"I Had Bigfoot's Baby" — a lot of fun, and not just because it was in the Hellboy universe — was from a Hellboy anthology. "Graveyard Shift" was originally the first chapter of a CSI novel. Hellboy, created by comics legend, Mike Mignola, is an ongoing comic book series with one movie, Hellboy, out so far and another on the way.

The opening story, "A Woman's Touch," offering a peek under the skirts of the Civil War, has a vicious twist, showing off the authors’ own darker natures.

"A Pebble For Papa," in addition to having an interesting history, also features head-on view of the '20s gangster merged with The Sopranos. This one is more of a character and time period study than an actioner.

"East Side, West Side," "Sand on the Beach," and "Lie Beside Me" were all first chapters of projected novels, but stand well enough on their own. After reading them, it would be interesting to see what the novels would have been like.

The final story, "My Lolita Complex," is mean and nasty, a story that compares to the grittiest noir novels out there. James M. Cain, author of The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity, would have been proud of this one.

Collins is a versatile and gifted writer. These short stories just show the tip of the iceberg. He’s been at the top of his game for some time now and doesn’t show any sign of slowing down. Clemens accentuates the positive, and it will be interesting to see him step out into his own stories.

The anthology was produced and published by Twilight Tales, a publisher based in Chicago, Illinois. Twilight Tales has been publishing short stories on-line for years, and publishing paper collections of stories almost as long. They’re open to new writers. Visit them.

If you want a walk on the wild side with Crime's bad boys, pick up My Lolita Complex and have a blast. It's a great compilation to take with you on errands or to read a story before bedtime. If you can stop there.