From the Booking Desk:
In case you haven’t heard, Crippen & Landru are celebrating their 30th anniversary this week. To celebrate the milestone, they are offering 30% off until tomorrow (February 15th). I decided to mark the occasion with a review of Elaine Viets’ short story collection, Deal with the Devil, available from Crippen & Landru. Elaine will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s Malice Domestic, so fans who are attending this convention might wish to order a copy of Deal with the Devil today—and then get it signed on-site at Malice Domestic in April.
In the crime fiction community, Elaine Viets is the gold standard when it comes to mixing humor and pathos into unforgettable crime fiction. This is true of her novels, but is equally as true for her short fiction.
Deal with the Devil contains 14 short stories that run the gamut of emotions. (NB. If readers order the signed hardcover from Crippen & Landru, it comes with a special chapbook containing an excellent additional story called “When a Man Loves a Woman” [perfect for Valentine’s day…sort of]).
The title story in the collection, “Deal with the Devil” is Elaine Viets’ own take on that time-honored tradition of the Faustian bargain. It’s a pure delight to watch a Viets heroine go toe-to-toe with the devil himself. Never underestimate a woman when her back is up against the wall.
As readers will expect, some of Elaine Viets’ series characters make appearances in several stories. “Gotta Go” is included here and marks the first appearance of Death Investigator, Angela Richman. Elaine would go on to write eight novels featuring this character, all with a slightly darker and more serious tone than her light-hearted cozies.
But those cozies are by no means forgotten. There are two stories featuring Helen Hawthorne from the Dead End Jobs series. Just like the novels, these are laugh-out-loud funny and perfectly plotted. “Sex and Bingo” was my personal favorite and is a wonderful introduction to Helen for those who may not have met her acquaintance.
Francesca Vierling, from Elaine Viets’ first mystery series appears in “His Funkalicious Majesty.” This story is pure Saint Louis, a setting Viets knows so well. A struggling fashion journalist navigates a high society ball while protestors interfere.
This anthology also introduces new characters to readers, some of whom are just as memorable as those beloved series icons. In particular, I loved the women in “The Seven” who refuse to let societal standards hold them back, and “The Bedroom Door” where second sight is more of a curse than a blessing.
The Agatha Award-winning short story “Wedding Knife” is also included in the collection. It’s refreshing to re-visit this classic wish-fulfillment tale where being forced to wear one of those ugly bridesmaid dresses is rectified with the ultimate revenge.
There are plenty of other stories for readers to discover on their own—all written in Elaine Viets’ inimitable style. There is truly something for everyone in this collection. Deal with the Devil serves as a perfect retrospective, highlighting just a small part of why Elaine Viets deserves her Lifetime Achievement recognition.
BUY LINKS: Deal with the Devil by Elaine Viets
Disclaimer: A print copy of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher in exchange for promotion of their anniversary sale. The above is an unbiased review of the anthology.
