DAMN NEAR DEAD
is subtitled An Anthology of Geezer Noir, and it's edited by Duane Swierczynski. “When people think ‘senior citizens’ and ‘mystery fiction,’ certain images come to mind,” writes 34-year-old Swierczynski (who gave us the memorable thriller The Wheelman earlier this year) in his dead-on introduction. “The kindly old amateur sleuth with a ball of yarn in her lap, cat on the sofa and a dead body in the foyer… Truth is, getting old is the most hardboiled thing you can do…”
He and David Thompson, owner of the promising new paperback house called Busted Flush Press (think Travis McGee), have put together a collection of new stories by writers who range from their late 20s (Dave White and Sarah Weinman) through their 60s, all dealing with some aspect of crime and old age. Some are hilarious; many are sad; all are the kind of stuff that makes Miss Marple look like a Girl Scout…
