BUT I’VE TOLD YOU THIS BEFORE by Rob Lopresti Some time ago I wrote in this very spot about trying to write a follow-up to one of my published short stories. Actually, I said I was trying to write “a sort of companion or sequel.” That was my way of saying that these two tales […]

Here is the second installment of Edgar Wallace’s 1910 short story,“The Greek Poropulos”. You can read Part I here. THE GREEK POROPULOS Part II by Edgar Wallace    One forgets things in war time. I joined the Imperial Light Horse and went to the front. The doctor passed me as sound, so I suppose that all […]

FOR LOVE OR MONEY by James Lincoln Warren Sometimes I have a taxonomic brain. There are all kinds of ways to classify fiction, and I think I use them all. This isn’t necessarily a good thing, but it is very tidy. Some time ago, I wrote a column on common crime fiction subgenres, wherein I […]

NARY A CROSS WORD, II by Leigh Lundin Last December, Criminal Brief brought you a crossword puzzle inspired by one of our readers, Cate. I know at least one person solved that puzzle.[1] Following is the original wicked puzzle Cate submitted:   1 2 3 4 5       6       7 […]

SHORT AND SOUTHERN by John M. Floyd No, I’m not talking about me; I can be described by only one of those adjectives. I’m referring to Ford County, the recent collection of short stories by John Grisham. They’re not crime fiction (although a crime is mentioned in each of the seven stories) and they’re actually […]

STEAMING HOT WORDS by Steven Steinbock This morning I jumpstarted my brain with a cup of coffee and a crossword puzzle. I finished the puzzle except for two intersecting words. One of the troublesome clues was Ace (slang). All I could think of were playing cards, WWI pilots, and news reporters, but I couldn’t fit […]

LEARNING FROM A MASTER by Deborah Elliott-Upton A person I learn from is someone I never forget. Today I am thinking of Tony Hillerman and how almost two years later, we still mourn his passing. There will be no new Joe Leaphorn tales to look forward to reading, no more seminars where Hillerman himself will […]