I am thrilled to be able to say that Level Best Books has put together another amazing collection of short stories and that, once again, I have been lucky enough to get a chance to read and review them! Best New England Crime Stories 2012: Dead Calm is the ninth in a series of anthologies published once a year. It includes twenty-seven original and entertaining stories by some of the best and brightest authors New England has to offer. Whether it’s exacting revenge, surprising twists of fate, good old fashion crime stories, dark macabre horror, death and despair, or murders of convenience, Dead Calm has something for everyone!
The authors and their stories are from all over New England and many of them have published their stories in previous Level Best Books’ anthologies. This year’s collection takes us from a fashion-forward funeral in Boston’s South End to a psychic reading in Salem, MA, to a family vacation turned sour on Nantasket Beach , and beyond …
As in similar years, Dead Calm features the current winner of the Al Blanchard Award. This year’s 2011 Al Blanchard Award Winner is Lee Robertson whose “Prom Shoe on Nantasket Beach” reveals a surprise ending that is bone chilling. Dead Calm also features four talented newcomers; Adam Renn Olenn, C. A. Johmann, Daniel Moses Luft, and John Bubar. Also included in this year’s edition is the past recipient of the Black Orchid Novella Award, Michael Nethercott , 2009 Derringer for Best Flash Story Award Winner, Ruth M. McCarty, 2007 Al Blanchard Crime Fiction Award Winner, Pat Remick, and Robert L. Fish Memorial Award Winner for best first mystery story, Mark Ammons.
Best New England Crime Stories 2012: Dead Calm is published by Level Best Books and was released in November, 2011. This ninth anthology is again edited by Mark Ammons, Katherine Fast, Barbara Ross, and Leslie Wheeler, author of the Miranda Lewis “living history” mysteries, who’ve also contributed to this terrific collection.
You can purchase Best New England Crime Stories 2012: Dead Calm at the Level Best Books website which is also a great place to visit to find out more about the individual authors, and the previous anthologies in the Level Best Books series. Best New England Crime Stories 2012: Dead Calm is also available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and at select bookstores.