"Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem, and Suspense is a perfect name for a new anthology of short stories by some of Minnesota's best-known crime/mystery writers, as well as a few from outside the region. The book is a tribute to Minneapolis-based Once Upon a Crime bookstore and its owners, the husband-wife team of Gary Shulze and Pat Frovarp. Their little store...which routinely hosts readings by some of the nation's top-selling writers, was just voted Favorite Mystery Bookstore in the country by Crimespree magazine.
Once Upon a Crime—the book—was born several years ago when Shulze was hospitalized with leukemia, according to Gary R. Bush, a Minneapolis author who co-edited the anthology with Chris Everheart.
'Putting this book together was a labor of love,' said Bush, who writes books for children, young adults and adults. 'Pat and Gary have been so good to us and other authors, we wanted to honor them. They don't care whether you are a beginner or have had 30 books published. They will treat you equally, with respect, and push your books. They're kind and encouraging.' " Featured authors are Everheart and Bush, Stanley Trollip (who writes with Michael Sears as Michael Stanley), Maureen Fischer, Anne Frasier, Pat Dennis, Terri Persons, Sujata Massey, William Kent Krueger, David Housewright, Lois Greiman, Pete Hautman, Ken Bruen and Marilyn Victor.
Launch party for "Once Upon a Crime: An Anthology of Murder, Mayhem, and Suspense" 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27th at Once Upon a Crime, 604 W. 26th St., Minneapolis (612-870-3785). See Mary Ann Grossman's full article in the
Pioneer Press.
