Ultra-Boiled -- Gary Lovisi

Gary Lovisi's a man of many talents. He's the editor and publisher of both Paperback Parade and Hardboiled as well as a writer of fiction. He's done everything from Sherlock Holmes pastiches to the ultra-boiled stories in this new collection from Ramble House. What's "ultra-boiled" mean. This is from the introduction: "Ultra-boiled is hardboiled . . . on steroids." Lovisi says that these stories are "violent, maybe even brutal," but the back cover assures us that while the stories "are not for the faint of heart. . .they're definitely full of heart."

Ultra-Boiled collects 23 stories, of which five are original to the book and four have appeared only on-line in such well-regarded publications as Hardluck Stories and Plots with Guns. If you missed any of these the first time around, this is a good time to get them all in one place.