Zagreb Noir: A short story collection edited by Evan Srsen

If you are reading this on Thursday June 5, then I am in Croatia. I have wanted to go to Croatia for a long time, but other countries such as Thailand, Brazil and Argentina seemed more pressing. Now finally is the time for Jeff and I to see what so many of our friends have been talking about. We will be going to Dubrovnik, Hvar and Split, by way of Frankfurt. As I was packing before the trip, this book arrived from Amazon. I was surprised because there was no gift note, and I had not told that many people where Jeff and I were going on vacation. I could not stand the suspense. I logged into my Amazon account, and began a lengthy chat to uncover the identity of the sender. Finally, when the bot said, “The sender was Kathleen Marshall.” I now had my answer. My sister knows that I like to read a book set in the destination where I am traveling. This was a perfect gift. “Zagreb Noir” is a dark collection of short stories set in Zagreb, which is the capital of Croatia. The collection incorporates the Eastern European history of the county along with a modern perspective on what the city feels like today. Hopefully I am reading this book on the island of Hvar with a Rakija, or fruit brandy, in my hand under a blue umbrella. Zivjeli! To buy this book on Amazon click here.