Review of "Jack Shade in the Forest of Souls" by Rachel Pollack

"Jack Shade in the Forest of Souls" by Rachel Pollack appears in the July/August edition of Fantasy & Science Fiction.  A "Traveler" is hired to free the trapped spirit of a man's dead wife.

Written in the noir style, this paranormal thriller introduces Jack Shade--gambler, tough guy, and Traveler to the dimension of the dead.  I happen to enjoy the noir, hard-boiled detective genre, so I immediately fell in love with this story and with Jack Shade.  Those that do not share this predilection may not enjoy this tale or appreciate the actions of the protagonist.

The story starts as a noir mystery, morphs to paranormal horror story, and ends with a twist.  I hope we will hear more from Ms. Pollack and her interesting character, Jack.