Author Archives: alysonebaker

Double Jeopardy by Stef Harris – 2023

Posted on February 11, 2024 by alysonebaker

Frank Winter is a grumpy cynical ex-sheriff who has been working as a cleaner for the last fifteen years. He likes his drink and he “looks like Johnny Cash on a three-day drunk”. Detective Nunzio Arabito is a twenty-nine-year-old strategic … Continue reading →

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Queen, King, Ace by Olivia Hayfield – 2024

Posted on January 31, 2024 by alysonebaker

“Britain needs someone to believe in right now” – its citizens still reeling from the aftermath of Brexit and the badly managed Covid-19 pandemic. Ace Penhalagon, who has risen to Wimbledon and Olympic glory, appears to be their knight in … Continue reading →

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Gunflower by Laura Jean McKay – 2023

Posted on December 27, 2023 by alysonebaker

Gunflower is a collection of stories written by Laura Jean McKay. The collection includes stories written over two decades, there are short stories, short short stories, and flash-fiction-length stories. They are grouped into three sections: Birth, Life, Death, and they … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Review, Short Stories | 1 Comment

Bird Life by Anna Smaill – 2023

Posted on November 23, 2023 by alysonebaker

Dinah Glover has fled to Tokyo from Oamaru, Aotearoa. She is living in prime real estate Itabashi, yet her apartment building and surroundings are weirdly deserted. Yasuko Kinoshita fled to Tokyo from Sapporo years ago, she is beautiful, immaculate, and … Continue reading →

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His Favourite Graves by Paul Cleave – 2023

Posted on November 18, 2023 by alysonebaker

Sheriff James Cohen is struggling with an aged and impaired father, a recalcitrant teenaged son, a wife who loves him but who has left him, and growing legal and financial woes. Then local crime-writer/heavy-drinker Peter Conner calls in to say … Continue reading →

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Audition by Pip Adam – 2023

Posted on November 15, 2023 by alysonebaker

“I tried to sigh,” Alba says. “But that banged my head into the roof.” Alba is not in a good way – she is squashed into a small space getting increasingly smaller. She is with Stanley and Drew, who are … Continue reading →

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Some Things Wrong by Thomas Pors Koed – 2023

Posted on November 11, 2023 by alysonebaker

Is the narrator imprisoned? Infirm or otherwise incapacitated? Is he mentally compromised? Is he a detained dissident, a barefooted tramp, or has he been imprisoned for fratricide? He seems aged and frail, we know he absconds at one point, towards … Continue reading →

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Taken by Alex Stone – 2023

Posted on November 4, 2023 by alysonebaker

Four stories narrated by four individuals, each on a continent far away from their homeland. Each story from a different time and place. The narrators are all forced to endure life rather than enjoy it. Three of the stories appear … Continue reading →

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Ritual of Fire by D.V. Bishop – 2023

Posted on August 18, 2023 by alysonebaker

Ritual of Fire continues the exploits of Cesare Aldo, an officer of the Otto, a criminal court in 16th Century Florence. The stench of the city and the corruption of the wealthy have followed Aldo out to the nearby Tuscan … Continue reading →

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Turncoat by Tīhema Baker – 2023

Posted on August 10, 2023 by alysonebaker

Kytoonoo 1 Daniel is an idealistic young man on Earth – a planet colonised by the Noor from Owteer, who have colonised many planets throughout the solar system. Daniel has decided he will help his people, Humans, from inside the … Continue reading →

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