Short Story Collections
Perfectly Criminal (Martin Edwards ed)
Murder For Love (Otto Penzler ed)
Classical Whodunnits (Mike Ashley ed)
Sins Of The Fathers (Mark Bryant ed)
The Orion Book of Murder (Peter Haining ed)
Women On The Case (Sara Paretsky ed)

Perfectly Criminal (Martin Edwards ed)
See Reviews 1 & 2
Discover the secrets of the Perfect Crime...
Could you commit the perfect murder? Plan carefully, allow for every contingency, lay a false trail - get away with it?
If you find you need help, here are some tips from the masters of the art. From the suburbs of West London to the swimming pools of the South of France, and involving greed, lust and envy, you'll find the perfect crime analysed and laid out.
This sparkling collection of stories comes from the cream of the Crime Writers' Association. Each story concerns itself with the perfect crime; usually this means murder, though sometimes a death is merely the prelude to the crime itself. In the masterful hands of the authors collected here, the crime is not always what it appears to be; and the perfect criminal is not always the person you think it is. These are stories designed to intrigue, enthral and surprise you; in many ways, they are perfect.
The stories in Perfectly Criminal are collected and introduced by Martin Edwards. Each story is accompanied by a biography of the writer and in addition there is a foreword by the Chairman of the CWA.
Perfectly Criminal is the first in an annual series of crime anthologies published by Severn House in collaboration with the Crime Writers' Association. Each will feature original stories that showcase the depth and diversity of talent within the CWA.
The Stories:
Grave Import by Catherine Aird
Sheep’s Clothing by Kate Charles
Bits by Matt Coward
Abstain from Beans by Lindsey Davis
The Secret by Eileen Dewhurst
Where Do You Find Your Ideas? by Martin Edwards
The Perfect Imperfect by Gösta Gillberg
This Way Nobody Gets The Blame by Lesley Grant Adamson
The Perfect Murder Club by Reginald Hill
An (Almost) Perfect Alibi by H.R.F. Keating
Scots Bluid by Peter Lewis
Disposing of Mrs Cronk by Peter Lovesey
The Soul of Discretion by John Malcolm
Driving a Hard Bargain by Val McDermid
Moving On by Susan Moody
Herbert in Motion by Ian Rankin
The Cost of Living by Andrew Taylor
Choose Your Poison by Tony Wilmot
The Missing Link by Keith Wright
Martin Edwards has written five novels about the lawyer and amateur detective Harry Devlin; the first, All The Lonely People, was short-listed for the CWA John Creasey Memorial Award for the best first crime novel of 1991. The series has been optioned for television. He is also the author of five non-fiction books on legal topics and has edited three anthologies of regional crime writing on behalf of the CWA chapters in the North and East Anglia.

Murder For Love (Otto Penzler ed)
See Review
From hearts and flowers to erotic obsession, from crimes of passion in the present day to the savage gentility of the Victorian age, Murder for Love explores love and death in infinite variety; a unique and unprecedented collection of original, never-before-published short stories all written by bestselling authors. The ultimate recipe for love gone wrong, here are sixteen acclaimed writers - eight men and eight women - offering vastly different perspectives on love, murder and the opposite sex in short fiction that proves all passion lasts a lifetime - how ever brief that may be.
A stalker obsessed by his ex-wife . . . a lover compromised by blackmail . . . a spy betrayed by lust . . . a gangster who hits on the wrong women . . . a US deputy marshall who unwittingly takes on a bank robber in - and out of - bed . . . they’re a11 here in brilliant stories by the greatest names in international crime writing to satisfy every taste.
`There is a great difference between the stories written by the women in this book and those written by the men. Every story was written specifically for this volume, so the authors had a blank page. They could write whatever they wanted to, just so long as it was about romantic love gone wrong.
It is natural for there to be the usual stylistic differences, of course, but something else happened. Most of the stories by men showed a male protagonist outwitted by a woman, or brought to a bad end because of one. Most of the stories by women did exactly the same thing! The remarkable similarity illustrates how astonishingly different the two groups of stories are.'
The Stories:
DYING TIME by William J. Caunitz
FOR WHOM THE BEEP TOLLS by Carol Higgins Clark
DEFINITELY, A CRIME OF PASSION by Mary Higgins Clark
HOT SPRINGS by James Crumley
THE LOVING YOU GET by John Gardner
THE STALKER by Faye Kellerman
THE THINGS WE DO FOR LOVE by Jonathan Kellerman
KAREN MAKES OUT by Elmore Leonard
RED CLAY by Michael Malone
NANCY DREW REMEMBERS (A PARODY) by Bobbie Ann Mason
RUNNING FROM LEGS by Ed McBain
AT THE PARADISE MOTEL, SPARKS, NEVADA by Joyce Carol Oates
HEARTBREAK HOUSE by Sara Paretsky
THE BLACKMAILER by Anne Perry
FOR WHAT SHE HAD DONE by Shel Silverstein
TRUE CRIME by Donna Tartt
Otto Penzler is owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City and Los Angeles. He is the founder of The Mysterious Press and Otto Penzler Books. He received an Edgar Award for the Encyclopaedia of Mystery and Detection and was honoured by the Mystery Writers of America in 1994 with the Ellery Queen Award for his contributions in the publishing field.

Classical Whodunnits (Mike Ashley ed)
In the golden days of Ancient Greece and Rome, amidst the splendid art and architecture, the philosophy and politics - there was always a full measure of intrigue, mystery and murder.
In this new collection twenty-two writers take up their pens to give an enthralling picture of classical crime. Favourite historical detectives Gordianus the Finder, Decius Metellus and Sister Fidelma rub shoulders with eminent temporary sleuths such as Socrates and that honourable man Brutus, whilst other great names - Augustus, Archimedes and even the spoilt and beautiful goddess of love, Aphrodite herself - also become enmeshed in terrible and ingenious crimes.
The Stories:
APHRODITE'S TROJAN HORSE Amy Meyers
INVESTIGATING THE SILVIUS BOYS Lindsey Davis
THE GATEWAY TO DEATH Breni James
DEATH OF THE KING Theodorere Mathieson
THE FAVOUR OF A TYRANT Keith Taylor
THE WHITE FAWN Steven Saylor
THE STATUETTE OF RHODES John Maddox Roberts
THE THINGS THAT ARE CAESAR'S Edward D. Hoch
MURDERER, FAREWELL Ron Burns
A POMEGRANATE FOR PLUTO Claire Griffen
THE GARDENS OF TANTALUS Brian Stableford
A GREEN BOY Anthony Price MOSAIC Rosemary Aitken
THE BROTHER IN THE TREE Keith Heller
THE ASS’S HEAD Phyllis Ann Karr
THE NEST OF EVIL Wallace Nichols
IN THIS SIGN, CONQUER Nina-Gail Anderson & Simon Clark
LAST THINGS Darrell Schweitzer
BEAUTY MORE STEALTHY Mary Reed & Eric Mayer
THE POISONED CHALICE Peter Tremayne

Sins Of The Fathers (Mark Bryant ed)
See Reviews 1 and 2
Does the Devil have all the best crimes?
Here is a collection of the greatest tales of detection, mystery and crime, committed by and against the clergy, involving every one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Murder, suicide, exorcism, lust, hidden treasure, ghosts - all are vividly portrayed.
The Stories:
G.K.Chesterton: The Hammer of God
Agatha Christie: Sanctuary
M.R.James: The Treasure of Abbot Thomas
J.S.Fletcher: The Convict and The Clerics
E.F.Benson: The Hanging of Alfred Wadham
Saki: The Secret Sin of Septimus Brope
Arthur Conan Doyle: The Devil's Foot
Sherwood Anderson: The Strength of God
Sheridan Le Fanu: Green Tea
Guy de Maupassant: The Olive Grove
R.N.Barham: Grey Dolphin
Anton Chekhov: The Black Monk
John Galsworthy: A Fisher of Men
Arthur Gray: Brother John's Bequest
Mark Bryant was born in Dorset and is a philosophy graduate of the University of London. A freelance editor and writer, he has published several books including the bestselling anthologies He lives in London.

The Orion Book of Murder
(Peter Haining ed) See Review
The Orion Book of Murder brings together three phases of murder - the lawbreakers, famous police detectives and the private eyes. With stories from leading writers this is surely a unique collection of the world's greatest crime stories.
The Stories:
Crime ...
SERIAL KILLER: `Man With a Hobby' by Robert Bloch
POISONER : `Accident' by Agatha Christie
STRANGLER: `Evidence in Camera' by Margery Allingham
GANGSTER: `Round Trip' by W. R. Burnett
SADIST: `Morning Visit' by James Hadley Chase
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY: `Murder Comes Easy' by Evan Hunter
CONMAN: `The Flaw in the System' by Jim Thompson
BLACKMAILER: `Blurred View' by John D. MacDonald
FRAUD: `The Sweetest Man in the World' by Donald E. Westlake
ASSASIN: `Prediction' by Chester Himes
KIDNAPPER: `Going Through The Motions' by Lawrence Block
CRIME OF PASSION: `The Corder Figure' by Peter Lovesey
PETTY CROOK: `Gravy Train' by James Ellroy
STALKER: `A Flash of White' by Andrew Vachss
PROFESSIONAL KILLER: `Remain Nameless' by Lynda La Plante
Detection ...
CONSTABLE NICK ROWAN on the track of `A Case of Christmas Spirit' by Nicholas Rhea
SERGEANT PATRICK PETRELLA puzzles out the story of `The Second Skin' by Michael Gilbert
INSPECTOR COCKRILL investigates the dilemma of the `Blood Brothers' by Christianna Brand
INSPECTOR JOHN POOLE makes his enquiries into murder in ‘Duello' by Henry Wade
INSPECTOR JOSEPH FRENCH looks into the railway drama of ‘The Suitcase' by Freeman Wills Crofts
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR CHARLES RESNICK and a case of ‘Confirmation' by John Harvey
DETECTIVE INSPECTOR JOHN REBUS on duty at Hogmanay in ‘Auld Lang Syne' by Ian Rankin
DETECTIVE CHIEF INSPECTOR WILFRED DOVER reluctantly solved in `Sweating It Out With Dover' by Joyce Porter
CHIEF INSPECTOR REGINALD WEXFORD and the problems of ‘Clutching at Straws' by Ruth Rendell
CHIEF INSPECTOR MORSE On the track of `The Burglar' by Colin Dexter
CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT ANDREW DALZIEL up to his neck in ‘Where The Snow Lay Dinted' by Reginald Hill
CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT RODERICK ALLEYN is called in to investigate `The Little Copplestone Mystery' by Ngaio Marsh
COMMANDER GEORGE GIDEON gets at the truth of `Gideon and Young Toughs' by John Creasey
CHIEF CONSTABLE SIR CLINTON DRIFFIELD and a medical puzzle, `Before Insulin', by J. J. Connington
COMMISSIONER SIR JOHN APPLEBY solves the crime behind ‘The Memorial Service' by Michael Innes
Punishment ...
Private Eye, SHARON MCCONE , on a ground-breaking case ‘Somewhere in the City' by Marcia Muller
Avenger, FIDELITY DOVE, exposing the truth of `A Classic Forgery' Roy Vickers
Consulting Detective, SHERLOCK HOLMES, weighs up the evidence in 'The Adventure of the Abergavenny Murder' by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Gentleman Cracksman, A.J.RAFFLES, encounters a sinister adversary in `Raffles and the Dangerous Game' by Barry Perowne
The Saint, aka SIMON TEMPLAR, at his most plausible in `The Smashing of Another Racket' by Leslie Charteris
Private Eye, SAM SPADE, reflects on the dangers of his profession in ‘They Can Only Hang You Once' by Dashiell Hammett
Private Detective SLIM CALLAGHAN , uncovers a wartime racket in ‘Black Out' by Peter Cheyney
Private Eye, LEW ARCHER, takes on a Case not usually in his line in ‘The Sleeping Dog' by Ross Macdonald
Government Agent, SELENA MEAD, gets no rest while searching for ‘Caribbean Clues' by Patricia McGerr
Detective, VIRGIL TIBBS, spots the telltale racial element in `Virgil Tibbs and the Fallen Body' by John Ball
Detective, PHARAOH LOVE , at his most outrageously camp in the case of the `Full Moon' by George Baxt
The Executioner, aka MACK BOLAN, poised for action in `Willing Kill' by Don Pendleton
Investigative Journalist, JEMIMA SHORE, visits a grim Scottish castle to solve the mystery of `The Bottle Dungeon' by Antonia Fraser
Private Investigator, V.I.WARSHAWSKI, making her reputation in the case of `The Takamoku Joseki' by Sara Paretsky
Private Investigator, KINSEY MILHONE, discovers the terrible reason why `She Didn't Come Home' by Sue Grafton
Peter Haining is an internationally-known anthologist and writer on crime fiction whose books have been published in over a dozen languages. He is a 1992 Edgar nominee by the Mystery Writers of America for his recent Centenary study of Agatha Christie's work on stage, film, radio and TV, Murder In Four Acts. Peter Haining is married with three children and lives in rural Suffolk.

Women On The Case
(Sara Paretsky ed) See Review
Sara Paretsky presents women's stories of crime and punishment on a global stage, with voices from home and abroad in a chorus whose individual voices celebrate women today and who take us from private eye purgatory to tourist's paradise, from the mean streets of despair to gilded hell in consumer heaven.
Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Antonia Fraser, Sara Paretsky and Linda Barnes demonstrate their keen insight into the twisted byways of the human mind. Irina Muravyova shows what powers women may call on in order to survive. Nevada Barr digs too deep for lie to go undetected. Linda Grant turns to Shakespeare to solve a murder. Liza Cody depicts how a race to plastic surgery for a fresh face and an empty mind leads to oblivion. Here indeed are Women on the Case, from favourite sleuths such as Jemima Shore, Carlotta Carlyle and VI.Warshawski, to wives, mothers, lawyers, politicians, writers, professional assassins and more, in twenty six tales that plumb the depth and breath of a woman’s art.
The Stories:
P.M.Carlson `PARTIES UNKNOWN BY THE JURY; OR, THE VALOUR OF MY TONGUE'
Nancy Picard `A ROCK AND A HARD PLACE'
Liza Cody `SOLAR ZITS'
Ruth Rendell `THE ASTRONOMICAL SCARF'
Irina Muravyova `ON THE EDGE'
Eleanor Taylor Bland `NIGHTFIRE'
Nevada Barr `BENEATH THE LILACS'
Frances Fyfield `NOTHING TO LOSE'
Elizabeth George `THE SURPRISE OF HIS LIFE'
Amel Benaboura `ONLY A WOMAN'
Dorothy Salisbury Davis `MILES TO GO'
Andrea Smith `A LESSON IN MURDER'
Linda Barnes `MISS GIBSON'
Susan Geason `GREEN MURDER'
Amanda Cross `THE BARONESS'
Pieke Biermann `7.62'
Susan DunLap `I'LL GET BACK TO YOU'
Helga Anderle `SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER'
Dicey Scroggins Jackson `DREAMS OF HOME'
Linda Grant `HAMLET'S DILEMMA'
Myriam Laurini `LOST DREAMS'
Antonia Fraser `A WITCH AND HER CATS'
Barbara Wilson `BELLADONNA'
Sara Paretsky `PUBLICITY STUNTS'
Marcia Muller `THE CRACKS IN THE SIDEWALK'
Lia Matera `PERFORMANCE CRIME'