Christopher Fowler, Old Devil Moon

Old Devil Moon

Christopher Fowler

Serpent's Tail, Aug 2008, $14.95

ISBN: 1852429259

This dark often amusing and satirical crime suspense anthology is a terrific anthology from one of the best short story authors today (Mr. Fowler's odd couple Bryant and May police procedural novels are also excellent). Each of the twenty-two entries is top rate. Baker St Irregulars will especially appreciate "The Lady Downstairs" starring Mr. Holmes's landlady while fans of 1960s British movies will relish the appearance of the late actor Terry-Thomas in the aptly named ghost story 'Old Friends.'Weird fun are 'Turbo-Satan' in which two East Londoner slackers Daz and Mat text messaging to SATAN and even stranger 'Take It All Back, Put It All Back' starring statistically bad luck magnet Lukas Forrest. Also superb is the Miami police officer struggling with 'The Spider Kiss' mad disease spreading amidst residents in which an outbreak of insane human behavior in South Florida proves to have strange beastly origins. Well written, Christopher Fowler uses taken for granted aspects of everyday life like text messaging, walking the dog on a big city street, and comic books, etc. but runs them into dark dangerous devices and places.

Harriet Klausner