Rock and a Hard Place, Issue 6: Summer 2021 Paperback – August 10, 2021

All these stories in Rock and a Hard Place are an expression of loss. Grief at a life these characters could have had but exceeded their grasp. Fingertips brushing against their last chance at hope and fulfillment. Why do others get to have joy perhaps contentment and they don’t? Fine leave them no choice, they’ll earn it the only way they know how. They’ll beg, borrow and steal the life they long feel they’ve deserved. Only finding out at the end, gripping so tightly that they choked their new lives to death.A ton of stellar stories in Rock and a Hard Place’s Summer issue with a striking new cover design. These were a few stand-outs for me.“Diggers” by Matthew Lyons brings us to an unnamed prison where cadaverous Gand and squat Went scramble for their survival trapped inside with the nightmare walking Basken.With “Barman”, Jeff A. Esterholm crafted a tale about Freddie Everett whose long life has hardened his impulses and shown him there are options that can lead you to a different life even near the end.“We Had a Good Time, Until the End” is a crime thriller by Nick Kolakowski. Ry’s visit back home to New Orleans could have gone better if he hadn’t run into an old associate and his pistol.Dustin Walker writes about two neighbors who become close sharing some drinks and thoughts on a porch over an avoidable tragedy until one of the man’s thoughts become deeds in “Bend in the Road”.“The Six of Me” by Serena Jayne is a tale of lamentation. Mal wants to be a loving mother to her little Elle if only she could only get past the six worst parts of her identity and her ex-mother-in-law.

No crime fiction magazine has made strides in the last few years like Rock and a Hard Place. They’ve done it with great writing, stunning visuals, and a theme that’s both intriguing and relatable.The writing: It doesn’t get much better than this. R&HP consistently attracts talented writers who straddle the line between crime/noir and literary. This issue includes great writers I’m already a fan of and introduced me to others whom I’ll look out for in the future.The visuals: The magazine does a great job incorporating visual art. Lots of cool shots of down-and-out locales. Awesome cover art.The theme: Themed magazines can be tricky, but R&HP nails it. All the stories reflect on difficult circumstances and hardship. But the characters, tone, topic, and settings vary, keeping things interesting. This edition includes everything from darkly comedic crime tales to brutal stories bordering on horror. There are a million ways in life to wedge yourself between a rock and a hard place, and if you have a heart beating in your chest, you’ll relate to some of the tough spots these characters find themselves in.Personal favorites were hard to pick but I’ll go with:Nothing but the Ground Left by Joshua Murray: Sharp, well-written dialogue, full of heart, reads like a Cohen brothers scene.Bend in the Road by Dustin Walker: Great hook, fully-developed characters, one of those stories you have an idea where it’s going but the payoff is better than expected.Step Four by R.B. Miner: Don’t want to give away too much, but the shift in this story floored me.Barman by Jeff A. Esterholm: A masterclass in writing a tough, emotional story in only a few pages.

An excellent collection of brutal, and often touching shorts.