In these anthologies, you’ll find stories of mayhem and tangled loyalties. Bounty hunters chase targets who aren’t what they seem. Private eyes hunt wrongdoers in mean, futuristic streets—and are hunted in return. Easy jobs go wrong. Hunted bounties get wily. Mysteries are solved, only to lead to more horrifying mysteries.
Sometimes the bad guys win, and sometimes the good guys do. And, hey. It’s a crime anthology. Most of the time it’ll be pretty damn hard to tell the two apart. These folks are just trying to do their best (or not) in morally gray worlds.
Welcome to Crooked V1 and V2, anthologies from Bad Intentions Press.
eBook and Print: Volume 1 : Volume 2
Detective Araci Belo admires the view of post-earthquake Portland from this small condominium. The west hills provide a lush green background to the dense housing towers, interconnected by skyways and hypertube stations.
He considers the shattered condo he stands in. The explosion had propelled bits of the oven from the back of the condo, spraying shrapnel towards the window. A sweet, meaty smell of burnt flesh emanates from Dakota Williams, the recently deceased occupant of the condominium. She lies in the middle of the room; her severed right arm near the earthquake pillar. Her left forearm leans against the wall. The explosion burned through her clothing, face, and skin.
Pieces of meal boxes are scattered around. How many is difficult to know; metal and plastic shards are mixed with uncooked food. One is in the far corner, complete except for a dented top. The cube, small enough to hold in both hands, is covered with a bright depiction of the traditional (soy-based) steak and potatoes with Brussels sprouts.