The latest anthology from the Mystery Writers of America offers a high quality assortment of stories propelled by human passions behind crimes both hot- and cold-blooded. Despite the participation of such noted authors as Coben, Charles Todd, Laura Lippman and R.L. Stine, the gems come from lesser knowns. The standout is Charles Ardai's "The Home Front," a noir tale that Cornell Woolrich fans will relish, recounting the travails of a WWII-era federal agent whose role in the accidental death of a black marketer haunts him and leads to further disaster. Brendon DuBois's "The Last Flight," a taut tale of revenge, and Lee Child's "Safe Enough," about a dark secret uniting an upscale woman and her electrician, will also linger for many readers. Cozy and fair-play fans won't find much specifically aimed at them, but fans of quality short fiction should be satisfied. (Aug.) Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Nineteen members of the Mystery Writers of America contribute to this anthology on how love can go horribly wrong. R.L. Stines's "Wifey" is one of the most unusual stories, while other contributions by Lee Child, Ridley Pearson, Laura Lippman, and Harlan Coben reveal the subject's breadth when in the hands of good storytellers. Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Despite reams of statistical evidence, marriage doesn't prolong men's lives-or women's either, according to 18 mostly new stories by members of the Mystery Writers of America. "I'm about to give away the ending," announces editor Coben (Promise Me, 2006, etc.) at the outset of his brief introduction. The sad truth: Despite a token handful of tales celebrating the power of love, most of these tales end badly for one or both spouses. Such a preordained outcome drastically limits the possibilities of surprise, and even the most successfully atmospheric of these stories-Ridley Pearson's husband desperate for news of his missing wife, Lee Child's naif who protects a rich wife from her abusive husband, Charles Ardai's WWII federal agent intent on consoling the woman he's accidentally widowed, Tom Savage's cyberdate from hell, Charles Todd's WWI wife waiting for news from the front, Jeff Abbott's estranged son dutifully helping his sick father end his life, Laura Lippman's call girl outed in her suburban private life by a blackmailing client, Jay Brandon's little-man suitor who's overwhelmed by marriage-depend more on ritual than novelty. Not that there's anything wrong with that, as supporters of marriage will attest. Others filling the unsurprising ranks include Brendan DuBois, William Kent Krueger, Jim Fusilli and R.L. Stine. The one spectacular shocker: Coben's own contribution, the one reprint here, in which a distraught wife can't convince anyone that the man calling herself her husband is an imposter.

"The narrators do a superb job, whether it's getting into the persona of a federal agent...or a hysterical wife...or re-creating a tense father-son situation." ---AudioFile

Eighteen fine mystery writers contribute to a collection of “love-and-hate stories” that, as editor Harlan Coben warns in the introduction, end badly for somebody. The narrators do a superb job, whether it's getting into the persona of a federal agent in "The Home Front" or a hysterical wife in Coben's "Entrapped" or setting the scene in "The Last Flight" or re-creating a tense father-son situation in "A Few Small Repairs." "Part Light, Part Memory," told by the daughter of a man lynched in 1865, will stick with listeners, as will the rat-a-tat-tat delivery of "Cyberdate.com." Good luck, though, to those who want to re-listen to a particular entry; neither the packaging nor the discs give any clue as to its location. That's the only flaw in this otherwise excellent production. J.B.G. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine