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Enjoy “Backtrack”—an original, brand new, Criminal Element-exclusive short story from Edgar Award finalist Paul Doiron, author of the bestselling Mike Bowditch series. When a visiting hunter goes missing in the middle of a snowstorm, a young Charley Stevens (later the mentor to game warden Mike Bowditch) sets off to rescue him—but begins to suspect the…
This e-novella by Allison Brennan introduces readers to the world of Lucy Kincaid leading up to the release of the next in the series, Nothing to Hide. FBI Agent Lucy Kincaid and her colleague Nate are racing a severe storm, but the weather is the least of their worries… Lucy and Nate head to rural…
Take-Out by Rob Hart is a collection of short stories all set in the culinary world and all flavored with a hearty dose of crime. Take-Out: And Other Tales of Culinary Crime is a collection of 16 crime-fiction short stories by the acclaimed fiction author, Rob Hart. Hart’s short stories have appeared in places like Thuglit, Shotgun…
Townies: And Other Stories of Southern Mischief by Eryk Pruitt is a collection of riveting, funny, and captivating southern-fried crime stories. Eryk Pruitt is an author who should be on your radar if you enjoy top-notch crime fiction. His previous novels—Hashtag, Dirtbags, and What We Reckon—are packed with action and crackling dialogue. His latest release,…
I recently reread Barbara Kingsolver’s novel The Poisonwood Bible. The first time I read it—about a dozen-plus years ago—I was enthralled by the characters and the sheer breadth of Kingsolver’s undertaking. It wasn’t just the political relevance or the compelling setting, it was the story. Five protagonists, five points of view—and each so vivid and…
“In Dark Company” The Amish Country of Ohio is, perhaps, one of the more unique settings for a crime thriller series, but New York Times-bestselling author Linda Castillo has proven time and again that this world makes for a compelling read. And while her short stories—set in the same world as her novels—are quick reads,…
Night-Gaunts and Other Tales of Suspense by Joyce Carol Oates is a collection of six previously published short stories that stands at the crossroads of sex, violence, and longing―and asks us to interrogate the intersection of these impulses within ourselves. The prolific, prodigious Joyce Carol Oates has published more than 70 books in a career that…
Tiny Crimes, edited by Lincoln Michel and Nadxieli Nieto, is a collection of 40 very short stories that reimagine the genre of crime writing from some of today’s most imaginative and thrilling writers. This introductory paragraph to Tiny Crimes—a collection of super short, teeny-tiny, itty-bitty tales of murder and mayhem, which were edited by Lincoln…
In this original short story in the Mike Bowditch mystery series, Mike is drawn into the story of a gruesome case from his mentor Charley Steven’s past. Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch accompanies his old friend and mentor, retired bush pilot Charley Stevens, as he pays a visit to a mysterious woman, the widow of…
“I Take Care of Myself in Dreamland” by Ross Klavan Bartok is horribly scarred. Wounded in the Army, he roams through 1970’s New York, a city of perpetual night, punctuated by crime and populated by streetwalkers, hooker bars, strip clubs, easy drugs and a feeling of doom. There’s one thing on his mind: an experience…