From Publishers Weekly
Happy Valentine's Day. Hart has assembled 14 mystery authors with proven track records as short story writers. The result is a collection of original tales that offers wildly varying takes on the trials, tribulations, comedy and mayhem that accompany our search for love. Most authors have eschewed series characters, but Dorothy Cannell's sly offering features Hyacinth and Primrose Tramwell. Gar Anthony Haywood puts his fine touch on a last-laugh type of story as a rich, suspicious husband and his oh-so-patient wife approach the end game of their married life. Peter Robinson leaves the usual haunts of his Alan Banks novels for an affecting story of love and murder during the student-led rebellion in Paris in 1968. Sisters in Crime is well represented by founding members and past presidents (Susan Dunlap, Nancy Pickard, Marilyn Wallace, Margaret Maron and Hart). Maron's delightful story uses a Manhattan setting as a hassled mother and her latchkey daughter overcome a major glitch in their careful plans. Ed Gorman adds a touch of fantasy to his story of lost love, while Eve K. Sandstrom goes native with an island tale of a woman forced to sacrifice her child unless the shaman's verdict can be overcome. M.D. Lake, Kathy Hogan Trocheck, Jean Hager and the team of Robert J. Randisi and Christine Matthews complete the roster. (Jan. 9) Forecast: A strong anthology by veteran authors who have a slew of major awards for their short stories, this title should get a boost from its pre-Valentine release and is a natural for prominent display around Feb 14th. A colorful cover featuring hearts (including one on a smoking gun) will attract browsers. Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
These 14 tales of death and desire, written especially for this anthology, should appeal to most mystery lovers. Contributors include Gar Anthony Haywood, Margaret Maron, Kathy Hogan Trocheck, and Susan Dunlap. For all collections. Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Fourteen tales spin round the title of this collection, as light as a boxful of meringues with dark centers. Whipped up by some well-known names, each highlights a twist, a turn, or simply a fluke when murder meets Cupid--or not. Dorothy Cannell's winsome elderly sisters Hyacinth and Primrose solve an old mystery, a bit underhandedly, and make sure that young lovers are not foiled by her controlling parent. Margaret Maron tells a lovely tale of wish-fulfillment involving a bookseller and a harried mom with day-care issues. Carolyn Hart's World War II tale manages to combine home-front courage with youthful heartbreak, and Peter Robinson's "April in Paris" paints its '60s excess nicely. Several pairs of lovers double-cross each other in satisfying ways, and the whole won't take readers any longer to finish than their Valentine chocolates. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
If you love a good mystery-or a mystery about lovers-you'll adore this all-new collection of fourteen seductively sinister tales...

Carolyn Hart offers a homespun tale of the WWII home front, as a small-town family squabble breaks wide open over a theft, and the suspect's sweetheart is the only one who believes him...

Gar Anthony Haywood exposes a wealthy widow who thinks life after (her husband's) death is simply heavenly, only to discover that when you marry for money, there's hell to pay...

Nancy Pickard tells a tale of two lovers at the end of their relationship who warily witness a lonely woman trying to tie things up-before her own untimely end...

Peter Robinson probes a dying man's memories of the Paris riots of 1968, when his obsession with a woman led him to the brink of madness-and into the heart of murder...

Also featuring stories from Dorothy Cannell, Eve Sandstrom, M.D. Lake, Ed Gorman, Jean Hager, Margaret Maron, Robert J. Randisi and Christine Matthews, Susan Dunlap, Kathy Hogan Trocheck, and Marilyn Wallace.


From the Publisher
6 1.5-hour cassettes


About the Author
Carolyn Hart is the author of Death on Demand and the Henrie O series. Her books have won the Agatha, the Anthony and Macavity awards. She was a founding member and is a former president of Sisters in Crime. Her most recent title is White Elephant Dead.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

These original stories from today's finest crime and suspense writers prove that while love may be blind, it can still aim straight for the heart. Featuring a "murderer's row" of the most widely read. award-winning authors in the world of mystery.

Carolyn Hart offers a homespun tale of the WWII home front; a small-town family squabble breaks wide open over a theft, and the suspect's best friend is the only one who believes he is innocent. Gar Anthony Haywood exposes a wealthy new widow who thinks life after (her husband's) death is simply heavenly, only to discover that, when you marry for money, sometimes there's hell to pay. Nancy Pickard tells a tale of two lovers at the end of their relationship who witness a lonely woman trying to tie things up--before her own untimely end. And in Peter Robinson's haunting story, a dying man looks back to the chaotic Paris riots of 1968, where his obsession with a woman led him to the brink of madness--and into the heart of murder...

And ten more tales of death and desire that any mystery fan will love.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Happy Valentine's Day. Hart has assembled 14 mystery authors with proven track records as short story writers. The result is a collection of original tales that offers wildly varying takes on the trials, tribulations, comedy and mayhem that accompany our search for love. Most authors have eschewed series characters, but Dorothy Cannell's sly offering features Hyacinth and Primrose Tramwell. Gar Anthony Haywood puts his fine touch on a last-laugh type of story as a rich, suspicious husband and his oh-so-patient wife approach the end game of their married life. Peter Robinson leaves the usual haunts of his Alan Banks novels for an affecting story of love and murder during the student-led rebellion in Paris in 1968. Sisters in Crime is well represented by founding members and past presidents (Susan Dunlap, Nancy Pickard, Marilyn Wallace, Margaret Maron and Hart). Maron's delightful story uses a Manhattan setting as a hassled mother and her latchkey daughter overcome a major glitch in their careful plans. Ed Gorman adds a touch of fantasy to his story of lost love, while Eve K. Sandstrom goes native with an island tale of a woman forced to sacrifice her child unless the shaman's verdict can be overcome. M.D. Lake, Kathy Hogan Trocheck, Jean Hager and the team of Robert J. Randisi and Christine Matthews complete the roster. (Jan. 9) Forecast: A strong anthology by veteran authors who have a slew of major awards for their short stories, this title should get a boost from its pre-Valentine release and is a natural for prominent display around Feb 14th. A colorful cover featuring hearts (including one on a smoking gun) will attract browsers. Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal