Sisters in Crime 5

With these 19 stories, most previously unpublished, Wallace again dishes up a smorgasbord of delectable, though brief, forays into crime. In a significant number of these stories, dastardly deeds are spiced with a generous dash of whimsy. For example, Jacqueline Girdner's mischievous tale of a deadly mystery writers' awards banquet considers how much easier it would be for unpublished hopefuls to get published if only a bunch of their more successful peers, well, died. Gabrielle Kraft depicts a has-been rock star--with only one hit to his credit--who is offered a chance to earn some big money by making a second hit--with a gun. In Rochelle Majer Krich's tale, a retired man who has turned into a nagging house-husband learns a bit late that even the most even-tempered wife can be pushed too far. On the darker side, Susan Taylor Chehak's chilling piece delves into parents' fundamental fears when a mother recalls the day her young daughter's best friend disappeared. Readers are also treated to short visits with series characters, such as Sara Paretsky's V. I. Warshawski and Sister Carol Anne O'Marie's amateur sleuth Sister Mary Helen. (Nov.)