To look at her, one would never think suburbanite homemaker Jane Jeffry would be interested in murder and mayhem. But given the corpses she's come across she's practically an expert on the subject. Which is why Jane's booking down to a nearby mystery writers' convention to mingle with the brightest lights of literary crime, and maybe drum up some interest in her own recently completed manuscript. But when a famous ego-squashing editor keels over at...

An essay on detective fiction accompanies eight stories about a politician's murder, a hotel detective, missing pearls, and gangsters.

Charlie Howard travels the globe writing suspense novels for a living. To supplement his income--and keep his hand in--Charlie has a small side business: stealing for a very discreet clientele on commission. When a mysterious American offers Charlie 20,000 euros to steal two small monkey figurines to match the one he already has, Charlie is suspicious; the job seems too good to be true, and of course, it is: He soon finds the American beaten nearly...

"There has never been a full-length biography of Mickey Spillane, the most popular and influential mystery writer of his era -- until now. Beginning in 1947 with I, the Jury, and continuing with his next six novels, Spillane quickly amassed a readership in the tens of millions, becoming the bestselling novelist in the history of American publishing. Surrounded by controversy for the overt violence and suggestive sexual content of his iconic Mike Hammer...

"Mystery writer and teacher, G. Miki Hayden brings her experience and enthusiasm for the craft to this authoritative guide to creating a compelling and commercially viable mystery. Writing the Mystery begins with a thorough exploration of the genre and proceeds to take the reader step-by-step through the writing process.". "Hayden then goes one step further and guides the reader through the post-writing process, explaining manuscript preparation,...

Offers tips and techniques for making crime stories realistic, including the fundamentals of investigation, criminal motives, weapons, escape methods, legal terminology, and slang terms.