Short Story Review: Three Quick Takes

Go For the Juggler by John H. Dirckx appeared in the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine January-February 2018 issue. I was happy to see Detectives Dollinger and Auburn again, Dirckx's recurring short story characters. A man is murdered. At first it seems a simple matter of robbery, but unexpected hints suggest Myron Wendling was not the gray little man he appeared to be. The fun is watching how the detectives sort out the clues step by step, until they arrive at the solution.

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APRIL: Negroni is the fourth entry in Cathy Ace's Murder Keeps No Calendar anthology. Negroni is an Italian cocktail, and Ace serves up a tasty one in this story. The premise is highly improbable yet completely charming, as fish and chips shop owner Doug wins the lottery and goes on an Italian holiday. He becomes entangled with a beautiful woman in distress, and feels compelled to shed his usual reticent nature to help her. I especially loved the scene toward the end with the police in the grotto. This was a fun read.

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The Adventure of the Dead Frog, by Carlos Orsi, is in the Mystery Weekly Magazine January 2018 issue. Roberto has found what he thinks is a rare frog. When it is stolen from a research lab safe, Roberto and his girlfriend try to solve the locked room mystery.

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