Книга: Death Row Follies and Other Stories

This exquisite book contains five stories. 1. 'Byron' was commissioned by Ed Gorman, premier editor of mystery fiction, and included in his hardcover anthology 'Cat Crimes Through Time.' It describes the adventures of a mysterious English lady who shows up in the Beirut of 1958 in search of her militiaman husband who, Israel's Mossad thinks, had been kidnapped by a rival group. 2. 'The Cheat' follows the coming of age of some high school students in the suburbs of Paris. Their devoted teacher must decide whether to leave their petty problems for a few days of deserved rest in Spain. Feels like a small foreign film. 3. 'The Inquisition' is the name of a California-style rock club full of groupies, grunge, mosh pits and drugs. It's a love story between Rayne, at one time the female star singer in the band Pandemonium and Pep, the male singer of the group. Addicted and pregnant, Rayne goes away to get help. As she returns to see if Pep still wants her, she must confront danger in scenes of mad action. Will Rayne and Pep get back together? This is proof that rockin' sockin' love is alive and doing well. 4. 'Death Row Follies' takes place in a futuristic prison headed by a venal warden. In order to make money, he decides to choose a few inmates on their way to execution, but in good enough physical shape to fight for their life, i.e. till one of them snuffs the other one out in front of wealthy and perverted gamblers. The tale ends with a wild take down between protagonist Josh Adley, and his huge adversary, in a big surprise ending. 5. In'The Long Wait,' a former soldier, driving a van filled with valuable cargo, is stuck for mechanical reasons in heavy traffic. Assigned no protection for this job, he is about to be attacked by criminals who are after his merchandise, while the help that he's called for is slow in coming. A very realistic description of today's life in decaying 'hoods, but hopefully not a preview of tomorrow's world.