I'm delighted to have another story out in Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem Magazine!
The Dubious Holiday Adventures of Jack Dick got its start during a visit to a Christmas tree farm a couple of years ago on what has to be the busiest tree-shopping day of the year.
The Friday after American Thanksgiving. You might think of it as Green Friday in this specific line of work.
I had a lovely time on that visit, and it's inspired more than one story. In this case, I leaned into what can be stressful aspects of the search for the perfect centerpiece for holiday festivities.
But my thoughts didn't linger on family squabbles or uneasy compromises, or even on the dreaded needle-dropping-tree when I sat down to write this story.
My thoughts turned to unfair academic slights toward beloved family members.
And to the delights of revenge.
So I hope you'll come along with me to Thompkins Top Trees in the hills of western Pennsylvania. There we'll meet Patty Thompkins and her sweet nephew Chuck, who's faced with a rotten situation he's not sure how to resolve.
You can get your hands on The Dubious Holiday Adventures of Jack Dick and fantastic stories by my fellow MCM Syndicate Members by heading over to Mystery, Crime, and Mayhem: Winter Mysteries.
You don't want to miss tales by David H. Hendrickson, Annie Reed, Cate Martin, Joslyn Chase, Diana Deverell, Robert Jeschonek, Chris Chan, Leah R. Cutter, and guest authors Nick Andreychuk and Dayle A. Dermatis!
With a lineup like that, you'll be set for delightfully criminal winter reading right through the new year. And MCM makes a fantastic gift for the readers in your life, too!