Anthologies
The Best American Mystery Stories 2019
New York Times best-selling author of ten genre-bending novels Jonathan Lethem helms this collection of the year’s best mystery short fiction.
For Jonathan Lethem, “crime stories are deep species gossip.” He writes in his introduction that “they’re fundamentally stories of power, of its exercise, both spontaneous and conspiratorial; stories of impulse and desire, and of the turning of tables.” The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 has its full share of salacious intrigue, guilt, and retribution. The twists and bad decisions pile up when a thief picks the wrong target or a simple scavenger hunt takes a terrible turn. What happens when you befriend a death row inmate, or just how does writing Internet clickbait became a decidedly dangerous occupation? “How can we not hang on their outcomes?” asks Lethem. “Are we innocent ourselves, or complicit?” Read on to find out.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2019 includes Sharon Hunt, Harley Jane Kozak, Mark Mayer, Jennifer McMahon, Joyce Carol Oates, Brian Panowich, Tonya D. Price, Ron Rash, Robb T. White, and others.
For the Sake of the Game
Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon
In a sensational follow-up to Echoes of Sherlock Holmes and In the Company of Sherlock Holmes, a brand-new anthology of stories inspired by the Arthur Conan Doyle canon.
For the Sake of the Game is the latest volume in the award-winning series from New York Times bestselling editors Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger, with stories of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Watson, and friends in a variety of eras and forms. King and Klinger have a simple formula: ask some of the world’s greatest writers—regardless of genre—to be inspired by the stories of Arthur Conan Doyle.
The results are surprising and joyous. Some tales are pastiches, featuring the recognizable figures of Holmes and Watson; others step away in time or place to describe characters and stories influenced by the Holmes world. Some of the authors spin whimsical tales of fancy; others tell hard-core thrillers or puzzling mysteries. One beloved author writes a song; two others craft a melancholy graphic tale of insectoid analysis.
This is not a volume for readers who crave a steady diet of stories about Holmes and Watson on Baker Street. Rather, it is for the generations of readers who were themselves inspired by the classic tales, and who are prepared to let their imaginations roam freely.
Featuring Stories by: Peter S. Beagle, Rhys Bowen, Reed Farrel Coleman, Jamie Freveletti, Alan Gordon, Gregg Hurwitz, Toni L. P. Kelner, William Kotzwinkle and Joe Servello, Harley Jane Kozak, D. P. Lyle, Weston Ochse, Zoe Sharp, Duane Swierczynski, and F. Paul Wilson.
Writes of Passage
Adventures on the Writer’s Journey
Compassion, Connection, and Inspiration...
The path of a writing career can be rocky and twisty and full of dead ends. But it’s also well-traveled-and in Writes of Passage, fifty-eight mystery authors offer the secrets that helped them navigate their success.
When you’re in need of an author’s roadmap, “pick up this book,” as Hank Phillippi Ryan says in the introduction. “Open it to any page. The sisters of SinC have shared their personal journeys-and they have many tales to tell.”
These tales reveal the “Writes of Passage” every author encounters, and Sisters in Crime hopes these beautifully told experiences will guide you along your way.
Now Write! Mysteries
Suspense, Crime, Thriller, and Other Mystery Fiction Exercises from Today's Best Writers and Teachers
The essential handbook for writers of whodunits, techno- thrillers, cozies, and everything in between-featuring never-before- published personal writing exercises from some of today's bestselling and award-winning mystery writers.
Now Write! Mysteries, the fourth volume in the acclaimed Now Write! writing guide series, brings together numerous bestselling authors-including winners of and nominees for the Edgar, Hugo, and Shamus awards,-for the definitive guide to writing mysteries, thrillers, and suspense stories. Now Write! Mysteries teaches you everything you've ever wanted to know about crafting a page-turning mystery-from creating a believable detective hero (or terrifying villain), to using real-life cutting-edge investigative techniques to bring your story to life-with practical exercises taken directly from the pros.
The Rich and the Dead
The truly wealthy live in another world. From their multi-national businesses to their palatial mansions to their exotic vacations at glamorous places all around the world, they do everything in a big way. And sometimes, that even includes crime. In this anthology, you'll read about a wealthy writer who plots murder his hopeless agent, an aging actress who clings to her past of wealth and fame, and a spoiled rich boy who steps into dangerous territory with his mean antics, among others. The Rich and the Dead features mystery and crime stories set among the upper crust of society, going behind the scenes of the lifestyles of the two percent of the world that controls sixty percent of its riches—and just how far they'll go to stay on top.
Butcher Knives & Body Counts
Essays on the Formula, Frights, and Fun of the Slasher Film
He warned you not to go out tonight...
From meat cleavers and machetes to summer camp carnage and sorority house massacres, from final girls and scream queens to demented deviants and dead teenagers, slasher films have turned body counts into box office gold. It s the oft-maligned but surprisingly durable sub-genre of horror films that uses a Freudian rulebook and bases the survival rates of its characters on vice and virtue.
From the earliest black-and-white forerunners of the slasher to the low-budget aesthetics of the 70s, from the 80s golden age to the self-referential gloss of the 90s and beyond, Butcher Knives & Body Counts brings together over 70 filmmakers, editors, actors, and writers to explore the archetype of the slasher film and trace its evolution from formula to franchise.
From the inventive kills and the gory intestine spills right down to the last tagline and toe tag, Butcher Knives & Body Counts celebrates the enduring formula, frights, and fun of slasher movies.
Write Good or Die
Survival tips for 21st century writers, from best-selling authors Kevin J. Anderson, M.J. Rose, Heather Graham, J.A. Konrath, Gayle Lynds, Alexandra Sokoloff, Jonathan Maberry, and more. How to develop your craft, improve your writing, get an agent, promote your work, embrace the digital age, and prepare yourself for the coming changes in the publishing industry. Edited by Scott Nicholson.
Other contributors include Elizabeth Massie, Harley Jane Kozak, Douglas Clegg, Brandon Massey, Mur Lafferty, Dean Wesley Smith, David J. Montgomery, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Robert Kroese, and Adrienne Jones. Covering art, craft, and business.
All proceeds benefit the non-profit organization Literacy Inc., which promotes reading among teens.
Crimes by Moonlight
Mysteries from the Dark Side
An all-new mystery anthology edited and featuring a new story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris
Nighttime is the perfect time for the perfect crime. #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris edits and contributes an all-new story-set in her Sookie Stackhouse universe-to this anthology from the Mystery Writers of America.
A Hell of a Woman
An Anthology of Female Noir
An original anthology.
A collection of twenty-five original female noir stories by some of today’s top crime writers, including Vicki Hendricks, Sara Gran, Christa Faust, Naomi Hirahara, Charlie Huston, and more. Includes a special fifty-page appendix of essays on female noir pioneers.
This Is Chick-lit
The genre of fiction known as "chick-lit" has been a lightning rod for debate in the world of literature, raising questions such as Is chick-lit really literature or just harmless fluff? Is this really an accurate portrayal of the lives of modern women? Eighteen renowned authors—including Jennifer Coburn, Raelynn Hillhouse, Harley Jane Kozak, Cara Lockwood, and Rachel Pine—weigh in with the best of chick-lit, proving that this genre deserves as much, or more, respect as any other. In addition to their story, each author elaborates on her feelings about the “chick-lit” label and recommends literary fiction writers that have inspired them.
Mystery Muses
100 Classics That Inspire Today's Mystery Writers
What inspires a mystery writer?
We asked 100 published writers: "Did a mystery set you on your path to being a writer? Is there a classic mystery that remains important to you today?" This book, a follow-up to our two previous collections of essays, 100 Favorite Mysteries of the Century (2000) and They Died in Vain: Overlooked, Underappreciated and Forgotten Mystery Novels (2002), is the result.
The writers we contacted represent the entire spectrum of the mystery genre, from cozy to hardboiled, from acclaimed veterans to some of the field's most intriguing newcomers. Young or old, each of these writers reminds us of a basic truism: great writers are great readers first. Their essays reveal the extent to which the discovery of these seminal texts was not just literary inspiration but a life-altering event.
Landmarked for Murder
There is far more to the city of Los Angeles than can be discovered through the ordinary guide books, much of it dark, dangerous, even deadly. To find those hidden, shadowy corners of the L.A., wherein reside the less-than-angelic denizens of the City of Angels, you need LAndmarked for Murder, the new anthology by members of Sisters in Crime/Los Angeles. LAndmarked for Murder is a fictional travelogue through some of L.A. most notable natural and manmade landmarks, each of which serves as the setting for ten tales of dark passions and murder.
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