Blood Business

Description

Two books, one anthology. The grift. The scam. The double-cross. Blackmail and burglary; murder and larceny. Blood Business tracks the underbelly of human nature as it drags itself through the muck of our lesser angels in twenty-seven crime stories set in this world... and beyond. "Blood Business is as satisfying as a stiff drink after a tough case. Deliciously gritty, and dark as a day-old bruise, these stories will thrill any noir fan." —Jaye Wells, USA Today bestselling author "In Blood Business, duality is a theme but nuance reigns. Honesty won't save you. Virtue is subjective. And what if the only difference between appearance and a reality is what we choose to believe? Cinematic at times, uncomfortably intimate at others, Blood Business is a visceral delight." —John Wenzel, The Denver Post “Blood Business compiles an absolutely stunning collection of talent." —Brian Keene "Editors Acevedo and Viola offer an anthology of noirish tales exploring the dark recesses of both real and supernatural worlds... Two sharp, distinctive, and complementary clusters of stories." —Kirkus Reviews "In this uniformly good anthology of noir stories, the authors are able to inject some life, of the supernatural variety, into a genre usually rife with clichés." —IndieReader "Take horror writing at its best and add a crime/mystery spin. Then pair this with psychological depth for the foundation of the special atmosphere and focus of Blood Business, where every story is powerfully wrought, filled with satisfying twists, and presented with a flair of originality and surprise not typically seen in crime story collections. For all these reasons, Blood Business is a unique, compelling, dark production very highly recommended for fans who like their crimes tinged with psychological depth and horror, and who look for original, unique, compelling productions where every story is a gem and no 'filler' is allowed." —D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review Table Of Contents From This World FOREWORD Gary Phillips INTRODUCTION Mario Acevedo DOUBLING DOWN ON DEATH Edward Bryant BONE ON WOOD Mark Stevens BLACK AND BLUE Carter Wilson GIRLS GONE WILD Cat Rambo NIGHT IN TUNISIA Manuel Ramos AN OFFICER AND A HITMAN Gary Jonas SLUG Paul Goat Allen MORPHING Alvaro Zinos-Amaro THE PLEDGE Mark Stevens & Dean Wyant SHADOWS WITHIN SHADOWS Mark Stevens & Dean Wyant IT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING Shannon Baker THE GUESSING GAME Sean Eads STRAIGHT TO THE TOP Trevor Jones Table Of Contents From Beyond BITTEN OFF Edward Bryant A CLAMOR OF BONES Alyssa Wong DIVIDED THEY FALL Patrick Berry JANE DOE MUST DIE Angie Hodapp OUTSORCERY Joshua Viola DO IT ALREADY Stephen Graham Jones LUNCHTIME Jeanne C. Stein NUMERAL ELEVEN Jason Heller A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME Betsy Dornbusch SHOE Aaron Michael Ritchey CARD SHARP Kat Richardson TAKERS FIND GIVERS Mario Acevedo THE COMBO Warren Hammond THE GROUP HOME Chris Holm AFTERWORD Christine Goff THE ASH OF THE PHOENIX: REMEMBERING EDWARD BRYANT Sean Eads