At Home in the Dark

At Home in the Dark is a combination of seventeen writers tackling various subjects that are all surrounded by trouble or mystery in some combination. In “Hot Pants,” Lucinda is a daughter looking after her father, who is suffering from dementia, while working at a job where she is enduring harassment from a co-worker. “Eve of Infamy” relays the story of a con who is serving his time in the Army, where when he is out-hustled at cards, seeks his revenge on the cusp of the Pearl Harbor attacks. In “Night Rounds,” a lawman is keeping the streets safe until he is accosted by his past in the form of a widowed groom. The trouble with getting rid of a meddlesome corpse forms the action and dark comedy of “Giant’s Despair.” “Nightbound” gives a bird’s-eye view of a stash house robbery gone bad with the body count rising with every other sentence.

At Home in the Dark is a suspense-filled and engaging compendium of short stories by well-known and possibly not-as-well-known authors. The stories vary, some more dark and disturbing than the others, but each has its own allure and identity. The high point in this reader’s opinion is Giants Despair, but there is no ebb to any of the others in the book. A top-notch collection.