A Twist of the Knife

Fans of British author James’s novels featuring Brighton policeman Roy Grace (You Are Dead, etc.) will welcome this collection of 30 stories, both reprints and new material. In “The Stamp of a Criminal,” which recounts Grace’s first case, the newly minted detective constable, accompanied by mentor Det. Sgt. Bill Stoker, shows his cleverness while investigating a home burglary. Years later, a series of crimes distract Grace, now a detective superintendent, from his Christmas shopping in “Santa Drops In.” Other tales feature supernatural elements, such as “Christmas Is for the Kids” and the autobiographical “My First Ghost.” The versatile James displays a macabre sense of humor in “Venice Aphrodisiac,” about a passionate young couple, the husband’s later disillusionment, and the wife’s ultimate tribute to her late spouse. This volume includes all the stories published in James’s e-book collections, Short Shockers One and Short Shockers Two. [em]Agent: Carole Blake, Blake Friedman Literary (U.K.). (Oct.) [/em]