Short Story Reviews: Serial Killers and Carnival Rides

I jumped into the Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine May/June 2018 issue with Emily Devenport's 10,432 Serial Killers (In Hell). I am not a serial killer story fan, so it was with trepidation that I started reading. The story immediately upended my expectations.

Ernestine, a bus driver, tells Katie Thomas she can't board the bus with her pets, Peanut and Felix. Katie tells Ernestine she is fleeing the serial killer in her apartment. The story goes from ordinary to strange pretty quickly. The focus is on Katie, and her supposed knowledge of a local serial killer. Is she crazy? Or does she really have insider information on serial killers destined for Hell? You can read a story except here.

Next up, I read Blowout at the Carnival, by John H. Dirckx. The story features recurring characters Sergeant Dollinger and Lieutenant Auburn, investigating the death of a rigging crew worker killed while installing a ride at a carnival. I enjoyed the story, but also thought it interesting how different this story was from one in the previous issue, Fair Game, by Max Gersh. While Fair Game was a horror story, Blowout presents a murder mystery and the clues to solve whodunit. Two authors using the setting of a roadside carnival with entirely different results, in plot, characters, and tone. If you are interested in learning more about voice, read these two stories side by side. 

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