I have a short story in a new anthology that is published today! I’m excited to tell you about it because, believe it or not, it’s my first appearance in a themed fiction anthology. The book is a collection of 24 short stories by 24 different writers who contribute (or have contributed) to the SleuthSayers mystery blog that I am always crowing about here.

First things first, you can check out the book right here, available in paperback and ebook formats:

Murder, Neat: A SleuthSayers Anthology

Many years ago, when I was researching my Santa books, I stumbled upon the story of a real-life bar called Pfaff’s, located in New York City in the middle of the 19th Century. Its most famous patrons were Thomas Nast and Walt Whitman. It was the epicenter of New York’s “bohemian” arts scene. Writers, artists, and theater people all hung out in this underground rathskeller below Broadway, near Bleecker Street. It is also regarded as one of New York’s first gay bars, where men and women could hang out freely as same-sex couples without fear of judgment.

I knew I wanted to write something about Pfaff’s, so I opened a file on my hard drive and started dropping in nonfiction articles about Pfaff’s whenever I came across them.

I knew Whitman or Nast had to play a role as the detective(s) in whatever I wrote, but I kept putting off writing the story because I knew it would be a challenge to do the research.

When the SleuthSayers anthology call went out some time in February 2021, I knew it had to be now or never.

Why now? Why this anthology?

The theme of the anthology could not be more fortuitous. Contributors were asked to submit a story that was set in part in a bar. That was the only criteria!

We were still in lockdown because of the pandemic. I had plenty of time to print out all my resources, order in some more books, and read as much as I could about that era. I’ll be sharing at least one more article about this story later this week, but for now, here’s the pitch as crafted by our editors:

Whether they drink whiskey or wine, crime fiction writers can often be found indulging in their favorite libations at all manner of drinking establishments (especially the hotel bar at most mystery conventions!). So, what better way to recognize this natural affinity than Murder, Neat, a collection of twenty-four crime stories set in a variety of bars, taverns, and tasting rooms, written by many of the most honored living crime fiction short story writers.

So, prepare to quench your literary thirst when you open this tantalizing cocktail of crime.

I really think this is the perfect collection for someone who digs bars, cocktails, and mysteries. You can’t go wrong. And yes, at some point in the future I’ll re-release the story in one of my own collections. But that won’t be for a long while. If you want to check it out, get it now.

Here’s the (affiliate) link again:

Murder, Neat: A SleuthSayers Anthology

Here’s a glimpse of the short stories awaiting you in this anthology: