Black Evening by David Morrell
Originally Published: 1999
Black Evening by David Morrell is a collection of his short stories from the 1970’s to early 1990’s. Touted as Tales of Dark Suspense, they focus on fear. Fear of loss, fear of pain, fear of madness. What makes these short stories truly interesting, is that each is accompanied by a brief synopsis of why Morrell wrote them, and his state of mind at the time. Some of these were written before and after the death of his son. This makes the collection very personal, a bit sad, and just a tad scary. Overall, it is a great collection.
A brief description of my favorites from this collection:
The Dripping………A man returns home to his mother’s house, expecting to find his wife and child, and instead finds a basement dripping with milk. Rather Strange.
Black Evening…….The investigation into the stench coming from an old mansion proves to be more than hoarding.
The Typewriter…..Loved this one. A starving artist purchases a strange old typewriter that apparently writes bestsellers, all on its own. When it breaks, so does his mind.
But at My Back I Always Hear…..A college professor is stalked by one of his students who swears he is communicating with her telepathically. This was really good!
The Storm…..A man disrespects an Indian Medicine Man, and then can’t escape the storm. Really liked this one.
Mumbo Jumbo……..A high school football team has a strange mascot. Interesting.
The Beautiful Uncut Hair of Graves………When a man loses his parents and finds adoption papers in his father’s safe, he starts his own investigation. Really good!
Dark at Heart……A man who has lost his wife and son in a tragic accident, now loses two friends who had also suffered a loss.
Known for introducing the world to Rambo, David Morrell is a very talented writer. And he’s originally from Kitchener Ontario Canada (right next door to me!)
I definitely enjoyed the collection.
Read: May 2017
About the Author: David Morrell is a Canadian novelist who now lives in the U.S. He is best known for his debut 1972 novel First Blood, which would later become a successful film franchise starring Sylvester Stallone. Morrell is an Edgar, Anthony, Thriller, and Arthur Ellis finalist, a Nero and Macavity winner, and a three-time recipient of the distinguished Bram Stoker Award from the Horror Writers Association.
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