Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
Author:
Genres: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
Book Type: Paperback
"Powers of Detection", an anthology featuring stories of crimes committed in fantasy worlds and/or by the characters that inhabit such universes, proved to be so popular that editor Dana Stabenow undertook a sequel. "Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy" gathers 12 authors (including Ms. Stabenow) to tell tales of supernatural crimes.
The cover proudly shouts about "A New Sookie Stackhouse Story" by Charlaine Harris. The tale, "Lucky", leads off the anthology. The tale neither excited me nor turned me off however, it was my first exposure to the famed protagonist "Sookie Stackhouse". I suspect that readers who have previously spent time with her and her world will enjoy the tale more than I did, as 26 pages is not nearly enough space to learn to love an entire literary universe.
The next tale, "Bogieman", by Carole Nelson Douglas (known for her documentation of the adventures of cat detective Midnight Louie) was more my speed my lack of knowledge of this brand new universe put me on equal ground with all other readers, and the thought of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade wandering Las Vegas (along with other famed replicants of famous stars of the past) was quite enjoyable.
I'm not going to go over every story in the book although I could probably go on and on praising most of them but in the interest of space, let's jump to the fact that the anthology goes out with a bang. Simon R. Green's "Appetite for Murder" (the title is a bit too generic for this story, in my opinion) looks at a mystical underside of London, where anything goes until it goes too far. The story's climax takes a couple of plot devices and flips them on their ears; it was my favorite tale in the collection. Ms. Stabenow's "A Woman's Work" looks at the concept of justice in a fantasy universe as two women the Seer and the Sword are brought in to judge (jury, and execute) a murder in a misogynistic society.
Unlike most anthologies, there were no weak stories propped up by stronger ones the WORST in this collection was "pretty darned good". Fans of either fantasy or murder-mystery genres will probably enjoy this collection. Fans of both will love it.
RATING: 4 ½ stars, rounded up to 5 stars where half stars are not permitted. (And I have never rated an anthology at 5 stars up until this point.)
The cover proudly shouts about "A New Sookie Stackhouse Story" by Charlaine Harris. The tale, "Lucky", leads off the anthology. The tale neither excited me nor turned me off however, it was my first exposure to the famed protagonist "Sookie Stackhouse". I suspect that readers who have previously spent time with her and her world will enjoy the tale more than I did, as 26 pages is not nearly enough space to learn to love an entire literary universe.
The next tale, "Bogieman", by Carole Nelson Douglas (known for her documentation of the adventures of cat detective Midnight Louie) was more my speed my lack of knowledge of this brand new universe put me on equal ground with all other readers, and the thought of Humphrey Bogart's Sam Spade wandering Las Vegas (along with other famed replicants of famous stars of the past) was quite enjoyable.
I'm not going to go over every story in the book although I could probably go on and on praising most of them but in the interest of space, let's jump to the fact that the anthology goes out with a bang. Simon R. Green's "Appetite for Murder" (the title is a bit too generic for this story, in my opinion) looks at a mystical underside of London, where anything goes until it goes too far. The story's climax takes a couple of plot devices and flips them on their ears; it was my favorite tale in the collection. Ms. Stabenow's "A Woman's Work" looks at the concept of justice in a fantasy universe as two women the Seer and the Sword are brought in to judge (jury, and execute) a murder in a misogynistic society.
Unlike most anthologies, there were no weak stories propped up by stronger ones the WORST in this collection was "pretty darned good". Fans of either fantasy or murder-mystery genres will probably enjoy this collection. Fans of both will love it.
RATING: 4 ½ stars, rounded up to 5 stars where half stars are not permitted. (And I have never rated an anthology at 5 stars up until this point.)
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