There's a marvelous mixture of mystery material in this collection of short fiction by and about women--from bestseller Nevada Barr's wrenching story about a daughter's discovery in her mother's garden to impressive entries from Russia, Germany, and Algeria by writers less famous, but equally talented. This is the perfect bedside companion for readers looking for a way into the genre, or searching for new writers to expand their mystery horizons.


From Publishers Weekly
In her introduction to a collection that endorses good politics at least as much as good storytelling, Paretsky tackles the thorny issue of "what if anything I am doing to acknowledge my duty to other women writers, and to the suffering of women in my own age." Fortunately, many entries satisfy both agendas admirably. In Nancy Pickard's "A Rock and a Hard Place," a woman who was raped and shot dreads further violence and hires a PI to prevent three murders that could be imminent. Frances Fyfield hints that some cultural differences can be deadly in "Nothing to Lose," in which an Englishwoman marries a West African and soon begins contemplating his "lovely funeral." One of a few entries in translation, "Saturday Night Fever" by Viennese writer Helga Anderle, trails a journalist the night she stumbles on a murder that demands she choose between career and conscience. Less rewarding is Ruth Rendell's "Astronomical Scarf," which follows a scarf from owner to owner and in which Rendell's habitual delicious darkness takes a backseat to mere cleverness. The leadoff story, P.M. Carlson's "Parties Unknown by the Jury," sets the tone of the book: in 1892, a white stage actress finds herself a witness to a Memphis lynching and comes upon Ida Wells at the dawn of her journalism career. Wells, as a woman who writes her way toward equality, is clearly intended as a guiding spirit of this purposeful collection. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
A star-studded list of contributing authors that includes many of the top female mystery writers of the day makes this book an excellent choice for most collections. The 26 stories range from gritty and realistic to bizarre and laugh-aloud funny. One of the most intriguing is from Nancy Pickard, creator of the Jenny Cain series, who writes of a cancer-ridden PI trying to stop a potential rapist-murderer. Also a stunner is Marcia Muller's bittersweet "Cracks in the Sidewalk," the story of a popular singing star whose life has taken a soul-defeating downturn. For sheer power, the best choice may be Russian Irina Muravieva's gut-wrenching tale of a young criminal whose special powers help keep her love alive despite imprisonment and death. Paretsky has included a well-rounded assortment of crime fiction from both well-known American authors and from foreign writers whose works have never before appeared in English. Each story in this fine collection is well worth reading. Emily Melton


From Kirkus Reviews
This sequel to A Woman's Eye (1991) packs 26 all-new or newly translated stories, linked for the most part not only by their female authors and sleuths, but for their focus on issues of special concern to women (most of them would be unrecognizable with men in the leading roles). Despite repeating nine authors from her earlier anthology, Paretsky has cast her net even wider this time, going to Germany (Pieke Biermann), Austria (Helga Anderle), Russia (Irina Muravieva), Algeria (Amel Benaboura), Argentina (Myriam Laurini), and Australia (Susan Geason), and publishing first stories by Andrea Smith (an uppity black cop) and Dicey Scroggins Jackson (a disappearance from a women's shelter). With the notable exception of Sue Grafton, virtually all the big names in the field are represented--Nancy Pickard, Liza Cody, Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George, Linda Barnes, Susan Dunlap, Marcia Muller, Lia Matera--but none of the entries outclasses the editor's own deft tale of a murdered mystery writer who seems like a cross between Camille Paglia and Sara Paretsky. Most notable as a barometer of the impressive verve and variety of contemporary women's mystery writing. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

These are stories of P.I.s who keep guns in their handbags—or their bras, of crime victims, homeless women, and housewives whose ordinary lives take a brutal, sometimes fatal twist. This collection brings several brilliant international authors to American readers for the first time, including Amel Benaboura, Irina Muravyova, and Helga Anderle. Mystery fans will also enjoy new works by familiar voices Sara Paretsky, Elizabeth George, Amanda Cross, Ruth Rendell, Antonia Fraser, Frances Fyfield, and many more contemporary masters.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In her introduction to a collection that endorses good politics at least as much as good storytelling, Paretsky tackles the thorny issue of ``what if anything I am doing to acknowledge my duty to other women writers, and to the suffering of women in my own age.'' Fortunately, many entries satisfy both agendas admirably. In Nancy Pickard's "A Rock and a Hard Place," a woman who was raped and shot dreads further violence and hires a PI to prevent three murders that could be imminent. Frances Fyfield hints that some cultural differences can be deadly in ``Nothing to Lose,'' in which an Englishwoman marries a West African and soon begins contemplating his ``lovely funeral.'' One of a few entries in translation, ``Saturday Night Fever'' by Viennese writer Helga Anderle, trails a journalist the night she stumbles on a murder that demands she choose between career and conscience. Less rewarding is Ruth Rendell's ``Astronomical Scarf,'' which follows a scarf from owner to owner and in which Rendell's habitual delicious darkness takes a backseat to mere cleverness. The leadoff story, P.M. Carlson's ``Parties Unknown by the Jury,'' sets the tone of the book: in 1892, a white stage actress finds herself a witness to a Memphis lynching and comes upon Ida Wells at the dawn of her journalism career. Wells, as a woman who writes her way toward equality, is clearly intended as a guiding spirit of this purposeful collection. (June)

BookList - Emily Melton

A star-studded list of contributing authors that includes many of the top female mystery writers of the day makes this book an excellent choice for most collections. The 26 stories range from gritty and realistic to bizarre and laugh-aloud funny. One of the most intriguing is from Nancy Pickard, creator of the Jenny Cain series, who writes of a cancer-ridden PI trying to stop a potential rapist-murderer. Also a stunner is Marcia Muller's bittersweet "Cracks in the Sidewalk," the story of a popular singing star whose life has taken a soul-defeating downturn. For sheer power, the best choice may be Russian Irina Muravieva's gut-wrenching tale of a young criminal whose special powers help keep her love alive despite imprisonment and death. Paretsky has included a well-rounded assortment of crime fiction from both well-known American authors and from foreign writers whose works have never before appeared in English. Each story in this fine collection is well worth reading.

Kirkus Reviews

This sequel to A Woman's Eye (1991) packs 26 all-new or newly translated stories, linked for the most part not only by their female authors and sleuths, but for their focus on issues of special concern to women (most of them would be unrecognizable with men in the leading roles). Despite repeating nine authors from her earlier anthology, Paretsky has cast her net even wider this time, going to Germany (Pieke Biermann), Austria (Helga Anderle), Russia (Irina Muravieva), Algeria (Amel Benaboura), Argentina (Myriam Laurini), and Australia (Susan Geason), and publishing first stories by Andrea Smith (an uppity black cop) and Dicey Scroggins Jackson (a disappearance from a women's shelter). With the notable exception of Sue Grafton, virtually all the big names in the field are represented—Nancy Pickard, Liza Cody, Ruth Rendell, Elizabeth George, Linda Barnes, Susan Dunlap, Marcia Muller, Lia Matera—but none of the entries outclasses the editor's own deft tale of a murdered mystery writer who seems like a cross between Camille Paglia and Sara Paretsky.

Most notable as a barometer of the impressive verve and variety of contemporary women's mystery writing.