Coy Hall

A fascinating anthology, which sets out to mix one of the most horrific wars with more otherwordly terrors. Packed with tales of cannibalism, fabled monsters, cosmic creatures, mad scientists and supernatural hauntings, what comes through even more clearly is how each author strives to put the emphasis of horror rightly on the reality of the War itself, which easily overpowers the fiction.

Not every story lands - the second one was the only one that didn't land for me in terms of storytelling and structure for example, with a couple of others having too abrupt endings - but the brilliant ones make up for it. Stephanie Ellis continues to shine with her writing in a story about observation balloons which really hits home with its eerie ending. One story of torturous scientific experiments in Africa is even more shocking when the author notes its loose ties to a forgotten side of real history which is even more unpleasant than the shocking super weapon they imagine. Stories of stalking in trenches and alien gas are nothing compared to the descriptions of the equivalent reality and the emphasis on the effects on real people over a century ago.

It's uncomfortable reading. As it should be.… (mehr)

Well that was just brilliant! Four stories of the four imposters sandwiched between two encounters of the Grimoire itself. All beautifully and masterfully entwined together through characters, locations and religious politics. Occultism, witches, even snippets of body horror. This book has everything! It was creepy and sad, atmospheric and thought provoking. Y'all this book is EVERYTHING! Coy Hall researched the shit out of this book. I can't recommend this enough. I will definitely revisit this one and make notes of all of the connections between the stories, for now I'll just say put this on your want to read list immediately.… (mehr)

MWM: July 2020

Mystery Weekly Magazine: July 2020 issue opens with “A Hazard Of The Job” by Coy Hall. The psychiatric hospital has a problem and her name is Avery Sarfield. She has been a patient for five months and does not seem to really belong in the facility. But, she is in the place and seemingly able to go anywhere she pleases despite the best efforts of Olsen. She is going to get him fired and he as to figure out how she is doing it and why.

Next up is “Sir Oxnard” by Jeffery Hunt. He had been a local problem before his family sent him away. The years passed and things had been calm. Now Sir Oxnard is back and the upper crust of Cheshire County is invited to come celebrate his return. The estate has had work done and a good time for all is promised. While those invited are wary of a prank, as Sir Oxnard is legendary for his pranks, they went to see the renovations and are bound to attend thanks to the societal rules they live by each day.

Sometimes the cause of death, even though obvious, is not enough. Sometimes one needs to know the why and that means you need to know what was going through the mind of the person before the fatal event. Such is the case here in “Screen Shot” by Teel James Glenn. Mr. Shadows of the Shadows Foundation is in Los Angeles and working the case in this mystery tale that makes one nostalgic for all the old space television shows.

Sometimes it takes time to catch the bad guy. In a case that has gone on for quite some time, Donald Tucker Raffin did a horrible thing thirty years ago. The time has come for justice in “Setting The Pick” by April Kelly.

Working the target is also at work in “Tombstone Dodge” by Vincent H. O’Neil. The job is undercover. The locations are two self-storage sites. Unarmed but in uniform, he is supposed to walk each site for an hour and alternate back and forth. Call the cops if there is trouble and otherwise mind your business. Easy enough, but that is not the real reason he is here.

Brooklyn South Homicide Detective Bragg got the call from Madeline and went over to investigate the package left on her doorstep. It might be the work of a bomber that has been placing IED’S in various Brooklyn neighborhoods. Five have gone off in the last fifteen days and six are dead as a result. He works alone until his boss says otherwise in “Star Witness” by Joe Giordano.

Hurricane Norma did a lot of damage in “Wipeout” by Adam Meyer and Dominic is looking to get paid. A governmental program is a way to financially recover what they lost and maybe a bit more. He has a plan, but he is going to need help.

Waking up to “The Corpse At The Foot Of My Bed” is certainly not the best way to start the day. In this tale by Gordon Linzer, the apartment dweller has a body problem. He knows that calling the cops cannot be avoided as much as he would prefer to as he does not need all the questions.

The “You-Solve-It” this issue is “Poisoned Relationship” by Laird Long. Every Thursday afternoon, the five elderly ladies gather together to drink tea, eat, and talk about all sorts of stuff. Somebody had to die and does.

The solution to Gallery Thief by Peter DiChellis from the June “You-Solve-It” brings the issue to a close.

Mystery Weekly Magazine sets the mystery parameters wide and such remains the case here with the June issue. As always, these tales are clean of graphic language/violence and often focus on cases driven by personal relationships. The events in this issue, and in general, are not driven by random chance, but instead due to a direct relationship that is often not clear until the last few paragraphs. Mystery Weekly Magazine: July 2020 is also yet another solidly good issue.

For quite some time now I have been gifted a subscription by the publisher with no expectation at all of a review.


Kevin R. Tipple ©2020… (mehr)