«Five Uneasy Pieces» by Debbi Mack

The New York Times bestselling author of Identity Crisis brings you five short stories of gritty and dark crime fiction. If you enjoy stories of psychological suspense, sometimes with a twist of dark humor, these five are sure to satisfy. This edition of the anthology includes a BONUS sixth story that's a send-up of numerous Alfred Hitchcock films. How many references can you find? Praise from others“FIVE UNEASY PIECES packs a nasty punch that will keep mystery fans enthralled.” —Simon Wood, author of TERMINATED«In her first collection of short works, FIVE UNEASY PIECES, 2010 Derringer Award nominee Debbi Mack creates modern-day noir worlds where voyeurism and sleuthing are as natural to its inhabitants as breathing. Never content to leave well enough alone, Mack’s fascinating cavalcade of off-kilter protagonists spy and insinuate themselves into other people’s lives — to mostly tragic effect. Recommended.” —J.T. Cummins, author of COBBLESTONES“Each [story] rings true as a tuning fork, whether for dialogue, setting, or depth. A lean collection of gems.” —Jeremiah Healy, author of OFF-SEASON and THE CONCISE CUDDY“Mack really packs twists and surprises into these five shorts.” —C.J. West, author of THE END OF MARKING TIME1.“Deadly Detour” — a female spy's assignment goes horribly wrong when a pregnant young woman abducts her at gunpoint. The strange girl takes the woman on a detour that has deadly consequences and bodes well for no one.2. “The Right to Remain Silent” — Dan Marinelli is a prosecutor who smells something off about the case he just won. Finding out the truth leads to more trouble than he bargained for.3. “A Woman Who Thinks” — Dr. Morris Fein wants to help his therapy patient, Lila, with her debt problem. However, Lila has an agenda they haven’t discussed during their sessions. One that doesn’t bode well for the good doctor.4. “The People Next Door” — When you live a cheap apartment with thin walls, what you overhear or notice about the neighbors may be cause for alarm. Especially if your spouse eggs you on about it to the point you have to prove it: a philosophy that doesn’t always pan out well.5. “Sympathy for the Devil” — When the beautiful, but naïve, Lainie thinks her husband’s cheating on her, she tries to hire a cheap private eye straight out of Central Casting. Lainie’s situation takes an even more unfortunate turn when she returns home to find her husband in bed, but not sleeping or with another woman.ABOUT THE AUTHORDebbi Mack is the New York Times bestselling author of the Sam McRae Mystery Series and other novels. In addition, she's a Derringer-nominated short story writer, whose work has been published in various anthologies. Debbi formerly wrote book reviews for Mystery Scene Magazine. She writes screenplays and is interested in filmmaking. Debbi also has a podcast called The Crime Cafe, where she interviews crime fiction, suspense, thriller, and true crime authors.Debbi enjoys reading, movies, travel, baseball, walking, cats and good espresso–not necessarily in that order. You can find her online at www.debbimack.com and debbimacktoo.wordpress.com.