Before I jump into the review I want to say that I will be doing this review not like my other short story reviews. There are a lot of stories and to go one by one would make this post really long. To prevent that I will do this review like the full length novels.
Twenty-nine short stories of romance, suspense, mystery and more are beautifully put together in Love is Murder. The authors that are showcased are Roxanne St. Claire, Carla Neggers, Beverly Barton, Robert Browne, Andrea Kane, William Simon, Laura Griffin, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Dianna Love, Patricia Rosemoor, Jon Land writing with Jeff Ayers, Heather Graham, Mariah Stewart, D.P. Lyle, Cindy Gerard, J.T. Ellison, Bill Floyd, William Bernhardt, Brenda Novak, Vicki Hinze, Julie Kenner, James Macomber, Alexandra Sokoloff, Pamela Callow, Debra Webb, Toni McGee Causey, Lori Armstrong, Allison Brennan, and last but not least Lee Child. I don't know about you all but I recognized quite a number of these names and got really excited to read a little from all of them.
I liked and even loved well over half of these stories, I'd say close to 95% of them. With the first story Diamond Drop by Roxanne St. Claire, I forgot that I was reading a book of anthologies and thought I was reading a full novel. A couple of stories later Speechless by Robert Browne had me raving. *SEMI-SPOILER ALERT* I was sincerely hoping that the boyfriend wasn't the bad guy, but when it became solid who was, part of me knew it and the other part of me said "well damn, that ain't right". *SEMI-SPOILER ENDED* After reading Deadly Fixation by Diana Love and Hot Note by Patricia Moore I could definitely see myself picking up a novel by each of them and know that I would love it. The mix of action and supernatural always draws me in, but the way that each wrote had me fixed to my seat and not moving. The same goes for Grave Danger by Heather Graham, I wasn't left disappointed at all, once I had finished I wanted more. With Dying to Score by Cindy Gerard, I normally wouldn't read something that is war driven but I think I might start thanks to Gerard. This would be a perfect series to get into because this short story is part of her Black Ops series.
I wasn't really disappointed about any of the stories. They all had their things about them that made them great. However, there are some that didn't strike my fancy. Spider's Tango by William Simon was one of them. It was more of run of the mill kidnapping story. I knew within a few pages who the real bad guy was and what his problem was. Last Shot by Jon Land and Jeff Ayers is a conflicting one for me. I love the plot and where things are set to go, if it where a novel I think I would like it more. The last anthology in particular was a let down for me. I was expecting a little more from Lee Child's I Heard a Romantic Story. I love the ending and everything, but just the way that it was led there I didn't particularly like. I was expecting more from Child, I know his work is very good. I was quite happy with how few stories I didn't like too well.
In the end I am so happy to be able to say I own this book. What stories I did mention are not all that are in the book, and I highly recommend Love is Murder to anyone who wants to read it. The only thing I would suggest is to get a hardcover copy. I have a paperback and it was killer not to break the spine and read all at once. There are some sexier scenes in this book, so anyone not wanting that or don't want their younger child to read it, don't pick it up. I do know I will be picking up a few books by some of the authors I was introduced to. It is a great little collection to sample some writings of others, and a great way to find some new authors.
Rating: 5 out of 5.
Page Count: 707 pages (paperback)
Price: $9.99
Next Book: Zom-B Mission by Darren Shan
Thank you for reading!
~Jade
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