Life Is Short and Then You Die

July 15, 2019
Organized by crime and fantasy author Kelley Armstrong, this powerful anthology presents 18 short stories wherein teens’ first brushes with murder function as the fulcrum of life changes. Several selections involve murder’s aftermath, such as Y.S. Lee’s historical, lyrical “In Plain Sight,” inspired by a real-life female prisoner, and “Murder IRL” by Jeff Soloway, whose frank protagonist experiences severe acne, parental concern, and a killer in his virtual baseball league. Other contributions portray adolescents contemplating murder, as in Joseph S. Walker’s simmering “Gnat,” in which the eponymous victim of bullying captures a murder on camera and deliberates between justice and revenge, and in Barry Lyga’s darkly humorous “Six Ways to Kill Your Grandmother,” in which the teen son of a recently imprisoned serial killer considers how best to dispatch his senescent grandma. The authors chosen might have been more inclusive, and a few entries suffer from predictable twists (“The Boy in the Red Vans” by Rachel Vincent), uneven pacing (“Concealment” by Eileen Rendahl), and clunky dialogue (“Night of the Living Dog” by David Bart), but this anthology will nonetheless provide ample entertainment for young murder-mystery aficionados. Ages 15–up.

August 1, 2019
A collection of 18 tales of murder witnessed, committed, and experienced, from an array of YA and adult authors. A luminary-studded author list notwithstanding, this collection doesn't shoot high; the mostly implicitly white and heteronormative characters, in largely contemporary settings, combine with the murder theme to give this an air of same-same despite the variety of narrative styles and the many forms of murder. Standouts from adult authors include the heartwarming "A Different Hero's Day" by Anthony Franze (The Outsider, 2017, etc.) and Barry Lancet (The Spy Across the Table, 2017, etc.), in which ADHD is the critical characteristic that allows the protagonist to save the day when another teen is targeted. "The Company I Keep" by Jeffrey Somers (contributor: No Bars and a Dead Battery, 2018, etc.) excels in its descriptive writing and the slow reveal of psychological damage. The YA contributions feature a wider range, including both of the historical settings and the only ghost story. Y.S. Lee's (Twelve Sisters, 2018, etc.) prison murder tale "In Plain Sight," complete with historical note, is particularly noteworthy, tackling as it does female agency, while Jasper Dent fans will enjoy Barry Lyga's (co-author: The Hive, 2019, etc.) I Hunt Killers' (2012) prequel "Six Ways to Kill Your Grandmother." Suited more to casual browsing than cover-to-cover reading, this anthology may entice teens to expand their mystery reading. Diverting enough. (introduction, author bios) (Mystery. 13-18)

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September 6, 2019

Gr 10 Up-Death proceeds in mysterious ways and these mysteries are all the more intriguing when murder is on the table. Or in the garage. Or in the neighborhood park. Edited by Armstrong, this is a collection of young adult short stories featuring murder. It is a broad look at the genre, covering the topic in a variety of ways-accidents, intentional, intentionally made to look like accidents-and from a variety of points of view; sometimes the protagonist witnessed the murder, was framed for it, stumbled across the victim, or even was murdered. The work is engaging and would fit into a moderate collection, but wouldn't be a strong recommendation to grip mystery lovers. VERDICT While all of the selections are well written and interesting, there are few surprises in these short stories.-Sarah Voels, Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA

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