Sandra Seamans runs one of the best resources for writers around, the blog My Little Corner, which is just one of the many ways she contributes to the writing community. She also writes brilliant crime and horror stories that have appeared virtually everywhere. And she continues DBK's Top Five series...
When Chris asked me to name my top 5 crime stories of the year, my first thought was, “Only five?”. There is so much great crime fiction being published these days, both online and in print that to narrow it down to five choices is almost impossible.
As I was putting together a year’s best list for my own blog, I realized that many of the crime stories I admired most were flash stories so I decided to give you five of my favorite flash crime stories from this year.
And in no particular order.
1. “Portraits of Detroit: Wylie Edwards” by Patricia Abbott http://theflashfictionoffensive.blogspot.com/2010/10/portraits-of-detroit-wylie-edwards-by.html
Patti has this remarkable talent for making you feel everything her characters feel, leaving them to haunt you with their sorrows.
2. “Dead Things” by Michael Bracken http://www.bigpulp.com/content/mystery/bracken_deadthings.html
Michael’s story is as old as time, but the pov he chose to tell the story pumped fresh life into the tale.
3. “Free” by Ian Ayris
Ian just drops you into the mind a man on a downward spiral and all you can do is go along for the decent into madness.
4. “Why I Should Avoid Married Women” by Jim Harrington
Jim, like Michael, takes you down a well-worn path, but nothing is what it seems.
5. “Dog Fight” by Aaron M. Wilson
This is the first of Aaron’s stories that I’ve read, but I will be looking for more. He’s written a story that just totally blew me away with its brutality, but the ending just makes you want to cry.
Sandra is a short story writer whose work you can find scattered around the Internet in places like Spinetingler, Beat to a Pulp, and The Thrilling Detective and in the print magazines Needle and Out of the Gutter.
Great names here, Looks like I'll be up late...
ReplyDeleteA solid list and a new name to look out for. I hadn't read Aaron Wilson before, but that's an impressive and devastating piece of work.
ReplyDeleteWow. All of the stories have legs. Was a pleasure to revisit old friends. All four hit me as hard the second time around as they did the first. Like Chris I hadn't had the pleasure of reading Aaron's, Dog Fight, until today. Rattler of a tale that rears up and sinks its fangs deep into your soul before you ever saw it move.
ReplyDeleteYou were right. It made me go and look for the one I hadn't read immediately. And thanks.
ReplyDeleteThat's a cracking selection and Ian Ayris' story is a 100% beaut!
ReplyDeleteChris, thanks for the excellent recommendations. Lots of good ones
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