Crime Fiction by Lina Chern Macy dreams of the little girl in red again. Old-fashioned pinafore dress, pigtails. Or pigtail. One eye, half a mouth frozen in a toothy grin. Macy only sees half of her, like she is always just around the corner. Today, for the first time, the girl is all there. She’sContinue reading “Macy Walks The Labyrinth”
Category Archives: Noir
Four Walls
Crime Fiction by John Patrick Nelson They’d been at the restaurant for almost forty-five minutes, when Sonny saw the lady sitting at the bar. “Geez, lookit that. She is fucking incredible.” Carl popped a breadstick. “So? Go talk to her.” “Nahh, my ex is watchin’ me like a hawk. Got a P.I. on me andContinue reading “Four Walls”
Harry’s Game
Crime Fiction by David Mulry “It’s a peach,” Harry said to himself, “an absolute peach!” He muttered the words to no one in particular and reached for the cup. The little café was quiet. Sometimes Polish workers came in between shifts, babbling incomprehensibly. Every now and then a tourist would blunder in, lost. But rightContinue reading “Harry’s Game”
Shadowland
Crime Fiction by Sean O’Leary A fourteen-year-old girl was missing. Candy had taken the call two hours ago. The father, Peter Ling, sounded like he was in agony when he told Candy his daughter had been missing for two days. Missing or lost forever. That was Candy’s job. The missing girl’s name was April. CandyContinue reading “Shadowland”
Jump
Flash Fiction by Nate Hochstetler Omair stood in an alley smoking what looked to be a cigarette but was really hashish, a habit he picked up in Pakistan as a teenager. That life felt so far away now. He took his phone from the pocket of his Adidas jacket. He had dark brown skin butContinue reading “Jump”
Yes, Mama
Crime Fiction by London Baker His name was Big Tony and as for me, I was called Al Greco. Big Tony was sort of the boss, you see? He was a big deal back then, though I guess he still is now. But now isn’t that important. Back then is what matters. Back then IContinue reading “Yes, Mama”
The Getback
Crime Fiction by Michael Downing Eddie Reid died sometime after midnight. Cool on the street. A legend. But once you’re dead, all that cool means nothing. Dead is dead, and dead don’t care who you were or what you did before the end. His death was violent, ugly, the kind of thing that gets peopleContinue reading “The Getback”
Bitter Autumn
Crime Fiction by Scott Kauffman Two Fridays before Thanksgiving, Autumn watched through a rain-runnel windshield as her father hobbled out from under the stone-archway of Lucasville Penitentiary. In his one hand he gripped a small duffel bag. In his other what looked like could have been the same Bible he had with him when theContinue reading “Bitter Autumn”
Whack A Moll
Crime Fiction by M.E. Proctor It takes a special kind of sinner to commit murder in a church. A sanctuary, a haven. A safe place that hadn’t been safe for Myrtle Ballard. “St Peter’s on twennyfourth. Next to the confessional.” Al ‘Matt’ Matteotti spit the words in disgust. He was pale with outrage. Matt wasContinue reading “Whack A Moll”
Hard Luck Penny
Flash Fiction by Scott McKinnon Penny sits on a warehouse floor, handcuffed to a pallet stacked five feet high with cheap towels emblazoned with the words: I stole this from Alcatraz. The fluorescents above cast a flat light over mountains of tacky novelty items and three humorless thugs standing over her. The leader has aContinue reading “Hard Luck Penny”