Marano, Michael - Stories From The Plague Years

Be not misled by the cover. Plague more often refers to AIDs, or drug addiction, instead of cholera or bubonic.
Likewise, do not be put off by the Cemetery Dance imprint, usually associated with pumpkins, Halloween, and coming-of-age nightmares. Breezy beach reads.
Not this outing.
Marano’s prose is dense, his style thickly textured, frequently elliptical with opening scenes returning by the conclusion.

“Displacement” listens to a creative serial killer. Why victims were chosen, and why an especially inventive method of dispatch employed.
The murderer, Dean, is a compelling, if arrogant, study. Unfortunately, the author seemed to tire of him by the end, and the tone shifted abruptly and, to my mind, not for the better.

“Little Round Head” is a stolen infant, probably human, possibly a discarded abortion, fostered by sewer rats. Throughout, I recalled the Harlen Ellison tale, “Croatoan”.

The final story, “Shibboleth”, is prescient, foretelling a global pandemic, the disruption and collapse of the supply chain, armed militias. The youthful pair venture out from the fortified city of Boston, hoping for improved chances in greener environments. Instead, they discover when lack of order occurs, human nature and good will plummets.
An ugly, telling prediction, and one we continue to tread closer to.