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Private Eyes in The Psychedelic Sixties

Down & Out Books, 2023

The Sixties were a time of great cultural upheaval, when long-established social norms were challenged and everything changed: from music to fashion to social mores. And the Leave It to Beaver households in Middle America didn’t know what to make of it all.

In the midst of this, private eyes tried to understand and bridge the generational divide while providing their clients with legal and extra-legal detecting services.

From old-school private eyes with their flat-tops, off-the-rack suits, and well-worn brogues to the new breed of private eyes with their shoulder-length hair, bell-bottoms, and hemp sandals, the shamuses in More Groovy Gumshoes take readers on a rollicking romp through the Sixties.

Contributors include:

Michael Chandos • Wil A. Emerson • Jeff Esterholm

John M. Floyd • Nils Gilbertson • Wendy Harrison

Dave H. Hendrickson • gay toltl kinman • Lynn Maples

Jarrett Mazza • John McFetridge • Robert Petyo

Graham Powell • Bev Vincent • Joseph S. Walker

Stacy Woodson

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns + Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag.

The first season features original crime novellas by:

Michael Bracken • Trey R. Barker

James A. Hearn • Gary Phillips

William Dylan Powell • Frank Zafiro

and a bonus story by

Michael Bracken

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns + Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag.

The second season features original crime novellas by:

Ann Aptaker • Eric Beetner

Michael Bracken & Trey R. Barker

Alec Cizak • Ryan Sayles

Mark Troy

and a bonus story by

Trey R. Barker

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns + Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag.

The third season features original crime novellas by:

David H. Hendrickson • Hugh Lessig

Neil Plakcy • Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Stacy Woodson • David Zeltserman

and a bonus story by

Michael Bracken

GUNS + TACOS

Season 4

Down & Out Books, 2022

There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns + Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag.

The fourth season features original crime novellas by:

Trey R. Barker • C.W. Blackwell • Adam Meyer

Karen E. Olson • Alan Orloff • Joseph S. Walker

and a bonus story by

Trey R. Barker

Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir is a crime-fiction cocktail that will knock readers into a literary stupor.

Contributors push hard against the boundaries of crime fiction, driving their work into places short crime fiction doesn’t often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule. And they do all this in contemporary settings, bringing noir into the 21st century.

Like any good cocktail, Mickey Finn is a heady mix of ingredients that packs a punch, and when you’ve finished reading every story, you’ll know that you’ve been “slipped a Mickey.”

Contributors include many of today's best noir writers:

J.L. Abramo • Ann Aptaker • Trey R. Barker

Michael Bracken • Barb Goffman • David Hagerty

James A. Hearn • David H. Hendrickson

Jarrett Kaufman • Mark R. Kehl • Hugh Lessig

Steve Liskow • Alan Orloff • Josh Pachter

Steve Rasnic Tem • Mikal Trimm • Bev Vincent

Joseph S. Walker • Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Stacy Woodson

ITW Thriller Award Winner

“Rent Due”

by Alan Orloff

ITW Thriller Award Nomination

“The Mailman”

by Andrew Welsh-Huggins

MICKEY FINN:

21ST CENTURY NOIR

Vol. 2

Down & Out Books, 2021

Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir is a crime-fiction cocktail that will knock readers into a literary stupor.

Contributors push hard against the boundaries of crime fiction, driving their work into places short crime fiction doesn’t often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule. And they do all this in contemporary settings, bringing noir into the 21st century.

Like any good cocktail, Mickey Finn is a heady mix of ingredients that packs a punch, and when you’ve finished reading every story, you’ll know that you’ve been “slipped a Mickey.”

Contributors include many of today's best noir writers:

Trey R. Barker • John Bosworth • Michael Bracken

Scott Bradfield • S.M. Fedor • Nils Gilbertson

J.D. Graves • James A. Hearn • Janice Law

Hugh Lessig • Gabe Morran • Rick Ollerman

Josh Pachter • Robert Petyo • Stephen D. Rogers

Albert Tucher • Joseph S. Walker • Sam Wiebe

Stacy Woodson

Other Distinguished Mystery and Suspense Stories

as noted in

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022

“Washed Up”

by Nils Gilbertson

MICKEY FINN:

21ST CENTURY NOIR

Vol. 3

Down & Out Books, 2022

Mickey Finn: 21st Century Noir is a crime-fiction cocktail that will knock readers into a literary stupor.

Contributors push hard against the boundaries of crime fiction, driving their work into places short crime fiction doesn’t often go, into a world where the mean streets seem gentrified by comparison and happy endings are the exception rather than the rule. And they do all this in contemporary settings, bringing noir into the 21st century.

Like any good cocktail, Mickey Finn is a heady mix of ingredients that packs a punch, and when you’ve finished reading every story, you’ll know that you’ve been “slipped a Mickey.”

Contributors include many of today's best noir writers:

 Ann Aptaker • Trey R. Barker • C.W. Blackwell

John Bosworth • John M. Floyd • Nils Gilbertson

James A. Hearn • Janice Law • Steve Liskow

Sean McCluskey • Adam Meyer • Alan Orloff

Jon Penfold • C. Matthew Smith • Joseph S. Walker

Michael Wegener • Andrew Welsh-Huggins

Sam Wiebe • Stacy Woodson

Selected for inclusion in

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023

“Home is the Hunter”

by James A. Hearn

Selected for inclusion in

The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2023

“Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Wednesday”

by Sean McCluskey

The 18th Amendment created prohibition—a “noble experiment” that banned the manufacture, transportation, and sale of intoxicating liquors—and gave rise to criminal activity associated with bootlegging, gang violence, and more. During the 1920s and early 1930s, the police had their hands full, and private investigators were there working both sides of the law.

Prohibition Peepers stories are set during and immediately after the end of Prohibition, with private eyes serving clients of all social statuses. These hardboiled and fast-paced tales written by some of today’s hottest crime fiction short story writers will have you reaching for your own mason jar of moonshine or highball glass of bathtub gin.

Contributors include:

Michael Bracken • Susanna Calkins • David Dean

Jim Doherty • John M. Floyd • Nils Gilbertson

Richard Helms • Hugh Lessig • Steve Liskow

Leigh Lundin • Adam Meyer • Penny Mickelbury

Joseph S. Walker • Stacy Woodson

Texas has it all, from bustling big cities to sleepy small towns, and law enforcement alone can’t solve every crime. That’s where private eyes come in. They take the cases law enforcement can’t—or won’t. Private eyes may walk the mean streets of Dallas and Houston, but they also stroll through small West Texas towns where the secrets are sometimes more dangerous. Whether driving a Mustang or riding a Mustang, a private eye in Texas is unlike any other in the world.

The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods features seventeen original tales of Lone Star State private eyes from:

Trey R. Barker • Chuck Brownman • Michael Chandos

John M. Floyd • Debra H. Goldstein • James A. Hearn

Richard Helms • Robert S. Levinson • Scott Montgomery

Sandra Murphy • Josh Pachter • Michael Pool

Graham Powell • William Dylan Powell

Stephen D. Rogers • Mark Troy • Bev Vincent

“Bottom line, almost all of these detectives are interesting enough that they could carry a novel series, but their strong personalities and crime-solving expertise have been distilled into seventeen fast-paced tales that leave a lasting impression.”—Reviewing the Evidence

The Eyes of Texas “has its share of big city stories set in Houston, Dallas, and Austin but my favorites are those set in disparate, out-of-the-way small towns.”—MysteryPeople

Anthony Award Nomination

Best Anthology or Collection

Derringer Award Winner

“Lucy’s Tree”

by Sandra Murphy

Derringer Award Nomination

and selected for inclusion in

The Best American Mystery Stories 2020

“See Humble and Die”

by Richard Helms

Macavity Award Nomination

“West Texas Barbecue”

by Michael Chandos

Shamus Award Nomination

“Weathering the Storm”

by Michael Pool

Other Distinguished Mystery Stories of 2019

as noted in

The Best American Mystery Stories 2020

“No One Owns the Blues”

by Scott Montgomery