Review: Mystery Anthology Real Treat
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 23, 2012
This anthology of seven mystery stories by different authors is a real treat.The common theme here is that they all take place near a body of water and a sandy beach. After reading this, you may never visit a beach again. (Just Kidding!)The seven authors are Rebecca Stroud, Dani Amore, Gary Ponzo, Lawrence Kelter, Traci Hohenstein, Tim Ellis and Rick Murcer. As with any collection, the quality of the stories varies -- some I liked much better than others -- but none of them is bad. My favorite three were:"A Lethal Connection" by Gary PonzoDetective Mike Barton and his partner Nate Jenson investigate the death of a man found among the rocks on a La Jolla, California beach. Great twist ending to this one."The Lighthouse" by Rick MurcerChase Andrews and his girlfriend, Maggie Burrows, often visited the Little Sable Point Lighthouse that was their special place. The lighthouse overlooked Lake Michigan and on their final night there tragedy strikes and life changes forever. A familiar detective from Rick's Caribbean novels makes an appearance here."Jinxed" by Rebecca StroudAn excellent short story about several murders committed during spring break in Cocoa Beach, FL. in which young women are brutally stabbed to death. Police officer Scott McBride and his dog, Jinx, seek the killer and Jinx plays a key role here. Another good dog story from Rebecca who features dogs in all her books.These are all highly enjoyable stories in the suspense/thriller category and would give Alfred Hitchcock a run for his money. Highly recommended.I notice this book already has 10 5-star reviews and nothing lower, so I'll add mine to make it a unanimous 11.