Mystery Writers of America Presents The Mystery Box


Book Description

There's nothing more mysterious than a locked box. Whether it's a literal strongbox, an empty coffin, the inner workings of a scientist's mind, or an underground prison cell, there are those who will use any means necessary to unlock the secrets of...The Mystery Box. With this anthology, bestselling author Brad Meltzer introduces twenty-one original stories from today's most prominent mystery writers. In Laura Lippman's "Waco 1982," a young reporter stuck with a seemingly mundane assignment on lost-and-found boxes unwittingly discovers a dark crime. In Joseph Finder's "Heirloom," a scheming neighbor frightens the new couple on the block with an unnerving tale of buried treasure. In R.L. Stine's "High Stakes," a man on his honeymoon gets drawn into a bizarre bet involving a coffin--a bet he may pay for with his life. From the foothills of Mount Fuji to Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, from a physics laboratory in wartime Leipzig to an unusual fitness club in Boca Raton, these sometimes terrifying, sometimes funny, and always suspenseful tales will keep you riveted to the page.




Crime Hits Home


Book Description

*An Anthony Award 2023 Finalist* The newest anthology from Mystery Writers of America explores the theme of home and the crimes that endanger it, with stories by Ellen Hart, Naomi Hirahara, Walter Mosley, Sara Paretsky and more. Everyone comes from someplace. Everyone has somewhere they feel safe. Some people have found their home and are content where they are. Others feel trapped and yearn to go somewhere else. Many are somewhere else and yearn to go back. But evenin these safest of places, sometimes…crime hits home. What happens then? In this volume, MWA brings together some of today’s biggest crime writers—and some of our most exciting new talents—to consider this question. Each writer has defined home as they see fit: a place, a group, a feeling. The crime can come from without or within. What happens when crime hits home? Featuring stories from: Naomi Hirahara David Bart Sara Paretsky Susan Breen Gary Phillips Neil S. Plakcy Renee James Connie Johnson Hambley Gabino Iglesias A.P. Jamison Walter Mosley Tori Eldridge Ellen Hart G. Miki Hayden Jonathan Santlofer Jonathan Stone Ovidia Yu Bonnie Hearn Hill Steve Liskow S.J. Rozan




Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance


Book Description

When a different kind of justice is needed -- swift, effective, and personal -- a new type of avenger must take action. Vengeance features new stories by bestselling crime writers including Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Karin Slaughter, as well as some of today's brightest rising talents. The heroes in these stories include a cop who's seen too much, a woman who has been pushed too far, or just an ordinary person doing what the law will not. Some call them vigilantes, others claim they are just another brand of criminal. Edited and with an introduction by Lee Child, these stories reveal the shocking consequences when men and women take the law into their own hands.




The Mystery Writers of America Cookbook


Book Description

Enjoy over 100 recipes and murderously fun facts from legendary mystery authors like Sue Grafton, Louise Penny, Harlan Coben, and James Patterson! With art deco embellishments and stunning photos, this heirloom cookbook is the perfect gift for book lovers and mystery fans. Whether you’re planning a sinister dinner party or whipping up comfort food for a day of writing, you’ll find plenty to savor in this cunning collection of recipes from bestselling mystery authors! Discover hard-boiled breakfasts, thrilling entrees, and cozy desserts, including: • Mary Higgins Clark’s Celebratory Giants Game Night Chili • Harlan Coben’s Myron’s Crabmeat Dip • Nelson DeMille’s Male Chauvinist Pigs in a Blanket • Lee Child’s Coffee, Pot of One • Gillian Flynn’s Beef Skillet Fiesta • Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone’s Famous Peanut Butter and Pickle Sandwich • Charlaine Harris’s Very Unsophisticated Supper Dip • James Patterson’s Grandma’s Killer Chocolate Cake • Louise Penny’s Madame Benoît’s Tourtière • Scott Turow’s Innocent Frittata Featuring full-color photography and intriguing sidebars on the surprising—and sometimes deadly—links between food and foul play, this is the ultimate cookbook for crime fiction aficionados.




Life Is Short and Then You Die


Book Description

Life Is Short and Then You Die is the Mystery Writers of America's first teen anthology, edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong. Adolescence is a time of “firsts.” First kiss. First love. First loss. First job. The first taste of adult responsibilities, and the first look at an independent life away from both the restrictions and the security of home. And in this case, a very different type of “first”: murder. This short story collection of murder mysteries adds a sinister spin to the joy and pain of firsts that have always been a major part of life, whether it be high school cliques who take the term “backstabbing” too seriously, stumbling upon a body on the way home from school, or receiving a Snapchat message that promises something deadly. Contributors include Barry Lyga, Caleb Roehrig, Emmy Laybourne, Jonathan Maberry, R.L. Stine, Rachel Vincent, Y.S. Lee, and more! An Imprint Book




Super Puzzletastic Mysteries


Book Description

Bestselling author Chris Grabenstein and the Mystery Writers of America bring together twenty peerless puzzles—from bestselling authors such as Peter Lerangis, Stuart Gibbs, Lauren Magaziner, Kate Milford, and, of course, Grabenstein himself—in an anthology of mystery short stories that invite readers to try to unravel the riddles themselves. From tales of hapless superheroes and stolen squirrel monkeys to murderous triplets and haunted basements, these thrilling, puzzling, and hilarious cases have one thing in common—YOU get a chance to be the detective before the author reveals the solution. With twenty never-before-published mystery stories, this collection will leave young detectives sleuthing for more!




Deadly Anniversaries


Book Description

A Best Book of 2020 from Suspense Magazine Deadly Anniversaries celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America with a collection of stories from some of the top names in crime fiction. An anniversary can honor many things: a birth, a wedding and sometimes even a death. In Deadly Anniversaries, editors Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini present new stories from some of the best contemporary authors to honor the diamond jubilee of the Mystery Writers of America, an organization founded on the principle that “Crime Doesn’t Pay—Enough.” Each author puts their own unique spin on what it means to recognize a certain day or event each year. These nineteen stories travel across a wide range of historical and contemporary settings and remind readers of how broad the mystery writing tradition can be, encompassing detective tales, domestic intrigue, psychological suspense, black humor and thrilling action. By the time this group of bestsellers and award-winners is through, none of us will ever look at anniversaries the same way again. Deadly Anniversaries is sure to shock, scare and delight mystery and suspense fans of all kinds, featuring the following contributors: Sue Grafton Laurie R. King Lee Child Margaret Maron S.J. Rozan Max Allan Collins Wendy Hornsby Jeffery Deaver Bill Pronzini Carolyn Hart Peter Lovesey Meg Gardiner Marcia Muller Julie Smith William Kent Krueger Peter Robinson Naomi Hirahara Doug Allyn Alison Gaylin Laura Lippman




The Night Awakens


Book Description

The crowned Queen of Suspense, #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark invites a star-studded cast of authors to share original stories of men and women joined in love...and driven to murder. Sarah Shankman puts a chilling new spin on payback in "All You Need Is Love." In "Widower's Walk," Joseph Hansen slaps a rancher with a cold wake-up call out on the trail. Loren D. Estleman cuts a honeymoon short when a bride learns she's married to the mob in "Something Borrowed, Something Black." Brendan DuBois drives a brother to the road to revenge in his story, "Sibling Rivalry." In Sally Gunning's "The Perils of Pond Scum," jealousy leads to a murderous extreme. In "Afraid of the Dark," Nancy Pickard exposes the truth behind the headlines as a young love leads to old-fashioned homicide. A panoply of other renowned writers spellbind us with the seductive charms of love, lust, and other lethal attractions.




Mystery Box


Book Description

In this novel of Paris in the 1920s, Carolyn Keene and Frank Dixon (pseudonymous authors of Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys) are imagined solving mysteries among famous expatriate writers of the era.




Odd Partners


Book Description

Unlikely pairs join forces to crack a slew of intriguing cases in an anthology edited by New York Times bestselling author Anne Perry, featuring original stories by Jacqueline Winspear, Jeffery Deaver, Allison Brennan, Charles Todd, and many more, including Perry herself. Throughout the annals of fiction, there have been many celebrated detective teams: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Nick and Nora Charles. Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. That last pair is the creation of beloved mystery writer Anne Perry, who, as the editor of Odd Partners and in conjunction with Mystery Writers of America, has enlisted some of today’s best mystery writers to craft all-new stories about unlikely duos who join forces—sometimes unwillingly—to solve beguiling whodunits. From Perry’s own entry, in which an English sergeant and his German counterpart set out to find a missing soldier during World War I, to a psychological tale of an airplane passenger who wakes up unsure of who he is and must enlist his fellow passengers to help him remember, to a historical mystery about a misguided witch-hunt and the unlikely couple that brings it down, each story deals in the wonderful complexities of human interactions. And not just human interactions: Honey bees avenge the death of their beekeeper, a wandering cat brings home clues to a murder, and a gray wolf and a fly fisherman in the Minnesota woods try to protect their land from a brash billionaire. Featuring work by New York Times bestselling authors, Edgar Award winners, and up-and-coming members of the Mystery Writers of America, these tales of friends, enemies, and pairs who lie somewhere in the middle will satisfy every type of mystery reader. With each author’s signature brand of suspense, these stories give new meaning to the word “teamwork.” Featuring stories by: Ace Atkins • Allison Brennan • Shelley Costa • Jeffery Deaver • Robert Dugoni • William Frank • Georgia Jeffries • Lou Kemp • William Kent Krueger • Joe R. Lansdale • Lisa Morton • Claire Ortalda • Anne Perry • Adele Polomski • Stephen Ross • Mark Thielman • Charles Todd • Jacqueline Winspear • Amanda Witt