A mystery anthology featuring the best short fiction by women writers includes twenty-one original stories by P.M. Carlson, Susan Dunlap, Jeanne Hart, Lia Matera, and others

Fat, unlovely Roberta Teys is found beside her father's headless corpse, wearing her best dress and with an axe in her lap. Her first words are: 'I did it. And I am not sorry' and she refuses to say more. Inspector Thomas Lynley and DS Barbara Havers are sent by Scotland Yard to solve this particularly gruesome murder. And as they navigate their way around a dark labyrinth of secret scandals and appalling crimes, they uncover a series of shocking revelations that shatter the facade of the peaceful Yorkshire village.

Featuring contributions from some of today's best-known women mystery writers including Sue Henry, Barbara D'Amato, Carolyn Hart, and Sara Paretsky, this thrilling collection is filled with fear, murder, suspense, and revenge. Original.

For many years, some of the most vital, creative, and exciting fiction published in America has been in the field of mystery, crime, and suspense. Now Robert B. Parker and Otto Penzler - both Edgar winners - have assembled the best that 1996 had to offer: twenty terrific, titillating tales from such masters of the genre as Elmore Leonard, Elizabeth George, James Crumley, Jonathan Kellerman, and Andrew Klavan, newcomers such as Brad Watson, and well-known literary writers such as Joyce Carol Oates and Michael Malone.

The "Evidence Exposed": The two-week course on 'Great Houses of Britain' brings together a varied group of enthusiasts. When one of their number turns up dead, Inspector Thomas Lynley makes a cameo appearance. "I, Richard": Malcolm Cousins has spent years in the single-minded pursuit of a priceless letter, probably written by Richard III on the eve of the Battle of Bosworth. But does he want it enough to kill for it? "The Surprise of His Life": When Douglas Armstrong has his first consultation with Thistle McCloud, he has no intention of murdering his wife. His mind, in fact, doesn't turn to murder until two weeks after consultation number four.

From lethal spikes to fatal kisses, from mad dogs to battle-crazed Englishmen, here indeed is Murder and Obsession, a star-studded collection of previously unpublished short mysteries. In the wickedly entertaining tradition of his acclaimed collections Murder for Love and Murder for Revenge, award-winning editor Otto Penzler has once again gathered the best of the best, fifteen bestselling authors who dare to explore a deliciously chilling subject: obsession at its most insidious.Her toenails were bloodred, her lips were blue in Edna Buchanan's "The Red Shoes," a riveting tale that takes us into the life of an alcoholic-turned-foot-fetishist who steps into the middle of a murder. What happens when a hard-nosed insurance investigator lights up a joint and sniffs out a case of arson? It's a tale that only Elmore Leonard could tell, in "Sparks." Then there's "Slow Burn," Eric Van Lustbader's gripping story of a beautiful detective torn among obsessions--a past injustice, a consuming passion, and a savage crime that links them both. Elizabeth George reaches into English history in "I, Richard," as an academic obsessed by a priceless artifact plots a deadly course of seduction--only to discover that fate is the most quixotic mistress of all. But "Barking at Butterflies" is a story straight out of today's headlines: Ed McBain's tale of a man who goes barking mad when a yappy Maltese takes over his life. Can the devil make you do it? Joyce Carol Oates has the answer as she plumbs the darkest recesses of possession in "The Vampire."A paranoid cop smokes out an unseen perpetrator... a minor annoyance mushrooms into a major crime... an aging voyeur is lured into self-destruction by a teenage temptress seen through a crack in the wall... It's a devil's brew of Murder and Obsession in nine more mesmerizing stories by Kent Anderson, Amanda Cross, James Crumley, Philip Friedman, James W. Hall, Dennis Lehane, Michael Malone, Anne Perry, and Shel Silverstein, America's favorite writers exploring the depths of obsession--for the height of bone-chilling fun.

Why exists this fascination with crime on the part of female writers? Bestselling novelist Elizabeth George poses this question in her Introduction, answers it with her customary elegance and illustrates it with a rich and varied collection of international writers, some household names; others buried treasures waiting to be rediscovered. The stories have locations as diverse as Africa and the Caribbean, London and Los Angeles, San Francisco and Switzerland. Some are modern; some period. Some feature well-known sleuths - Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson, Jemina Shore - or notorious villains - Jack the Ripper; others are tales of 'ordinary' people caught up in out of the ordinary events. All of them share in common a desire to explore mankind in a moment on the edge. The edge equates to the crime committed. How the characters deal with the edge is the story.

New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George serves up a century's worth of superb crime fiction penned by women. This veritable all-star team delivers tales of dark deeds that will keep you reading long into the night. Included are these works: \n"A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell The Summer of People" by Shirley Jackson "The Irony of Hate" by Ruth Rendell "Country Lovers" by Nadine Gordimer "Wild Mustard" by Marcia Muller "Murder-Two" by Joyce Carol Oates \nA Moment on the Edge is a rare treat not only for fans of crime fiction but also for anyone who appreciates a skillfully written, deftly told story.

“What you’ll find in this volume are stories that demonstrate a mastery of plotting; stories that compel you to keep turning the pages because of plot and because of setting; stories that wield suspense like a sword; stories of people getting their comeuppance; stories that utilize superb point of view; stories that plumb one particular and unfortunate attribute of a character,” promises guest editor Elizabeth George in her introduction. The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 is a feast of both literary crime and hard-boiled detection, featuring a seemingly innocent murderer, a drug dealer in love, a drunken prank gone terribly wrong, and plenty of other surprising twists and turns.The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 includes STEVE ALMOND, MEGAN ABBOTT, MATT BELL, LYDIA FITZPATRICK, TOM FRANKLIN, STEPHEN KING, ELMORE LEONARD, KRISTINE KATHRYN RUSCH and othersELIZABETH GEORGE, guest editor, is the New York Times and internationally best-selling author of twenty British crime novels featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his unconventional partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers. Her crime novels have been translated into thirty languages and featured on television by the BBC. OTTO PENZLER, series editor, is a renowned mystery editor, publisher, columnist, and owner of New York’s The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest and largest bookstores solely dedicated to mystery fiction. He has edited more than fifty crime-fiction anthologies.

Specially commissioned by the Mysterious Bookshop, the “bibliomysteries” in this unique collection feature original stories by the genre’s most distinguished authors: Ian Rankin, Thomas Perry, Joyce Carol Oates, Megan Abbott, and Elizabeth George.If you like mysteries and you like books, what could be better than combining both worlds, with mysteries set against a background involving books?Ian Rankin sets his tale of the lost original manuscript of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in the legendary Shakespeare & Co., while F. Paul Wilson offers a book with remarkable powers. Joyce Carol Oates portrays an overly ambitious dealer in mystery fiction, while James Grady has the “Condor” working in the Library of Congress. Stephen Hunter tells a previously unknown story of Alan Turing set during World War I—involving a book that could change the history of the world—and Peter Lovesey writes about a box full of Agatha Christie titles that just may be priceless. Carolyn Hart’s story is about an astonishing inscription in a book, while Megan Abbott and Denise Mina add their Edgar-nominated stories to this stellar collection.Whether your taste is for the traditional mystery, something a little more hard-boiled, or the bizarre and humorous tale, you will find exactly your cup of tea in this outstanding collection of fifteen stories by the most distinguished mystery writers working today.

This text contains three tales: "The Evidence Exposed", a course brings together a group of enthusiasts; "I, Richard", Malcolm Cousins has spent years in pursuit of a letter, but will he kill for it?; and "The Surprise of His Life", Douglas Armstrong has his first consultation with Thistle McCloud.

"Exceptional. . . . Intelligent, surprising, sexy, funny, compassionate and wise."--Washington Post From #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George, a stunning mystery featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley that explores the perfect crime. After the senseless murder of his pregnant wife, Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley hands in his badge and walks out of Scotland Yard. He goes home to Cornwall. The only way he can deal with his painful memories is to hike the trails over the cliffs of the Cornish coast. There, on the forty-third day of his walk, he finds the lifeless body of a young man, dead from a fall. Thus begins a quest to unmask a clever and ruthless murderer. But this time, Lynley's not in charge. He's a witness--and possibly even a suspect. The vastly understaffed local copper in charge of the investigation soon figures out that Lynley can help. So can his former associate Barbara Havers, whom Scotland Yard sends to Cornwall, ostensibly to assist in the investigation, but unofficially to keep an eye on Lynley and maybe lure him back to his job.

“Elizabeth George reigns as queen of the mystery genre. The Lynley books constitute the smartest, most gratifyingly complex and impassioned mystery series now being published.” —Entertainment Weekly\\nOne of the most acclaimed entries in Elizabeth George’s New York Times bestselling Inspector Lynley series—a masterfully structured, multilayered jigsaw puzzle of a mystery rich with intrigue and atmosphere\nOn compassionate leave after the murder of his wife, Thomas Lynley is called back to Scotland Yard when the body of a woman is found stabbed and abandoned in an isolated London cemetery. His former team welcomes his return; they don’t trust their new department chief, Isabelle Ardery, whose off-putting manner leaves them on edge. Lynley may be the sole person who can see beneath his superior officer's hard-as-nails exterior to a hidden—and compelling—vulnerability.\nWhile Lynley works in London, his former colleagues Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata follow the murder trail south to the New Forest—a beautiful and strange place where animals roam free, the long-lost art of thatching is very much alive, and outsiders are suspect. What they don't know is that more than one dark secret lurks within the secluded woodlands, and that their investigation will lead them to an outcome that is both tragic and shocking.

#1 New York Times bestselling author of The Punishment She Deserves Elizabeth George has millions of fans following her Inspector Lynley series. As USA Today put it, "It's tough to resist George's storytelling, once hooked." With Believing the Lie, she's poised to hook countless more.Inspector Thomas Lynley is mystified when he's sent undercover to investigate the death of Ian Cresswell at the request of the man's uncle, the wealthy and influential Bernard Fairclough. The death has been ruled an accidental drowning, and nothing on the surface indicates otherwise. But when Lynley enlists the help of his friends Simon and Deborah St. James, the trio's digging soon reveals that the Fairclough clan is awash in secrets, lies, and motives.\nDeborah's investigation of the prime suspect--Bernard's prodigal son Nicholas, a recovering drug addict--leads her to Nicholas's wife, a woman with whom she feels a kinship, a woman as fiercely protective as she is beautiful. Lynley and Simon delve for information from the rest of the family, including the victim's bitter ex-wife and the man he left her for, and Bernard himself. As the investigation escalates, the Fairclough family's veneer cracks, with deception and self-delusion threatening to destroy everyone from the Fairclough patriarch to Tim, the troubled son Ian left behind.

The unspoken secrets and buried lies of one family rise to the surface in this stunning crime drama featuring Scotland Yard members Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, from #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George.\\nAs Inspector Thomas Lynley investigates the London angle of an ever more darkly disturbing case, his partner, Barbara Havers, is looking behind the peaceful façade of country life to discover a twisted world of desire and deceit.\\nThe suicide of William Goldacre is devastating to those left behind who will have to deal with its unintended consequences—could there be a link between the young man's leap from a Dorset cliff and a horrific poisoning in Cambridge?\\nAfter various issues with her department, Barbara Havers is desperate to redeem herself. So when a past encounter gives her a connection to the unsolved Cambridge murder, Barbara begs Thomas Lynley to let her pursue the crime, knowing one mistake could mean the end of her career.\nFull of shocks, intensity, and suspense from the first page to the last, A Banquet of Consequences reveals both Lynley and Havers under mounting pressure to solve a case both complicated and deeply disturbing.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERDetective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley are forced to confront the past as they try to solve a crime that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of a quiet, historic medieval town in EnglandThe cozy, bucolic town of Ludlow is stunned when one of its most revered and respected citizens--Ian Druitt, the local deacon--is accused of a serious crime. Then, while in police custody, Ian is found dead. Did he kill himself? Or was he murdered?When Barbara Havers is sent to Ludlow to investigate the chain of events that led to Ian's death, all the evidence points to suicide. But Barbara can't shake the feeling that she's missing something. She decides to take a closer look at the seemingly ordinary inhabitants of Ludlow--mainly elderly retirees and college students--and discovers that almost everyone in town has something to hide.A masterful work of suspense, The Punishment She Deserves sets Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Inspector Thomas Lynley against one of their most intricate cases. Fans of the longtime series will love the many characters from Elizabeth George's previous novels who join Lynley and Havers, and readers new to the series will quickly see why she is one of the most popular and critically acclaimed writers of our time. Both a page-turner and a deeply complex story about the lies we tell, the lies we believe, and the redemption we need, this novel will be remembered as one of George's best.

Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley are back in the next Lynley novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George. When a police detective is taken off life support after falling into a coma, only an autopsy reveals the murderous act that precipitated her death. She'd been working on a special task force within North London's Nigerian community, and Acting Detective Superintendent Thomas Lynley is assigned to the case, which has far-reaching cultural associations that have nothing to do with life as he knows it. In his pursuit of a killer determined to remain hidden, he's assisted by Detective Sergeants Barbara Havers and Winston Nkata. They must sort through the lies and the secret lives of people whose superficial cooperation masks the damage they do to one another.