Authors are often told not to read reviews. I don’t fully subscribe to that philosophy because I believe that there is something to be gained from reviews and learning what impresses a given reviewer.

A one-star review that says “I didn’t read the book because I didn’t like the cover,” or “The author obviously doesn’t know how the street runs” without acknowledging that the street ran one way in 1970, when the book was set, but was changed in 2001, doesn’t help me grow as a writer (plus it brings down the reviewer average). But, delving into what reviewers say and how their minds work can be especially helpful.

I’ve been very fortunate that the reviews for With Our Bellies Full and The Fire Dying, a collection of eighteen of my short stories that deal with family and friends and their sins and sometime redemption, have been uniformly good. What’s been interesting though is that each reviewer has focused on different things:

Dru Ann Love of Dru’s Musings addressed only the lighter stories in a duo posting with Kristopher Zgorzki of Bolo Books, who discussed the darker pieces.He described six stories before concluding: “This is Where I Buried My Wives” – This is my favorite story in the collection. A man and his new wife have a picnic lunch on the hill overlooking the graves of his previous wives. Readers will feel the tension in the air from the first sentence to the inevitable conclusion. This is a perfect example of how a dark tale can be told in non-graphic ways without losing any of the impact. … This is just a sampling of the excellent stories included in With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying. All fans of short crime fiction should include this book in their personal libraries.” https://bolobooks.com/2025/02/with-our-bellies-full-and-the-fire-dying-the-bolo-books-review/

Dru Ann examined ten lighter stories and found “With this collection of crime fiction short stories, Debra H. Goldstein takes us to the light side and the dark side where they all have one theme in common – mischief and mayhem. … These were all terrific reads…” https://drusbookmusing.com/my-musing-with-our-bellies-full-and-the-fire-dying/

Veronica George reviewed the stories from the different perspective of murder and the law for A Slice of Orange. She wrote, “Don’t be fooled by the title. This is not a book about morality or religion. Far from it. It’s all about….MURDER … In this collection of eighteen award-winning short mysteries, everyday people find themselves caught up in events and circumstances that challenge and test them, and that reveal the thoughts and intentions of their hearts…. Goldstein is masterful at creating interest and intrigue, building suspense, and adding her signature twist at the end of each tale. … Debra’s years as a judge and litigator, combined with her skills as a storyteller, make for a perfect combination that, in these mysteries, introduce us to a diverse group of characters with a variety of motives for murder. Yet, where no one is above the law…unless you don’t get caught, or the law covers up for you. https://www.asliceoforange.net/with-our-bellies-full-and-the-fire-dying-a-review-by-veronica-jorge/

Victoria Weisfeld fell in love with character voices, especially those that were children. She opined: “What’s most fun about reading this collection is how varied the stories are, even with the frequent appearance of something delicious. … A number of the stories feature children, precocious ones for the most part, like the son of the sheriff who not only discovers a body, but analyzes the crime scene based on his Magic of Forensic Science book. One I especially liked was “The Girls in Cabin Three,” made up solely of letters home from a teenage camper, whose reports must have horrified her parents! Although the stories are short, Goldstein loads in some compelling surprises, as in her story about a homeless encampment, “So Beautiful or So What,” where characters aren’t necessarily what they seem. Do they all get redemption? The lucky ones do.

Overall, Goldstein’s writing is clear and entertaining, capturing her characters and their outlook on life—good, bad, self-centered, or magnanimous—most convincingly.”- Victoria Weisfeld – https://vweisfeld.com/?p=11344

Finally, E.B. Davis focused on plots and characterizations. “Thankfulness, forgiveness, redemption and sometimes sinful denial are the result of living and are ways of coping with life’s dilemmas. Debra presents situations that are down-home real, and some are scary, pouncing on the reader like unaware prey. While reading, I heard the varied voices of characters, from youngsters of both sexes, several lawyers, to the old black men. Many stories were set in the South, which is unsurprising since that’s where Debra has lived.” – E.B. Davis – Writers Who Kill – https://writerswhokill.blogspot.com/2025/02/an-interview-with-debra-h-goldstein-by.html

By reading each of these reviews, I gained greater insight into how my work reverberates with readers which will allow me to understand how to emphasize and clarify things in stories to come.

With Our Bellies Full and the Fire Dying, is a collection of eighteen award-winning short mysteries, from cozy to dark, centering around family and friends, their sins and their sometimes redemption.

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