A Flush of Shadows: Five Short Novels Featuring Constance Leidl and Charlie Meiklejohn

These five imaginative novellas (two not previously published) starring those mellow and affectionate retirees, arson investigator Charlie Meiklejohn and psychologist Constance Leidl, prove this husband-and-wife team's skills haven't rusted at all. Introduced in The Hamlet Trap (1987) and stars of five novels, the couple, who live in the country 200 miles from New York, offer Wilhelm the opportunity to demonstrate her talent in both the SF and mystery genres. Two of these stories originally appeared in Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine: ``With Thimbles, with Forks, and Hope'' finds Charlie and Constance outwitting an otherworldly force; in ``The Gorgon Field,'' a Mexican shaman seems to be controlling the mind of an 80-year-old tycoon. Seen here for the first time, ``Torch Song'' is a devilishly twisty story in which a paroled arsonist sent to prison 13 years ago by Charlie seems to be bent on framing him for a series of recent fires. Like her sleuthing, witty pair, the prolific Wilhelm shows no signs of a flagging imagination. (June)