Girls With Guns

This anthology highlights longer shorts from Ali Vali, Carsen Taite and Michelle Grubb. I was familiar with the first two but this book introduced me to Michelle Grubb's writing. All three are strong stories and I enjoyed reading each of them. All three work particularly well as gritty suspense novels - each with their own take and flair.

Note that the Vali and Taite stories take place within the confines of two of their series so you may feel a bit lost without the backstory or knowledge of some of the characters. Grubb's is a standalone so no obsessive pre-reading and you can dive right in.

Taite's novella, Bow and Arrow, is a follow on to the Luca Bennett series (omigod ... love Luca) and we rejoin the most kick ass bounty hunter with a heart of gold as she tracks down a rogue cop, gets roped into juror duty and has to deal with her new domestic situation. This is a great re-visit of Luca and reminded me how much I loved the series. Lots of action, humour and best of all, lots of Luca. I'd recommend you read the series as this book seems to wrap up some of the loose ends from the last book - and it was a fantastically fun series.

Vali's novella, Hell Fire, is sort of a sidebar to the Cain series. I didn't realize that until a good portion into the story and thought it might be a standalone... Finley is a blacksheep of the Cain dynasty who is working for the Feds . As part of an investigation, she ends up entangled with Abigail and her children as they are being targeted by some rather nasty folks. This was a fun read and I actually want to see more of Finley and Abigail in the larger Cain series or in their own offshoot.

Grubb's Hammersmith is a standalone and was quite captivating and full of suspense. Bel is an operative who is responsible to monitor public areas for suicide bombers. The very idea of this being a real role is disheartening but it actually seems like it may be true. Grubb builds up a fair bit of suspense and tension. I will admit there were a few twists that had me second guessing myself and Bel's girlfriend. A great suspense story.

Reviewed by Megan Cooper

Short stories can be challenging. You need memorable characters, a plot which grabs the reader's interest and ends with a satisfactory resolution all in the space of a few normal chapters. The word count is your enemy and your friend. Novella's give the author a bit more time to develop their characters and plot but there are word count restraints forcing the writer to keep it simple yet hold the reader's interest. Some authors go with characters they have used in the past, making their short story a 0.5 contribution to their continuing series. Others come up with entirely new characters and snapshots of time and place in their original tales.

Entering into Girls with Guns I assumed that our leading ladies would be well armed. After that I was open to whatever these three seasoned authors would create for our reading pleasure.

Carsen Taite does not disappoint with Bow and Arrow. Her rough tough bounty hunter Luca Bennett is hot on the trail of rogue bad cop Teresa Perez. She is seeking revenge for both her girlfriend Jess and her own treatment at the hands of the now notorious drug runner. Luca has a Colt 45 and is not afraid to use it. Perez is also being hunted by the Mexican mafia she has double crossed. Just as Luca receives tips on possible Perez sitings she is called up for jury duty. Adapting to her new domestic arrangement with Jess, dealing with over eager juror Cris and tracking Perez keeps Bennett on the run. Add in Luca's loveable and well trained husky and Bow and Arrow is an entertaining fast paced read.

Michelle Grubb's Hammersmith is more novella than short story. Belinda Reilly, recently assigned to the Hotstream task force is charged with protecting passengers riding the London Underground from urban terrorists. Her training and ability to blend with morning commuters allow her to spot potential suicide bombers or “cleaners”. Bel takes her new role and her Glock 17 very seriously. Nights of passion with her girlfriend Esther make her dangerous day job bearable. I really enjoyed reading Hammersmith and appreciated the mini-course on suspect identification presented in entertaining fashion as Bel observes her fellow riders on their morning commute. Urban terrorism is our new reality and the city of London has experienced its share of violence. Fiction done well opens the possibilities that MI5 might just have highly trained squads of agents monitoring the CCTV and public transit riders on a daily basis. Grubb writes believable fiction. When background info ramps up to full blown tension the reader is pulled into the train with Bel. Foreshadowing made me feel like a super sleuth thinking I had everything figured out until the author threw in some unexpected twists and left me relegated to spectator status. Good fun.

Ali Vali's Hell Fire began with great promise. Finley Abbott is an FBI hacker on loan to the NYPD to help uncover a sex slave ring operating in the city. The stakes are raised when a group of sex slaves are gunned down and the massacre is witnessed by Abigail Eaton and her children. Finley is forced into protection duty as the eye witness to the slaying becomes a target. The story is long relative to the others in this anthology and I think it had the makings of a entertaining full length romantic intrigue/ police procedural...Finley is an interesting character with a background only hinted at but slowly revealed. She is resourceful, brave and married to her job, perfect for the recently widowed Abigail and her children... I...like the relationship between Abigail, her kids and Finley. Their scenes were highlights and kept me interested and reading. Fin's weapon of choice in the final scene was straight out of a gangster movie...

Reviewed by Eh Stevens