Greg Rucka | Earth and Skye

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, Mystery, Short story collections
Pace: Slow
Format: Short story
Publisher: Down and Out Books
Year: 2012

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!

<- Universal Donor

Hollywood Lanes ->

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Title: The End is Never Pretty
Author: Greg Rucka
In: Murder and Mayhem in Muskego (Jon & Ruth Jordan)
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, Spies
Pace: Fast
Format: Short story
Publisher: Down and Out Books
Year: 2012

You don’t even have to start reading this short story to realise that there isn’t really going to be an overly happy ending here. I mean, it’s literally called The End is Never Pretty. And then the story starts, and you continue to have that feeling that nothing is going to end well here. Which is fun, because you spend the entirety of this tale on pins and needles waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Although this is mostly in chronological order, it is kind of disjointed in its telling as well. As you read it, it becomes clear that it is more and more difficult for Nessuno to actually figure out who she is. I mean, we all have that battle at times – figuring out who we are and who we want to be. But most people aren’t doing this whilst literally pretending to be someone else. The disjointed nature of the story line works to highlight the disconnect that Nessuno is feeling more and more as her deception unfolds.

Honestly, there wasn’t really a surprising twist at the end of this story – two agents who have a moment in time together, and talking about the lines that you’ll cross to keep cover? Yeah, I kind of saw the ending coming. But I was really hoping that it wouldn’t be the case. It was just a little bit too tragic, most definitely working as a poignant end to a short story.

For all that this is a pretty damn dark story, it’s also a pretty easy read. I mean, it’s dark and twisty. Focusing on spy versus spy and the darkness of double agents, but it was still a simple read. One that I would probably enjoy reading again.

<- Chemotherapy

Gravity and Need ->

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Tag Archives: Greg Rucka

Murder and Mayhem in Muskego edited by Jon & Ruth Jordan

The End is Never Pretty by Greg Rucka