Needle 3: Smokin!

The winter issue of Needle delivers a sock-full-of-quarters smack to the noggin that will leave you critically injured and clinically depressed for weeks to come. I consumed virtually the entire thing during my bi-annual pilgrimage from MLI (the glorious Moline airport) to HPN (which, for some reason, is the White Plains airport). It's that addictive.

Kieran Shea has one of his best in here, a tale of a few dumb college kids trying to strike it rich by stealing from a professional criminal in Some Heroes. Things don't go so well for them in this hilarious and fast-paced story.

Richard Godwin has created a unique and memorable character in the bizarre Pike n Flytrap. Flytrap couldn't be more fittingly named--an alluring and venomous lady whom I wouldn't recommend crossing. The story takes a number of unexpected turns as well, pushing the genre in a different direction.

Until Proven Guilty is a heartbreaking tale by Libby Cudmore about a rookie prison guard. Though one wouldn't expect a prison love story to have a happy ending, I was really rooting for the very likable characters Cudmore has crafted here.

And the first installment of the Ray Banks novel Wolf Tickets is freakin rad. Two low-lifes--like an Irish Beavis and Butthead--wreaking havoc.

So if you haven't ordered yours yet, what are you waiting for?

Or you could get the other Needle magazine... seriously, click there, it's kind of funny.