Murder in Vegas: New Crime Tales of Gambling and Desperation
With the city of Vegas so popular on the screens big and small (CSI, LAS VEGAS, THE COOLER, etc.), it was inevitable an anthology centered around Sin City would follow suit. Voila! Popular mystery author Michael Connelly (THE CLOSERS) edits MURDER IN VEGAS: NEW CRIME TALES OF GAMBLING AND DESPERATION.
Not every one of the 22 stories here deals with murder, but no matter, as this is a first-rate collection, full of surprising life from a wealth of unknown and up-and-coming writers, backed by the International Association of Crime Writers. The standouts include Dennis Lynds’ suspenseful “The Kidnapping of Xiang Fei,” Sue Pike’s celebrity-stalker tale “A Temporary Crown” and Ronnie Klaskin’s “Nickles and Dimes,” a slightly askew coming-of-age yarn in which a little girl solves the mystery of her own sister’s abduction.
There are also stories of unethical cashiers, stoned pool boys, old-school gangsters, armored car drivers and even white tigers – all but three of which lure you in a seductive world of a town that’s fun to visit, but would be to hell in live in.
[...] As colorful, dangerous and addictive as the city in which it takes place, THE DRUPERMAN TAPES is a stellar achievement for Goodger, for whom this is – quite remarkably, given its polish – a debut novel. If Michael Connelly’s recent MURDER IN VEGAS anthology left you longing for something more long-form, your wish has been granted. Like all good crime stories, it’s suspenseful throughout, thanks to a crafty plot and Goodger’s lively writing style. It’s all also quite funny, without growing unrealistic or absurd. A subplot about Forrester’s budding romance with a Galaxy floor supervisor is a little forced, but not to the point where it becomes a detriment. With its many fine twists and good-natured humor, DRUPERMAN is a caper that reads in such a way it should be called OCEAN’S THREE, except you won’t be rooting for the bad guys, but Goodger himself. [...]
[...] Sensing guilt over last week’s events, Ms. Book Whore decides to go easy on you this week. In fact, she pushes only one hard title into your calloused hands: CRIME BEAT, a non-fiction collection from Michael Connelly. Yes, that Michael Connelly. [...]
[...] A DECADE OF COVERING COPS & KILLERS by Michael Connelly • ECHO PARK by Michael Connelly • MURDER IN VEGAS: NEW CRIME TALES OF GAMBLING AND DESPERATION edited by Michael [...]
[...] John Goodger’s THE DRUPERMAN TAPES, of the short-story collections DEAD MAN’S HAND and MURDER IN VEGAS. And now, for the most part, Jon Land’s THE SEVEN SINS: THE TYRANT ASCENDING, the start of a [...]