Sisters in Crime sounds like a gang of women bent on revenge, flitting silently through the night in trench coats and fedoras, wreaking vengeance and maybe robbing the odd bank or two. In reality, Sisters in Crime (SinC) is an international organization of female and male mystery writers and the readers who love them. With active chapters across the country, it seems inevitable that we’d have one in Colorado, located in Denver.

One of the women responsible for launching the local chapter is Colorado author Becky Clark. And she’s the driving force behind Colorado Mystery Merge, an anthology of short stories by members of Sisters in Crime Colorado Chapter. Clark  describes this endeavor in the third person:

Becky Clark

“Award-winning mystery author Becky Clark got a bee in her bonnet one day and decided her Colorado chapter of Sisters in Crime needed to produce a short story anthology. But she didn’t want it to be like any other, so she developed a wraparound story involving the murder of a local Colorado celebrity. She doled out a clue to each of her fellow short story authors to drop into their stand-alone stories, hence the “Mystery Merge.” All nineteen stories are set during the same week somewhere in Colorado. Careful readers will be able to collect each clue and solve the overarching mystery, should they accept that gauntlet, while still being entertained by the unrelated short story they’re reading. Becky was incredibly lucky to work with a slate of excellent mystery writers, and is thrilled they wanted to take this unique journey with her. ”

(Full disclosure: I had the opportunity to brainstorm the framework story, including victim and suspects, with Clark before the call for stories went out. That was my only involvement with the anthology, and I didn’t see any of the selected stories until the book was published.)

In “Call Julie Before You Dig,” by Ann Dominguez, the familiar and normally quite dull setting of a call center becomes something quite sinister, while “A Staged Murder” by Brooke Craig involves murder colored by the vagaries of the current real estate market, a setting that can put fear into the staunchest of hearts.

“Women’s Intuition” is a lively story by romantic suspense writer Donnell Ann Bell, whose Dr. Cassidy Blake and police detective Emma Marsh will leave the reader wanting more of this dynamic duo. Their professional chemistry while working together gives a solid footing to the story. Then “The Purgatory of Emily Gray,” by Fleur Bradley Visscher, switches things up with a private investigator and a haunting tale of a missing intern with a particularly satisfying ending.

“The Psychic Shrink” by Peg Brantley opens in the most arguably  apt Colorado setting of all, a ski resort. This tale is full of excellent twists, winding through a wedding interrupted by the discovery of a dead body at the resort.

For a dip into the increasing popular genre of Geezer Lit, “Viggo’s Prize” by G.P. Gottlieb is set in the fictional upscale Alameda Arms Senior Residences in Denver, where some of the sweet little old ladies are not exactly what they seem. In a similar vein, “The Wrong Linda” by Linda Solaya, craftily demonstrates why women in their 60s are not to be underestimated or taken for granted, especially by those several decades their junior. The touches of humor in this story make it an especially fun read, and it matches the tone of the “bookend” stories by Clark. The retired theme continues in a gated retirement community in “Time Wounds All Heels” by Mary Birk, where a retired homicide detective has a hard time turning off her innate curiosity along with her detecting skills. And she can appreciate a little hard-won karma; who can blame her?

Other stories feature ex-cons, ranchers (a must for Colorado), the specter of a stalker long-since vanquished and soap opera stars. Revenge is plotted and exacted, old friendships are renewed and tested, and several flavors of the past come back to haunt the present. There’s a little sadness and a little magic. The sleuths include reporters, police detectives, private detectives, and the favorite of cozy readers everywhere, the amateur sleuth who just can’t stop until the truth is uncovered.

The stories in this volume are a delightful mix of shorter puzzles and larger, more fully developed mysteries. There is something to suit every taste for mystery, plus the opportunity to for readers to solve the mystery that provides the framework for the collection.