REVIEW

The Black Beacon Book of Mystery (short story complilation)

Reviewed By
Karen Chisholm

Short story collections are one of my favourite things, ideal to dip in and out of (very useful right now at Tour de France time when I'm awake way too late and easily distracted), and they are all the more enjoyable when populated by a rich variety of storytelling styles and subjects. As is the case with the BLACK BEACON BOOK OF MYSTERY.

Made up of a couple of novella length stories, surrounded by some really interesting forms of shorter crime fiction, this is a combination of original and reprinted tales that range from noir to police procedural, from locked room to armchair detectives. There's a bit of something here for everyone. Fans of some of these authors will note it includes the second Oscar Tremont novella (set in Walhalla in the goldfields of rural Victoria, its the perfect setting for an investigator of the strange and inexplicable).

Thoroughly enjoyed all the entries in this collection, with some of the standouts being the ultimate armchair detective story that was 50 by Josh Pachter, THE GHOSTS OF WALHALLA by Cameron Trost, the setting and the sensibility of this one was spot on, and the very creepy AVOCA MANSION by Duncan Richardson (nothing to do with the town down the road from me), this had another great sense of place, and style that was perfectly executed, and the Sherlock Holmes setting of THE CASE OF THE REVERSE THIEF by Paulene Turner which felt, read and seemed like an original story.

As always though, it's not fair to just pick out a few stories in one of these sorts of collections. There's plenty here for fans of all sorts of settings, writing styles and scenarios. Highly recommended for crime fiction readers everywhere.

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I received a copy of this book from the publisher or author.
BOOK DETAILS
BLURB

The first Black Beacon Book of Mystery brings you original and reprinted tales from locked-room mysteries and armchair detective puzzles to noir adventures and police investigations. It includes a brilliant Sherlock Holmes pastiche and the second Oscar Tremont novella. This is the perfect anthology for the avid mystery fan. Follow the clues, put all the pieces together, and solve the case before the detective. The game's afoot!

Review The Black Beacon Book of Mystery (short story complilation)
Karen Chisholm
Friday, September 11, 2020

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