Philosophy Behind Anthology

From the rock star in his fairytale Gothic mansion in Central London whose neighbor plans a double basement excavation, to the retiree in a fisherman’s cottage in the northeast of England whose neighbor tells lies to a court to acquire the back garden that is not theirs: we are plagued by bad neighbors.

It does not take a crime writer to know that a plague of bottom-feeders calls for an exterminator. But it does take the creatively criminal-minded to come up with the bestest plan ever...

Such is the inspiration for “Death of a Bad Neighbor - Revenge is Criminal” - an anthology of all-new crime and mystery stories.

Some deaths are accidents, some are planned, some funny, some historic, some inevitable, others plain absurd.

Just like life, but different.

Back Cover Blurb

Fratricide is funny—in the hands of STEVE HOCKENSMITH—but, mostly, bad neighbors (related or not) are bad news and endlessly infuriating, as in HILARY DAVIDSON’s “King of the Castle,” or endlessly preying on your goodwill, as in EVE MORTON’s “Vengeance Takes a Holiday.”

(Yet what relief!—be honest now—when that neighbour hits the dance floor for their final dance: the great Mortal Coil Shuffle!)

Sometimes, naturally, the hatred is mutual and one against one, as in EVE ELLIOT’s “One Spye After Another,” or one against many, as in KEVIN QUIGLEY’s “The Woman Who Cried Cat.”

And a bad neighbor should never underestimate their victim, as WARREN MOORE’s “One of Us Is Dying” venomously suggests or F. D. TRENTON’s “I Found Me a Bigger Flea” tells us in a disagreeable escalation of, er, disagreeableness.

(And what’s not to like—come, search your soul and tell me I’m wrong—with a little bit of biting back?)

In a traditional vein, a little investigation can go a long way, as we find in WENDY HARRISON’s “A Little Power,” or the wrong way in DAVE ZELTSERMAN’s “Woops!”

Happily, a bad neighbor might turn out to be the worst possible neighbor to themself, as in L. C. TYLER’s “Fifty Something,” or ROBERT LOPRESTI’s “Lambs and Wolves.”

While KAY HANIFEN portrays a dedicated handmaiden to bitter non-regret, and MARILYN TODD bangs the rock into rock star, and NICK MANZOLILLO challenges us to take a trip next door. But only SHINY NYQUIST can tell us what “Sir Fergus Allison’s Bench” is for.

Themed these stories may be; same-ish they are not. This crime and mystery anthology is edited by JACK CALVERLEY.

List of Contributors

Hilary Davidson, Steve Hockensmith, L. C. Tyler, Marilyn Todd, Dave Zeltserman, Warren Moore, Robert Lopresti, Nick Manzolillo, Kevin Quigley, Eve Elliot, Eve Morton, Kay Hanifen, Wendy Harrison, Shiny Nyquist, and F. D. Trenton.