Blunt Force Rising (An Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery Novel) by Russ Colchamiro; Angela's Darkest and Most Violent Mystery Yet.

 Blunt Force Rising (An Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery Novel) by Russ Colchamiro; Angela's Darkest and Most Violent Mystery Yet.

By Julie Sara Porter 

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: Before we begin, I ask you to please read my previous reviews for Crackle and Fire, Fractured Lives, Hot Ash, and Trigger Point as it will enhance your understanding of and might reveal some important plot points that are mentioned in this review.

So now we come to the fourth volume of the Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery Thriller Series and my last one to date,  Blunt Force Rising. And boy did its author, Russ Colchamiro know how to end, or rather penultimately end (since book five, Trigger Point, was the actual last book) the series on a high, or rather gruesome, bloody, violent, dark but very memorable point.

Blunt Force Rising is probably the darkest Angela Hardwicke novel yet and that's honestly saying a lot. It starts out very subtle. Angela and her partner, Eric Whistler are invited on a galaxy cruiser by their client, Ther’eda Ranadyne, CEO of Ranadyne Cybernetics, a leader in the development of AI intelligence and manufacturing androids. She is hiring the duo to look for a technician who is responsible for tampering with the Death Code, a code that creates premature aging and death within androids after a certain time. 

At first, the book seems like a Science Fiction equivalent of Death on the Nile, Murder on the Orient Express or other Agatha Christie novels. A locked room or closed circle murder mystery set in the future where the main characters travel in luxury while bodies are hitting the floor. Indeed, Angela and Whistler are on a luxury cruiser that voyages across the galaxy. 

It's all plush rooms, crystal decor, and pleasant service crew members. Angela touches base with some old friends, Nini and Dolores, and Whistler gets some alone time with his android girlfriend, Selene. Okay, there may be a dead body found inside a cabin but that's nothing that a seasoned pro like Angela can't handle. Yes, this Mystery seems pretty light and airy. Dare I say it, it might even be considered Science Fiction Cozy. At first.

The book takes a definite shift in tone halfway through. There were signs here and there that things might get darker. For all of the luxurious splendor in front of the characters, there is a lot of tension going on particularly between androids and humans. Androids want to be seen as people with all of the rights and privileges of their organic counterparts and quite a few aren't above using violence and resistance to get them. Some humans like Ther’eda are empathetic towards these struggles and want those rights granted while others like Dolores, are unrepentant bigots towards them.

 This conflict inserts larger political issues into the book as Science Fiction often does, reminding us that what is seen in the far off future is actually happening right now. The presence of AI Intelligence becoming more prominent not to mention DEI conflicts and controversies are still huge parts of our daily lives. 

However, the light quasi-Cozy Mystery and potentially darker political metaphorical tones eventually give way to something darker, bloody, aggressive, animalistic, primal, and fatal. During an onboard celebration something strange happens and everyone on board, crew and guests alike, behave unexpectedly, violently, and start attacking each other for seemingly no reason at all. The book is no longer just a Closed Circle Murder Mystery. It's a "Closed Circle Inside of a Zombie or rather Psychopathic Apocalypse and a Quest for Survival along with a Murder Mystery."

It is a pretty graphic scene that lasts several chapters and carries over through the remainder of the book. These aren't just verbal arguments with a few slaps, threats to murder, and aiming guns before they come to and realize that they can't pull the trigger. Colchamiro did not skimp on the gory details. 

There are descriptions of eyes being gouged out, intestines ripped out from bodies, and pieces of the dead all over the place. People didn't just attack one another. They literally and brutally destroy each other, friends, lovers, family members, colleagues. There is a mock trial where any sort of fairness, justice, or civility disappear and instead is an excuse to murder without repercussions. It didn't matter who anyone was. They were violently and horrifically slaughtered often by people that they knew and loved. 

One thing is for sure, those who murdered would probably prefer to be dead as well because once this mysterious circumstance passes and they return to normal, they may never forgive themselves for the horror that they inflicted on a loved one. This suggests that the psychological and emotional repercussions will last for a long time and lead to mental and psychotic breakdowns, suicide, addiction, and more violent acts to cope with the memories, anguish, and remorse. (For the record, we do see some of the fallout in Trigger Point, as Angela, Whistler, Nini and others are coping with these events, some in painful troubling or self-destructive ways.)

What is most disturbing is that this transformation even affects Angela and Whistler. It is heartbreaking to watch these two companions: partners, friends, mentor/student, surrogate big sister/kid brother attack each other with words referring to four books of past deeds and drawing blood.

During the attacks we get Angela's first person perspective as always and for storytelling purposes, it is a strong choice particularly here. We see Angela's internal struggles between what this transformation is making her do and her own nature that is appalled. Her thoughts not only turn to her experience with Whistler but her love for her son, Owen. She is fighting to hold onto the woman that she is: tough, hardened, cynical, but fiercely protective and loving, devoted to her home in Eternity by keeping the peace and catching thieves and murderers, but well aware of the corruption and imperfections within the system.

 She knows that her actions are wrong but her body lives for itself and the dark aggressive emotions threaten to annihilate her mind. It's very easy to assume that this mental debate is happening to everyone making the violence even more anguishing. 

It's also hard to read about Whistler going through this turmoil, particularly since he's become my favorite character in the series. He goes through great changes in the series from a flippant, idealistic sidekick and sometimes comic relief to a jaded world weary professional who willingly breaks laws and many of his previous standards, even killing. The events of the previous book, Hot Ash, traumatized Whistler and destroyed his idealistic naive character.

 In the beginning of Blunt Force Rising, he is finally in a place where he can be looked on as a legitimate investigator in his own right and stand equal to Angela. He also can find comfort and stability with Selene. All of that is taken away from him because of this change. It's not surprising that two cases that throw him in physical and emotional turmoil would cause him to rethink his path in the next book and wonder if private investigation really is for him. 

Of course there is a reason behind this transformation and of course the Dynamic Duo discover it but the mental and physical damage is ever present and spills into the next volume. This  makes it understandable why Angela and Whistler will be in those dark places and are easily put into situations that imprison and bind them and are forced to face their previous errors, fears, and insecurities. 

Trigger Point (An Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Thriller Book 5) by Russ Colchamiro; Angela’s Latest Adventure Gets Very Very Up Close and Personal

 

Trigger Point (An Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Thriller Book 5) by Russ Colchamiro; Angela’s Latest Adventure Gets Very Very Up Close and Personal 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: If you are interested, please read my reviews of the previous volumes, Crackle and Fire, Fractured Lives,  and Hot Ash

The Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Thriller Series is no stranger to bringing us mesmerizing settings. The series explores the universe of Eternity, where various citizens do their part to help control, create, and repair the Universe. Everything from Patches who fix the tears in the Cosmos, to Designers who decide where the stars, planets, and galaxies are arranged, to the Minders who oversee the entire Universe and beyond, to detectives like Angela, who keep criminals off the spaceways and from messing with the order of the ‘Verse.

 It seemed like with Trigger Point, the fifth book in the series there was nowhere else for Angela to go. Well, Russ Colchamiro, the author, pulled a fast one on us. There was somewhere else to go. When the outside is explored most thoroughly, the best place to go is inside. Inside the mind of his lead character. Here Angela is at her most personal and angst ridden as she explores her latest adventure which puts those closest to her at risk.

Angela is recovering from her last case which resulted in the death of a friend and where she ended up demoted, in debt, and technically working under her former partner turned boss, Eric Whistler. She is definitely not in the mood for a new case but that’s what she gets. She is hired to uncover the mysterious death of a sex worker. Even worse, she finds that Whistler has gone missing, well most of him. He seems to be stuck somewhere in time and space and she can make out his faint image and hear cryptic garbled messages but doesn’t know where or possibly when he is. These cases become intertwined and lead Angela right into a conspiracy concerning the Patches, where her estranged lover, Eddie works and her young son, Owen is being trained. 

This is definitely the strongest Angela Hardwicke volume in terms of character development, much of it is laid at the feet of Angela herself. She often referred to parts of her past in previous books but this is where it really comes forward, particularly in chapters where she talks to her estranged parents (this is the first volume that I can recall where we actually learn that Angela even has parents.), 

We learn that Angela's sister died of cancer and they still feel the grief leading to Angela's father to withdraw from the family and she to embrace a darker side. She also became pregnant as a teenager ending with the death of her infant daughter. These losses caused Angela to become obsessed with her detective career. She couldn't protect herself from death but could protect other people and the Universe from it.

Angela is also haunted by nightmares and memories which she lives on the edge of the Universe can be more real than most on Earth. She has conversations with her late friend where she reveals her remorse and missteps in the previous case. 

She also bears a lot of guilt for what happened to Whistler. Not only for his current predicament but leading him into becoming a detective, acquiring an overdeveloped sense of justice, and having a reckless attitude in solving these cases. She isn't proud of how far Whistler has come. She's worried about what she turned him into and where this life will lead him.

Angela's tenderest moments are when she reunited with Eddie and Owen. It's heartwarming to see the normally hard boiled cynical badass Angela figuratively melt into a puddle of maternal goo when she and Owen are together. He's a sweet smart kid who brings out an innocent protective warmth within his mother. They may be separated but mother and son are still devoted to each other.

Angela and Eddie's relationship is no longer romantic but they are still amicable towards each other. Eddie actually has more interactions with Owen since they are both Patches so he has the loving ex and parental caretaker that is often reserved for female characters in most private detective novels. 

He worries about Owen but also his ex putting herself in danger but also knows his concerns will be dismissed. Even though Angela is romantically involved with Darren, a rock musician, she and Eddie have retained a friendship almost like surrogate siblings that defend one another and have each other's backs.

All of this development towards Angela's character is used in dramatic ways, particularly when she faces the antagonist in this book. There are hints that this character has been around since the first book, Crackle and Fire, and has five books worth of material to use against her and boy do they. It becomes a battle of wills in which Angela's own self worth and sanity are at stake as she faces this character.

If this book is not the last Angela Hardwicke book, I would be very surprised. There are a lot of hints that indicate this is a final volume or if not that, certainly a change in format and formula. Many of the long time subplots such as Angela’s messed up home life and her and Whistler’s statuses are altered considerably.

 Many characters come to some raw conclusions that indicate their journeys will be coming to an end or they will be in different places in the next volume. It's safe to say that Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Thrillers will not be the same again.

New Book Alert: Hot Ash (An Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery) by Russ Colchamiro; Angela's As Awesome As Ever, But Young Partner Steals The Show

 

New Book Alert: Hot Ash (An Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery) by Russ Colchamiro; Angela's As Awesome As Ever, But Young Partner Steals The Show

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: In Hot Ash, the third installment to Russ Colchamiro's Angela Hardwicke's Science Fiction, Angela is her usual strong willed, fiery, courageous, troubled self wandering through the murkiness of Eternity, the center of the Cosmos. While she is in top form, it is actually her rookie partner, Eric Whistler, who steals the show from his cynical employer/friend.

Angela and Whistler seem to be living a surprisingly carefree existence. The Minders are together and running the Universe smoothly. Angela is still close to her son, Owen, who studies at a school to train young Patches, those who repair the tears in the Universe. He is taught by his father, who remains on amicable terms with Angela. She is also dating Darren, a drummer with a rock band.

Whistler's life has taken an upswing as well. Once Angela's sidekick and gofer, he is now her official partner. He even has a new badge which he loves to show off much to Angela's annoyance.

However, this being a mystery, the good carefree times never last for very long. Camille Engquist, the very wealthy "friend of a friend" hires Angela. Her late husband, Iggy, has died. While he had a long term illness, Camille is convinced something else must have happened to him. She also doesn't trust her stepchildren, Phil and Amara. In his original will, Iggy left his company to Camille. However, a new will has been made leaving everything to Phil and Amara. 

Camille is furious. She believes her step children may have killed Iggy and that they schemed their way into becoming CEO's. Angela and Whistler take the assignment and find themselves deep inside a case involving business corruption, drug dealing, slave trafficking, and a familial squabble in which no one comes out clean.

Unfortunately, the highlight of the previous books, the setting Eternity, is somewhat muted in this volume. It is mostly set in E-Town and the Arcasia System, a setting that is the opposite of Eternity in every way. 

Dark and somber where Eternity is mostly enlightening and wondrous. Filled with smog, the ugliness of industrialization, and a beaten hopeless slave population where Eternity has its problems but is filled with a populace from all walks of life who try to live in a cooperative existence (of course don't always succeed). The Arcasia System is the exact opposite of Eternity, perhaps the Hell to Eternity's Heaven.

What this book loses in setting, it makes up for in characterization. Many of the tropes such as families having inheritance disputes and a drug trade whose employees care more about profits than the lives lost and destroyed are nothing new. They can be found in most Earth bound murder mysteries. However, Colchamiro gives these plot angles enough of a science fiction twist to make them interesting.

However, this is where the team up of Angela Hardwicke and Eric Whistler really hits its stride. Angela starts out in a surprisingly good place considering how difficult her life was in the previous books. Since her personal problems are on the back burner, she is able to focus on her career. She has a very jaded cynical look as Whistler sees the private eye universe with newly professional eyes. She also has a bit of career envy mixed with big sisterly pride when Whistler notices a clue or gets information in a way that she did not.

Since Angela's role shifts from loner to mentor, more is expected from Whistler. He rises to the occasion by wanting to be the justice seeking idealist that the more pragmatic Angela no longer is. While investigating the Engquist murder, they come across another crime taking place. Whistler longs to help but Angela reminds him that they have a job to do and they can't save everyone.

Whistler and Angela's differing views come to a head in the Arcasia System when Whistler is more emotionally affected by the scene around them. He wants to do something permanent and long term to help stop slavery and create a better world for everyone.

 Angela, older and harder, knows that a better world does not exist. There will always be exploiters and the exploited. The only thing, the only real true thing that she can do is save the people that she is there to save.

Because of his journey from naive newbie to seasoned veteran, Whistler goes through a lot of character growth more so than in the previous books. This transformation greatly. changes his and Angela's relationship putting them on equal footing.

There could be a good chance that Colchamiro may shift the series to feature both partners (Hardwicke and Whistler Science Fiction Mysteries) or eventually give Whistler his own spin off series. It's a strong possibility.

Weekly Reader: Crackle and Fire (An Angela Hardwicke Mystery Book 1) by Russ Colchamiro; Science Fiction Detective Angela Hardwick is on Fire in Her First Mystery

 Weekly Reader: Crackle and Fire (An Angela Hardwicke Mystery Book 1) by Russ Colchamiro; Science Fiction Detective Angela Hardwicke is on Fire in Her First Mystery

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Last year, I was introduced to Russ Colchamiro's Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mystery Series, a series that combines the wry narration, duplicitous characters, and biting commentaries on human nature of the Hard Boiled Mystery with the technological and intergalactic settings, the sense of far reaching wonder of questions yet undiscovered, and larger expansive themes of interconnectivity of Science Fiction. These two seemingly different genres worked together to produce a great book in Fractured Lives and work again to create its equally well written predecessor, Crackle and Fire, the first book in the Angela Hardwicke series.

Just as a reminder: Angela is a sardonic, cynical private detective living in Eternity, the cosmic realm that is responsible for the creation, design, and maintenance of the Universe. Her job is to chase after criminals or search for missing people and make sure that the crimes don't affect the smooth run of the Universe. Angela is a single mom whose son, Owen, has been taken by Milo, one of the Minders,the three individuals who are in charge of the entire Universe. Technically, he couldn't be in better hands but Angela worries and is in anguish when the boy is away. For now, all she can do is wait for him to return, go through withdrawals from dRops, a drug in which she was once addicted, and bury herself in work.

In this book, Angela has two intriguing cases. Gil Habersau, an accountant for the firm of Breslin, Anders, & Li hires her to look for his colleague, Arthur Hanson, who disappeared and took some incriminating files with him. Things get even more interesting when it is revealed that Gil and Hanson do not work for a simple accounting firm. Instead, they work for the Visitor Consulting Program, a semi secret but sanctioned organization that identifies all beings, recruits them to Eternity, and trains them to observe the Cosmos. In fact, Arthur Hanson was the latest recruit from Earth.

The second case involves Jamie, the only Minder currently on duty and CEO of the Rubicon Hotel. Eternity recently celebrated Astropalooza, a series of celebrations including fireworks displays that bring The Fourth of July, Guy Fawkes' Day, and New Year's Eve to shame. Jamie informs Angela that thousands of caches of fireworks have been unreported. Concerned, that the fireworks are being rerouted to the black market, Jamie wants Angela to locate them. ("I can't let it be known that I can be taken for granted, Jamie declares.") These two cases end up tied together through the Ashanis, an organized crime family that is after Angela for revenge after their cousin died in prison, and the MinderNots, a terrorist group that vows to rid Eternity of the Minders once and for all.

What is the most fascinating about this series is the existence of Eternity itself. The idea that there is a realm in which various species design and create the universe is exciting and even overwhelming. In fact, many state how difficult the concept is for newcomers to accept. People from Earth especially are prone to breakdowns and existential crises because of their sternly held beliefs in religion or science. Gil says that even explaining the concept to an Earthling recruit drove her to have a nervous breakdown and Hanson had some serious emotional and psychological issues after his arrival and during his time working. Angela, who the book implies may have come from Earth herself, is understanding of this. 

There are some pretty interesting passages that describe the process of organizing the Cosmos. In one chapter, two Universe designers put on an illuminated spectacular exhibit in the style of Las Vegas-style illusionists to show how they position the stars and planets. It's a thrilling section to read and imagine the idea that beings are able to move celestial bodies with a wave of their appendages, suggesting an actual order in design rather than the randomness that often characterizes  the universe.

Everyone takes a part in making the Universe run and everything from work, to education, to entertainment, to recreation is centered around the entire universe. Even something like taking drugs lends itself to an intergalactic perspective. Angela's drug of choice, dRops, allows the user to feel like they are everywhere in the Universe. It seems to be the largest high imaginable.

Even transportation is governed by the Universe's omniscience. In one chapter, Angela dissolves across dimensions to enter Earth right after Hanson left. After all that she has experienced, she is rather underwhelmed by this planet and acts almost like a big city cop working in a small town for the first time. After being in a place where she is practically sitting at the right hand of gods and seeing the cosmos move about like marbles, yeah Earth would seem pretty boring (though no less dangerous as she learns during her investigation). 

In this amazing setting, Angela is also a great character. She goes through personal struggle such as her worry over Owen and trying to recover from her addiction (at one point sliding back in). But she still makes for an excellent lead detective. She is able to boldly stare down and fight against antagonists like the Ashanis siblings and even cleverly turn their animosity towards each other.

Perhaps because of the loss of her son, she also has a maternal side which she especially shows to her sidekick Whistler who acts as an informant and gofer. She teases him but also shows concern when an investigation puts him and a suspect in harm's way. 

Angela is definitely a compelling lead full of fire and determination to find solutions and see justice done.

With an impressive setting and protagonist, the first Angela Hardwicke Mystery crackles with excitement and is fired up with originality.

New Book Alert: Fractured Lives (An Angela Hardwicke Sci-Fi Mystery) by Russ Colchamiro; Science Fiction World Builds A Gripping Mystery

 

New Book Alert: Fractured Lives (An Angela Hardwicke Sci-Fi Mystery) by Russ Colchamiro; Science Fiction World Builds A Gripping Mystery 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Remember earlier this year when I praised settings in mystery novels? In works like Under The Volcano A Quito Murder Mystery and Indecent Exposure A Father Hardy Alaskan Mystery the settings were so intrinsic to the plot that they went hand in hand. That is doubly true when Murder Mysteries are cross bred with Science Fiction. Many of the mysteries are set on another planet, another galaxy, another universe, or in cyberspace. 

The authors not only build a different world with unusual characters, lifestyles, and societies but they also have to consider the laws, penalties, and the socioeconomic structure that often lends itself to producing the crime.

One of the most engaging science fiction mystery worlds is Eternity in Russ Colchamiro's Fractured Lives: An Angela Hardwick Sci-Fi Mystery. According to Angela, Eternity is the cosmic realm responsible for the design, creation, and maintenance of the entire Universe. As a private eye, Angela's past cases have involved investigating android murders. shapeshifters, disfigured wormholes, alternate dimensions, and "a miles long helix of the Universe's DNA."

In fact everyone works for Eternity in one capacity or another. Some design the patterns of the galaxies, others like Angela's missing husband are Patches, they repair tears and holes in the Universe. Even children like Angela's son, Owen are trained to perform some job to help keep the Universe running. (Owen shows an aptitude for Patching like his father.)

Angela says that this society's drive to keep Eternity running is not only important to the residents, but to the Minders those who oversee the Cosmos. The Minders, Angela says "want us to accept that as Eternitarians we're all just stardust in living form. That we are the Universe and the Universe is us and all the existential wank that comes with it."

So Angela knows that she has a job to keep the Cosmos running by solving mysteries and stopping those who harm the people from making Eternity unravel. Her most recent case happens when Wanda Fyne walks into her office to hire Angela to find her daughter, Darla. Darla is a student at The Wrolen School of Celestial Design, and she's not actually missing. At least her body is present, but someone has stolen a part of her soul.

One minute Darla was a brilliant overachieving plucky enthusiastic college student, the next she became a sullen mistrusting argumentative and distant teen. In a normal world, that could just mean that she has developed a mental Illness, under a lot of stress and pressure from school, or acting like a typical rebellious teen. 

However in this Universe, something more sinister has happened. Angela, and her sidekick/assistant, Eric Whistler, who is also a family friend of The Fynes, discover that Darla has been left fractured and the missing part of her soul has been taken on behalf of a strange figure called The Scarlet Raj.

Fractured Lives dances a delicate balance between the Science Fiction and Mystery genres. Angela walks through the usual tropes of a mystery like interviewing the student advisor and Dean of the Wrolen School, Darla's fellow classmates, and getting intimate details about the Fyne's stormy marriage. Then something comes along to remind you that yes, this is a Science Fiction world. The students don't just create art of the cosmos, they are literally cosmic designers. Only a select few are chosen for their designs to be used among the stars. It's a cutthroat competition and only a few are selected. It's easy to see why there is a high dropout rate and why designs are often stolen.

The Scarlet Raj herself is a contradiction even by eyewitness accounts.  Not many have seen her and when she moves, even vid cams don't always catch her. She is a striking presence in front of her designers and they are often left fractured when they encounter her. Even Angela and Whistler are left briefly intimidated by her appearance. They know that she is the source for the soul stealing but they don't know who she actually is. The Scarlet Raj is a projected identity, but they don't know by who or what their goal is.

The investigation also opens up troubled aspects in Angela and Whistler's lives. Angela has to deal with her feelings towards the father of her child and a long buried secret from her youth. Whistler has to contend with his abandoned neglected childhood as he peers into the sordid private lives of the Fynes, a family that he once felt secure abd protected around. They are troubled noir hardboiled detectives in an automated alien world of the future.

Fractured Lives is a great union of Mystery and Science Fiction. Criminals commit crimes  and detectives fly into the stars to catch them.

Weekly Reader: Murder in Montague Falls by Russ Colchamiro, Sawney Hatton, and Patrick Thomas: Graphic Violence and Murder in a Small Town

Weekly Reader: Murder in Montague Falls by Russ Colchamiro, Sawney Hatton, and Patrick Thomas; Graphic Violence, Murder, and Psychological Terror Haunt Three Generations of A Small Town

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


PopSugar Reading Challenge: A book by an author who has written more than 20 books (Patrick Thomas, 40+ books and over 150 short stories)


Spoilers: Anyone who lives in a small town can tell you that violence and murder can happen there just as well as in any city. Anywhere people live will always have violent arguments, jealous quarrels, drug deals, domestic violence, child abuse, jealousy over possessions, and death. That's probably why small towns make such enticing settings in mysteries. The authors and creators love to poke holes into the whole "nothing can happen here" attitude and reveal these small town residents as often violent, bloodthirsty, arrogant, judgemental, hypocritical, and just as ready to pick up a gun or knife and do away with someone just as much as their urban counterparts.

The three-part novella series, Murder in Montague Falls, explores the concept of murder in a small town. Three authors, Russ Colchamiro, Sawney Hatton, and Patrick Thomas, capture three generations of secrets, gaphic violence, psychological terror, and murder in the small town of Montague Falls.

The stories are unrelated to each other. Two stories are told from the criminals' perspective and one from an amateur detective's.

No characters make appearances between the three works. One references another story in one line, but that's it. Somehow that elevates the stories to an even more sinister level. There is no suggestion that one story influences another or that the characters are destined to take a violent path. Instead it suggests that violent natures exist in anybody and that murder can occur randomly in any time and under any circumstance.

"Red Ink" by Russ Colchamiro- This story captures a youthful excitement in having an overactive imagination and shows what happens when, uh oh, those youthful fantasies turn out to be true.

Isaac Fuller, a young newspaper deliverer, finds some excitement in his tedious part-time job by pretending he's a young secret agent. He imagines that his neighbors are Communist spies and he is on their trail. (It is the '80's after all). Tension mounts between Isaac's reality and fantasy when he sees a dead body inside one of the houses and what appears to be a murderer standing over the body. Suddenly, his once wild imagination may not be so wild after all.

This novella captures that energy that is found in those kid adventures like The Goonies or The Monster Squad where it is up to the kids to face some nasty villains and save their world. It's no coincidence that "Red Ink" is set in the 1980's when those adventure films were popular.

There are also some Hitchcockian moments that hearken back to earlier more adult adventures. There is some suspense when the body is removed, the suspect provides an alibi, and no one believes Isaac's crazy story. Some psychological background is provided with the death of Isaac's baby sister and his determination to protect others. Above all, the most suspenseful passage is when Isaac learns that not only are his spy fantasies real, but he is alone with the murderer. He quickly learns that reality is a lot bloodier and more painful than his dreams.

"The Devil's Delinquents" by Sawney Hatton-If "Red Ink" is a tribute to the kid adventure films of the '80's, then Sawney Hatton's "The Devil's Delinquents" is a tribute to the '90's psychological horror films and the Goth culture which led to a lot of Generation Xers feeling like misfits and outcasts from society.

Three of those misfits are Derry Rhodes, Cal Virgil, and Natalie Glantz. Derry and Cal are in an alternative band that sing songs invoking Satan. However, these two are just pretenders compared to Natalie. She calls herself a dark witch, holds rituals, and claims to have a dead fetus of her child by Satan kept in a jar. When Ntalie gets the duo involved in her ritual, she demands a blood sacrifice....human sacrifice.

I would say that the trio are stereotypes,but that's the point. They are almost comical in their Satanic worship that they study from movies, metal music, and books. It's all based on the appearances that they see. They are basically dumb pathetic idiots playing dress up, but extremely violent idiots make no mistake about that.

They want to solicit Satan's help as a way out of their pathetic sad lives and obtain fame, attractiveness, and acceptance that they don't have at home. They are misfits that will commit even the darkest deeds to get that notice and acceptance.

There is a darkness that was so prevalent in '90's culture of suspicion, horror, and psychological thrill that this novella captures.
In a twist that is almost worthy of Quentin Tarantino, the violence is carried out in a way that is deliberately over the top. In a moment of being careful what one wishes for, one of the characters does get their fame and acceptance in the most horrific way possible.


"A Many Splendid Tthing" by Patrick Thomas-The final novella, "A Many Splendid Thing" is more of a tribute to an older genre than the previous novellas. While the book is described as noir, this story is the one with the strongest claim to the genre. "A Many Splendid Thing" hearkens back to the noir films like Double Indemnity and The Postman Always Rings Twice in which a sexy femme fatale entices a poor shmo to commit murder. Then after the murder happens, the two conspire against each other.

In this variation, the poor shmo is high school senior, Jethro. He doesn't have much luck with the ladies or anyone else for that matter until he captures the interest of Rosa Carmine, his Science teacher, the aforementioned femme fatale. Rosa provides Jethro with some ,ahem, hand's on tutoring before she confesses that she is being abused by her husband and needs one little favor from her boy toy.

While all the stories are great, this is by far the best of the three because of the almost old school glamor that in which it pays tribute. Even setting the story in the 1950's reveals those Old Hollywood sensibilities that "A Many Splendid Thing" acknowledges. While violence is present and bloody, it's not as important as the aftereffects and how it resonates with the characters.

Once the violent act is committed, the novella becomes a tug of war as Jethro and Rosa turn on each other very quickly and vie to outsmart each other. The ending is brilliant and clever as both parties have one final gambit to play, even beyond death.

Murder in Montague Falls is an excellent book that honors different genres in the author's unique styles. The three works reveal the worst and the darkest aspects that exist inside those cute little houses around those slow moving streets. It reminds us that just because everybody seems to know everybody does not necessarily mean that they aren't hiding a knife behind their friendly greeting.