Tag Archives: Bryan VanMeter

Murder and Mayhem in Muskego edited by Jon & Ruth Jordan

Overview
Murder and Mayhem in Muskego: Jordan, Jon & Ruth, Phillips, Gary,  Richardson, Kat: Amazon.com.au: Books

Title: Murder and Mayhem in Muskego
Author: Jon Jordan, Ruth Jordan, Megan Abbott, Dana Cameron, Reed Farrel Coleman, Hilary Davidson, Sean Doolittle, J.M. Edwards, Andrew Grant, Ted Hertel, Jr., Chris F. Holm, Brad Parks, Gary Phillips, Kat Richardson, Greg Rucka, Marcus Sakey, Tom Schreck, Nathan Banks, Zoe Sharp, Bryan VanMeter & Jeri Westerson
In: Murder and Mayhem in Muskego (Jon & Ruth Jordan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, MysteryShort story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Down and Out Books
Year: 2012

Thoughts

I loved this collection, it is very aptly named – truly a collection of murder and mayhem. Hilariously so if I’m being honest. Alright, some of the stories aren’t all that hilarious – because they are somewhat disturbed. But, still, this was a fantastic collection. One that I thoroughly enjoyed and look forward to reading again in the future.

Although there were a few mystical stories in this collection, the majority were contemporary tales. That definitely made them more relatable and kind of disturbing. I did like that there were the occasional paranormal stories though. They just added a little bit of variety, and some unexpected twists to the tales throughout this collection. Although, they pretty much all dealt with murder, regardless of what kind of genre they sat within.

I loved that pretty much every story in this collection is filled with chaos, and some pretty serious horribleness being planned. In one way or another. I mean, it wouldn’t be a anthology of murder stories if they weren’t planned… that’d be manslaughter. Admittedly, there were one or two stories that didn’t fit the mould. But the majority were deliciously filled with horrible acts.

Honestly, I really enjoyed this anthology. Maybe not every story was my cup of tea, and it wasn’t my favourite anthology ever. But it was still enjoyable. And one I plan to keep on my shelves so that I can read it again in the future!

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Last Call by Bryan VanMeter

Overview
Murder and Mayhem in Muskego: Jordan, Jon & Ruth, Phillips, Gary,  Richardson, Kat: Amazon.com.au: Books

Title: Last Call
Author: Bryan VanMeter
In: Murder and Mayhem in Muskego (Jon & Ruth Jordan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime
Pace: Medium
Format: Short story
Publisher: Down and Out Books
Year: 2012

Thoughts

This short story is all a great, big build up to a murder. And it’s brilliant. You know that everything is going to end in death, although you kind of hope that you’re wrong. It’s a great way to build tension without making it too painful.

I spent this whole story kind of hoping that the bar tender would somehow be pardoned. Even though he knowingly got himself into this situation, I was still incredibly hopeful. There was something so relatable and likeable about the gambling degenerate. And his obvious love for his regulars and job definitely helped with this feeling.

The ending to this wasn’t necessarily quite what I’d hoped, although I’m not really sure what I hoped for. It was a good, fun read, and definitely a great departure from real life for a short while (which is generally why I read).

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Image source: Amazon