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Malice Domestic #3
Nancy Pickard Presents Malice Domestic
A collection of original mystery stories written by such masters of the genre as Dorothy Cannell, Wendy Hornsby, Joan Hess, and other contemporary authors
Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1994
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201 people want to read
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
912 books159 followersMartin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 18, 2009
I downloaded this from Overdrive on a whim.
I find short story collections to be hit or miss even at their best. As I listened to the first pieces, I thought perhaps this one had been a mistake. Short story mysteries are tricky, and maybe they don't adapt well to the audio format. Not having a list of stories/authors didn't help*.
I started with
# His Tears by Marilyn Wallace
# Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard
# Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams
which didn't make much of an impression on me. In fact, I remember pretty much nothing about them.
After that, either I adapted to the stories, or the stories got better.
I really enjoyed
# Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert
and will need to track down the authors, who have been recommended to me before. Following the path of a small town adventure through call-ins to the local radio show was very entertaining.
# The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty
Was an interesting character study. Very creepy, a little spooky, and a nice buildup.
# The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell
Is an absolutely hilarious parody of historical adventure/romance novels.
# The Trouble with the Shoot by Camilla T. Crespi
Didn't grab me. Fashion and a dead body.
# High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby
This was entertaining. I looked at as meta-fiction, the story of a woman who got a little too involved in the research for writing a myster novel. Or she could have just been delusional, in which case this would just be creepy and bizarre.
# Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser
Something about real estate. I restarted several times, but I just kept tuning out. Don't know whether it was the story or the narrator that was the problem, but it didn't click for me.
# Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb
A humorous piece, which I enjoyed, even if it was a bit predictable-- an author and the mob :-).
# Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood
# Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess
# Highwater by D.R. Meredith
As far as I can tell, these weren't in the audiobook, even though they were listed in the IBL as being in the collection.
In the end, I think the collection was successful. I'll check out more from Overdrive at some point.
*(Thanks to the Internet Book List http://www.iblist.com/ for the list of stories and authors)
I find short story collections to be hit or miss even at their best. As I listened to the first pieces, I thought perhaps this one had been a mistake. Short story mysteries are tricky, and maybe they don't adapt well to the audio format. Not having a list of stories/authors didn't help*.
I started with
# His Tears by Marilyn Wallace
# Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard
# Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams
which didn't make much of an impression on me. In fact, I remember pretty much nothing about them.
After that, either I adapted to the stories, or the stories got better.
I really enjoyed
# Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert
and will need to track down the authors, who have been recommended to me before. Following the path of a small town adventure through call-ins to the local radio show was very entertaining.
# The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty
Was an interesting character study. Very creepy, a little spooky, and a nice buildup.
# The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell
Is an absolutely hilarious parody of historical adventure/romance novels.
# The Trouble with the Shoot by Camilla T. Crespi
Didn't grab me. Fashion and a dead body.
# High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby
This was entertaining. I looked at as meta-fiction, the story of a woman who got a little too involved in the research for writing a myster novel. Or she could have just been delusional, in which case this would just be creepy and bizarre.
# Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser
Something about real estate. I restarted several times, but I just kept tuning out. Don't know whether it was the story or the narrator that was the problem, but it didn't click for me.
# Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb
A humorous piece, which I enjoyed, even if it was a bit predictable-- an author and the mob :-).
# Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood
# Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess
# Highwater by D.R. Meredith
As far as I can tell, these weren't in the audiobook, even though they were listed in the IBL as being in the collection.
In the end, I think the collection was successful. I'll check out more from Overdrive at some point.
*(Thanks to the Internet Book List http://www.iblist.com/ for the list of stories and authors)
June 11, 2020
Nancy Pickard's "Malicious Domesticus"--other than having a dog-Latin (pretending to be scientific Latin) title--is a pleasant enough send-off.
* "The Dying Light" by Taylor McCafferty looks like the same old story of unfaithful sex ... and, rewardingly, isn't.
* "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Deborah Adams has one of those Kinsey Milhone endings you've heard me sigh about, but that doesn't ruin it. Nor do I quite understand the post-climax denouement, but then my own marriage interest is zero.
* "Fannie’s Back Fence Caper" by Susan & Bill Albert, meaning Susan Wittig Albert. You've met the complaints about how real crime stories don't wrap up neatly in TV's 60 allotted minutes, including commercials?--or even 90, as they might have in my youth? Well, no, not here. The "Fannie's Back Fence" program on KPST-AM, Pecan Springs, Texas, lasts 2 highly satisfactory, and very full, hours.
* I can't decide whether "His Tears" by Marlys Millhiser gives us a near-overdose of dramatic irony or of a narrator respectable to the point of unreliability. Interesting, though not entirely satisfying, either way.
* "Sign of the Times" by our presenter, Nancy Pickard. Every event is telegraphed. An appropriate fault, given how sign-language and wigwag work? I think not.
* "The Family Jewels" by Dorothy Cannell may be this author's worst published work. Parodies should be biting, funny, or both; this is mildly clever and definitely tedious--yes, even tho I can read and enjoy the Thackeray-period English being imitated. The labored punchline doesn't help.
* "The Trouble with the Shoot" by Camilla T. Crespi. Everything the previous item isn't. Except for an equally poor, and even less necessary, punchline.
* "Double Delight" by L.B. Greenwood is pleasant and ingenious, just what a cozy, no matter what its length, should be. S/He also does Holmes pastiches, not available at either of my libraries. Ah, well, I believe Heaven's lending library is absolutely superb.
* "High Heels in the Headliner" by Wendy Hornsby. In which a "headliner" is the lining of the roof in an auto or a yacht--not, I promise you, a spoiler, unless you like vaguely anticipating something that won't pay off. Also, in which one hopes the PoV is autobiographical only to an extent.
* "Make Yourselves at Home" by Joan Hess is a quite unpleasant tale of a thoroughly unpleasant woman. This sort of story must have drained off what would've soured the good cheer in Maggody and Farberville. One feels sorry for all of the involved.
* "Cara’s Turn" by Marlys Millhiser is nicely complex and implies dark subsequent events very competently. I see Millhiser writes horror, too.
* There are beautifully interlocking parts in "Highwater" by D.R. Meredith. Unfortunately my libraries have invested only in audio versions of her work.
* "Gentle Reader" by Sharyn McCrumb. An epistolary short story, a welcome rarity. With the epistoleers entirely aware of what they don't, and needn't, say.
* "The Dying Light" by Taylor McCafferty looks like the same old story of unfaithful sex ... and, rewardingly, isn't.
* "Cast Your Fate to the Wind" by Deborah Adams has one of those Kinsey Milhone endings you've heard me sigh about, but that doesn't ruin it. Nor do I quite understand the post-climax denouement, but then my own marriage interest is zero.
* "Fannie’s Back Fence Caper" by Susan & Bill Albert, meaning Susan Wittig Albert. You've met the complaints about how real crime stories don't wrap up neatly in TV's 60 allotted minutes, including commercials?--or even 90, as they might have in my youth? Well, no, not here. The "Fannie's Back Fence" program on KPST-AM, Pecan Springs, Texas, lasts 2 highly satisfactory, and very full, hours.
* I can't decide whether "His Tears" by Marlys Millhiser gives us a near-overdose of dramatic irony or of a narrator respectable to the point of unreliability. Interesting, though not entirely satisfying, either way.
* "Sign of the Times" by our presenter, Nancy Pickard. Every event is telegraphed. An appropriate fault, given how sign-language and wigwag work? I think not.
* "The Family Jewels" by Dorothy Cannell may be this author's worst published work. Parodies should be biting, funny, or both; this is mildly clever and definitely tedious--yes, even tho I can read and enjoy the Thackeray-period English being imitated. The labored punchline doesn't help.
* "The Trouble with the Shoot" by Camilla T. Crespi. Everything the previous item isn't. Except for an equally poor, and even less necessary, punchline.
* "Double Delight" by L.B. Greenwood is pleasant and ingenious, just what a cozy, no matter what its length, should be. S/He also does Holmes pastiches, not available at either of my libraries. Ah, well, I believe Heaven's lending library is absolutely superb.
* "High Heels in the Headliner" by Wendy Hornsby. In which a "headliner" is the lining of the roof in an auto or a yacht--not, I promise you, a spoiler, unless you like vaguely anticipating something that won't pay off. Also, in which one hopes the PoV is autobiographical only to an extent.
* "Make Yourselves at Home" by Joan Hess is a quite unpleasant tale of a thoroughly unpleasant woman. This sort of story must have drained off what would've soured the good cheer in Maggody and Farberville. One feels sorry for all of the involved.
* "Cara’s Turn" by Marlys Millhiser is nicely complex and implies dark subsequent events very competently. I see Millhiser writes horror, too.
* There are beautifully interlocking parts in "Highwater" by D.R. Meredith. Unfortunately my libraries have invested only in audio versions of her work.
* "Gentle Reader" by Sharyn McCrumb. An epistolary short story, a welcome rarity. With the epistoleers entirely aware of what they don't, and needn't, say.
February 25, 2024
When I found the Malice Domestic Anthologies I was hooked. My love for this type of short crime story increases the more I read. One of my favorite Joan Hess short stories is in here, the hilarious crime story about a woman behaving badly--Make Yourselves at Home.
May 3, 2022
In the third compilation of the Malice Domestic series, we've got a great bunch of titles to look forward to.
In the story The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty, Elna dies on the operating table from complications with her pregnancy. When the doctors bring her back, she's real pleased because she got to see her mother and father again. But she also saw a face she'd hoped not to see. A really great opening story, The Dying Light has a limited cast and setting but manages to tell a strong story with a predictable but satisfying ending, and a touch of venom right at the finish.
In Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams, there's been a murder at a sleazy motel of a cheating husband right in time for Lily to start having doubts about her own upcoming marriage. The murderer is a little obvious, but the situation was a twist and there's a great little monologue at the end that really hits home with poor Lily.
In Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert, Fannie is the host of Fannie's Back Fence, a call-in talk show where they exchange local gossip. But one evening the gossip turns into a manhunt. A fast-paced story that'll leave you glued to the edge of your reading chair.
His Tears (by Marilyn Wallace) wouldn't stop after his friend's funeral. Any little thing would set him off. Or was it all triggered by something else; something the funeral may have picked out of his head. I didn't care much for this one; it was vague and unresolved, and the whole thing is dismissed as the wife's imagination and I seriously think it may have been. Dunno what the hell was wrong with her husband, but the waterworks stopped as suddenly as they'd started.
I mentioned in one of the previous reviews that there are two gorilla-based stories in the first two books. I was mistaken. Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard is the second gorilla-based story, and it stars Bubba and her criminal turned caretaker Joe. . A clever story with comeuppance that may not have been totally deserved, but it's a fun read.
In The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell, empty-headed Elizabeth marries the Earl of Witherington, and ends up on trial for her husband's murder. It's a parody of silly overly-dramatic romance novels with murders, and heirs switched at birth, and all that fun stuff.
The Trouble with the Shoot (by Camilla T. Crespi) is everything from stolen jewellery to a murder, but this ad executive is on the scent and has no intention of letting anything make her miss her deadline. A convoluted story I could take or leave, and would rather leave.
In Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood, Jan, a drifter working her way across country, stumbles her way into a household about to experience a bit of sinister trouble. It was actually very good and read like an Agatha Christie, and I can't imagine why I couldn't remember the plot until I was nearly finished reading it other than perhaps the vague title.
Thea is a writer in High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby, but she isn't getting the kinds of reactions she wants from her readers. So she tags along with a police officer and eventually gets into a relationship with him, but is any of this for her or is she just following along after her character? HHH surprised me. I'm sure you've heard me mention before how much I hate stories starring writers because the author tries so hard to make them interesting that they always come out reading like weirdoes, but Thea is just the right kind of interesting. Everything she experiences she tries to work into a scene as it's happening, and not like an out-of-setting scene like they pull in Sucker Punch. More like how I myself operate. My memory is shit and I can't trust myself to remember anything accurately enough to remember things later, so if something interesting happens I'm mentally working it into a scene right away. And best yet, she's so caught up in the story that she's completely separated herself from living the reality of it, which leads us to that punch of an ending.
Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess tells the tale of a housewife who participates in a house swap holiday with the intent of scamming her guests and landing a posh vacation for herself and her husband. The murder is ambiguous as the story focuses more on the set-up of Wilma's scam, but it's pretty heavily implied. A fine payback for being such an asshole.
Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser is creepy as hell. Cara and her husband downsize and their realtor is all too happy to show them the one place that never seems to get off his hands for long. Of course, it doesn't help that the former owner and current neighbor is so perfectly creepy. It ends on such on ominous note that you're left with a real sense of worry for what's coming for Cara.
In Highwater by D.R. Meredith, Elizabeth Walker is running for justice of the peace and does a bit of chatting up the locals to warm the old timers into having a woman do what is locally dismissed as a man's job. But in doing so she cracks a cold case wide open. What a great read. The case was never technically opened because of the same sexist thinking that's giving Elizabeth trouble in getting votes, and while the murderer is obvious the confrontation is satisfying.
Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb is the correspondence between a fan and his favorite author. Through their letters they share encouragement and personal problems, and they help each other more than they'd expected to. A strong finish, Gentle Reader was innocuous to the end when previous insights suddenly came to a sudden, semi-comical conclusion that the benefiting party remains innocent of.
The verdict? A strong collection with a list of fantastic, funny mysteries. It's a rare thing to find a compilation with so many stories I like in it, so this one's a read for sure.
In the story The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty, Elna dies on the operating table from complications with her pregnancy. When the doctors bring her back, she's real pleased because she got to see her mother and father again. But she also saw a face she'd hoped not to see. A really great opening story, The Dying Light has a limited cast and setting but manages to tell a strong story with a predictable but satisfying ending, and a touch of venom right at the finish.
In Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams, there's been a murder at a sleazy motel of a cheating husband right in time for Lily to start having doubts about her own upcoming marriage. The murderer is a little obvious, but the situation was a twist and there's a great little monologue at the end that really hits home with poor Lily.
In Fannie’s Back Fence Caper by Susan & Bill Albert, Fannie is the host of Fannie's Back Fence, a call-in talk show where they exchange local gossip. But one evening the gossip turns into a manhunt. A fast-paced story that'll leave you glued to the edge of your reading chair.
His Tears (by Marilyn Wallace) wouldn't stop after his friend's funeral. Any little thing would set him off. Or was it all triggered by something else; something the funeral may have picked out of his head. I didn't care much for this one; it was vague and unresolved, and the whole thing is dismissed as the wife's imagination and I seriously think it may have been. Dunno what the hell was wrong with her husband, but the waterworks stopped as suddenly as they'd started.
I mentioned in one of the previous reviews that there are two gorilla-based stories in the first two books. I was mistaken. Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard is the second gorilla-based story, and it stars Bubba and her criminal turned caretaker Joe. . A clever story with comeuppance that may not have been totally deserved, but it's a fun read.
In The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell, empty-headed Elizabeth marries the Earl of Witherington, and ends up on trial for her husband's murder. It's a parody of silly overly-dramatic romance novels with murders, and heirs switched at birth, and all that fun stuff.
The Trouble with the Shoot (by Camilla T. Crespi) is everything from stolen jewellery to a murder, but this ad executive is on the scent and has no intention of letting anything make her miss her deadline. A convoluted story I could take or leave, and would rather leave.
In Double Delight by L.B. Greenwood, Jan, a drifter working her way across country, stumbles her way into a household about to experience a bit of sinister trouble. It was actually very good and read like an Agatha Christie, and I can't imagine why I couldn't remember the plot until I was nearly finished reading it other than perhaps the vague title.
Thea is a writer in High Heels in the Headliner by Wendy Hornsby, but she isn't getting the kinds of reactions she wants from her readers. So she tags along with a police officer and eventually gets into a relationship with him, but is any of this for her or is she just following along after her character? HHH surprised me. I'm sure you've heard me mention before how much I hate stories starring writers because the author tries so hard to make them interesting that they always come out reading like weirdoes, but Thea is just the right kind of interesting. Everything she experiences she tries to work into a scene as it's happening, and not like an out-of-setting scene like they pull in Sucker Punch. More like how I myself operate. My memory is shit and I can't trust myself to remember anything accurately enough to remember things later, so if something interesting happens I'm mentally working it into a scene right away. And best yet, she's so caught up in the story that she's completely separated herself from living the reality of it, which leads us to that punch of an ending.
Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess tells the tale of a housewife who participates in a house swap holiday with the intent of scamming her guests and landing a posh vacation for herself and her husband. The murder is ambiguous as the story focuses more on the set-up of Wilma's scam, but it's pretty heavily implied. A fine payback for being such an asshole.
Cara’s Turn by Marlys Millhiser is creepy as hell. Cara and her husband downsize and their realtor is all too happy to show them the one place that never seems to get off his hands for long. Of course, it doesn't help that the former owner and current neighbor is so perfectly creepy. It ends on such on ominous note that you're left with a real sense of worry for what's coming for Cara.
In Highwater by D.R. Meredith, Elizabeth Walker is running for justice of the peace and does a bit of chatting up the locals to warm the old timers into having a woman do what is locally dismissed as a man's job. But in doing so she cracks a cold case wide open. What a great read. The case was never technically opened because of the same sexist thinking that's giving Elizabeth trouble in getting votes, and while the murderer is obvious the confrontation is satisfying.
Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb is the correspondence between a fan and his favorite author. Through their letters they share encouragement and personal problems, and they help each other more than they'd expected to. A strong finish, Gentle Reader was innocuous to the end when previous insights suddenly came to a sudden, semi-comical conclusion that the benefiting party remains innocent of.
The verdict? A strong collection with a list of fantastic, funny mysteries. It's a rare thing to find a compilation with so many stories I like in it, so this one's a read for sure.
May 4, 2021
Uneven but generally enjoyable collection of mystery short stories. "Gentle Reader", an epistolary story by Sharyn McCrumb, was especially fun. In it, a retired grandfather exchanges letters with a beloved mystery writer. He showers her with praise, and she starts to ask him for advice... Another highlight is Dorothy Cannell's "The Family Jewels". It's ridiculous and silly, and all the better for it. I listened to Malice Domestic 3 on audio, and enjoyed the variety of narrators.
January 27, 2018
I stopped reading after four of the short stories. none of them interested me.
February 21, 2018
Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish the book. Too many of the stories weren’t to my liking.
Read
September 7, 2021A group of short stories. Short stories are not my favorite read.
Read
January 16, 2022Read this many years ago.
May 14, 2022
Not a bad collection of fluff mystery stories - the Cannell story is a highlight, and the audio version features the brilliant Jean Smart in two stories.
June 20, 2023
Entertaining short stories
September 24, 2012
Well I have had an urge for another short story kick and came across this one: My rating is 3.1 avg, so 3 stars seems about right. A nice diversion for short story buffs especially in the mystery/crime/thriller fashion...nothing reveloutionary in here and nothing great IMHO but quite a few solid stories. You likley won't regret skipping this collection, but if you like short stories it really can't hurt.
1. His Tears by Marilyn Wallace- 4 stars- A very enjoyable read about infidelity, grief and quite possibly murder....The ending is what I call a Hitchcock ending meaning it is very open ended....to the point that we are not quite given as much closure as I would like...intriguing read either way.
2. Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard- 3 stars- a nice quick read...remininiscent of one done by R.L. Stine in another anthology (although I am not sure which was written first).
3. Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams- 1 star- I hate giving one star and seldom do....but the writing style never resonated with me...I found the characters a little bit card board, the dialouge did not resonate with me and the plot and unfolding story line never intrigued me or drew me in.
4. Fannie's Back Fence Caper by Bill & Susan Albert- 4 stars- I enjoyed this one immensely. It started a little slow (a no no in short stories), but it was not long before I was drawn into this story of political deception, unethical building conglomerates, murder and the small town gossip train.
5. The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty- 2 stars- This might rank higher among other readers? in fairness to the author. It was well written and I did (for a while anyway) enjoy the narrative style of writing. But I have never really been drawn into these kinds of stories as my theology consnstantly draws inconcistancies with them, and I have never been able to get beyond that.
6. The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell- 2.5 stars This story just didn't connect with me enough to rope me in...Kind of humerous at times, but not what I was excpecting in this collection.
7. The trouble with the shoot by camillia T. Crespi- 2.5 stars- This really seemed to have a lot of potential, but never really got off of the ground.
8. highheels in the headliner by Wendy Hornsby 4 stars- I thoughly enjoyed this story. A writer seeking to research for her crime novel gets a little to involved with the job....and goes a little farther than i would excpect the norm.
9. cara's Turn by Marlys Millhiser 4 stars- a creepy little story about buying a house without wondering just why it might be available????
10. Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb 4 stars- a pretty cool read about an author who write return letters to a fan....
1. His Tears by Marilyn Wallace- 4 stars- A very enjoyable read about infidelity, grief and quite possibly murder....The ending is what I call a Hitchcock ending meaning it is very open ended....to the point that we are not quite given as much closure as I would like...intriguing read either way.
2. Sign of the Times by Nancy Pickard- 3 stars- a nice quick read...remininiscent of one done by R.L. Stine in another anthology (although I am not sure which was written first).
3. Cast Your Fate to the Wind by Deborah Adams- 1 star- I hate giving one star and seldom do....but the writing style never resonated with me...I found the characters a little bit card board, the dialouge did not resonate with me and the plot and unfolding story line never intrigued me or drew me in.
4. Fannie's Back Fence Caper by Bill & Susan Albert- 4 stars- I enjoyed this one immensely. It started a little slow (a no no in short stories), but it was not long before I was drawn into this story of political deception, unethical building conglomerates, murder and the small town gossip train.
5. The Dying Light by Taylor McCafferty- 2 stars- This might rank higher among other readers? in fairness to the author. It was well written and I did (for a while anyway) enjoy the narrative style of writing. But I have never really been drawn into these kinds of stories as my theology consnstantly draws inconcistancies with them, and I have never been able to get beyond that.
6. The Family Jewels by Dorothy Cannell- 2.5 stars This story just didn't connect with me enough to rope me in...Kind of humerous at times, but not what I was excpecting in this collection.
7. The trouble with the shoot by camillia T. Crespi- 2.5 stars- This really seemed to have a lot of potential, but never really got off of the ground.
8. highheels in the headliner by Wendy Hornsby 4 stars- I thoughly enjoyed this story. A writer seeking to research for her crime novel gets a little to involved with the job....and goes a little farther than i would excpect the norm.
9. cara's Turn by Marlys Millhiser 4 stars- a creepy little story about buying a house without wondering just why it might be available????
10. Gentle Reader by Sharyn McCrumb 4 stars- a pretty cool read about an author who write return letters to a fan....
January 21, 2019
I'm doing the January tidy of my pages, and came across this entry without a review.
What was I thinking? Not much, I guess.
The fact that I made this five stars, and marked it as a rereader is enough for me. I just cast an eye over some of the titles, and remember that I laughed so hard at "High Heels in the Headliner" and remember that it went into more good stories.
Do you know how rare that is for me? So many times these days, publishers put the best story first, the worst story last, it's become really obvious to me.
This one kept me going all the way to the end, happy. Thanks, Nancy, you great editor. You have my sense of a good story. lol
Yes, this stays in the rereader pile.
And for those of you who don't like collections, I have one word of advice: One at a time. This is not a novel with unrelated chapters. Sheesh.
What was I thinking? Not much, I guess.
The fact that I made this five stars, and marked it as a rereader is enough for me. I just cast an eye over some of the titles, and remember that I laughed so hard at "High Heels in the Headliner" and remember that it went into more good stories.
Do you know how rare that is for me? So many times these days, publishers put the best story first, the worst story last, it's become really obvious to me.
This one kept me going all the way to the end, happy. Thanks, Nancy, you great editor. You have my sense of a good story. lol
Yes, this stays in the rereader pile.
And for those of you who don't like collections, I have one word of advice: One at a time. This is not a novel with unrelated chapters. Sheesh.
February 7, 2015
"Acclaimed Agatha Award-winning author Nancy Pickard dishes up a perfectly delicious new feast of original mystery stories, served up in classic Agatha Christie style. Celebrating the enduring legacy of the most beloved crime writer of all time, Malice Domestic 3 features some of the most distinguished mystery writers of our time."
~~back cover
The Dying Light is this jewel in this crown. Amazing perspective!
~~back cover
The Dying Light is this jewel in this crown. Amazing perspective!
January 22, 2016
Anthology of murder/mystery short stories. An excellent way to find authors new to you.
June 25, 2016
A good collection of short stories of mystery, murder and mayhem. As usual with such an anthology, there are some good ones and some that are not so gripping.
A good read for summer.
A good read for summer.
July 4, 2020
Read this fun anthology a few years ago and am rereading it now.
June 12, 2012
Didn't live up to the previous ones.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews