Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy

Another uneven anthology. I still have it in my hands, so I'll try to hit each story briefly."Lucky" by Charlaine Harris - Sookie is much easier to take in short form. I can't help it, the woman grates on me (in the TV show even worse than in the books). The other characters keep me reading."Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas - Delilah Street does more than grate on my nerves in long form. She's more palatable in short form, too, but there are reminders of why I don't intend to read more in that series."Looks are Deceiving" by Michael A. Stackpole - If I've read any of Stackpole's work before, it's been in anthologies, and I don't remember it. I did wonder if this short story is set in a universe he uses in longer works, though. It show more wasn't bad at all."The House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn - I loved this story! And how often do you say that about a haunted house tale? I must track down and read some of Shinn's novels. Any suggestions?"Glamour" by Mike Doogan - The Peasantry Anti-Defamation League might be after Doogan if he isn't careful (at least, representatives of the male peasantry). The story was cute, and it did make me laugh."Spellbound" by Donna Andrews - This is another author whose books are going on my (groaning) to-read shelf. The story hit a few clichés, but was fun enough to get away with them."The Duh Vice" by Michael Armstrong - Ugh. A little too preachy, and way too much anti-fat prejudice."Weight of the World" by John Straley - Where does Santa Claus go in the off-season? That's the biggest question answered in this piece. The "mystery" was "solved" nearly as soon as it was discovered."Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman - Bonnie's back story! I think a bit of this story is used in the first chapter of Gilman's first PUPI novel, but I'll know more when I get my hands on it. It's a must-read for fans of the Cosa Nostradamus universe, though."The House" by Laurie R. King - could we maybe call a hiatus on the abused-kid stories? Maybe I'm hypersensitive, but I'm tired of them."Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green - another dark Nightside story. I don't think I'll ever need to read more in that universe."A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow - I'm an unabashed Stabenow fangirl. Despite that, I wasn't sure how she'd do in a fantasy setting. She proved herself, certainly. I can only hope that we'll see longer fantasy works from her in print at some juncture. show less

A strong anthology from a number of well-known and not-so-well-known (at least to me) authors. From Sin City Sims getting murdered to a dragon loan-shark and the post-holiday murder of an elf (investigated by no less personage than Old St. Nick himself), the settings are many and varied, but the subject matter is death by foul play with a fantastical twist.

Sequel to Powers of Detection, these are twelve more fantasy and sci-fi mysteries. While not individually so spectacular, they were quite enjoyable as a whole.

Lucky by Charlaine Harris – This has successfully convinced me not to read the Sookie Stackhouse series. A bit too silly, too much clothes, hair, and makeup talk. **

Bogieman by Carole Nelson Douglas – A Humphrey Bogart simulation is killed in a Las Vegas resort. Somewhat interesting. ***

Looks Are Deceiving by Michael A. Stackpole – A wizard helps save the life of a duke from his own family. Fast-paced. ***

The House of Seven Spirits by Sharon Shinn – A divorcee moves into a haunted house. Cute, though the mystery was lacking. ****

Glamour by Mike Doogan – A peasant finds show more himself unwittingly dealing with magic and its costs. Good idea, but the writing was a little too affected for my tastes. ***

Spellbound by Donna Andrews – An apprentice must help her tutor discover who killed a professor at the school. I quite enjoyed this second story set in the Westmarch College of Magical Studies and will seek more out. ****

The Duh Vice by Michael Armstrong – Strange story about an semi-apocalyptic future and an energy device. Entertaining though quite weird. ***

Weight of the World by John Straley – Santa Claus investigates the murder of an elf. Really, really werid. **

Illumination by Laura Anne Gilman – A girl must use her magical abilities to find her father. Quite interesting with good dialog. ****

The House by Laurie R. King – A group of friends investigate a house rumored to be haunted. Really quite spooky and very good. *****

Appetite for Murder by Simon R. Green – Set in his Nightside universe, a detective is on the trail of a serial killer. Mediocre. ***

A Woman’s Work by Dana Stabenow – A seer and swordsman must sit in judgment of a woman accused of infanticide in a male-dominated society. Entertaining, though I wonder if this series might work better in longer form. **** show less

How I love a good surprise. From running upon this gem unexpectedly in the bookstore, to the stories it contains, reading it gave me a lift all around. "Unusual Suspects" is an anthology of twelve stories that blend mystery and fantasy into a delicious confection. The stories range from historical to contemporary urban fantasy, from mages to witches, and from werewolves to vampires to humans. Authors include Charlaine Harris (a new Sookie story!), Carole Nelson Douglas, Simon R. Green (a new Nightside!), Laurie R. King, Dana Stabenow, Sharon Shinn, Laura Anne Gilman, Michael A. Stackpole, Mike Doogan, Donna Andrews, Michael Armstrong, and John Straley.

If you like mystery, mayhem, and magic...this is a book well worth your time.

This was a fun, if somewhat uneven anthology. There was only one story I gave up on, and several I enjoyed a lot.

A book full of supernatural mysteries, and some of them were even fun. A few I just skimmed, but overall they were enjoyable. I like reading this type of book because I find new authors to search out to read their full-length books--no great luck this time (the stories I really enjoyed were by authors I already read), but at least it didn't suck. The Sookie Stackhouse story is fun and I like that it's not necessary to read this story; it's enough of a side-plot to the main books that I wouldn't have missed any important plot issues (as has happened with some other short stories in anthologies).

Nice collection with the King and Stabenow standing out for me.