From Publishers Weekly
Although this anthology features some of the most popular names in futuristic and paranormal romance, it reads more like a catalogue than a cohesive book. Robb's "Interlude in Death," featuring Lieutenant Eve Dallas, kicks off the collection and is the strongest of the four entries. The story's suspense is as well drawn as the romance, and readers won't have to be familiar with Robb's In Death series (Betrayal in Death, etc.) to enjoy this futuristic thriller. In contrast, "Kinsman," Krinard's (Touch of the Wolf) tale of two telepaths who try to prevent an interspecies war, falls victim to its own exposition and draws to a conclusion that is steamy but familiar. The remaining two stories are more traditionally paranormal. Shayne's "Immortality" features Puabi, a Dark Witch of Sumer who is reincarnated to right an ancient wrong, and Hamilton's "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin" finds Vampire Hunter Anita Blake in an S/M club with her two lovers, a Master Vampire and a werewolf king. As one might imagine of such a setting, the sensuality is dark and intense, but this will be no surprise to fans of Hamilton's Vampire Hunter novels (Obsidian Butterfly, etc.). Each of the works in this anthology is solid and should please current fans, but as a whole, the stories are only loosely connected and would have benefited from a stronger theme to tie them together. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Four novellas by the leading ladies of paranormal and science fiction romance open a view into the lives of both familiar beloved characters and new faces. In J. D. Robb's (aka Nora Roberts) tale, Lieutenant Eve Dallas uncovers a murder-frame plot at a law enforcement seminar held at an off-planet resort owned by her husband. Susan Krinard abandons her usual werewolf and vampire heroes for a space-traveling telepath who works with a princess to uncover an interstellar political plot. Maggie Shayne's unsympathetic immortal is rescued by a bereaved husband and finds redemption and humanity in his arms. In "Magic Like Heat Across My Skin," Laurell K. Hamilton's vampire-slaying Anita Blake intensifies her erotic love triangle with a werewolf and a vampire when they rescue her wereleopards from captivity in a nightclub specializing in dominant and submissive sex. While they won't appeal equally to all readers, these tales do reveal the breadth of the genre and offer a delightful opportunity to sample these popular authors. Diana Tixier Herald
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Excerpted from Out of This World by Laurell K Hamilton, Susan Krinard, Maggie Shayne, Nora Roberts, J. D. Robb. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Out Of This World, "Interlude in Death" by J. D. Robb "What's this about, Commander?""Belle was right. I admire your work. I was intrigued to find us on the same program. You don't generally accept speaking engagements.""No. I like the streets.""So did I. It's like a virus in the blood." He leaned back, nursed his drink. The faint tremor in his hand surprised her. ``But working the streets doesn't mean being on them, necessarily. Someone has to command-from a desk, an office, a war room. A good cop, a smart cop, moves up the ranks. As you have, Lieutenant.""A good cop, a smart cop, closes cases and locks up the bad guys."He gave one short laugh. "You think that's enough for captain's bars, for a command star? No, the word 'naive' never came up in any of the reports I've read on you.""Why should you read reports on me?""I may be retired from active duty, but I'm still a consultant. I still have my finger in the pie." He leaned forward again. "You've managed to work and close some very high-profile cases in the murder book, Lieutenant. While I don't always approve of your methods, the results are unarguable. It's rare for me to judge a female officer worthy of command.""Excuse me. Back up. Female?"He lifted his hand in a gesture that told her he'd had this discussion before and was vaguely weary of it. "I believe men and women have different primary functions. Man is the warrior, the provider, the defender. Woman is the procreator, the nurturer. There are numerous scientific theories that agree, and certainly social and religious weight to add.""Is that so?" Eve said softly."Frankly, I've never approved of women on the force, or in certain areas of the civilian workplace. They're often a distraction and rarely fully committed to the job. Marriage and family soon-as they should for women--take priority.""Commander Skinner, under the circumstances, the most courteous thing I can think of to say is you're full of shit."He laughed, loud and long. "You live up to your reputation, Lieutenant. Your data also indicate that you're smart and that your badge isn't something you just pick up off the dresser every morning. It's what you are. Or were, in any case. We have that in common. For fifty years I made a difference, and my house was clean. I did what had to be done, then I did what came next. I was full commander at the age of forty-four. Would you like to be able to say the same?"She knew when she was being played, and kept her face and tone neutral. "I haven't thought about it.""If that's true, you disappoint me. If that's true, start thinking. Do you know, Lieutenant, how much closer you would be right now to a captaincy if you hadn't made some ill-advised personal decisions?""Really?" Something began to burn inside her gut. ``And how would you know the promotion potential of a homicide cop in New York?""I've made it my business to know." His free hand balled into a fist, tapped lightly, rhythmically on the tabletop. "I have one regret, one piece of unfinished business from my active duty. One target I could never keep in my sights long enough to bring down. Between us, we could. I'll get you those captain bars, Lieutenant. You get me Roarke."--From "Interlude in Death" by J.D. Robb, featured in the Out of This World anthology, (c) August 2001 by Nora Roberts, Jove Publications, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc., used by permission

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Love is the universal language. And nowhere is this more apparent than in these extraordinary stories from four of today's hottest authors. From a futuristic cop caught in a crisis of the heart to a smoldering vision of an unusual love triangle, from the hunger for a human touch on an alien planet to a witch's desperate search for the love of one man, these tales of paranormal romance will transport you to a time and a place you've never been before￯﾿ﾽ.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly