Great reading on tap in latest crime fiction ebooks

I have been meaning to do a wrap-up of some recent ebook short story collections, but have postponed a couple of times because I keep coming across new titles. With most of the denting the pocketbook at a very reasonable 99 cents, it’s hard to say no.

With a handful of recent titles under my belt, however, I thought I would take a breather and share some thoughts about them.

First up is The Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles by Edward A. Grainger. Everyone by now knows that Grainger is really crime writer/editor David Cranmer. I came to know of Cranmer and his work through his site, Beat to a Pulp, which is my favorite stop for crime fiction on the web. I’ll admit I was wary of his collection because these are Westerns. I had it in my head that I didn’t like them very much.

Well, my head was wrong. I do like Westerns, at least those written by Grainger/Cranmer. It’s often said with some degree of accuracy that Westerns are simply crime stories set in the West. That is typically the case here. It might take a bit of authorly sleight-of-hand, but Cranmer could recast the essential stories upon which these tale are based. But it’s better that he didn’t, for his eye for detail and vivid descriptions prove that this is clearly a strength.

The core of these stories are the characters. There’s Laramie, a Wyoming marshall who is part Native American; and Miles, a black marshall at a time when that is as difficult as it sounds. Cranmer is able to deal with issues of race, class, poverty and even children’s rights with compassion that in no way blunts these rough ‘n ready yarns. Cranmer is working on more Laramie stories, and I’ll be waiting.

Next is Collateral Damage, the second collection from the folks who blog at Do Some Damage. The first collection centered around airports; this one tackles Father’s Day. There is some powerful work here, which is no surprise given the caliber of talent behind it.

Joelle Charbonneau starts things off with a bang with “Reunion,” a story about a woman returning home to face her abusive mother. Things take an unexpected turn that make this the perfect Father’s Day story… for those of us with twisted minds. Jay Stringer’s “Father’s Day,” which looks at how Gypsys are tolerated (or not, as the case seems to be) by neighbors, has depth that truly resonates.  Dave White’s “Mr. Adler and the Missing Comic Book,” with its “Godfather” pastiche, offers a bit of humor in an otherwise uncompromisingly dark collection. Other contributors are Russel D. McLean, Sandra Ruttan, Steve Weddle, Scott D. Parker and John McFetridge.

The debut publication from Snubnose Press (brought to you from the folks at Spinetingler magazine) is the very impressive Speedloader. Like the Collateral Damage collection, it gathers stories from a variety of writers. Here, however, there is no overarching theme. Unless you count excellence. Nigel Bird’s “You Dirty Rat,” which offers a tale from the World War I trenches in the Battle of Verdun, kicks things off. I had the pleasure of reading an early draft of this one, and it was already good. Here, it’s great, a straight-up tale of revenge. W. D. County’s “Plastic Soldiers” is earning the most ink, and rightly so. It tells of boys who take on a horror almost beyond words, and despite the sorrowful events, County has deftly created an ultimately uplifting tale.  Strong stories by Matthew C. Funk, Nik Korpon, Richard Thomas and Jonathan Woods round out the collection.

Last up is the noir issue of Black Heart Magazine. This one has the most content from the largest number of authors, and is the most up in the air in terms of finding something you’ll like. The premise was this: Submit something of fewer than 800 words, keeping in mind the roots of classic noir. There is also some poetry sprinkled throughout. Writer Jimmy Callaway selected the pieces.  The results are lean mostly toward the good-to-great end of the spectrum. There are some pure ’40s and ’50s noir takes here, as well as some updates on the theme. And the great thing is, with 25 pieces this short, if something’s not working for you, you just move right along.

These four collections are just the tip of what is on offer in crime fiction ebooks, proving that there is a lot of quality to be found in the world of ones and zeros. Would I rather have read these on paper? Sure. Would that be possible? Probably not, and not for 99 cents (or $2.99 in the case of the Black Heart collection).

If you’re looking for something quick, cheap and compelling to read, you can’t go wrong with any of these titles.