The Collected Short Stories

The Collected Short Stories (2013) Dana Stabenow

I first came across Dana Stabenow as the editor of an anthology of fantastical mysteries. From there, I picked up her Kate Shugak mysteries, although I fully admit I have only read the books that come AFTER The Incident.

I’ve actually read most of the Kate Shugak short stories in this collection, but that’s okay, because there were stories I hadn’t read.

And I love short stories.

Perhaps my favorite story was the tale of the Grosdidier brothers, “Conspiracy”.

It opens thus:

FOUR BROTHERS, FOUR MEN born one each year for four sequential years, before their parents figured out how babies were made and Took Steps. They were named, in order, Matthew, Mark, Luke and Peter, because their mother refused to burden a child with the homonym for toilet, upon which her loud, rowdy and profane brother had just congratulated her. Her husband, a faithful Presbyterian who disliked his brother-in-law anyway, remonstrated that this upset the gospellian design decided on before the birth of their first son, but she remained obstinate. They compromised on Peter, upon being informed of which her brother then spake aloud and at length on euphemisms for male genitalia, until Peter’s father had more than words with his brother-in-law in the alley out back of the Ahtna General Hospital. A faithful Presbyterian, he wasn’t a pacifist.

This story isn’t particularly a mystery, it’s just a peek into life, and I simply love it.

There are also two Liam Campbell stories, which are interesting, but not my favorites, a Star Svensdotter Short Story, which I skipped, because I don’t life SF, several Alaska short stories, which I really enjoyed, and closed with two fantasy stories, which were quite good coming from someone who doesn’t write or read fantasy.

If you’d like an introduction to the Kate Shugak stories, I highly recommend this collection.
Rating: 8/10

Published by Gere Donovan Press

 
 

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