By Edward Sheehy I’m done writing first-person point-of-view stories. My latest saga of a modern family stretching back several generations, voiced by 72 first-person characters including pet dogs and cats and a crow circling the narrative dispensing omniscient commentary, had been soundly rejected by dozens of publishers. My agent said first-person was overdone, mine inContinue reading “Lavender Diamond”
Category Archives: Criminal
No-Kill Shelter
Crime Fiction By Brenda Kilianski Woman Found Strangled in Uptown Apartment August 19, 1997. Dateline: Chicago. Diana Charlton, 29, a Loop-based attorney, was found strangled in her apartment in the 900-block of West Argyle. While police have no definitive suspects, a spokeswoman for the department noted similarities between the murder of Ms. Charlton and anotherContinue reading “No-Kill Shelter”
Judge and Jury
Crime Fiction By William M. McIntosh I’ve seen just about everything. Thirty-three years in and I still get excited, though. The chase. The capture. The power. The idea that your hard work has paid off and you’re still the man; there ain’t a feeling that comes close. I remember my first. I still think aboutContinue reading “Judge and Jury”
Hard Case
Crime Fiction By Glen Bush The wooden screen door slammed shut sending a rickety echo through the tavern. The two fans sitting at each end of the hand-made, but not well-made, bar did little more than disperse the muggy, August air. It was St. Louis and August, nothing more needed to be said. The smilingContinue reading “Hard Case”
The Hitman and His Wife
By Gratia Serpento “Goddammit, Arthur. Tell me that isn’t a dead body on my brand new couch.” “That isn’t a dead body on your brand new couch.” He rolled his eyes. “Of course it’s a dead body. Look at it!” “I don’t want to look at it!” His wife, Lorna hissed, wringing her hands. “WhyContinue reading “The Hitman and His Wife”
By Morning
By Andy Betz By morning they would come for me. I stole the funds, in small quantities, over a long time. A little here. A little there. I have been careful over the years. But, not careful enough. Walter, my associate, caught me last week. It took him nearly as long to research the lostContinue reading “By Morning”
Madeline
By Nicole Mancha I shift in my chair for the fifth time in twice as many minutes, attempting to relieve the discomfort of the stiff metal backing against my spine. Dr. Maryanne Warner sits across from me, scribbling furiously. It’s exhausting to watch, so I cannot even imagine how it must be for her. SheContinue reading “Madeline”
Tracked
By Rena Robinett AIRPORT I – KALI I was sitting in the United concourse at San Francisco airport sucking Cappuccino foam off a spoon when I spotted him. This was my third time tracking him out of SFO, using a TSA security badge from an old friend. He came out of Terminal Three, walking fastContinue reading “Tracked”
Loraine
By Gratia Serpento Loraine thought she was being watched. Every time she crossed the street or stepped out of her car, her skin would prickle with the fear of eyes. She kept looking over her shoulder at every shake of the wind, half expecting someone with a machete to be standing behind her. But, despiteContinue reading “Loraine”
Thinking of You
By Tony Sweatland Danny loves animals. And he hates people. Yesterday he knocked on a door and a woman wearing pj’s answered with a cup of hot chocolate in her hands. Meanwhile, not twenty feet away, a small dog shivered in a plastic igloo-style dog house inside a 10’ by 10’ cage. He wrote herContinue reading “Thinking of You”