Some of you may have virtually come along to session five of Virtual Noir at the Bar when I was doing a reading from my unpublished novel The Sarcophagus Scroll. Virtual Noir at the Bar has been running all through lockdown, and 100 authors have taken part to date.
Now some of those authors have provided short stories to put in a crime-fiction anthology, and all profits will be going to NHS charities (which is rather the fashion at the moment).
They’re all written in different styles (some rather gritty and sweary*, some slippery and twisty, some nice and gentle), and the only things connecting them are
- They’re crime fiction
- They feature a bar (or other watering hole)
Most of the stories have been written expressly for the collection, but others are getting a fresh airing. My pre-existing wee story, “Mr Norris’ Profession”, is straightening its tie and stepping out to meet new people. Which is more than I get to do at the moment.
The Kindle version will be available on 10th June at £2.99 and you can pre-order now. (Please do, if you intend to get it – it’s very good for rankings, which will ultimately make the book more successful.) The paperback will be available shortly after the Kindle version, at £10. Yes, £10, not £9.99, so you don’t annoyingly miss free delivery on Amazon for a penny. They think things through, these Noir folks.
As always, if you enjoy it, leave a review! And if you don’t enjoy it, forget what it was called and that I had anything to do with it.
* The section called “A Drop of the Hard Stuff” has some very graphic and disturbing content (I’m told – I have the good sense not to read a section called “A Drop of the Hard Stuff”). You have been warned.
K C Murdarasi 
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