Synopsis/blurb…! Car thieves, down-on-their-luck Karate guys, out-of-control valley girls, Air Jordan-obsessed clutz robbers, professional opponent wrestlers, aspiring female wrestlers, Oingo Boingo-obsessed cocaine fiends, vice cop mashups, high-stakes gamblers, and heroin-addicted punk rock managers are just a taste of what you'll find in these dark pages!
An impressive collection of 80s themed short stories which were enjoyed over the course of the past couple of months, rather than binge reading them.
There’s 18 stories in the collection as well as an enjoyable foreward by Will Viharo. I wonder how many people can drop the bomb “Mickey Rourke bought me my first car” into a conversation.
I’ve enjoyed longer works by just under half the contributors to the anthology, so my expectations were high
VALLEY GIRL by Kat Richardson …… reminded me of Little Britain’s Vicky Pollard. I’m not sure if that’s the voice Richardson was striving for, but she nailed it if it was.
ALONE NOW by Patrick Cooper ….trainer (or sneaker) crime
BIG SHOTS by S.W. Lauden …music scene, drugs, crime, consequences
THE DEEP END by Dietrich Kalteis …. insurance investigator turns rogue and gets the girl
PARTS UNKNOWN by Sam Wiebe … wrestling, bright lights and pain
BESTIES & BLOW by Sarah M. Chen ….BFF as long as the drugs don’t run out
IT’S MORNING AGAIN IN LAKE CASTOR by Eryk Pruitt …… revisiting the scene of Pruitt’s Dirtbags
WIDOWMAN by Matthew J. Hockey ….vengeance in Tokyo
THE ENVELOPE by Linda L. Richards …… hard choices – head or heart?
MEANTIME by Will Viharo … Miami Vice revisited
BIG HAIR, BANANA CLIPS, AND THE FIGURE-FOUR LEGLOCK by Nina Mansfield …. wrestling dreams and a bout with a predator
DUTCH by C.S. DeWildt … a cross and double-cross, falling for the wrong girl
IN THE SWIMMING POOL by Jen Conley … Grandpa puts a bully in his place
GETTING SECONDS by Greg Barth … robbery and a ruined life, back for seconds and some fixing getting done
CAUGHT ON VIDEO by Brian Leopold … cameras, sex tapes, blackmail and a sting
FLECKMAN’S FIX by Preston Lang … gambling and some sore losers
LAST DANCE AT THE GLIMMER LOUNGE by S.A. Cosby … a drug deal, a rip-off and getting played by the girl
NIGHT THIEF by Michael Pool … a professional car thief and his last job, things don’t quite go to plan
A top class collection with each story delivering on the 80s theme.
Favourites were Jen Conley's In the Swimming Pool and The Envelope by Linda L. Richards. Not a dud in the collection.
4.5 from 5
Michael Pool (editor) also puts out the Crime Syndicate Magazine, the 3rd issue just went live this weekend. His website is here.
Read in September, 2017
Published – 2016
Page count – 222
Source – review copy from the editor
Format - Kindle