Unusual Suspects

Unusual Suspects (2008) edited by Dana Stabenow

I own and read Dana Stabenow’s first fantasy/mystery anthology, Powers of Detection and found it a mixed bag. But when I saw Unusual Suspects and saw it had stories from Sharon Shinn & Simon R. Green, I knew I would have to have this anthology.

In general, I enjoyed it more than the first anthology. Unlike the first anthology, the Sookie story was not on of my favorites. I fear I’m becoming annoyed by Sookie. Hopefully the next book I get will repair my goodwill towards her. And I didn’t dislike the story, I simply didn’t care one way or the other about it. The primary mystery itself was actually interesting, but I suppose I felt like the story wandered all over the place; perhaps I like my short stories to be a little tighter. But again, it wasn’t bad. It just wasn’t as good as other short stories I’ve read by Charlaine Harris.

The Dana Stabenow story was odd, and actually felt like it belonged in the MZB Sword & Sorceress anthology. There were a few things that frustrated me, the first being that if individuals are being sent to dispense the King’s Justice, don’t you think they’d know just s teeny-tiny bit about the area they’re visiting? I was also somewhat disconcerted by the partners who seemed to know each other not at all. Weird. Although I’m not sure I believed the resolution, it was still interesting.

I quite liked Sharon Shinn‘s story, “The House of Seven Spirits.” A woman moves into a house with seven ghosts, and eventually tries to figure out why they’re all tied to the house. There’s something refreshing about a woman who isn’t the least bit frightened by moving into a house full of ghosts, and who acts rationally in response to their existence.

The other “haunted house” story, Laurie R. King’s “The House” would have been better had I not read a very similar Charles de Lint story. There was even a similarity between the storytellers in the stories, with their primary difference being age. (Mind you, the Charles de Lint story wasn’t a haunted house story. It was the twist that was the same in both stories.)

“Spellbound” by Donna Andrews was a very good story that I thoroughly enjoyed, once I realized that it wasn’t going to have the apprentice being all in love with the magician with whom she works (it had that feel initially, so I was a bit wary starting out). The mystery was good, I liked the characters, and the tiny twist at the end–even though I saw it coming–was very amusing.

Another favorite story was Simon R. Green‘s “Appetite for Murder.” Even though I saw some of the clues, I ended up wasting brain power trying to remember bits and pieces about Ms. Fate and Tommy and Larry Oblivion, and so was surprised at the end, even thought the pieces were there all along. And shockingly for a Simon R Green story–no one seemed to describe anything as appalling.

If you’re a fan of fantasy mysteries, this anthology is a good introduction to some authors I particularly like, and although it had some weak spots, was better than its predecessor.
Rating: 7/10

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