AND THE DYING IS EASY

This enticing anthology features a mix of established and new crime solvers who attempt to "get away from it all" in locations as diverse as Alaska and the island of Aruba. In "Porridge and Bess," Tamar Myers's Mennonite innkeeper-turned-crime solver, Magdalena Yoder, takes her first vacation in Charleston S.C., only to have Monty, her tour guide from hell, turn up dead. What follows is an investigation spiced with both Magdalena's delicious humor and a recipe for a Southern favorite, Shrimp 'n' Grits. JoAnna Carl's "The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue" introduces Lee McKinney, a teenager who spends her summer vacation working in her uncle's chocolate shop and investigating mysterious goings-on around Lake Michigan. This satisfying appetizer will leave fans hungering for the main course—Carl's upcoming novel The Chocolate Cat Caper. Dana Stabenow, Max Allan Collins and Peter Tremayne are just a few of the authors included in this anthology; out of the 20 pieces here, only one seems to be a misfit: with its sexually charged content, Lydia Adamson's "A Case of Feline Psychopathology" contrasts sharply with the other cozies. All in all, though, this volume is a mystery-reader's banquet at a fast-food price. (June 8)