Book Review: Death Comes Too Late

Since debuting 20 years ago, Hard Case Crime has won acclaim for publishing the best in hardboiled crime fiction – not least of all the work of founding editor Charles Ardai, which has won the Edgar, Shamus and Ellery Queen Awards, been selected for ‘Best of the Year’ anthologies, and earned praise from everyone from the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune to Megan Abbott and Stephen King.

Collected here for the first time anywhere are the author’s 20 finest stories, including his Edgar-winning “The Home Front,” about death and repentance during World War II; the Shamus Award finalist “Nobody Wins,” about a brutal gangland enforcer searching for the woman he loves; and year’s-best selections such as “A Bar Called Charley’s,” about a traveling salesman’s most grueling night on the road. From Brazil at Carnival to Times Square at midnight, from Tijuana, Mexico to history’s first gunshot in 11th-century China, Ardai will take you to some of the most dangerous places in the world – and the darkest corners of the human heart.

Death Comes Too Late by Charles Ardai will be published on March 12, 2024. Titan Books provided an early galley for review.

This cover, painted by Paul Mann, looks like it came right from the paperbacks I would see around town in the early 1970's. Its nostalgic feel drew me into checking this one out.

In the introduction, Ardai talks about how satisfying a good short story can be. He certainly knows from experience as these tales of his here are quite good indeed. The lengths vary - some longer while others shorter (the shortest being just two pages). Ardai though knows how to make the most of his words, to move the narrative along and to convey the concepts cleanly and consisely. I easily found several favorites in the tales presented.

The stories cover over three decades of the author's work, from 1990's "A Bar Called Charley's" to 2023's "Game Over". I definitely connected with some of the stories more than others, but that is always the benefit of collections like this. There is bound to be something that will appeal to every reader.

I also liked the fact that we are given a bit of variety in the settings. Sure, there are several tales with similar themes (like finding a missing woman or committing a murder), but Ardai switches it up by putting the stories into different environments. Vareity is the spice of life, after all.