Trouble in Texas

Some of the writers you’ll encounter in these pages have published dozens of stories; some are making their debut. What they all have in common is courage. In this brave new digital world, it takes courage to write at all, let alone to write with the kind of skill and imagination you’re about to see. These are stories about the desperate, the deceived and the deceivers, killers and crooks and cops. They are stories that demand, and reward, your attention and your empathy, qualities that are becoming all too rare. They’re stories that ask tough questions instead of providing pat answers. As a bonus, they’re entertaining as hell. - from the Foreword by Joseph S. Walker (JSWalkerAuthor.com)A Perfect Gift For Mystery Lovers!Welcome to the third anthology by the chapter members of Sisters In Crime North Dallas. The cities of Dallas, Fort Worth, and surrounding locales offer great fodder for mystery writers-and readers. These have inspired the stories contained in Trouble in Texas: Metroplex Mysteries Volume IV.GOLDENROD, by M.E. ProctorDOGGONE, by Mark ThielmanELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING, by Liese Sherwood-FabreBAD LUCK BLOOD, by BJ CondikeMISSING GEM, by Tiffany SeitzTHE PURPLE HOODIE, by ML CondikeDON’T COUNT YOUR CHICKENS, by Nan McCannYOU KNOW WHAT YOU DID, by Karen HarringtonTHE CASE OF THE BUTTERFLY EATER, by Lori E. TchenTEX-MEX AND TANGO, by Amber RoyerSHERLOCK IN TEXAS, by Shannon TaftMICHAEL BRACKEN (CrimeFictionWriter.com), who edited this anthology, is the Edgar Award and Shamus Award nominated, Derringer Award winning author of more than twelve hundred short stories, including crime fiction published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, The Best American Mystery Stories, The Best Mystery Stories of the Year, and many other publications. Additionally, Bracken is the editor of Black Cat Mystery Magazine, associate editor of Black Cat Weekly, and editor or co-editor of thirty-one published or forthcoming anthologies, including the Anthony Award-nominated The Eyes of Texas: Private Eyes from the Panhandle to the Piney Woods. In 2024, he was inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters for his contribution to Texas literature.