Deadly Housewives

February 27, 2006
Housewife is certainly not the first word that springs to mind when glancing at the stellar list of contributors to this wide-ranging all-original anthology. Sara Paretsky, Nevada Barr, Marcia Muller, Carole Nelson Douglas, Nancy Pickard, S.J. Rozan and eight other women authors cook up or clean up a host of household problems. Barbara Collins's "Trailer Trashed" takes reality TV to a delightful new low; Denise Mina proves as chillingly adept in "An Invisible Minus Sign" as she is in her novels; Suzanne Ledbetter's "How to Murder Your Mother-in-Law" makes a strong case for justifiable homicide; and Eileen Dreyer's "Vanquishing the Infidel" only loosely qualifies as a crime story, but is perhaps the most heroic of any. There are cheating, abusive and just plain bad husbands and some very clever ways of disposing of them. Editor Matthews provides an amusing introduction.

April 1, 2006
Writing a review for a book of short stories by different writers is especially challenging when the tales are as good as the ones gathered here. There is just not enough room to mention all 14 authors and their never-before-published tales. The bottom line here is that Sara Paretsky, Marcia Muller, Eileen Dreyer, S.J. Rozan, and ten other mystery authors have crafted excellent stories about what might motivate housewives to commit murder. The stories are followed by brief author biographies and a final section called -Avon -s Little Black Book -the dish, the scoop and the cherry on top, - an explanation of the hows and whys behind the tales. Culinary comments, recipes, and musings on housekeeping and being a wife add charm. [See Prepub Mystery, "LJ "1/06.]

Copyright 2006 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2006
Here's something for fans of the television series " Desperate Housewives." Mystery writer Matthews has compiled a collection of 14 short stories from a group of celebrated women crime authors. Sarah Paretsky, Marcia Muller, S. J. Rozan, and others examine the inner workings of the female psyche as well as the minutiae of everyday life. The women in these stories battle boredom, infidelity, kids, and ruined careers as they deal with marriage and trying to survive another day. These delightful tales prove that there are many ways to remove a troublesome husband, seek revenge against those who have cheated, and deal with disrespect.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2006, American Library Association.)