Dark Humor

This collection of nine stories features florid depictions of low life, vivid details about dysfunctional relationships spent in seedy strip motels, and an unusual number of descriptions of toilets

“A Beginner’s Guide to Murder is a humorous romp through unfamiliar territory. Stopps manages her four central characters through distinct portraits.

“very funny . . . if you’re ready to laugh at pandemic absurdities, this is the book for you.”

“If you’re looking for distinctive international bouquet in your ‘Scandi noir,’ this isn’t going to fit your collection.

“Flip through the pages and find and remember the parts that will most challenge, inspire, delight. Find your own gems within Inside Story and treasure them.”

“In Misconduct of the Heart, Cordelia Strube achieves a transcendence in the person of her protagonist that speaks to hope in the worst of times.”

In the final weeks of World War II, when Walter Kempowski was 15 years old, he watched tens of thousands of his fellow Germans scramble westward through his hometown from their once-conquered terri

Ma Jian’s China Dream is a dissident novel in all senses of the term. It’s a novel written by a dissident: “every novel [Ma has] written has been banned in the mainland.

“A story that is a sort of a Groundhog Day in the afterlife, Samuel Johnson’s Eternal Return is a worthwhile, thoughtful—and hilarious—read.”

"Hallinan is easily one of the most entertaining crime writers in the business today."

“a disgusting, disturbing, magnificent book.”

For nine years Lucy has been working as a part-time librarian at a small Arizona university and struggling to complete a Ph.D. program in classic literature.