Murder and Mystery in Boston

This eclectic collection, the first in Dembner's new Scene-of-the-Crimes series, is an anthology of 13 previously published suspense stories set in the Boston area. Written by such authors as George Harmon Coxe, Donald E. Westlake and David Alexander, these tales possess the classic attributes of their genre: crisp storytelling, compelling characterizations, a strongly evoked sense of place, edge-of-your-seat tension and surprising conclusions. In ""Lucky Penny'' by Linda Barnes, a sharp-tongued lady cabbie seeks the passenger who robbed her at gunpoint, then threw away nearly all the money. Set in 1928, Edward D. Hoch's ``The Problem of the Boston Common'' concerns a clever doctor who aids police in solving some bizarre murders that occurred by curare injection. ``The Massachusetts Peep-O'Night'' by S. S. Rafferty takes place in 1772, when John Adams enlists Captain Jeremy Cork to exonerate a footman accused of killing a senior British officer. In ``A Case of Chivas Regal,'' George V. Higgins describes a court officer who reveals intriguing information about a deceased judge. (October 26)