From Publishers Weekly
Any collection of stories from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine is worth reading. Hutchings, EQMM's editor, is in the best position to choose what should be included in such an anthology. All the stories here (with the exception of a 1992 Colin Dexter tale) date from 1996 or 1997, leaving one to wonder about the state of short mystery fiction during the first half of the decade. There is no quibbling, however, with the choice of the authors, 24 in all, who populate this anthology. Included are Lawrence Block, whose "Looking for David" is a chilling tale of twisted love; Peter Lovesey's "Disposing of Mrs. Cronk," in which two young scam artists get scammed themselves; and Andrew Vachss, always on the cutting edge, who breaks a cardinal rule of mysteries in "Perp Walk" and makes it work. Ian Rankin, William Bernhardt, Ruth Rendell, Nancy Pickard, Jeremiah Healy and Ray Bradbury are among the other authors represented. Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Gathered from the award-winning "Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine", this collection includes new cases for Lawrence Block's Matthew Scudder, John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey, Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse, and Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly