Vengeful…
Deceitful…
Spiteful…
Sinful…
Following on from the success of Sins : New Irish Crime Stories (See my thoughts HERE), this wonderful group of Irish writers, aka the3percenters, have recently released their latest collection of short stories.
Novelist, film director, screenwriter and lecturer, Ferdia Mac Anna once again picks up the baton as editor for Sinful. Working with this authors’ collective and publishing partnership, which was formed to assist in promoting emerging writers, Ferdia Mac Anna brings his own expertise to this publication.
[ About The Book ]
An evil presence stalks the beauty of the Irish countryside. A debt collector receives a most unwelcome present. An aggrieved farmer, cheated of his inheritance, develops a taste for killing. A once-besotted lover turns to revenge.
Seven deadly writers, each with their own distinctive voice. Together, they are Sinful.
[ My Thoughts ]
Sinful contains eight very different stories but all adopt a common theme, that of the dark underbelly of life, reflecting what really goes on behind closed doors. The style of writing adopted by each author is very distinct, bringing a freshness and a contrasting element to the collection.
Story Titles & Authors
Sessions with Elena ~ Caroline Bale
Eleven O Two ~ Martin Keating
You Must Be Good For Something But You Ain’t No Good To Me ~ Martin Keating
Goodbye Bella Bailey ~ Alix Moore-O’ Grady
The Porkeen in the Pulper Shed ~ Mark Bastow
Number Five ~ Susan Rodgers
Tainted Love ~ Adrian Taheny
All That Glisters ~ Jenny Wright
The diversity in writing styles is very much reflected throughout these eight stories, demonstrating the talent that is evident among this group. There were definitely a few stories that appealed more to me than others but I think that that will always be the case when reading any anthology of stories.
When reading Sinful I dipped in and out over a few days, making it the ideal read when you get that opportunity to grab a quick break from the madness of your day.
Sinful is an enjoyable collection of Irish crime stories offering something for everyone. Packed with many twists and turns, there were a few unexpected reveals in these stories, adding to the shock factor of the tale. It is exciting to see the level of talent that is emerging from the writing community and I applaud this collective in taking such a laudable step in publishing their work and putting themselves out there in such a professional manner. I am only too delighted to support their achievement here today.
Purchase Link ~ Sinful
So who are the3percenters?
Adrian Taheny has appeared in many notable theatre productions, including Druid’s Threepenny Opera. In 2017, he had two stories published in Storytellers, New Writing from Ireland and in 2018, a further two stories were featured in Sins, New Irish Crime Stories. He is in the process of completing his first novel.
Alix Moore-O’ Grady is a Londoner who followed her heart to Ireland in 2016. In 2017 , her short story, The Surprise, was published in Storytellers, New Writing from Ireland and in 2018, she had a further two stories featured in Sins, New Irish Crime Stories. She is currently working on her first novel – a psychological thriller set in the world of music and medicine.
Caroline Bale writes crime fiction with a psychological twist, drawing upon her practice as a psychotherapist to create complex plots and engaging characters. In 2018, she was selected as a finalist in the Irish Writers Centre Novel Fair for her novel ‘Remember Me’, and her short story ‘Vainglorious Bastard ‘ was published in Sins, New Irish Crime Stories. In 2019, her crime novel I Will Make You Pay was published by Joffe Books, becoming an immediate bestseller.
Jenny Wright was born in Edinburgh and lives in Dublin. Her short story, Frankie, was included in All Good Things Begin, an anthology of new writing. Jenny’s novel for children, The Cinderella Project, was published in 2018 and her short story ‘A Casual Killing’ was included in Sins, New Irish Crime Fiction.
Mark Bastow’s first two novels were fantasy adventure novels set in seventeenth century London. His third novel was a police procedural set in Yorkshire. His short stories, two of which were published in Sins, New Irish Crime Stories, include crime supernatural, historical and children’s fiction.
Martin Keating’s stories have been prize-winners in the Dalkey Creates and the Maria Edgeworth Short Storiy competitions and his story ‘The Woodpusher’ appears in the Fish Anthology 2019. His historical crime novel, Moriarty, was the winner in the Irish Writer’s Centre 2018 Novel Fair. Two of his stories appear in Sins, New Irish Crime Stories
Susan Rodgers worked as a freelance writer and editor for magazines in the United States before moving to Ireland in 2001. Her short story, The Other Woman, was published in Storytellers, New Writing from Ireland and her srory ‘Itch’ featured in Sins, New Irish Crime Stories in 2018. She is in the process of completing an anthology of short stories entitled Body on the Beach.
Ferdia Mac Anna (Editor) is a novelist, director of Film and TV drama, screenwriter and lecturer. He has written three novels, The Last of The High Kings (made into a Hollywood movie starring Jared Leto, Gabriel Byrne and Christina Ricci), The Ship Inspector and Cartoon City. His films include All About Eva (2016) and Danny Boy (2019)
