Where I take my NEEDLE

Reading on a grave marker seemed appropriate for the summer edition of NEEDLE, filled with death and destruction. Especially when that grave marker is a statue of a black angel. Legend has it that Rodina Feldevertova cheated on her husband, so karma got back at her by turning the angel from bronze to black... or the natural oxidation process kicked in and took its toll on the metal. For an actual history, check this out.

Anyways, this is, literally, the only cool thing in Iowa City, where I live.

The Sins of Maynard Shipley by David Cranmer

If you haven't picked up the second issue of NEEDLE, you're missing out... and, to be honest with you, a loser. It's as solid as the first with a mix of established and newer authors. For an excellent roundup, check out Naomi Johnson's post at The Drowning Machine.

I'll focus on one particular story that I really liked, The Sins of Maynard Shipley by David Cranmer. Crime fiction writers are perpetually faced with the question, "Why does this person do what they do (kill, rob, use drugs, etc.)? Why don't they stay home on the couch watching Wheel of Fortune, eating snack cake after snack cake like the rest of us?" Usually the criminal's inspiration is money, or revenge, or envy, or some combination thereof.

But not Maynard Shipley. He's a nursing home caretaker (ha! that's a funny word in this context--he sure does take care of 'em) who kills old people for a simple reason: he hates them. I found this refreshing. It has to be the oldest (and probably, underneath other excuses, most real) reason for murder--the killer just doesn't want to live on the same planet as the other person.

Add in Cranmer's colorful prose, a cool twist and some heartbreaking details (like the cute, lovey old people couple that Shipley breaks up), and it makes for a great story.

On an unrelated note, here's what I'll be up to in the near future. Posts may not be as often because I'll be doing some novellas and short story collections, though I may mix in some individual short story reviews in between:

Simon Wood's short story collection WORKING STIFFS
Allan Guthrie's novella BYE BYE BABY
Whit Howland's novella HUEY DUSK
Debbi Mack's short story collection FIVE UNEASY PIECES

Go buy Needle's summer issue

So I'm a college student. This means I don't have much money. And I'm not likely to part with the little money I do have.

But the $11 ($7 for the magazine, $4 for shipping) I spent on the spring issue of Needle was one of the better non-alcohol purchases I've made. Kieran Shea opens with his standard, amazing shit in The Shrewd Variant--with one of the best first lines I've seen in a while: "So, you're saying my daughter is a whore." He's followed by a whole bunch of other kick ass authors--Sandra Seamans, Christopher Grant, Paul D. Brazill to name just a few. Front to back it was a rock solid magazine, not a single story I didn't enjoy. This is something I can't say about EQMM and AHMM.

Now the summer issue is out with Sarah Weinman, Ray Banks, David Cranmer, plus a novella from Chris Holm and a whole lot more. If you haven't ordered it yet, you need to get on that.

I really like Needle's model--Steve Weddle describes it as a co-op. They're not out to make money, just to distribute excellent crime fiction. I hope they stick around for a long time.