From Publishers Weekly
The new addition to the Murder Most series is edited by Martin H. Greenberg, co-editor of the American Ghosts series and innumerable other anthologies. Murder Most Celtic: Tall Tales of Irish Mayhem features 16 stories of murder in the Emerald Isles. P.M. Carlson's story concerns Irish immigrants and actors in 19th-century New York; Robert J. Randisi tells of erotic dancing and a St. Patrick's Day murder, New Orleans-style. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


Book Description
The Irish are deeply passionate about their kinsmen, their country, their culture, and their way of life, as this collection of mysteries so richly illustrates. Slow to anger and equally slow to forgive at times, the children of the Emerald Isle have had planty of experience on both sides of the law. The sixteen stories of Irish crime and mystery in this volume tell of good and bad men and women--heroes and villians both. All feature characters for whom being Irish is more than just a state of mind--it's a way of life.


From the Publisher
"Murder Most Celtic" is rich in tradition and rich in passion, atrue definition of those of Irish descent. Whether hoisting a friendly pint in the local pub or fighting the enemy, as they have done for centuries, the Irish live their lives to the fullest no matter what the circumstances might be. Don't miss this amazing compilation that describes the character of the Irish as told in these mysteries.


From the Author
The sixteen stories of Irish mystery collected here run the gamut from good men and women to bad--heroes and villians both.


About the Author
MARTIN H. GREENBERG has edited more than one thousand anthologies, including "Murder Most Confederate," "Murder Most Delectable," "Vampire Slayers," "Children of the Night," and the American Ghost Series.


Excerpted from Murder Most Celtic : Tall Tales of Irish Mayhem (Murder Most Series) by Martin Harry Greenberg. Copyright © 2001. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved
The phone rang five times before Maggie O'Malley picked it up. There had been a robbery last night in Kill, a tiny village ten miles from Rathcoole, and she had been called to assist the 'garda' until nearly two in the morning. To be awakened at seven in the morning seemed unfair, but she propped herself up on her elbow and reached for the receiver. "Yeah," she croaked into it, "O'Malley here." "Maggie?" It was her boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Aidan O'Rourke. "We've got a murder down in Saint Jude's. Thought you'd like to take it." Saint Jude's, a boarding school for boys of wealthy Protestants, was located five miles outside of Rathcoole. "Don't tell me--one of the students finally murdered one of the masters," she replied. "No, actually, it's a missing student." So, she thought, one of the masters finally killed one of his students and hid the body. But she didn't say it out loud. Maggie knew that the reason she was being handed this asignment--her first case--was because she had once worked at Saint Jude's as kitchen help. She dropped onto her back and peered out at the weather. Gray and misty. Not unusual for Rathcoole. "Yeah. I'll be ready in fifteen minutes." Time enough to splash her face with water, brush her hair, and put on her uniform with the new shoulder tabs. "Sergeant Leary will be ready with an auto," O'Rourke replied before hanging up. Donal Leary had recently advanced from 'garda' to sergeant. As the first woman within the Rathcoole police force, Maggie was often paired with the newest 'garda' recruits, so she was grateful to have someone with experience by her side. Ireland had a long way to go when it came to equality for women, so she tried not to show her impatience when she ws watched more closely than her male peers, or when a man with less years on the force advanced before she did. --from "Skiv"

FROM THE PUBLISHER

From the gently rolling hills and valleys to the savage storms blowing across the coasts, Ireland is a land of amazing contrasts, a study both in beauty and hostility. Nowhere is this more apparent that in its people. Whether hoisting a friendly pint in the local pub or fighting an enemy, as they have done for centuries, the Irish live their lives to the fullest no matter what the circumstances might be. Slow to anger and equally slow to forgive at times, the Emerald Isle's children have had plenty of experience in life on both sides of the law. Murder Most Celtic is an all-new anthology featuring crime and mystery stories about those men and women for whom being Irish is more than just a state of mind - it's a way of life.

Author and stories in Murder Most Celtic are Jeremiah Healy, "A Book of Kells"; Paul Bishop, "Celtic Noir"; Brendan DuBois, "The Wearing of the Green"; Simon Clark, "Finian Ram"; Mary Allen, "Stealing the Dark"; Peter Tremayne, "Scattered Thorns"; Bill Crider, "One of Our Leprechauns Is Missing"; Mary Ryan, "Murder in Kilcurry"; and Ed Hoch, "Great Day for the Irish." Other authors contributing to this anthology are Wendi Lee, John L. Breen, Ed Gorman, Doug Allyn, Bob Randisi, and P.M. Carlson.

Author Biography: Martin H. Greenberg, often called the king of anthologies, has compiled more than one thousand anthologies, including the American Ghosts Series and the Murder Most... Series. The President of TEKNO Books, he lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly