjoyed some more than others. My favorites were Seasonal Work, The Book Thing, Tricks, and Waco 1982.
This was fabulous on audio as a different narrator perform each story. Several voices were familiar including Sophie Amoss, Carlotta Brentan, Sarah Naughton, and George Newbern. Ms. Lippman narrates an interesting Author's Note at the end.
