Women of Mystery 2

These 15 short stories by women writers about women detectives have previously appeared in either Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Such established authors as Antonia Frasier and Amanda Cross offer further adventures of their widely recognizable heroines (Jemimah Shore and Kate Fansler, respectively) as lesser-known writers introduce hopeful candidates, e.g., D.L. Richardson tells of ex-cop Cass Dillon's reluctant attempt to recover a stolen police badge for a friend. Gillian Roberts's Amanda Pepper discovers the body of a weight-obsessed friend and figures out how the time of death was distorted. A layover in Cold War Berlin stirs up the mundane life of an American college grad when she finds herself mixed up in espionage in Patricia McGerr's riveting tale. Ruth Rendell, Joan Hess, Marcia Muller and Margaret Maron are among other contributors. (Sept.)