by Paula Gail Benson

This fall, several new
short story anthologies have appeared to provide wonderful entertainment on
cooler evenings. Here are a few:

So West: Love Kills is the ninth anthology published
by the Desert Sleuths Chapter of Sisters in Crime, recently released in
conjunction with its virtual Write Now Conference. Featuring tales of love gone
wrong in the American Southwest, the following authors contributed work: Shannon Baker, Mysti Berry, Meredith Blevins,
Patricia Bonn, Lauren Buckingham, Susan Budavari, William Butler, Patricia
Curren, Meg E. Dobson, Beverly Forsyth, Denise Ganley, Roberta Gibson,
Katherine Atwell Herbert, Tom Leveen, Susan Cummins Miller, Charlotte Morganti,
Julie Morrison, Claire A. Murray, Kris Neri, Karen Odden, R K Olson, D.R.
Ransdell, Kim Rivery, Elena E. Smith. Maegan Beaumont served as lead editor and
Deborah J Ledford, Susan Budavari, R K Olson, Shannon Baker, Meg Dobson were
co-editors..

For Murder by the
Glass: Cocktail Mysteries, editors Teresa Inge and Yvonne Saxon asked the
contributors to write stories that had a glass, a murder, and a mystery. Written
by Allie Marie, Betsy Ashton,
Frances Aylor, Mary Dutta, Eleanor Cawood Jones, Diane Fanning, Debra H. Goldstein,
Libby Hall, Maria Hudgins, Teresa Inge, Maggie King, Kristin Kisska, K. L.
Murphy, Alan Orloff, Josh Pachter, Shawn Reilly Simmons and Heather Weidner,
these seventeen tales cover many locations, offering lighter fare as well as grittier accounts. Prepare a shaker of your
favorite beverages, sit back, and enjoy!

Josh Pachter, who
previously edited, anthologies based on the songs of Joni Mitchell, Jimmy
Buffett, and Billy Joel, has put together and contributed to Monkey Business: Crime Fiction
Inspired by the Films of the Marx Brothers. The
fourteen short stories by Donna Andrews,
Frankie Y. Bailey, Jeff Cohen, Lesley A. Diehl, Brendan DuBois, Terence
Faherty, Barb Goffman, Joseph Goodrich, Robert Lopresti, Sandra Murphy, Robert
J. Randisi, Marilyn Todd, Joseph S. Walker, and Pachter are based on the Marx
Brothers’ films. In his introduction, Pachter explains a bit about the selected
films as well as pointing out the Marxes’ other connections with crime fiction.
This concept and these authors make it a winning combination. Or, as Grouch
would say, “Who are you going to believe, me or your own eyes?”