Edited by: Joan Hess, Ed Gorman, and Martin H. Greenberg

THE WORLD'S MOST DEVIOUS MINDS DELIVER KILLER MYSTERIES.

ED McBAIN spins a tale of Prohibition, gangsters and love on the run

MARCIA MULLER unravels the startling secrets of a bag lady's past

SARA PARETSKY sets up her popular heroine V. I. Warshawski to be a fall guy

ANNE PERRY stages a prison break and a double cross during the French Revolution

NANCY PICKARD pits a female shamus with a pistol in her DD cup against a rapist

RUTH RENDELL shows how clothes can make, or break, a woman

REGINALD HILL issues invitations to an exclusive club, confidentiality guaranteed. The only entrance requirement: having committed the perfect crime...

DONALD E. WESTLAKE sends a burglar disguised as Santa Claus laughing all the way to the bank--but the joke is on him...

EDWARD D. HOCH plants the seeds of murder when a woman grows marijuana in her New York apartment...

SARAH SHANKMAN makes jury duty more than a struggling TV writer's civic responsibility. It might be the answer to her prayers...

Psychological thrillers...baffling whodunits...chilling suspense--this superb collection by today's leading mystery writers delves deep into dark hearts and twisted minds for some of the best crime stories ever. If you love mysteries, it would be a crime to miss it.

Contents:

• The Escape by Anne Perry
• Clothes by Ruth Rendell
• The Cracks in the Sidewalk by Marcia Muller
• Running from Legs by Ed McBain
• The Cassoulet by Walter Satterthwait
• Toad Crossing by John Lutz & David August
• Wild Horses by Sam Pizzo
• The Narrow House by Edward D. Hoch
• Married to a Murderer by Alan Russell
• The Perfect Murder Club by Reginald Hill
• The Girl Who Talked to Horses by Robert J. Randisi
• Stalking Horse by Susan B. Kelly
• A Good Thing by Simon Brett
• Hoops by S.J. Rozan
• Real Life by Sarah Shankman
• A Rock and a Hard Place by Nancy Pickard
• The Burglar and the Whatsit by Donald E. Westlake
• Publicity Stunts by Sara Paretsky
• The Monster by Bill Pronzini