CRIME SCENES: MY FIRST COLLECTION

Crime Scenes collects twenty of my short stories, including two winners of the Al Blanchard Award and finalists for the Edgar, Derringer, Shamus, and Thriller Awards.

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PRAISE FOR CRIME SCENES

Joseph S. Walker’s Crime Scenes is a milestone collection: the first book from one of the great short story writers of our time. Joe’s stories have been frequently selected, year after year even, for the annual Best of the Year anthologies, and he’s been a finalist for the Edgar, Derringer, Shamus, and Thriller Awards, as well as twice-winning the Al Blanchard Award at Crime Bake—and all those awards and honors are more than well-deserved. Joe’s short fiction is a model of carefully calibrated suspense and delightful surprise, all crafted not only with a master’s skill but also with an eye toward giving the reader a great time. Simply put, Crime Scenes is a must-have collection.--Art Taylor

If you don't love this book, you don't love crime fiction.--Robert Lopresti

Joseph S. Walker does for the short story what Jeff Beck did for the guitar. He is a master of technique but never uses it to show off. He uses it to pull his readers into the action and experience it along with the characters. He’s a true virtuoso, and every time I pick up one of his stories, I learn something new..--Steve Liskow

One of the heavyweight champions of short story writing today.==Alec Cizak 

Joseph S. Walker is arguably the best short crime fiction writer on the scene today, and I expect his stories to be read, studied, and enjoyed for many years to come. His collection, “Crime Scenes,” showcases a breadth and depth of talent that places him in the pantheon of Stanly Ellin, Doug Allyn, and Peter Lovesy. There is no scene or locale here that he is not intimately familiar with and cannot present to you as your own land. There are no situations, however mundane or exotic, that he does not turn into an unforgettable tale. You have only to read, and he’s even made that so easy that all have to do is begin. You’ll forget everything else once you do. --David Dean

Crime Scenes is a killer collection from one of this generation’s best crime fiction writers.--Michael Bracken

If crime fiction was baseball, Joe Walker would be the league's MVP. In Crime Scenes, he knocks the ball out of the park again and again. I don't know any other living writer who hits a home run every time he steps up to the plate --Josh Pachter

One of the most striking things about Joseph S. Walker’s work as a short story writer is how refreshingly original his ideas are. Whether the germ of the story is a trivia contest, a lost chance in a baseball game, qualifying for the Olympics, a solar eclipse, a horror movie, urban exploration, the scene of the Kennedy assassination, or reality TV, he never fails to develop it in an unexpected way. The styles of this author’s stories vary; when he’s in classic noir mode he could rival Chandler for similes that hit the mark and stay in the brain. Every fan of short crime fiction will find something to enjoy in this volume! .--Janet Hutchings

These twenty stories of crime and deception will grab you right away and hold you until the end, with no wasted words and no dull moments. Walker’s style is both fast-paced and easy to read, and is only one of the reasons he’s among the best crime/suspense writers working today.==John M. Floyd

Sure, you’ll come for the twisty plots and wonderfully drawn characters in CRIME SCENES, but you’ll stay for the heart and humanity. Joseph S. Walker is a short story pro’s pro!--Alan Orloff

Every story seamless, every story memorable, every story riveting, these are absolute gems that have earned Joseph S. Walker a place on the Mount Rushmore of living short crime fiction authors.--Avram Lavinsky