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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.

INSIDE THE INSANE
Paul Campbell
BookSurge, August 2005, $15.99, pp. 267
ISBN: 1-4196-1106-2

The short story and poetry anthology, INSIDE THE INSANE, leads readers through a fiendish carnival ride into a chaotic, fractured world. The first story in the book, Inside the Insane, begs the question how do we know that the insane are the crazy ones? Perhaps it’s those of us outside the rubber rooms that are truly bonkers.

My Rotten Half is an interesting take on sibling rivalry that makes you both wince and shudder.

The story HO HO History 101 gives you the “real” inside scoop on Santa Claus and how it all got started.

Over twenty-eight such short stories, flash fiction and poems are included. Most are intensely violent. There was a time long ago when plot and story took center stage. Not the splatter of intestines or buckets of blood added for shock value alone. As a reader, I miss those old days.

Some of the twists and turns the author included for suspense seemed jarring instead of surprising, the threads of the narrative held together with rubber bands instead of sinew and bone.

As a whole, these factors made INSIDE THE INSANE disjointed, the mechanics of the story more tell than show, leaving this reader unsatisfied.

Cerri Ellis

D.C. NOIR
Edited by George Pelecanos
Akashic Books, February 2006, $14.95, 308 pp.
ISBN 1-888451-90-0

Seldom has a series generated more anticipation than Akashic’s NOIR anthologies. Brilliantly conceived and executed, D.C. NOIR is a welcome addition to the collection.

D.C. NOIR contains sixteen tightly crafted, well-defined stories set in different D.C. neighborhoods. Tales by George Pelecanos, Kenji Jasper, Jim Patton, Richard Currey, Jennifer Howard, Robert Andrews, Robert Wisdom, Laura Lippman, Quintin Peterson, Lester Irby, Ruben Castaneda, Jim Beane, James Grady, David Slater, Norman Kelley, and Jim Fusilli illuminate the dark alleyways overlooked by most of society.

If you want political intrigue, go elsewhere. This anthology is a gritty glimpse beyond the rotating political arena and into the shadows of D.C.’s more dangerous elements. The voices of the characters are distinctive and honest, reflecting the diversity of the locals.

There are so many wonderful stories in D.C. Noir, but space only permits me to highlight a few.

"The Confidential Informant" by George Pelecanos (Park View, N.W.), is a unique and poignant look at the life of a snitch and his struggle to prove himself.

"Capital of the World" by Jim Patton (Chinatown, N.W.), shines a light on the brutal reality and despair of prostitution and slavery.

"The Names of the Lost" by Richard Currey (Shepherd Park, N.W.), is both painful and insightful. The story takes a look at senseless violence and bigotry through the eyes of an Auschwitz survivor.

"The Messenger of Soulsville" by Norman Kelley (Shaw, N.W.), is a twisted little tale about the kidnapping of a mafia princess.

If you like character driven, gutsy writing with an edge, D.C. Noir is for you.

Cerri Ellis

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