In Unusual Suspects, America's most acclaimed crime writers, along with some authors rarely associated with the genre, contribute fifteen new stories and two rediscovered classics to this riveting anthology.

James Lee Burke, author of the bestselling Dave Robicheaux mysteries, gives us a feverishly atmospheric tale of racism and moral courage on the Louisiana bayou. From the files of Jim Thompson, the godfather of American noir, comes the story of a murder with a victim so nasty we defy anyone to shed a tear far him. And Joyce Carol Oates shows us how a sudden brush with violence can turn a public servant into a public enemy. The result is a deliriously pulse-pounding collection that proves that although crime doesn't pay, it can help a good cause.

All the stories in this collection of crime fiction have been donated to benefit Share Our Strength, a Washington, D. C.-based nonprofit organization that combats hunger, poverty, and illiteracy.