"Last Call" (in the anthology MORTIS OPERANDI). by 'Nathan Burgoine

Amazon.com

Powell's Books

The Goodreads giveaway ended and I have the two winners - congratulations to Chelsea (Saskatchewan) and Jacque (Illinois) - I'll be packing and mailing the two copies off on Monday. I ended up with 500 people entering the draw, which is huge, and more than 180 people ended up adding it to their "to-read" shelf (not that that means 180 people will indeed read it, but it spreads out the awareness of the book, and makes the book show up more often on Goodreads, I believe, so regardless, it certainly made more people learn that the title existed).

The next story in Mortis Operandi had a real punch to it that I didn't see coming, and took the paranormal crime stories in a different direction than most: to the world of superheroes.

"The Trouble with Captain Justice," by Steve Chapman

In a city protected by a superhero, a former cop lives with the reality of the darker side. Not every crime is worthy of the attention of the super-strong paragon, but when the former cop is contacted by a grieving man over the disappearance of his daughter, he gets involved. Her death - an apparent suicide - sends him on a path that went somewhere really dark, and I enjoyed the journey.

Definitely a more modern take on what a city protected by a superhero might have as a dark side.