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One of my weaknesses as a reader and reviewer<\/strong> is that I\u2019m essentially a prig. I don\u2019t like criminals, and (though there are certain exceptions) I don\u2019t much care for stories where criminals are the main characters. In stories, criminality is always being explained by creativity and a hunger for excitement, but I have a strong suspicion that there are lots of ways to skate close to the edge in life without stealing and murdering.<\/p>\n Still, when Andrew Klavan announced the publication of his story, \u201cThe Christian Killer,\u201d in the anthology, The Crooked Road, Volume 2<\/a><\/i>, I downloaded the Kindle version. And Klavan\u2019s story is almost worth the price of the volume in itself. It\u2019s a Christmas story that plays deftly on holiday tropes, managing to be cynical and sentimental all at once. And funny.<\/p>\n As for the rest of the stories, I liked some and didn\u2019t like others. I found Janice Law\u2019s \u201cThe City of Radiant Brides\u201d pretty satisfying, a story with a surprise. Also Peter Lovesey\u2019s \u201cThe Best Suit\u201d completely confounded my expectations, in a good way.<\/p>\n Other stories went the sociopath path, and I generally didn\u2019t take to them. Particularly Lawrence Block\u2019s \u201cKeller in Dallas,\u201d another pleasureless (for me) outing with his stamp collector\/assassin character. Dana Cameron\u2019s \u201cDisarming\u201d left me entirely confused.<\/p>\n And some stories just broke my heart, especially Clark Howard\u2019s long final story, \u201cThe Street Ends at the Cemetery.\u201d<\/p>\n This is a pretty good collection, if you like this kind of thing. My problem is that I generally don\u2019t. One of my weaknesses as a reader and reviewer is that I\u2019m essentially a prig. I don\u2019t like criminals, and (though there are certain exceptions) I don\u2019t much care for stories where criminals are the main characters. In stories, criminality is always being explained by creativity and a hunger for excitement, but I have a … Continue reading The Crooked Road, Vol. 2<\/span>
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