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Love Kills
The rage of jilted lovers and their acts of hate are captured in this suspenseful collection of chilling tales, including works by Lawrence Block, Donald Westlake, Evan Hunter, Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller, John Lutz, Joe Gores, and Ruth Rendell. Original.
- GenresAnthologiesShort Stories
386 pages, Paperback
First published March 5, 1997
About the author
Ed Gorman
463 books124 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 23, 2026
A few good stories and a lot of very creepy ones, and not in the fun-haunted-house sense, but in the creepy-old-man sense. Overall this is a badly dated anthology, even though it's only from the 90s. The theme is loosely the femme fatale, so there are a lot of sexist stories. The worst are the stories that present themselves as feminist; these are the most sexist of all (looking at you, Evan Hunter). Here are my rankings:
*1. "Afraid All the Time" by Nancy Pickard - 4/5. One of the best stories here. It's mostly downhill from here.
2. "The Girl Friend" by Morris Hershman. Very creepy story. 1/5.
3. "Predators" by Edward Bryant. 2/5. Readable except for its unbelievably stupid ending.
4. "The Second Coming" by Joe Gores. 1/5. Written in beatnik style. Unreadable.
5. "The Lost Coast" by Marcia Muller. 2/5. Nothing terribly wrong with it, just bland.
6. "Night Freight" by Bill Pronzini. 3.5/5. More readable.
7. "Cat's Eye" by Larry Segriff. 1/5. A story written from the perspective of a cat. Really.
*8. "The Midnight Train" by John Lutz. 5/5. I liked this one a lot, though the ending could have been more subtle. But it's one of the best stories here.
9. "I'm Not That Kind of Girl" by Marthayn Pelegrimas. Forgettable, poorly written. 2/5.
10. "The Main Event" by Peter Crowther. Ditto.
11. "Obeah, My Love." by Barbara Collins. Ditto.
12. "Cracked Rear View" by Jerry Sykes. Ditto
13. "Pretty Eyes" by Evan Hunter. 1/5. A "feminist" story that is probably the most sexist one here.
14. "Graveyard Shift" by James Reasoner. 3/5. Readable but forgettable.
15. "Amy Gdalla" by Jim Combs. This middle section of the book is a wasteland. 2/5
16. "A Matter of Principle" by Max Allan Collins. One of his Quarry stories. Readable but dated. 2.5/5.
17. "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Ed Gorman. Some kind of creative writing exercise. Readable but melodramatic. 3/5.
18. "Morning Call" by Brian Lawrence. 2/5. Poorly written.
19. "The Case of the Locked Room Nude" by Maxim Jakubowski. 2/5. Anything with this guy's name on it I try to avoid.
20. "That Summer at Quichiquois" by Dorothy B. Hughes. 2/5. Melodramatic and poorly written.
21. "Alas, My Love" by Ron Goulart. 2/5. Ditto
22. "Firetrap" by Greg Cox. Ditto. 2/5
*23. "The Calculator" by Joe Hensley. I liked this one a lot, though its ending was slightly bungled. But overall it's a breath of fresh air in this anthology. 4.5/5.
24. "A Soda for Susan" by Richard Deming. 1/5. Extremely creepy.
25. "Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes" by Lawrence Block. 2/5. Creepy.
26. "He Loved Her So Much" by Sandra Scoppettone. 3/5. A disturbing case study of domestic violence. Not really a story. And why is this author's name first on the cover?
27. "Midnight Promises" by Richard T. Chizmar. 2/5. Amateurish.
28. "The New Girl Friend" by Ruth Rendell. 1/5. I've read this one before. Creepy and transphobic.
29. "The Quiet Room" by Jonathan Craig. Readable if predictable. 3/5
30. "My Heart Cries for You" by Bill Crider. Forgettable. 2/5
31. "The Best-Friend Murder" by Donald Westlake. An early work from one of my favorite authors. Reads like a "Law and Order" episode. Readable but nothing special. 3/5
Pretty bad batting average here. I only liked these ones: "Afraid All The Time"; "The Midnight Train"; and "The Calculator." Not sure it was worth wading through all of this bad fiction to find three stories I liked. What am I doing with my life.
*1. "Afraid All the Time" by Nancy Pickard - 4/5. One of the best stories here. It's mostly downhill from here.
2. "The Girl Friend" by Morris Hershman. Very creepy story. 1/5.
3. "Predators" by Edward Bryant. 2/5. Readable except for its unbelievably stupid ending.
4. "The Second Coming" by Joe Gores. 1/5. Written in beatnik style. Unreadable.
5. "The Lost Coast" by Marcia Muller. 2/5. Nothing terribly wrong with it, just bland.
6. "Night Freight" by Bill Pronzini. 3.5/5. More readable.
7. "Cat's Eye" by Larry Segriff. 1/5. A story written from the perspective of a cat. Really.
*8. "The Midnight Train" by John Lutz. 5/5. I liked this one a lot, though the ending could have been more subtle. But it's one of the best stories here.
9. "I'm Not That Kind of Girl" by Marthayn Pelegrimas. Forgettable, poorly written. 2/5.
10. "The Main Event" by Peter Crowther. Ditto.
11. "Obeah, My Love." by Barbara Collins. Ditto.
12. "Cracked Rear View" by Jerry Sykes. Ditto
13. "Pretty Eyes" by Evan Hunter. 1/5. A "feminist" story that is probably the most sexist one here.
14. "Graveyard Shift" by James Reasoner. 3/5. Readable but forgettable.
15. "Amy Gdalla" by Jim Combs. This middle section of the book is a wasteland. 2/5
16. "A Matter of Principle" by Max Allan Collins. One of his Quarry stories. Readable but dated. 2.5/5.
17. "Famous Blue Raincoat" by Ed Gorman. Some kind of creative writing exercise. Readable but melodramatic. 3/5.
18. "Morning Call" by Brian Lawrence. 2/5. Poorly written.
19. "The Case of the Locked Room Nude" by Maxim Jakubowski. 2/5. Anything with this guy's name on it I try to avoid.
20. "That Summer at Quichiquois" by Dorothy B. Hughes. 2/5. Melodramatic and poorly written.
21. "Alas, My Love" by Ron Goulart. 2/5. Ditto
22. "Firetrap" by Greg Cox. Ditto. 2/5
*23. "The Calculator" by Joe Hensley. I liked this one a lot, though its ending was slightly bungled. But overall it's a breath of fresh air in this anthology. 4.5/5.
24. "A Soda for Susan" by Richard Deming. 1/5. Extremely creepy.
25. "Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes" by Lawrence Block. 2/5. Creepy.
26. "He Loved Her So Much" by Sandra Scoppettone. 3/5. A disturbing case study of domestic violence. Not really a story. And why is this author's name first on the cover?
27. "Midnight Promises" by Richard T. Chizmar. 2/5. Amateurish.
28. "The New Girl Friend" by Ruth Rendell. 1/5. I've read this one before. Creepy and transphobic.
29. "The Quiet Room" by Jonathan Craig. Readable if predictable. 3/5
30. "My Heart Cries for You" by Bill Crider. Forgettable. 2/5
31. "The Best-Friend Murder" by Donald Westlake. An early work from one of my favorite authors. Reads like a "Law and Order" episode. Readable but nothing special. 3/5
Pretty bad batting average here. I only liked these ones: "Afraid All The Time"; "The Midnight Train"; and "The Calculator." Not sure it was worth wading through all of this bad fiction to find three stories I liked. What am I doing with my life.
April 18, 2008
This book is good in that it reminded of the joy of reading short stories. If you are time poor you can just dip into it, have a short read and then save the rest for next time. The authors chosen for this compilation are varied and the tales have interesting, sometimes wonderful and sometimes shocking twists. Love can kill in so many ways.
June 15, 2008
Excellent collection of short stories by famous and forgotten mystery writers!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews