Book info

• Title Kwik Krimes
• Author Otto Penzler
• Year 2013
• Genre Short Stories

Entire novels are often written about a single crime, detailing every gruesome, dark detail until the last drop of blood spatters across the page. Yet in this mystery anthology, renowned editor and author Otto Penzler weaves together to heart-stopping effect more than ninety tales of brutality, terror, and unexpected demise, with each story told in a swift one thousand words or less. These crimes may be fast in both form and fallout, but none lack the dark impulses that too often guide human hands to ill ends. Prepare to be transported into the diabolical schemes of criminal masterminds... into robberies and pranks gone horribly awry... into closets crammed with skeletons... into families bound not by love but wickedness.

Thoughts

Aside from the forced alliteration in the title, there’s a lot to love about this anthology of crime-related short stories. They’re seriously short too, varying in length but none above 1000 words. The great thing about short stories is that you get a variety, some you’ll like, some you may not. With these super short stories, there’s not too much investment either. If it’s not your thing, you just move on to the next one.

Most of them were brilliant, though. Tiny tales of genius and horror, crime and punishment, and everything in between. They’re not all murders, either, which I was slightly expecting. There’s extortion and burglary, arson and fraud, and plenty more besides.

Really enjoyed this selection and highly recommend checking it out.

Rating: 4 / 5