As in the first two anthologies in this series, Deadly Debut and Fresh Slices, all the stories are set within
neighborhoods and towns of the greater New York City area and explore a gamut
of scenarios and emotions. Pressure mounts in "Thanksgiving on the Throgs
Neck Bridge" by Terrie
Farley Moran, a menacing story about alcoholism and the toll it takes
on a family. The power of wealth and the consequences of greed are at the heart
of "Killing Short" by Cynthia Benjamin. A diamond broach, a family heirloom, is the
centerpiece of "Roads" by Eileen Dunbaugh. And
a tragic 'work-related accident' tears a family apart in "Stealing
Home" by Clare Toohey.
There are stories about parents and children. In "Their Little Secret" by Anita Page, a teenage daughter gets caught up amid her parents' crumbling marriage. "Eldercare" by Triss
Stein deals with an adult son eager to cut the cord with his elderly,
infirm mother. A naive widow, a troubled
son and a locked basement forge "Everything in its Place" by Fran Bannigan Cox. An over-bearing Italian-American
mother reports a suspicious death to a tough, female, NYPD detective in Catherine Maiorisi's "Murder
Italian Style." And a pet parrot comes between a mother and young daughter and
brings them face-to-face with mortality in "The July Rebellion" by Kate Lincoln.
Siblings and close relatives anchor "My Brother's
Keeper" by Leigh Neely where an elderly mother gets drawn into a power-struggle between her righteous
daughter and her ne'er-do-well son. And a mysterious history lingers between 'long-lost' cousins in "Sylvia" by
Roslyn
Siegel.
Husbands and wives take prominence
in Deirdre Verne's, "Dead
Last," about a 9-11 survivor who sets off for the New York City
Marathon and is forced to run for his life. JFK airport serves as the backdrop
for "We All Have Baggage" by Lindsay
A. Curcio, a story about an older woman who is suddenly forced to question the
implications of her marriage. A wife suspicious that her husband may be
cheating pervades "Crossing the Line" by Ellen Quint. And there is something very unsettling about
a husband's sudden death in "You Always Hurt the One You Love" by Lynne Lederman.
Older relatives figure prominently
in "The Kaluki Kings of Queens" by Cathi Stoler about slick, card-playing
elderly grandfathers who exacerbate the imagination of an impressionable boy. And
a centenarian who believes she is cursed, harbors a secret from the past that
may change the present and future in "The House By the Bay" by Dorothy
Mortman.
Alternate variations of family
also figure notably in "Death Will Fire Your
Therapist" by Elizabeth Zelvin,
a story which focuses on a tight-knit therapy group dealing with family issues and an
unexpected death of one of the members. A community busy-body unravels dark family secrets of her neighbors in "Murder
in a Family" by Stephanie
Wilson-Flaherty. And family
expectations oppress and impact friends and lovers in Anne-Marie Sutton's
"Friends."
The smorgasbord of 20 stories that round out this well-balanced collection are filled with humor and horror and offer differing perspectives, voices and points-of-view. Unexpected twists and turns—and endings that often pack a chilling, emotional wallop—make for compelling, page-turning short reads that will interest a broad-range of mystery readers.
Family Matters: A
Mystery Anthology (Murder New York Style) edited by Anita Page
Glenmere Press, $25.00 Trade
Paper, 97809909131922, 248 ppPublication Date: August 22, 2014
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