where the writers are
MO: Crimes of Practice
One Last Pick-Up
Not available.

Sarah gives an overview of the book:

A coroner reveals a body’s tell-tale clues to his students, as he unwittingly dissects his own relationship . . . A breakdown driver turns his roadside routine into a quite different type of pick-up . . . Two creative writing tutors discuss the merits of ‘hardboiled’ versus ‘cosy’ schools of crime writing, while a murderous student points out that it’s really procedure that counts . . . The second in this series of anthologies from the CWA picks up the primary scent of any investigation: the modus operandi; the signature that identifies any repeat offender, the ‘how’ that supersedes the ‘why’. From the ex-doctor tenderly administering a final prescription to his victims, the party of finishing school debutantes exacting revenge on their lecherous host… these stories demonstrate that, even with the most despicable of crimes, there’s methodology in the madness.
Read full overview »

A coroner reveals a body’s tell-tale clues to his students, as he unwittingly dissects his own relationship . . .

A breakdown driver turns his roadside routine into a quite different type of pick-up . . .

Two creative writing tutors discuss the merits of ‘hardboiled’ versus ‘cosy’ schools of crime writing, while a murderous student points out that it’s really procedure that counts . . .

The second in this series of anthologies from the CWA picks up the primary scent of any investigation: the modus operandi; the signature that identifies any repeat offender, the ‘how’ that supersedes the ‘why’. From the ex-doctor tenderly administering a final prescription to his victims, the party of finishing school debutantes exacting revenge on their lecherous host… these stories demonstrate that, even with the most despicable of crimes, there’s methodology in the madness.

Read an excerpt »

The first was a flat tyre. Tim rolled up in good time, wrench in

hand, smile in place. ‘Knights of the Road.’ She laughed with

relief. In her forties, bottle-blonde highlights, hint of

desperation that predated, he guessed, the roadside recovery.

High heels snagged at the tarmac as she watched him work. He

got her going again, all right.

The second was a dead battery. Tim gave his best salute.

‘Riding to the rescue.’ Who could resist a gent with a sense of

humour? She was Clare, that one. Hard shoulder, soft top.

When Rita asked how his day went, Tim said, ‘Terrific.’

Rita tapped her fingers on the table. Painted nails, metallicfinish.

Tough customer, his wife. Not a whiff of the damsel in

distress about Rita.

sarah-hilary's picture

The editor of Comma Press, Ra Page, said of One Last Pick-Up, "... brilliant. The puns and the ambiguity are fabulous, the general attitude / feel is really clear and well sustained and the end is very sharp. I love it."

About Sarah

Sarah is an award-winning writer whose fiction appears in Smokelong Quarterly, The Fish Anthology 2008, Prick of the Spindle, The Best of Every Day Fiction, and in the Crime Writers’ Association anthology, MO: Crimes of Practice. A column about the wartime experiences of her...

Read full bio »