2023-06-08
Nine stories, each named for a Michael Jackson hit, from a bevy of bestselling mystery writers.

While pop music often celebrates the sunnier side of love, most of Bruns’ picks chronicle romance gone wrong. In Dahlia Rose’s “Baby Be Mine,” an undercover agent goes sweet on a guy who’s being stalked by her assigned target. Jennifer Graeser Dornbush shows what happens when a preacher’s daughter with the voice of an angel falls for the wrong guy in “The Girl Is Mine.” Unfortunate taste in men is also the problem in Heather Graham’s “Thriller,” whose goose bumps richly earn its place as the volume’s title story. And William Kent Krueger shows readers the price of workplace shenanigans in “Beat It.” Bad partner karma also hits a gay college professor in David R. Slayton’s “Human Nature” and a senior citizen in Bruns’ own contribution, “Wanna Be Startin’ Something,” which explores the perils of using a dating app called Over-Fifty. Even fake romance can be dangerous, as a wealthy gay Cuban in 1968 Miami learns when he discovers that the girl he’s been using as arm candy is accusing him of fathering her child. The only story about a platonic relationship, Rick Bleiweiss’ “Pretty Young Thing,” probes the bond between an orphaned teen and a criminal on the run from a hit man. Ironically, this story of nonromance may make some readers uneasy both for the suddenness with which the hero takes charge of the underage girl’s life and his acknowledgement of how attractive she is.

Considering Bruns’ fixation on hopeless love, expect his next music/mystery volume to be about country-western songs.