All Hallows' Evil

by Sarah E. Glenn (Editor), Erin Farwell (Contributor)

Thirteen stories devoted to crime at Halloween. Sometimes the holiday is the impetus, other times it merely provides a stage on which crime comes to fruition. In this collection, you will discover that not all detectives or criminals are human. You will find tragedy in Detroit and comedy at a costume party. A murder play where one of the actors isn’t an actor. Incest alongside taxidermy. And the reason for the season.

Genres: Horror

213 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2013

About the author

Sarah E. Glenn has a B.S. in Journalism, which is a great degree for the dilettante she is. Later on, she did a stint as a graduate student in classical languages. She didn’t get the degree, but she’s great with crosswords. Her most interesting job was working the reports desk for the police department in Lexington, Kentucky, where she learned that criminals really are dumb.

Her great-great aunt served as a nurse in WWI, and was injured by poison gas during the fighting. A hundred years later, this would inspire Sarah to write stories Aunt Dess would probably not approve of. She is co-author of the Three Snowbirds mysteries with Gwen Mayo.

Sarah belongs to Sisters in Crime, the Short Mystery Fiction Society, and the Historical Novel Society. She lives in Safety Harbor, Florida.

Reviews

[Shaun · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars as a whole, but a few gems

I'll start by saying that after reading a similar Halloween-themed anthology last year, I had low...or rather realistic expectations for this collection of stories, for the most part the work of unknown/up-and-coming writers put together and published by a small/independent press.

This was really a mixed bag, with stories that ranged from I-couldn't-bring-myself-to-finish to WOW-I-want-more, and the majority falling somewhere in the middle.

HOWEVER there were a handful of stories that seemed to overshadow the rest in quality and content. "Pact of the Lantern" by Daniel Hale and "Devil's Night" by Harriette Sackler were both phenomenal. "Dead and Buried" by Barb Goffman was also solid yet lacked the spooky element I want in a Halloween read. "The Murderer at the Cabin" by Robert Hale offered up an intriguing premise, despite being a little rough and unpolished, while the characters of Paul Starling and Arabella Blackstone, which appear in "An Echo of Samhain" by DJ Tyler, could easily find their way into a series based on a paranormal detective agency.

There were also a number of editing misses, sometimes several in one story, but consistent with what I've seen in publications of this caliber.

All in all, an "okay" read mainly because of the few gems hidden amid the cubic zirconia.

I'm going to finish with an excerpt from the real diamond in this bunch. I'd love to see "Pact of the Lantern" developed into a book for young readers (and the parents who often read to them) as I think, minus the occasional f-bomb, it would make an excellent tale for kids. The characters, the dialogue, and the premise are all exceptional.

There is a place where the monsters live. A low, cold, dark place, closer than the shadows that trail behind you at dusk, and further than the wind that scatters golden leaves into the night. It is a hollow place, without a soul, where every moaning ghost, every shuffling ghoul, and every shrieking, toothy, long-legged beast scraps and scrabbles and bickers, fighting for space and peepholes into the higher realm. They huddle round them, peering into the daylight world.

And they wait, without patience, for the day when the windows begin to widen into doors, large enough to pass through. They watch with eager, greedy eyes until they can squeeze through the holes and into our world, while the ether of the Hallowed Realm trails along behind them.

Halloween is when the walls begin to wear thin and the cold can seep into the walls, and the monsters come to play.

[Jodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great treat for the Halloween season! An anthology of fresh, spooky short stories. Great light reading for the fall season.

[Amanda Raymond Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was split into chapters of short stories, each revolving around Halloween in theme or setting. Every author within has a unique tone and style, and all of the chapters are relatively quick and easy reads- 10 to 20 minutes per story. I enjoyed the book, especially since I was able to read one or two each night and still finish the book within a week. The stories were edited well, and I found no grammar or spelling errors (rare for a newly published read!) I recommend this book to anyone that likes short stories, horror or mystery reads.

[Heather Scior · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm normally not much of an anthology fan. However, there were several stories here that I loved. Norman's Skeletons was good and creepy. Dead and Buried Treasure was one of my favorites because I always love it when people get what's coming to them. Of course, there were a couple of stories that I found disjointed and hard to follow, but all in all, a great "spooky" read! :)

[Jan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have given this book 3 stars because, as a whole, it was a nice enjoyable read. What bumped it up to 4 stars was a couple gems, the most notable of which was "Dead and Buried Treasure" by Barb Goffman. Bravo!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book of stories was awesome.From the first story it sucked me in and kept my attention.Very worth reading for the twist in each tale.A+ to all of the authors who contributed.

[Tiffany Lynn Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointed. After having All Hallows' Evil on my tbr for over 10 years I finally get to it to have only one of the thirteen stories be worth my time. I should have known after my feelings on the first story that this collection wouldn't be for me but that was immediately followed up by Erin Farwell's The Carver. I need more stories with Blake and Benedict. I thought briefly that The Creepiest House was going to be another good one but about half way though it feel flat and soon after I couldn't help but skim read.

[Anne Wi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great compilation of short Halloween mystery stories.

[Jacquie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read Devil's Night By Harriette Sackler