Gutterballs by Cindy Rosmus. A Fossil Publication (88 pgs.) No price listed.

If David Goodis and Patricia Highsmith had a torrid affair and produced a child, their literary offspring might well turn out to be Cindy Rosmus. In this, her second collection in less than a year, Rosmus proves that her first book was not a fluke. Rosmus' fictional forays are at once gritty and ironic and fueled by rage and sex. Readers of this ezine will recognize two of the stories as both "Touch Me," and "Geminis" first appeared here. So sue me, I may be a little biased, but I think this book kicks major booty!

From the title story, in which a homophobic alpha male gets sucked (pun intended, forgive me) into a liason with a transexual, to the tale of a pregnant alcoholic trying to make the best of a bad situation, Rosmus proves herself to be a Gun Mol of the written word. spitting out short sentences in a scattergun rhythm. She paints the picture of a bleak, back street world, peopled with damaged characters fumbling their way through the dark. There is nothing kind about these stories. They are quietly horrific and show no remorse. There is a sense of urgency in the author's style as well, as if there were a long fuse running through the lines of prose that blow up in your face at any time. These stories are not for the weak. If your idea of a good read is an afternoon at the beach with a romance novel, you will not like this collection. If you like your fiction dark and dangerous with a hefty dose of violence, these fifteen stories will give you a nosebleed.