I have now had the privilege of checking out three titles in Demain Publishing's Short Sharp Shocks series, and, above all, I love what this is doing within the genre. The stories I have had the pleasure of so far are a little bit longer than the average fare one might find in an anthology. As such, you don't end up shorted on story(See what I did there? I'll be here all week.). These things are very well self contained.

Calvin Demmer's The Town That Feared Dusk is no exception. The reader joins journalist Sylvia Bernstein in traveling to a small town to investigate a bridge that's been the site of an inordinate number suicides. We follow along as Sylvia unsuccessfully tries to interview locals, and we're left with that oh so familiar sense that something in this town is amiss, and everyone but our main character knows what it is. One thing that strikes Sylvia is that the residents are nowhere to be found during the hours of dusk. Sylvia's attempt to visit, and explore, the bridge finds her having an experience that just might explain the rash of suicides. After that, she teams up with a reclusive older woman to try and save the town.

It might feel like I've given a lot away in my synopsis, but not even close. From where I left off to the end of the story, we've got twists, we've got turns, and some serious surprises. I love it when a story leads me to believe that I'm heading in one direction, and then pulls the rug out from under my feet. At least I love it when it's well done, which Demmer does.

My one issue with The Town That Feared Dusk, is that even at 32 pages, the final act feels a little bit rushed. The amount that gets packed into the story could have made for a terrific 60-ish page novella. i've read stories that feel rushed at the ending, and give the reader the feeling like the author didn't quite know how to wrap things up. Not this one. This one reads more like the author knew exactly what they wanted to do, but felt a bit constrained by the form of the short story.

Regardless of pacing, this is another entry into the Short Sharp Shocks series that is well worth the 25 minutes it takes to read.