The Mammoth Book Of Perfect Crimes Impossible Mysteries

Mystery conundrums from crime's finest storytellers Presenting 30 impossible mysteries and bizarre crimes guaranteed to fascinate and intrigue. The delight in these stories is unravelling the puzzle and trying to work out what on earth happened. Stories include: ? A man alone in an all-glass phone booth, visible on CCTV and with no one near him, is killed by an ice pick. ? a man sitting alone in a room is shot by a bullet fired only once and that was over 200 years ago. ? A man enters a cable-car carriage alone and is visible the entire journey but is found dead when he reaches the bottom. ? A man vanishes at the top of the Indian rope trick and is found dead miles away. ? a dead man continues to receive mail in response to letters apparently written by him after he'd died. The anthology includes several brand new stories never previously published, plus a range of extremely rare stories, many never reprinted since their first appearance in increasingly rare magazines.

This collection of criminal conundrums are more than whodunits, they're howdunits and are intended to stretch your powers of deduction to the limits.

Although fantasy and supernatural literature have long and celebrated histories, many critics contend that the fantastic and the supernatural have no place in the logical, rational, world of the detective story. This book is the first extensive study of the fantastic in detective fiction and it explores the highly debated question of whether detective fiction and the fantastic can comfortably coexist. The "locked room" mystery--which often uses the fantastic as a red herring to eventually be debunked by reason and logic--has long been among the most popular subgenres of detective fiction. This book also explores stories featuring almost supernaturally gifted detectives, stories where the supernatural is truly encountered, and stories with ambiguous endings. Close to 500 detective stories from 1841 to 2000, in which the fantastic or supernatural plays a central role, are discussed and analyzed. Although not all the stories are judged to be successful as detective tales, in the great majority, the fantastic enlivens the tale and deepens the mystery without weakening the detective elements.

Leading crime critic Maxim Jakubowski presents this year's must-have collection of British crime fiction. This latest volume of the acclaimed annual collection presents over 20 short stories of murder mystery, selected from the very cream of new British crime fiction. Contributors include Lee Child, Colin Dexter, Val McDermid, Mark Billingham, Len Deighton, John Harvey, and many more. This is an ideal present for anyone who has ever enjoyed a good murder-mystery. A page-turning compendium of British talent to capture the imagination of readers around the world.

Twenty-three spellbinding tales of sorcery, wizardry and witchcraft, of the ceaseless battle between good and evil. From dark lords and epic clashes between the forces of good and evil to a child's struggle to control magical powers for the first time this wonderfully varied collection comprises stories by the most outstanding writers of fantasy: A. C. Benson, James Bibby, Marion Zimmer Bradley, Louise Cooper, Ralph Adams Cram, Peter Crowther, Esther M. Friesner, Tom Holt, Doug Hornig, Diana Wynne Jones, Michael Kurland, Tim Lebbon, Ursula K. Le Guin, Richard A. Lupoff, Michael Moorcock, John Morressy, Tim Pratt, David Sandner, Lawrence Schimel and Mike Resnick, Darrell Schweitzer, Clark Ashton Smith, Steve Rasnic Tem and Robert Weinberg.

Mystery and science fiction come together in a brand-new volume of short stories featuring original works from 14 of today's best writers. Whether it's a murder on the International Space Station or a theft of a valuable piece of equipment from NASA, Moon Shot presents a stellar (and, in some cases, interstellar) lineup of stories that cross genres and are sure to entertain readers who appreciate a blend of suspense, thriller, mystery and scifi. The stories onboard the space shuttle Moon Shot are written by Suzanne Berube Rorhus, Elizabeth Hosang, Jack Bates, Laird Long, Jeremy K. Tyler, E. Lynn Hooghiemstra, Toby Speed, Wenda Morrone, Suzanne Derham Cifarelli, Andrew MacRae, Jeff Howe, Percy Spurlark Parker, Mary McCarroll White and Lance Zarimba.

20 ace criminals involved in 20 mind-boggling fictional crimes penned by the Masters of the Game such as James Hilton, Arthur Conan Doyle, G. K. Chesterton, Dorothy L. Sayers, Frederick Brown, Ross McDonald, Stanley Ellin. This anthology is sure to keep you at the edge of your seat while you enjoy your crime time.

The Killer Wore Cranberry anthology is back with an all-new set of flavorful stories, guaranteed to whet your appetite for both your favorite holiday fare and a tasty crime story. In this collection of humorous short mysteries, see what happens when sisters are pushed over the edge, dentists dine with crime bosses, 1950s private detectives deal with dames and sweet potatoes and a family has a bit of a problem with their future son-in-law. And that's just the tip of the turkey leg! Join us at our table for ten great stories from returning Cranberry authors Big Jim Williams, Lesley A. Diehl, Earl Staggs, Barbara Metzger, Steve Shrott, Laird Long and Barb Goffman. We've brought along some new friends too: Sandra Murphy, Rob Chirico and Debra H. Goldstein. And, again this year, Lisa Wagner presents three recipes in-between the stories that are sure to have your guests killing for seconds! At the head of our table is J. Alan Hartman, the Editor-in-Chief of Untreed Reads Publishing who has curated all four installments of The Killer Wore Cranberry plus the anthologies Year's End, The Untreed Detectives and Moon Shot. So, turn off that football game. Tell Grandma you just don't have time for green bean casserole or gelatin mold. Let Uncle Bernie sleep off the tryptophan in the recliner. Then, find yourself a comfortable spot away from the carving knives and get ready to laugh, solve crimes and experience our fourth meal of pure mayhem!