INTRODUCTION, by Rhys Bowen

One thing I’ve learned during a long career as a writer is that a good short story is one of the hardest things to write. To capture mood, character, tension, and a satisfying climax in a few pages requires more skill than having the luxury of a novel to get things right. That’s why I’m so impressed that the writers of Chesapeake Crimes seem to deliver quality work in anthology after anthology.

This one is especially fun as the theme is holidays. And who hasn’t wanted to commit a murder at a family holiday celebration?

Not surprisingly the favorite holiday for this anthology is Halloween, followed closely by Christmas. But if you’re expecting traditional pudding or trick and treat, you’re in for a pleasant surprise. So many of these stories come with new approaches to the holiday theme, like Clyde Linsley’s wickedly clever “Sauce for the Goose,” or Carla Coupe’s masterful twists in “Shadow Boxer.”

Some are pure fun like Barb Goffman’s opening story for Groundhog Day and Donna Andrews’s zany Christmas story involving her beloved heroine Meg Langslow and her impossible family. The mood can also be unsettling as in Art Taylor’s “Premonition” and Timothy Bentler-Jungr’s poignant “Last Rites.” And let’s not forget less well known holidays like Talk Like a Pirate Day and Cathy Wiley’s “Dead Men Tell No Tales.”

Have fun with this whole year of holiday stories. I certainly did!