Review of Human Resources: Stories (Tin House New Voice) (Paperback)

I'm not your typical short story fan, but got a tip from a friend that one of these "Nautical Intervention", had been optioned for a movie by someone she knew so I took a read. I couldn't believe this was a first book. The stories and the construction pulled me in and I read every story and each was more delicious than the last. No formulaic first time writer stuff here. Each stands alone and left me with the satisfied feeling that I usually don't get from short stories, which is why I usually avoid them. Hate that contrived "left hanging" feeling.

Can't wait to see what else this young writer has to offer.



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Review of Hardcore Hardboiled (Paperback)

I've been looking forward to this one for quite awhile now.HARDCORE HARDBOILEDis the first anthology from Todd Robinson's online crime fiction mag THUGLIT, which is easily one of the best venues for original fiction on the internet.What we have here is a sorta "best of" type anthology from Thuglit's first year.Two dozen stories from both heavy hitters in the crime fiction biz and some names that I'm hoping make a lot more noise in years to come.

If you, like me, are pretty darn tired of weak pseudo sensitive crime and mystery fiction that reads like it was penned by Don Henley fans, Thuglit and Hardcore Hardboiled are for you.

Honestly, each and every one of the 24 stories in this sucker are quite good at the very least.Some personal favorites of my own are Duane Swierczynski's darkly hilarious 'The Replacment'; Mike Toomey's flat out awesome 'Ten Dimes'; 'Johnny Cash Is Dead' by Jordan Harper; Hana K. Lee's 'Burning Ring Of Fire'; 'A Sleep Not Unlike Death' by Sean Chercover; the stellar 'McHenry's Gift' by Mike MacLean; a Tommy Burns story from the modern master of crime fiction Charlie Stella called 'The Milfinators';and 'Kill Posse', yet another hoot of a story from Victor Gischler.

For the price of this trade paperback anthology, you get more than a bang for your buck, you get the whole Fourth Of July, pal.



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