Wild Crimes: 6

This eleven tale anthology consists of suspense stories that have in common the locale of the wild where nature often hides humanity's inhumane acts. The authors are a virtual who's who of the mystery genre so that the audience will anticipate high quality and each participant comes through with a strong contribution. Of most interest, accentuated in the introduction by Dana Stabenow, is what the wild is. The interpreters brought their self concepts to forge personal differing definitions to the formidable term so that the stories can be and are everywhere. The background of the wild ranges from an island used for atomic testing to a frozen mountain top to Poe-like eerie woods to even an urban setting in which a walk on the wild side could prove deadly. Within this seemingly global range provide the backdrop to great tales that make for a terrific short story compilation, which encourages the audience to walk with the writers on a journey into the "wild". Harriet Klausner