As usual for this time of month, I’m juggling reading for Library Journal with personal reading. Thanks to Kevin Tipple for stepping up. Today, he has a review of Back in Black: An Anthology of New Mystery Short Stories. Thank you, Kevin.

Inspired by songs from the bestselling AC/DC album, Back in Black: An Anthology of
New Mystery Short Stories, is the resulting anthology. The book features short stories by
ten authors all of who are major names. Billed as third in the Music and Murder Mystery
Series, music rarely goes beyond the song title used as the story title.

The book opens with “Shake A Leg” by Rick Bleiweiss. In this multi chapter tale, Walker is
on the run in Maui after he escaped from killers sent to take out the premier New York City
hitman. He takes the time to save a teenage girl from a Hawaiian gang who killed her
parents and are hunting her. Where the two go from there is the point of the tale.

Being a hitman and being good at it is the idea of “Let Me Put My Love Into You” by Editor
Don Bruns. Ginger Gallagher is dressed to meld into a crowd. That is a good idea when you
are going after Tito Tarantino. It is a job and he is good at it.

“You Shook Me All Night Long” by Andrew Child features Jack Reacher. Joe Reacher,
espionage, and cold war stuff. Major William Hunt is trying to defect and take a briefcase full
of secrets with him to Russia. The Reacher brothers, and others, want to stop that and plug
the intelligence leak.

Carl lives out in the desert and is at his adobe when the dog shows up carrying a human
body part. The dog has been hanging around the last several days. But, this body part in his
mouth thing is new in “Givin The Dog A Bone” by Dave Bruns begins. Carl follows him and
finds the rest of the body in a crashed plane. He also finds a lot more. Now he has to figure
out what to do.

Candace Stone is a life coach on the radio. She gives out advice to callers who often just
are not ready to hear what she is telling them. What is a normal boring shift becomes high
stakes when a shooter opens fire and is looking for her in “Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise
Pollution” by Tori Eldridge.

“Back In Black” by Sandra Balzo comes next takes the readers to a ship in the Tasman Sea.
The boat is headed to Auckland, New Zealand. While on a smoke break, Leo overhears a
snippet of conversation among several tourists. Minutes later a couple has gone overboard
and things are set in motion.

A Story from Reed Farrel Coleman is always a treat. “Shoot To Thrill: A Tale From Gun
Church” recounts how one boy, picked on for years, is befriended by others and taught a lot
of things. Carter McMillian and Leeza had their own agenda for befriending him. Deceit to
your face is way worse than obvious hostility.

A serial killer is working the Los Angeles area and the media is in a frenzy. Conner Marley,
ex-marine, assures April, that their place in San Diego means they are safe and not in the
killer’s hunting ground. Are they really safe? One wonders, as does April, in “Hell’s Bells” by
Heather Graham.

Charles Todd takes readers to the western front in April 1916 in “Have A Drink On Me” by
Charles Todd. Rutledge is trying to protect his men as they fight in the trenches. Sergeant
Sullivan is making promises that he may not be able to keep.

“What Do You Do For Money Honey” by Ward Larsen is the final story. Thomas Driscol is a
tech mogul and has been using the services of Burt Torkelson as an investigator and more
for five years. The latest subject is Maricia Dahl in this complicated tale of cross and double
cross.

The book closes with short bios of the various authors.

Back in Black: An Anthology of New Mystery Short Stories is an interesting read of
crime and mystery short stories even though the music that inspired it nearly always does
not reach beyond the use of story titles. Lots of big names are at work in this playground and
the read is worth a look.

My reading copy was an ARC via the publisher, Blackstone Publishing, through NetGalley
with no promise of a review.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2024