From Publishers Weekly
In spite of its steamy theme, this original anthology of 20 tales by Mystery Writers of America members seldom sizzles. Only a few stories generate enough heat to warm a reader's heart, starting with Edgar-nominee Deaver's own nicely twisted "Ninety-eight Point Six." Another bright spot is Ronnie Klaskin's "Child Support," in which a woman has to cope with unreliable men. Toni L.P. Kelner's "Old Dog Days" features a retired police chief who manages to turn a hunt for a missing dog into a neat trick. In newcomer Ana Rainwater's arresting "Night Rose," a young woman with a difficult mother celebrates adulthood. Angela Zeman's "Green Heat" brings a Chicago hit man out of the cold and into the sweltering heat of West Virginia, where he gets a surprising education. Some big names prominently displayed on the dust jacket-Loren D. Estleman, John Lutz, Jeremiah Healy-should attract fans of those authors, though their contributions fall short of their best work.Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Book Description
When temperatures rise, tempers flare in this all-new anthology of short stories... From the Mystery Writers of America, edited by Edgar-nominated author Jeffery Deaver, comes a collection of twenty original stories by mystery's finest authors, set in hot climates where jealousy, greed, and murderous rage reach the boiling point... Featuring original stories by:
Jeffery Deaver
David Handler
Ronnie Klaskin
Toni L.P. Kelner
Suzanne C. Johnson
Loren D. Estleman
John Lutz
Gary Brandner
Mat Coward
Angela Zeman
Robert Lee Hall
Tim Myers
G. Miki Hayden
Jeremiah Healy
Alan Cook
David Bart
Ana Rainwater
Sinclair Browning
Marilyn Wallace
Carolyn Wheat
About the Author
Jeffery Deaver is the author of 16 novels, one of which, The Bone Collector, has been made into a feature film starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. His latest novel, The Blue Nowhere, is currently being adapted to film by Warner Bros.
A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime FROM THE PUBLISHER
From Mystery Writers of America, edited by Edgar-nominated author Jeffery Deaver, comes A Hot and Sultry Night for Crime -- a steamy collection of original stories by mystery's finest authors, set in hot climates where jealousy, greed, and murderous rage reach the boiling point... In John Lutz's "El Palacio," local thugs and American expatriates drink together on the coast of Mexico -- and discover an answer to a chilling mystery. An overheated car on a deserted highway in Michigan leads to some very twisted goings-on in Jeffery Deaver's "Ninety-eight Point Six." In Marilyn Wallace's "Splitting," a group therapist urges one woman to speak her mind and express her anger -- a decision that comes with painful consequences. Tempers rage in Loren D. Estleman's "Lady on Ice," proving it's just as hot on the skating rink as it is outside on the gritty streets of Detroit. When a Canadian woman never shows up for her spring break vacation in "The Slow Blink" by Jeremiah Healy, Florida P.I. Rory Calhoun searches for clues to what may be a cold-blooded crime.
FROM THE CRITICS
Publishers Weekly
In spite of its steamy theme, this original anthology of 20 tales by Mystery Writers of America members seldom sizzles. Only a few stories generate enough heat to warm a reader's heart, starting with Edgar-nominee Deaver's own nicely twisted "Ninety-eight Point Six." Another bright spot is Ronnie Klaskin's "Child Support," in which a woman has to cope with unreliable men. Toni L.P. Kelner's "Old Dog Days" features a retired police chief who manages to turn a hunt for a missing dog into a neat trick. In newcomer Ana Rainwater's arresting "Night Rose," a young woman with a difficult mother celebrates adulthood. Angela Zeman's "Green Heat" brings a Chicago hit man out of the cold and into the sweltering heat of West Virginia, where he gets a surprising education. Some big names prominently displayed on the dust jacket-Loren D. Estleman, John Lutz, Jeremiah Healy-should attract fans of those authors, though their contributions fall short of their best work. (Feb. 4) Copyright 2003 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Twenty stories, all from Mystery Writers of America members, illustrate the theme of connections between summertime heat and crime. And the heat applies also to tempers, passion, and violence. With authors ranging from Jeremiah Healy and Carolyn Wheat to Robert Lee Hall and Toni Kelner, this collection should have broad appeal.
Kirkus Reviews
Few criminals are driven to their misdeeds because of excessive cold, helpfully observes Deaver (The Vanished Man, above, etc.) in a brief introduction evidently intended mostly to prove that heﾽs read all 20 of the new stories in this yearﾽs MWA annual. But if the collection lacks a high concept, and the entries arenﾽt all quite as sizzling as the title promises, there are plenty of incidental pleasures on display. Deaver leads off with a characteristically expert riff that asks which cast member is an escaped sex offender, and the whoﾽs-on-first tales by John Lutz, Gary Brandner, Mat Coward, Tim Myers, Robert Lee Hall, Sinclair Browning, and Marilyn Wallace—all of them depending on finding unexpected holes for the familiar pegs of their characters—are nearly as professional. Carolyn Wheat evokes the Summer of Love and G. Miki Hayden the hell of a Japanese prison camp in the Philippines in more ruminative studies of very different passions gone wrong. Despite Deaverﾽs rule, freezing temperatures play an unexpectedly prominent role when Loren D. Estleman reveals the hot secrets of a threatened ice-hockey player and Ronnie Klaskin presents a domestic idyll whose offhand last line packs the collectionﾽs biggest jolt. Hottest of all is newcomer Ana Rainwaterﾽs "Night Rose," a study in the ice-cold hatred between a perfectionist mother and her equally strong-willed daughter. The perfect antidote for seasonal weather is rounded off by slow burns and fast courtesy of David Handler, Toni L.P. Kelner, Suzanne C. Johnson, Angela Zeman, Jeremiah Healy, Alan Cook, and David Bart.
Art & Photography
Book Info
