My Top Ten of 2010

End of year lists are hard to do. You always feel like you're forgetting a story or you're snubbing someone whose work you really admire. My list is just stories that have stuck with me for one reason or another. Sometimes it's the subject matter, others the writing, and other times it's what the story taught me either as a person or a writer. That's what makes them best for me.

I have to admit that I haven't read as many online crime stories as I usually do and my favorites were listed over at Chris Rhatigan's blog back a few weeks ago and I'll repost them here in case you missed them.

1. “Portraits of Detroit: Wylie Edwards” by Patricia Abbott http://theflashfictionoffensive.blogspot.com/2010/10/portraits-of-detroit-wylie-edwards-by.html

2. “Dead Things” by Michael Bracken http://www.bigpulp.com/content/mystery/bracken_deadthings.html

3. “Free” by Ian Ayris
http://thrillskillsnchills.blogspot.com/2010/08/free-by-ian-ayris

4. “Why I Should Avoid Married Women” by Jim Harrington
http://a-twist-of-noir.blogspot.com/2010/11/twist-of-noir-626-jim-harrington.html

5. “Dog Fight” by Aaron M. Wilson
http://powfastflashfiction.com/DogFightAaronMWilson.html

In print, I enjoyed the hell out of all the stories in the first issue of Needle magazine but I've got to say that Kent Gowran's ".44 Blues" has really stuck with me. And in the second issue of Needle, I have to say that David Cranmer's "The Sins of Maynard Shipley" is the one that keeps drifting through my mind.

And now, my list of ten online stories that "tripped my trigger" this year.

1. "The Truth and all Its Ugly" by Kyle Minor
http://www.fiftytwostories.com/?p=1149

2. "Shootout" by William Hart
http://www.thievesjargon.com/workview.php?work=1462

3. "Whiskey Meets Rock & Roll" by Mike Dennis
http://www.slowtrains.com/vol9issue4/dennisvol9issue4.html

4. "The Quick...And The Dead" by Bill Crider
http://www.beattoapulp.com/stor/2010/1219_bc_TheQuick---AndTheDead.cfm

5. "Hawkins Boy" by Charles Dodd White
http://www.pankmagazine.com/?p=1401

6. "Gunpoint" by Fred Blosser
http://www.beattoapulp.com/stor/2010/0829_fb_Gunpoint.cfm

7. "Missed Calls" by Glenn Grey
http://www.alongstoryshort.net/MISSEDCALLS.html

8. "Crack Whore" by David Hardin
http://www.thievesjargon.com/workview.php?work=1458

9. "Clockwork Fairies" by Cat Rambo
http://www.tor.com/stories/2010/10/clockwork-fairies

10. "The List" by Kieran Shea
http://dosomedamage.blogspot.com/2010/12/list_26.html