Scratch the surface of North Texas and the stereotypes of wide-open Western spaces with lots of football disappear, replaced by an endless series of contrasting images. Gleaming glass towers rise over stockyards redolent with the smell of livestock. Suburbs full of families sit just a few blocks from neon-lit nightlife districts. In any given neighborhood, you might hear conjunto music competing with country and western tunes. There are grimy bars and gleaming churches, funky stores and new shopping centers. Restaurants serving authentic Nepalese food stand near blue-plate-special diners.
The region confounds, denying easy explanation. The two cities that anchor the area are as different as hitching posts and valet stands. Fort Worth is the start of the West, clinging to its rough-and-tumble past. Dallas hews to the eastern half of the country, fancying itself a sophisticate. The two halves of North Texas are friendly rivals—frenemies, if you will—tied together by geography and the can-do spirit of the Lone Star State.
Nearly eight and a half million people live in the DFW Metroplex. Some were born here. Others moved to the area from every part of the country and beyond. The lives they lead, the hopes and dreams they possess, the sins they've committed—everything about this region provides fertile ground for the storyteller.
The authors in this volume understand the unique nature of the area. They grasp that a good tale comes from a strong sense of place, that characters are more than a collection of impulses and motivations. Stories are often forged by the land itself, shaped by their physical environment as much as anything else.
Such are the works contained in Boots, BBQ, and Bloodshed: Metroplex Mysteries, Volume 5, a collection that could only have come from this place and these writers.
What makes this book especially compelling is the range of perspectives collected under one cover. Each writer brings a distinct voice, shaped by experience, imagination, and a shared love of the genre. Together, they form a mosaic that reflects the region itself—diverse and layered, impossible to reduce to a single, easily defined point of view.
There's also a strong sense of community within this book. Collections like this one don't occur in a vacuum. What you hold in your hand is the result of collaboration, encouragement, and a shared belief in the power of storytelling. Writers supporting other writers, a skilled editor shaping and refining, and, lastly, readers bringing the final, essential ingredient: curiosity. That communal spirit is part of what gives this volume its energy. You can feel it in the variety and in the confidence of voices that know they are part of something larger.
As you delve into these pages, you may find yourself lingering on certain details: the rhythm of the dialogue, the crispness of an image, a line that hits just right. That's part of the experience. Mystery fiction rewards attention. It asks you to notice, to ponder, to connect the dots. It often leaves you with more than answers—perhaps a new understanding of people and the lives they lead.
Boots, BBQ, and Bloodshed represents a celebration of a unique place, as well as a chance to enjoy a crackerjack group of stories. This volume is also an opportunity to meet a talented group of writers who continue to push the mystery genre forward. Whether you're a longtime fan of crime fiction or new to the form, this collection offers something for everyone. The stories invite you to step into North Texas, to listen closely, and to see what lies beneath the surface.
So pour yourself a cup of coffee and find a comfortable spot to read. Follow the trail of clues and let these masterfully told stories take you on a journey.
