Killer hooks and fishy characters will lure you into this fifth anthology from the Guppies Chapter of Sisters in Crime. This volume nets you twenty-two crafty capers featuring slippery eels, wily sharks, and hard-boiled crabs. From ultra-modern computer crimes to old-fashioned confidence tricks, these tales are sure to satisfy your appetite for great short mystery fiction.
The Wannabe, by Lida Bushloper Nova, Capers, and a Schmear of Cream Cheese, by Debra H. Goldstein Windfall, by Rita A. Popp Who Stole My Lunch?, by Kate Fellowes Nine Lives of Husbands and Wives, by Chelle Martin The Lost Mine of Don Fernando, by Anna Castle Scrabble-Rousers, by K.M. Rockwood The Retirement Plan, by Mary Fern Ross Room and Board, by Vinnie Hansen Payout Payback, by Susan Bickford My Night with the Duke of Edinburgh, by Susan Daly The A-List, by C.C. Guthrie The Great Negotiator, by Raegan Teller For Want of a Grade, by T.Y. Euliano Exit Interview, by Beth Green The Dark Underground, by Steve Shrott The Trouble with Trouble, by Lesley Mang It Tastes Like Cardboard, by Joan Leotta The Hollerith Effect, by Andrew MacRae The Fork, the Spoon, and the Knife, by T.G. Wolff The Funeral Home Heist, by MaryAlice Meli Power of Attorney, by James M. Jackson
Fishy Business, edited by Linda M. Rodriguez “Works well with others” looks good on a resume, but problems make better stories, and these are wonderful, varied, and fun! Catnapping, marketing fiber bars, juggling books — or knives — at work or at home, the plots thicken nicely and the writing and editing are well done. I tend to read a few at a time, a buffer and “reset” between longer books, and an introduction to authors I want to read more of later. The characters’ “best laid plans” may have gone awry, but this Guppy anthology is a success.
This is a fine collection of mystery short stories based on capers, some light and some lightly dark, all written by members of the Guppy online community of Sisters in Crime. Well written, well-edited, and full of twists and turns, these stories make for great bedtime reading.
Since I was small I have enjoyed reading short stories. I am never without a book. Before cell phones my trunk and purse always had at least one short story book or magazine in it. The Guppy Anthologies are fast and fun to read.