Crimeucopia – The Cosy Nostra by Various Authors
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Anthologies, to borrow a quote from Forrest Gump, “are like a box chocolates. You never know what you’ll get until you bite into one.” In the case of The Cosy Nostra, it’s one very eclectic mix of stories, ranging from Ancient Rome to modern day and everything in between. Of course, as with any collection, there are stories I enjoyed more than others. My personal faves were Judy Upton’s “Good Boy Brownlow” about a pet detective, “When the Curtain Fell” by Joan Hall Hovey about a now-famous actress going back to the small town she ran away from to face past demons…and act in the local play. I also thoroughly enjoyed Maddy McEwan’s “Liquor is Quicker,” Joan Leotta’s “Training Crows,” and John M. Floyd’s “The Judge’s Wife” (that man cannot write a bad story). That said, every story is well worth reading. If I had a minor quibble, it would be that there’s a lack of consistency in the editing (sometimes US spelling/punctuation, sometimes UK; a few oddball quotes or commas, things not caught) but that’s just me being picky and most readers won’t even notice.
*Full disclosure: I do have a story in this collection, “Live Free or Die,” which is perhaps my favorite of one I’ve written, but being in the collection has no impact on my review.