Heroines, bad girls, murderesses have their day in this cheeky collection of short stories featuring 20 distaff crime writers and their protagonists--unabashedly politically incorrect and tough as Revlon-frosted nails. As the editors point out in their introduction, tart noir, like all versions of the genre, "can taste as sad and bitter at times as a pint of cheap gin in an after-hours bar." It can also be frankly erotic, like Val McDermid's tale of an obsession that ends in murder; fantastically compelling, like Vicki Hendricks's story about a woman and her dolphin lover; or coolly manipulative, like the well-mannered protagonist of Laura Lipman's recounting of a controlling husband and his resentful wife. While most of the authors are Brits who may not be too well known among American readers, their offerings are smart and snappy enough to send those making their acquaintance for the first time to the backlist in search of their earlier works. --Jane Adams

From Publishers Weekly
Bad girls aplenty act tough in Tart Noir, an all-original anthology edited by Stella Duffy and Lauren Henderson. Gathered from both sides of the Atlantic, this volume includes 20 tales by such female mystery mavens as Val McDermid, Laura Lippman, Sujata Massey, Sparkle Hayter, Denise Mina and the co-editors themselves. Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
These are the bad girls we've been waiting for. They're tough enough to take on thugs, tender enough to be moved to tears. Half Philip Marlowe, half femme fatale, their morals are questionable and their attitudes need adjustment. They're tarts. And they are the heroines of this collection with stories by:

€ Jessica Adams € Jen Banbury € Liza Cody € Martina Cole € Jenny Colgan € Stella Duffy € Liz Evans € Sparkle Hayter € Lauren Henderson € Vicki Hendricks € Lisa Jewell € Laura Lippman € Sujata Massey € Val McDermid € Denise Mina € Karen Moline € Katy Munger € Chris Niles € Jenny Siler € Karin Slaughter

About the Author
Stella Duffy, "very near the top of the new generation of modern crime writers" (London Times), is the author of four crime novels featuring Saz Martin, as well as three other novels. She also writes and performs for radio and theater.

Lauren Henderson, the "dominatrix of the British crime scene" (Time Out London), is the author of seven crime novels featuring heroine Sam Jones. She has also written an anti-Bridget Jones novel.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

These are the bad girls we've been waiting for. They're tough enough to take on thugs, tender enough to be moved to tears. Half Philip Marlowe, half femme fatale, their morals are questionable and their attitudes need adjustment. They're tarts. And they are the heroines of this collectionwith stories by:

*Jessica Adams *Jen Banbury *Liza Cody *Martina Cole *Jenny Colgan *Stella Duffy *Liz Evans *Sparkle Hayter *Lauren Henderson *Vicki Hendricks *Lisa Jewell *Laura Lippman *Sujata Massey *Val McDermid *Denise Mina *Karen Moline *Katy Munger *Chris Niles *Jenny Siler *Karin Slaughter

About the Editors:
Stella Duffy, "very near the top of the new generation of modern crime writers" (London Times), is the author of four crime novels featuring Saz Martin, as well as three other novels. She also writes and performs for radio and theater.

Lauren Henderson, the "dominatrix of the British crime scene" (Time Out London), is the author of seven crime novels featuring heroine Sam Jones. She has also written an anti-Bridget Jones novel.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly