Landmarked for Murder

LAndmarked for Murder is an anthology of mystery short stories written by some of the members of the Los Angeles Chapter of Sisters in Crime. The central theme of the book is Los Angeles landmarks and the stories all occur near or relate to a landmark. Reading a mystery anthology is akin to going to a new restaurant and ordering the sampler dinner. You get to try a small bite of many different things and expand your horizons beyond your usual fare. LAndmarked for murder offers the reader ten tidbits for all different tastes. Leaving Slackerland by Gay Degani - a young, unhappy woman is set up to take the fall for the murder of a rival in this gritty modern story. Just Like Old Times by G.B. Pool - a group of aged Hollywood actors get the chance to show they have still got it when uninvited guests crash their dinner party. Making it With Gammy by Darrell James - a man is hired to steal the ashes of his client's grandmother from his vengeful ex-wife. Marathon Madness by Dee Ann Palmer - stolen shoes, stolen jewels, and a murder make for an unusual marathon for an experienced runner. Sleepy Lagoon Nocturne by Paul D. Marks - a vintage noir detective story with lots of mood and some unexpected twists. It Doesn't Take a Genius by Kate Thornton - a woman tries to thwart and overheard plot in time to save the victim. "The Best Laid Schemes..." by Jinx Beers - one of a group of co-workers at Santa Anita Park is killed in a "perfect murder." Setup by Pamela Samuels-Young - a popular USC athlete is killed in a controversial police shooting - but the circumstances of the event are in question. Running Venice by A.H. Ream - a reporter desperate for a story crosses the wrong people and has to run for her life. Some Creature I Care About by Arthur Coburn - a Venice homeowner with a problem neighbor has the solution presented to him. These are all well-written stories and I was absolutely delighted with Just Like Old Times. I did find The Best Laid Schemes and Some Creature I Care About wanting, however. The authors both laid good groundwork for the stories, but didn't really make these two classic mystery and mystery/horror plots their own. Did I guess them? Some. Due to their brevity, short stories are different from novels and have fewer characters to use as suspects. The authors need to have different tricks in their bags and there are some delightful twists in this anthology that I didn't see coming. Favorite character? The geezers in Just Like Old Times are great and the thief in Making it With Gammy is also a favorite. Will I read another? Absolutely. I love anthologies because I discover authors who are new to me. I often search out an anthology author's books if their style or characters appeal to me.

LAndmarked for Murder is the Sisters-In-Crime's newest anthology; a wonderful collection of ten short stories, each containing mystery, murder, malice or mayhem at some well known Los Angeles landmark. The stories range from darkly noir to madcap comedy, from the realistic to the bizarre, and from the present day to the summer of 1942. They have druggies, newspaper reporters, lawyers, jazz piano players, marathon runners and race track employees as protagonists, criminals or victims. In "Just Like Old Times" a group of zany, geriatric Hollywood stars - some in wheelchairs - successfully foil a bank robbery and return a dead body to its source. In "Setup" a white cop curiously hires a black lawyer to defend him for killing a black athlete. In "It Doesn't Take A Genius," a chilling justice is meted out, and in "Making It With Grammy" you'll find crosses and double crosses and a kick at the end. You'll never visit Venice again without remembering the creepy characters in "Some Creatures I Care About." And "Running Venice" is a non-stop, heart-pounding, terror-inspiring thriller. At the old Biltmore Hotel or the ultra modern Bonaventure, on the campuses of USC and Caltech, or at the Santa Anita Race Track ... nowhere is safe from the criminal mind. And to help you navigate this perilous city, Susan K. Berry introduces the collection and sets the scene for each story with a paragraph of local color or history. LAndmarked For Murder is the best of the Sisters-In-Crime anthologies so far.