Irreconcilable Differences

by Lia Matera (Editor/Contributor), Sarah Lovett (Contributor), Jan Burke (Contributor)

Editor Lia Matera has compiled an irresistible concoction of mystery and suspense filled with the clever twists and chilling turns of breakups, family feuds, broken partnerships, and lovers' quarrels. As this acclaimed cast of authors probes the minefield of intimace, devotion, and trust upon which human lives are built, "Irreconcilable Differences explodes with heart-stopping mayhem.

Joyce Carol Oates, Amanda Cross, Jeffery Deaver, John Lutz, Edna Buchanan, Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller, Laurie R. King, Sarah Lovett, Jan Burke, Jeremiah Healy, Julie Smith, Judith Kelman, Margaret Maron, Gillian Roberts, Joan Hess, Sarah Shankman, Pete Hautman, Eileen Dreyer, Lia Matera

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies

384 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1999

About the author

Lia Matera is a graduate of Hastings College of the Law, where she was editor in chief of the Constitutional Law Quarterly. She was also a Teaching Fellow at Stanford Law School before becoming a full-time writer of legal mysteries. Prior Convictions and A Radical Departure were nominated for Edgar Allan Poe awards. The Good Fight and Where Lawyers Fear to Tread were nominated for Anthony and Macavity Awards. She has written nine novels, including the critically acclaimed Face Value. Matera lives in Santa Cruz, California.

Reviews

[Brandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread this. Some of the stories are good. Many are not. Disappointing.

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sounds like it's about divorce, and some of the stories are, but many aren't. I especially liked Jan Burke's, set in Jane Austen's frame, Amanda Cross's about a hypocritical biography/memoir that crosses a publisher's desk, and John Lutz's, about a football star who stutters and is the key witness in a murder. But they were all good, which is unusual in an anthology.

[Les · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories cover quite a variety of styles. Some didn't seem like actual mysteries to me, but they all were very good. This is an excellent book to have around when you want to read something but only have a little time.