The Lineup 4 Blog Tour

Most of you who drop by the Corner know that I'm not a reviewer. I know what pleases me as a reader and I'll point you in the direction of what I consider good short stories, but I've never been one to pick a piece apart to see how it ticks.

When Gerald So asked me to be part of The Lineup 4 blog tour, I said yes, even though I don't do reviews. In my opinion crime poetry gets almost as much disrespect as crime flash which is a shame because the poetry in The Lineup is exquisitely written bites of human nature that should be required reading for everyone who writes in the mystery/crime genre.

And without further ado, here is my review:

“We shouldn’t worship suffering: the world’s a spinning rack where suffering indicates all goes well, we’re alive and not curled up in the black hushhush….”
---Peter Meinke
“What Wild-Eyed Murderer”

That line from Mr. Meinke’s poem pretty well sums up the poetry in The Lineup 4. There is no worshipping of the suffering that is forced upon the victims in these poems. From the first line of “Creation” by John Stickney to the last line of Germaine Welch’s “Houston Oil Man Missing” we walk through “the black hushhush” and come out on the other side gulping for air.

From the heartbreaking visuals of “Finding Opal” by Mary Agnes Dalrymple, to the jaw dropping realization of what you’ve just witnessed in “In Oaxaca, 2006” by Kieran Shea and the final twist of pain in “The Shadow Man Visits a Babysitter” by Jeanne Dickey, you’re caught and forced to look at the unthinkable.

Each poet in this fine collection holds your hand as you pass through the wreckage of human lives. The beauty of their words forcing you to bear witness to the aftershock of horrific crimes you’d rather not see. But in your heart you know that you must bear witness, for to do otherwise would be obscene.

If you'd like to read the complete text of Peter Meinke's, "What Wild-Eyed Murderer" you can go here http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/19098

The Lineup 5 is open for submissions until July 31. You can check out the details at their site http://poemsoncrime.blogspot.com

And to order your copy of The Lineup 4 or even one of the first three go to http://stores.lulu.com/geraldso where you can purchase either print or pdf copies.