John Shepphird

A page-turning whodunit set in the wilds of a remote movie ranch, Bottom Feeders describes the hapless Hollywood cast and crew that eke out a living working on low-budget fare. Their ambitious TV movie needs to be made fast and cheap, but a brutal murder grinds production to a halt. An approaching forest fire forces everyone to evacuate. In the confusion not everyone gets out. Eddie is the alcoholic director, Sheila the vulnerable camera assistant, Tom the self-centered actor, and Sondra the spurned sheriff's deputy. Who will survive? Death comes sudden and silent. The camouflaged killer's weapon-of-choice is a high-tech hunting bow capable of firing razor-sharp arrows four hundred feet per second. The mysterious assassin has an agenda. Those left behind must find out what it is and who is behind this bloody slaughter in the fight for their lives.

Bottom Feeders

Gary Phillips

Joe Clifford

Dana King

Frank Zafiro

Colin Conway

Holly West

Travis Richardson

Hector Acosta

Carmen Jaramillo

Mark Bergin

Tom Pitts

Matt Phillips

Paul Garth

James L'Etoile

It's eviction day for The Hope Apartments. The residents have known about it for over a year. It's too bad they ignored all the warning signs. More than a century ago, developer Elijah Hope constructed a state-of-the-art hotel. As the generations passed and tastes changed, The Hope spent two decades as an underutilized office building before conversion into a low-income housing project. Rundown by years of human occupation, The Hope has become a hollow shell of its once great self. It is home to drug addicts, petty criminals, and those hiding from others. The city has long turned a blind eye to The Hope as surrounding neighborhoods gentrified and pushed their disaffected in its direction. But now The Hope is preparing a return to its original glory. The current owners plan to convert it into a boutique hotel. The only thing standing in their way is the eviction of over one hundred units. Each resident knew this fateful day was coming, yet most chose to believe it would never arrive. They ignored the posted signs, the hand-delivered warnings, and even the actual notices. Many stayed until the bitter end. These are their stories. The Eviction of Hope is a collection of fourteen short stories from crime fiction's freshest voices. Get your copy today and experience The 509 in a completely new way.

A 509 Crime Anthology

The Eviction of Hope

John M. Floyd

Stephen Marlowe

James O. Born

Arthur Klepchukov

Walter Satterthwait

Josh Pachter

Jeff Vorzimmer

Don Stoll

Kyle Stout

Ken Luer

Steven Nester

There are a number of noteworthy articles in this issue of The Magazine. We are fortunate to feature some of the correspondence between two legends of crime fiction, Walter Satterthwait and Bill Crider, both of whom recently passed away. For those who knew Walter and Bill, or were just fans of their work, there is a touch of their personalities that comes through in these exchanges and, at least for a moment, gives us an opportunity to experience their unique voices just a little bit, just one more time. Jeff Vorzimmer, editor of last year’s The Best of Manhunt collection, tells us about Stephen Marlowe’s career in the piece leading into his story The Blonde at the Wheel. Jeff also contributed a story of his own and we’re happy to have this opportunity to showcase his many skills. We also have a couple of repeat appearances by writers who have appeared in previous issues. Arthur Klepchukov is back, as is John M. Floyd and John Shepphird. And with original stories by veterans like Josh Pachter and James O. Born, and newer offerings by Michael Cahlin, Steven Nester and Ken Luer, we’re showing the art of the crime fiction short story is still going strong. May it ever be so.

Down & Out: The Magazine Volume 2 Issue 2

Life can turn on a dime against the jagged cliffs of California’s Central Coast… Bruised, battered, but determined, Jane Innes must navigate a tangled web of deception, depravity and murder, and turn the tables on cunning swindlers. Using the art of deception, this out-of-work actress embarks on a daring caper—her last chance to take down a deadly adversary. Nominated for a 2017 Anthony Award, BEWARE THE SHILL concludes this thrilling trilogy from Shamus Award-winning author John Shepphird. Praise for the Shill books: “Sly, sexy and surprising, THE SHILL is a darkly comic Hollywood tale of a not-so-innocent out-of-work actress being groomed for larceny.” —Wallace Stroby, author of The Devil’s Share, Shoot the Woman First, and Cold Shot to the Heart “[THE SHILL is] a fast-paced heist story filled with colorful characters and interesting plot twists.” —S.W. Lauden, author of Crosswise “[KILL THE SHILL is] a fast and hard ride into a con trick. Told by a writer who pulls no punches this does not disappoint.” —Richard Godwin, author of Wrong Crowd “Hell hath no fury like an actress duped. Revenge is the motivation, deception the means to get even in this exciting crime thriller.” —Scott Adlerberg, author of Spiders and Flies and Jungle Horses, on KILL THE SHILL

Beware the Shill

Her role in the con game was to be the shill before the scam exploded in bloody violence. Discarded, sacrificed like a pawn, Jane’s left holding the bag. The swindlers left a murderous trail and millions of dollars are missing. The problem; Jane knows too much. She’s a liability they can’t afford to keep around. But the con artists underestimated Jane. They miscalculated her tenacity and will-to-survive. Not one to be crossed, her plan is to use their own weapon, the “art of deception,” against them. Facing insurmountable odds Jane sets out to settle the score with fierce determination, and a few tricks up her sleeve. Praise for KILL THE SHILL … “Hell hath no fury like an actress duped. Revenge is the motivation, deception the means to get even in this exciting crime thriller.” —Scott Adlerberg, author of Spiders and Flies and Jungle Horses

Kill the Shill

Dennis Palumbo

Brendan DuBois

Alison Gaylin

Dave Zeltserman

Colleen Collins

Paul D. Marks

Michael Mallory

Andrew McAleer

Tom MacDonald

Stephen D. Rogers

Beth Terrell

It doesn’t have to be the dark of a rainy night for it to be noir. It doesn’t have to be shadowy rooms of Venetian blinds. It doesn’t even have to be a femme fatale. Noir is somebody tripping over their own faults, somebody who has an Achilles heel, some kind of greed, or want or desire that leads them down a dark path, from which there is sometimes no return. No one is safe. There’s no place to hide in this collection of twelve stories from the dark side of the American Dream. Stories of noir from Coast to Coast. Contributors: Colleen Collins—Denver, Colorado Brendan DuBois—rural Massachusetts Alison Gaylin—Hudson Valley, New York Tom MacDonald—Nashua, New Hampshire Andrew McAleer—Boston, Massachusetts Michael Mallory—Springfield, Missouri Paul D. Marks—Venice Beach/Los Angeles, California Dennis Palumbo—Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Stephen D. Rogers—Providence, Rhode Island John Shepphird—Los Alamos, New Mexico Jaden Terrell—Nashville, Tennessee Dave Zeltserman—small town Kansas Praise for the COAST TO COAST series: Murder from Sea to Shining Sea “A sterling collection of coast-to-coast crime stories dripping with local color—all of it blood red.” —Chuck Hogan, Hammett Prize winner and international bestselling author of The Strain “Envelope-pushers! A truly WOW collection by the best mystery writers out there—full of surprises only they can pull off.” —Thomas B. Sawyer, bestselling author of Cross Purposes and Head-Writer of Murder, She Wrote “An engaging collection from a stellar cast of award-winning mystery authors guaranteed to keep you awake all night.” —Hannah Dennison, author of the IMBA bestselling Vicky Hill Mysteries “This intriguing collection of stories from these masters of suspense will keep you guessing from cover to cover and coast to coast.” —Raffi Yessayan, author of 8 in the Box and 2 in the Hat Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea “A tantalizing array of stories guaranteed to please fans of PI fiction. High fives all around!” —MWA Grand Master Bill Pronzini “Tough, taut and terrific. This cross-country collection of sleuthing stories—from the best writers in the private eye biz—is wonderfully written, always surprising, and completely entertaining.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha and Mary Higgins Clark Award-winning author “A bang-up read of PI fiction from a gallery of impressive authors. Compelling, fun, and full of clever surprises. A treat.” —Shamus Award-winning author John Shepphird Awards and Nominations Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea nominated for a 2018 Anthony Award for Best Anthology “Out of Business” by Eric Beetner, nominated for a 2018 Shamus Award “The #2 Pencil” by Matt Coyle, nominated for a 2018 Macavity Award and a 2018 Derringer Award “Gun Work” by John Floyd, selected for the Best American Mysteries of 2018 by Louise Penny and Otto Penzler “The Dead Detective” by Bob Levinson, nominated for a 2016 Shamus Award “King’s Quarter” by Andrew McAleer, nominated for a 2018 Derringer Award “Windward” by Paul D. Marks, winner of the 2018 Macavity Award for Best Short Story; nominated for a 2018 Shamus Award and 2018 Derringer Award, and selected for the Best American Mysteries of 2018 by Louise Penny and Otto Penzler “Kill My Wife, Please” by Robert J. Randisi, nominated for a 2018 Derringer Award “A Necessary Ingredient” by Art Taylor, nominated for a 2018 Macavity Award, a 2018 Malice Domestic Award, and a 2018 Anthony Award

Coast to Coast Noir

Michael Stanley

Lissa Marie Redmond

Frederick C. Davis

Brian Silverman

Rick Ollerman

J. Kingston Pierce

Robb T. White

Issue four closes our exciting first year with the very talented debut of Arthur Klepchukov. His intelligent “A Damn Fine Town” is followed by film director and writer John Shepphird and a prequel to his award-nominated “Shill” trilogy, a bit of a teaser for those of you who may not have discovered Jane Innes…yet. Brian Silverman is up next with a story set on his fictional Caribbean island of St. Pierre featuring his characters, Leonard and Tubby. The featured story this issue is of the most excellent Inspector Kubu by the writing team of Michael Stanley. If “Shoot to Kill” is your first Kubu tale, believe me, he’s only better when he’s in a novel. Our featured historical story is by the very prolific, very good Frederick C. Davis, who became one of Harry Whittington’s “St. Pete Boys,” the group of writers like Gil Brewer, Day Keene, and occasionally John D. MacDonald, that met on Sunday afternoons at Harry’s house. Davis’s story is the first Secrets, Inc. installment, “Blood on the Block.” We close out the issue with an offbeat heist story by Robb T. White called “Inside Man,” and a short piece by the always terrific Lissa Marie Redmond, who first appeared in issue two, called “We Don’t Talk About Lester Anymore.” There’s a good reason for that.

Down & Out: The Magazine Volume 1 Issue 4

John Shepphird

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