Ladyfire

If you are a fan of short stories, this is a rare collection of thrillers. Until I found this collection, I wasn't aware that thriller writers had their own genre organization, International Thriller Writers (ITW). Some of the stories may not seem to be proper thrillers, lacking international intrigue or violence. Listening carefully to the Introduction and Afterword, I learned that a thriller must have four key elements: facing danger, searching for truth, avoiding despair and finding hope. Defined thus, these are definitely thrillers!

This is a meaty collection. It showcases a wide variety of approaches by both new and established authors. I only found one story truly disappointing.

I've read negative reader reviews of other ITW collections. If you are considering this collection because you are a fan of one of the big-name authors, please remember that these are short stories, not novels. A short story does in less than 7500 words what a novel needs 50,000+ words to do. One of the best short story examples I can think of is Arthur C. Clarke's "The Star", which won the Hugo Award for 1956. If a novel is a full course meal, think of a good short story collection as a plate of hors d'oeuvres...tasty morsels that make you go, "Wow!"

A better story.

The authors spend way too much time telling about innumerable meetings. There's not enough action and way too much time spent introducing peripheral characters. The previous books in this series were much better.

Dick Hill is always great!

If you want action, try Andrew Peterson's work.

I've been a Deutermann fan since his first novel, The Edge of Honor. This was a good Cam Richter story, much, much better than Spider Mountain, which required way too much disbelief. Particularly compelling was his depiction of folks still living in the old old(!) South, and his portrayal of the subtleties of small-town politics.

This is a fun read with a great twist, as can be expected from Deutermann.

NOTE: As another reviewer mentioned, there are definite quality problems toward the end of the second recording. In two different places, the recording loops repeatedly and you miss parts of the story. It didn't ruin the book because I was already so far into it, but this is a problem you should be aware of and it does need to be fixed.


I found this to be a better book than, The Sunrise Lands" which was my last Stirling Audible purchase. It had a much more balanced feel. The end did seem a bit less detailed, perhaps a bit rushed. The big action sequence had me on the edge of my seat. I was so engrossed that I almost didn't pay the lady at the tollbooth!

Overall, I thought it was a smooth listen. The characters are drawn well enough to make them interesting and there are plenty of of elements in the plot to keep it moving along.

The reader added to the telling of the tale by doing excellent voices and otherwise being unobtrusive. Todd McLaren will be a selling point for me on other books, like George Guidall, Scott Brick and Carolyn McCormick.

This one's a winner!

This is a great collection of short stories that feature cops as main characters.

As another reviewer mentioned, many are not traditional mysteries. Some simply explore the world from a cop's-eye view. All the stories are standalones - they don't tie into an author's existing series. If you don't already like short stories, please consider these issues before buying.

If you are a fan of the short story form, however, you've just found a big buffet of really good food. There's enough variety to keep things interesting. Some stories have intriguing twists and others just make you think.

I've listened to several short story collections lately and this one was especially good.

I work in a non-traditional field that is utterly male-dominated. I was looking for practical information to help me navigate my work world more successfully.

In the week since I listened to this book, I have used information gleaned from it on three separate occasions. As with all books of this type, the reader must decide which parts are applicable to to temperament and situation. I am still mulling over different concepts from the book and deciding on their appropriateness for me, but overall I've found the book very helpful. I'll rank it up there with Deborah Tannen's "You Just Don't Understand" in helping me be effective in mostly male fields.

Feldhahn's tireless self-promotion is wearying at times, but don't let that distract you. The sheer utility of this book makes it a must-have for any woman who wants to succeed in the work world, no matter where you are on the ladder.