Dark but fun tales

Max Allan Collins is a master of mysteries of all flavors and stripes. He does historical mysteries (his Nate Heller and Disaster series), funny mysteries (the Trash 'n Treasures mysteries he writes with his spouse under their Barbara Allan masthead), violent mysteries (his Quarry novels), etc. So it was no surprise to see that his take on horror stories also feature a variety of flavors, and entertaining ones at that.

In these ten creative and fast-reading stories, we get classic monsters coupled with, respectively, a gangster plot, a tale of a real rock-and-roll legend, a Christmas setting, and an urban legend-type highway story, to name a few offbeat examples. This variety of flavors made for a fun reading experience, as I never knew what kind of mood or scenario was up next.

And while I wouldn't say that the "carnal" aspect referred to in the title is relentless throughout the book, it's certainly not understated, either (to your delight or dismay, take your pick; I guess my positive review tells you where I fell). But it, too, is done creatively. In the case of a female vampire on the rock-and-roll groupie circuit, quite creatively.

If you like horror, decent short-story collections, or both, you can't go wrong with this snappy, enjoyable book of dark tales.