Deadly Housewives: Stories

Nevada Barr, Carole Nelson Douglas, Marcia Muller and other top names provide engrossing short stories of murder and mystery centering around the psyche of the housewife in a mystery gathering of new stories by big names. Anticipate stories which excel in strong characters and absorbing plots with plenty of mystery paired with women's issues and concerns as a side-dish.

On television the housewives are desperate, but in this page-turner collection of short stories by award-winning women mystery-suspense writers, the housewives are deadly. Anyone who knows the mystery genre knows the authors in this anthology: Nevada Barr, Barbara Collins, Carole Nelson Douglas, Eileen Dreyer, Vicki Hendricks, Suzann Ledbetter, Elizabeth Massie, Christina Matthews, Denise Mina, Marcia Muller, Sara Paretsky, Nancy Pickard, S. J. Rozan, and Julie Smith. Resist any temptation to ignore the introduction and head straight for the stories because the introduction sets the tone for the rest of the housewives you'll meet in the pages that follow. Some of the housewives are bored, others are disgruntled, but all discover nasty ways to respond to what irritates them. I tried to choose a favorite tale, but couldn't. I recommend you read them all, just not necessarily in the order they appear in the book. "Trailer Trashed" makes reality television worse than you thought. "Joy Ride" gives prudent insight on knowing who you're dealing with. "The Next-Door Collector" makes anyone look at the new neighbors a bit differently. "Lawn and Order" shows new ideas about plants and pets-two things that are supposed to help reduce stress. Ten more stories await you, so make sure you block enough time to enjoy them all. After you've finished the stories, you'll want to read the "little black book" containing extra entries of comments and recipes supplied by the authors. After seeing how these ladies think, however, I don't know if I'd actually allow anything from the recipes into my mouth without a food taster trying it first. You're in for a real treat as you move from story to story. Be on the lookout for haunting humor, precious pets, hurtful husbands, naughty neighbors, and generation gaps. Enjoy the ride. Armchair Interviews says: Wow, sounds like a fun read.

The Introduction sets the tone for this strong anthology. DEADLY HOUSEWIVES opens with letters asking for sage advice on spousal removal including a request from a woman who apparently killed her husband with his bowling trophy, but nonchalantly wants to know how to remove the bloodstains. Fourteen tales later complete what is one of the better compilations in several years. The authors are a female who's who going deep into what makes motivates the gentler sex to turn criminal and is some cases lethal. Each tale is well written as some of the best women mystery-suspense authors on the market provide their insight filled with twists. After reading this superb often amusing short story collection, the secret is out as to who dominates relationships especially family for estrogen rules. Harriet Klausner

Fifteen authors band together to make one of the most deadly mystery anthologies ever! These are not unknown names either. Oh no! All fifteen are known in the mystery genre and all the tales are new, never-before-published. **** Do not skip reading the book's humorous Introduction. Just by reading it I knew this was going to be a fun book. Many women have considered killing off someone, but these housewives follow through with their thoughts. A few of these stories have unexpected twists or surprise endings. This fun read is perfect for your mountain or beach vacation. **** Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.