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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.

BALTIMORE NOIR
Edited by Laura Lippman
Akashic Books, May 2006, $14.95, 294 pp.
ISBN 1-888451-96-3

Crab cakes aren't the only things Baltimore is famous for, as editor and author Lippman can attest. Charm City is also the home of Homicide, for a good reason. All the old neighborhoods are included-with or without an apostrophe- and a few new places to explore.

BALTIMORE NOIR draws strength from the choice of authors included in the anthology, many of whom used to work at the Baltimore Sun, on the crime beat.

Authors include: Laura Lippman (Locus Point), Robert Ward (Old Northwood), Jack Bludis (Pigtown), Rob Hiaasen (Fell's Point), Rafael Alvarez (Highlandtown), David Simon (Sandtown-Winchester), Marcia Talley (Little Italy), Joseph Wallace (Security Blvd.-Woodlawn), Lisa Respers France (Howard Park), Charlie Stella (Memorial Stadium), Sarah Weinman (Pikesville), Dan Fesperman (Fells Point), Tim Cockey (Greenspring Valley). Jim Fusilli (Camden Yards), Ben Neihart (Inner Harbor), and Sujata Massey (Roland Park).

The anthology has three sections: The Way Things Used To Be, The Way Things Are, and The Way Things Never Were. Space permits me to only name a few of my favorite reads from this book--which is a shame, since most of the stories are impeccably crafted little gems.

FAT CHANCE, explores the old adage, "You can never go back." Thomas Weeks is a screenwriter in Hollywood. He's gone back to his hometown of Baltimore to visit his ailing, cantankerous mother, and while there, meets up with an old acquaintance. Like any good noir story, nothing is as simple as it seems and Weeks is in for a few surprises. Mr. Ward's prose is smooth and flawless, his protagonist amiable and sympathetic.

Joseph Wallace's LIMINAL, looks at the heart of revenge served cold and offers up a literary treat. Gary Sims specializes in photographs of underage girls--namely runaways. Tania is his newest "discovery" and might be his last.

EASY AS A-B-C, by Laura Lippman, tells the story of a sentimental rowhouse fixer-upper in Locust Point and an affair gone sour between the new owner and the remodeling contractor whose grandparents used to own the house.

Perhaps the best of the Noir series yet, Ms. Lippman has done a splendid job as editor. Bases are loaded and it is clear, she's hit a home run for Charm City.

Cerri Ellis

CREATURE COZIES
Edited by Jill M. Morgan
Berkley Prime Crime, February 2006, $6.99, 306pp.
ISBN 0-425-20502-9

What could be better than to cozy up with a great whodunnit? How about an anthology full of whodunnits featuring canines and felines. These tales form a distinct picture, that of the bond between writers and their furry best friend (and sometime muse).

The menagerie of authors include: J.A. Jance, Jan Burke, Carole Nelson Douglas, Dick Lochte, Marlys Millhiser, Jill Morgan, Ed Gorman, Jane Haddam, Maxine O' Callaghan, Gary Phillips, and Noreen Ayres.

Charming and witty, these stories leave you with a warm, fuzzy feeling and an urge to pick up your cat or dog and give them a loving hug or a belly rub.

Carole Nelson Douglas no doubt had inspiration from Midnight Louie when she wrote JUNIOR PARTNER IN CRIME. The delightful tale is written from the point of view of the cat, Midnight Louie Jr., and recalls the fateful day he met Mrs. Sargent, an elderly shut-in with greedy relatives.

Ed Gorman's story, CRYSTAL'S BIG NIGHT, takes us back to 1943 Chicago and another cat with a penchant for catching German spies.

GOING TO THE DOGS by Maxine O' Callaghan, is a wonderful tale of a nervous pet owner and evil dognappers.

And finally, LOST AND FOUND, by Jan Burke, is a clever whodunnit about a canine search and rescue team with a keen scent for trouble. A surprise twist near the end left me speechless.

I think you'll agree, CREATURE COZIES is better than a handful of Liver Snaps.

Cerri Ellis

THE HOBO CHRONICLES
by S.E. Schenkel
Wings ePress, November 2005, $11.95, 277pp.
ISBN 1-59088-589-9

Jobless and worried over his mother's ailing health, Acey Albert Tapp is on his way to visit her in the hospital when he sees police gathering outside a resale shop. Turns out a hobo found his way into a metal box and died. A series of events lands Acey a job, working with an aging PI.

He takes on a case involving a local woman gone missing for five decades, and again crosses paths with the deceased drifter. Only this time the sighting is in an old photo showing the hobo and the missing woman as teenage sweethearts.

As Acey delves deeper into the woman's past, he puts his life and the lives of those closest to him in jeopardy. The killer is determined to keep his own past and his multiple murders a secret.

THE HOBO CHRONICLES is an emotional ride for Ms. Schenkel's hero. The book meanders more than I would like, as her protagonist journeys inward and outward to find the truth and expose the killer. All loose ends are accounted for at the conclusion, and yet I found myself wondering if that's it. I imagine the author has another Acey mystery up her sleeve.

Cerri Ellis

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