Ross Klavan

Third Degree gives us three novellas by three different authors. All are different in mood and style.

The first story, Cut Loose All Those Who Drag You Down, is narrated by an unlikable, irritating, yet weirdly engaging narrator. It’s an exploration into the dark psyches of two men spiraling out of control.

Beaned introduces us to a pair of truckers who find themselves entangled in more than they bargained for. This is more of a traditional crime story.

The Fifth Column is historical crime fiction. This is the longest and most expansive of the three, narrated by a young, ambitious journalist at the start of WWII.

This anthology is an entertaining introduction to three diverse authors.

*I received a review copy for the Partners in Crime blog tour.*… (mehr)

I was interested to pick up this anthology and read it due to the fact that the stories sounded gritty and the cover alluded to it as well. Well I am happy to report that the "grittiness" was there. However, it was the characters and the stories that missed the mark for me. Well the first two stories but the last one, The Maybrick Affair by Charles Salzberg did capture my interest and kept me invested in the story. Instantly, I did find a connection with Jake. He was someone that I could relate to. Additionally, it helped that I liked the plot for the story. I am a fan of historical reads.

Whereas; the other two stories just didn't really grab my attention. The first one was a bit out there. Which , being different is and can be good when executed right. In this case, I could not find that connection to the main character and thus the rest just slipped past me and became unmemorable.

In regards, to the second story, it was a little better but there was more times than not where I still found myself wandering away from the story. Sometimes this is the case with anthologies where not all of the stories will be winners but when you do find some that is great. I not only found a good story but I also discovered a new author in Mr. Salzberg that I want to check out more of his work.… (mehr)