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	Curiosity may have killed the cat, but Cerri Ellis never let a little thing like fear stop her from playing sleuth. When she's not snapping photos of ghosts, solving riddles or sifting through dusty tomes in library catacombs, she writes articles and book reviews for magazines and web sites. Her hobbies include reading mysteries, herbal gardening, and searching online and estate auctions for arcane curios. She is currently at work on a paranormal thriller set in Southern Appalachia.

AGENT-IN-TRAINING
Jerri A. Drennen
Triskelion Publishing, March 2006
98 pp., ebook, $4.99
ISBN 1-933874-09-0

Ex-CIA agent Shiloh Templer moved from Seattle to D.C. to take over as the new director for the Department for National Security. At 35, she's the youngest person ever hired for the position, and the only woman. She knows it will be tough, resentment will run high, but she also knows she can do the job.

Enter Nick Trent, twenty-something surfer dude turned agent-in-training and major office distraction. Shiloh's been given orders to trim staff, and she knows just where to start. When someone leaves threatening messages, takes pot-shots at her and tries to run her over, it's Nick that uses his muscles and wits to show he's more than a pretty boy.

Ms. Drennen's book is part suspense thriller, part romance. The dynamic premise had a fresh appeal--that of an older heroine paired with a younger hero, who also happens to be her subordinate.

While most of the romance seemed tame for today's standards, one scene in particular contained explicit content that bordered on the erotic edge. More suspense could have thickened the plot.

Agent-In-Training had a nice twist, but ultimately needed tighter development.

Cerri Ellis

DOWN AND DIRTY
Gammy Singer
Dafina Books/Kensington Publishing Corporation
March 2006, $15.00, 224 pp.
ISBN: 0-7582-0895-2

Amos Brown, Ms. Singer's ex-con hero from A Landlord Tale, is back again in DOWN AND DIRTY. Known around the neighborhood as the Harlem Don, Amos is playing a little poker, and checking out the eye candy when the phone rings. Deacon Steadwell, his mentor, is calling from jail and the news isn't good.

Seems the old man got fingered for murder. The cops have motive and the weapon. Deacon is frail and Amos knows his old mentor will die in jail if he doesn't make bail.

Problem is, after Amos pays his way out of lock-up, the old man makes a speedy recovery and disappears. With his property held as bail collateral, Amos goes in search of his missing friend and finds more than a mess of trouble.

Ms. Singer creates an unvarnished view of Harlem, peopled by a motley group of vivid characters that entertain even as they teach a subtle lesson.
DOWN AND DIRTY is a memorable story, well executed and delivered.

Cerri Ellis

DUBLIN NOIR
Edited by Ken Bruen
Akashic Books, March 2006, $14.95, 228 pp.
ISBN 1-888451-92-0

The Celtic Tiger roared then devoured the "Ugly American", or so it seems in this latest installment of the popular Noir series by Akashic Books. Edited by Ken Bruen, DUBLIN NOIR strayed from the proven path, by flipping the noir concept back on itself.

DUBLIN NOIR includes stories by Ray Banks, Ken Bruen, James O. Born, Reed Farrel Coleman, Eoin Colfer, Jim Fusilli, Patrick Lambe, Laura Lippman, Craig McDonald, Pat Mullan, Gary Phillips, John Rickards, Peter Spiegelman, Jason Starr, Olen Steinhauer, Charlie Stella, Duane Swierczynski, Sarah Weinman, and Kevin Wignall.

The anthology is more of an outsider's look at the city. With the influx of foreigners crashing Ireland's shores in search of their own pot of gold, the idea held great promise. Unfortunately, the premise of the book lost the rich texture and flavor I have come to expect from the Noir series. The caliber of the stories was uneven and ragged.

DUBLIN NOIR does have some shining examples, most notably by the Irish writers involved in the project. Eoin Colfer's, "Taking On PJ", is a clever little tale about two bumbling criminals and an Irish Mafia enforcer. The writing highlights Colfer's ability to create vibrant, memorable characters with a deft comedic touch.

Ken Bruen's story, "Black Stuff", is a delicious glimpse at what it means to be a black son of Eire, using others' prejudice and false assumptions against them.

"Tribunal", a masterfully crafted story by Pat Mullan, tests the loyalties and honor of a returning native son.

I like seeing writers and editors take a gamble on a fresh twist. I only wish they had retained some of the old ambiance.

Cerri Ellis

MANHATTAN NOIR
Edited by Lawrence Block
Akashic Books, April 2006, $14.95, 257 pp.
ISBN 0-888451-95-5

What do a disgruntled wife from The Village, a realtor in Chelsea and an ex-boxer from Inwood have in common? They are all characters within the pages of MANHATTAN NOIR, the thrilling new anthology in the Noir series from Akashic Books. Edited by multiple Edgar and Shamus award-winning author Lawrence Block, this latest addition to the Noir family takes a sizeable bite out of the big apple.

The list of authors reads like a who's who of mystery and crime fiction: Charles Ardai (Midtown), Carol Lea Benjamin (Greenwich Village), Lawrence Block (Clinton), Thomas H. Cook (Battery Park), Jeffery Deaver (Hell's Kitchen), Jim Fusilli (George Washington Bridge), Robert Knightly (Garment District), John Lutz (Upper West Side), Liz Martinez (Washington Heights), Maan Meyers (Lower East Side), Martin Meyers (Yorkville), S.J. Rozan (Harlem), Justin Scott (Chelsea), C.J. Sullivan (Inwood), and Xu Xi (Times Square).

From Charles Ardai's The Good Samaritan, a dark little gem about deadly compassion, to Xu Xi's twisted tale, Crying for Audrey Hepburn, which illuminates the struggle of the disillusioned soul, to Robert Knightly's Take The Man's Pay, a clever comedy about race relations, the anthology packs a solid punch.

Cerri Ellis

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