The One Percent: Tales of the Super Wealthy and Depraved

by Roger Nokes (Editor), C.W. Blackwell

There's always money to be made telling rich people what they want to hear, and rich people want to hear they're rich because they're better. The One Percent is a dose of truth - the super-rich are both a symptom of a country gone off the rails, and, in many cases, the cause. Greedy and vampiric, they have polluted our waters, raped our land, and profited from untold amounts of spilled blood. And that’s before we examine their shitty behavior as individuals. —You can afford an African safari, but you can’t pay a craftswoman what her work is worth?—Who cares if you made your money selling weapons of mass slaughter? Somebody does. —If you’re not using that kidney, or even if you are… —The good part about crypto is no rules. Funny, that’s the bad part too. 16 stories detailing the most vile of the most privileged wait inside, and, maybe, a little bit of payback, too.

With stories

C. W. Blackwell, Scott Von Doviak, Esther Mubawa, James D. F. Hannah, AD Schweiss, Thomas Trang, Meirav Devash, Eddie McNamarra, Andrew Rucker Jones, Sam Wiebe, Curtis Ippolito, Tim P. Walker, Jesse Lee, Sean Logan, Tom Andes, Steven-Elliot Altman, and Lin Morris.

231 pages, Paperback

Published December 8, 2023

Reviews

[Andrew Monge · Rating 5 out of 5]

The One Percent: Tales of the Super Wealthy and Depraved is one of the best anthologies I've read in the past decade. It's rare to find a collection of stories that is consistently excellent throughout, but The One Percent delivers across the board.

The opening stories -- "The Block and the Chain" by C.W. Blackwell and "Most Likely to Succeed" by Scott Von Doviak -- were the two that drew me to the collection. Both authors have become favorites of mine, and they each delivered.

All of the stories were unique in how they explored the theme, and many were very creative in their style. My favorite was "Invasive Species" by Sam Wiebe, which used a bit of an epistolary format and was so devious it made me smile (even when I probably shouldn't have). A close second for me, and perhaps the most powerful tale of the bunch, was "Doris the Sculptor," which saw the pendulum of powerful versus powerless swing in an unsuspecting way by the story's end. Such a moving piece.

I called out four of the book's sixteen stories, but really, there's not a bad one in the bunch. Highly recommended anthology.

(As an aside, the publisher [Rock and a Hard Place Press] also publishes quarterly digests with stories of the down and out. If you enjoy this book, you'll enjoy their magazines as well.)

[Suz Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

“The whole vibe of the place is like an Edward Hopper painting, with all of the surreal and poetic loneliness dropkicked into the 21st century.”-excerpt from “God’s Way of Hiding in the Shadows” by Thomas Trang

Rock and a Hard Place Magazine asked for tales of the super wealthy and depraved and boy did the crime writing community deliver sixteen stellar stories.
My favorites include:

“The Block and Chain” by CW Blackwell: A crypto currency money manager deals with a demanding new client.

“Most Likely to Succeed” by Scott Avon Doviak: A billionaire’s dirty deeds are revealed at his class reunion.

“Haggling Over Price” by James D.F. Hannah: A father seeks revenge.

“God’s Way of Hiding in the Shadows” by Thomas Trang: The crown jewel of the anthology, this beautifully written and action packed story is full of double crosses, greed, and the glossy world of movies and television.

“Invasive Species” by Sam Wiebe: This epistolary tale shows the length the wealthy will go to make a selfish wish come true.

“The Old Money Beat” by Curtis Ippolito: A young reporter gets a wake up call regarding his boss’s self serving agenda.

“The American Way” by Jesse Lee: With a little help from a family member, a mother eliminates a potential threat.

“The Last Kind Act” by Sean Logan: Party prep takes a terrifying turn.

“Trust Me” by Lin Morris: This final story in the anthology gives a billionaire a chance for a new life.

[Ovidio Amoedo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of Scott Von Doviak, so I bought this book only to read his story, which is awesome. By then, I was trapped in a business trip and decided to read the other stories. And I loved it.

This book is a parade of very talented writers, with sharp and imaginative premisses, fast paced plots and some highly impredictable ends. A delightful read.

Besides Doviak's story I would highlight "The American Way", "A Life of Idle Pleasure"and "The Block and the Chain". But you should read all of them, because they are very fun. I am pleased I did.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recuse my own story, but this is still a top-notch collection of crime fiction talent!

[M.E. Proctor · Rating 5 out of 5]

How often will you find C.W. Blackwell, Scott Von Doviak, James D.F. Hannah, Sam Wiebe, and Curtis Ippolito together under the same cover? And these are only the authors whose books are already on my shelves. This is an extraordinary collection with fireworks of talent. I want to mention Esther Mubawa’s story “Doris the Sculptor” that ripped my heart to pieces. Beautiful.