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Title: Love and Death
Author: Carolyn Hart, Gar Anthony Haywood, Nancy Pickard, Peter Robinson, more
Narrator: Kate Reading
Format: Unabridged
Length: 8 hrs and 4 mins
Language: English
Release date: 12-29-05
Publisher: Books on Tape
Ratings: 4 of 5 out of 12 votes
Genres: Fiction, Short Stories & Anthologies
Publisher's Summary:
Carolyn Hart offers a homespun tale of the World War II home front, as a small-town family squabble breaks wide open over a theft, and the suspect's sweetheart is the only one who believes him.
Gar Anthony Haywood exposes a wealthy widow who thinks life after (her husband's) death is simply heavenly, only to discover that when you marry for money, there's hell to pay.
Nancy Pickard tells a tale of two lovers at the end of their relationship who warily witness a lonely woman trying to tie things up-before her own untimely end.
Peter Robinson probes a dying man's memories of the Paris riots of 1968, when his obsession with a woman led him to the brink of madness, and into the heart of murder.
Also featuring stories from Dorothy Cannell, Eve Sandstrom, M.D. Lake, Ed Gorman, Jean Hager, Margaret Maron, Robert J. Randisi and Christine Matthews, Susan Dunlap, Kathy Hogan Trocheck, and Marilyn Wallace.
Critic Reviews:
"A strong anthology by veteran authors." (Publishers Weekly)
Members Reviews:
Only EDITED by Carolyn Hart.
This book is edited by Carolyn Hart. A great writer. I really enjoy her Death on Demand, Henrie O and her Bailey Ruth Raeburn Series. She has many stand alone's that are very good. I did not enjoy this book. Maybe one or two stories (out of 14) were good. Expected much better. Usually I like books with multiple authors. It gives you a chance to sample other authors. Will not be buying any of these authors on their own. Don't waste your time.
Five Stars
Enjoyable
WORTH BUYING FOR HART'S "SECRETS" & WALLACE'S "THE COLLABORATION"
Like Carolyn G. Hart's first anthology (CRIMES OF THE HEART, 1995), this volume suffers from a serious quality-control problem. Furthermore, despite its title and its claim to contain "fourteen original tales of crimes of the heart," several stories in LOVE AND DEATH, including the three best, have little or nothing to do with crimes or with death.
As a simple overview, let me say I would give letter grades of "A" to three stories, "B" to six stories, "C" to three stories, and "D" to two stories. Among the factors considered are the authors' cleverness and originality, their ability to pace themselves and stay on track, the appropriateness and vividness of the styles in their narration and dialogue, and the plausibility of the various characters and events within their stories.
Three A's: Carolyn Hart's own story "Secrets," which is set during World War II and reads far more like "literature" than a mystery or a crime story, is probably the best piece in this volume. Margaret Maron's "Till 3:45," which involves a single working mom, her young daughter, a bookstore owner, and some people upstairs, skates near the edge of sentimental romance fiction but is well plotted. Marilyn Wallace's "The Collaboration" focuses on another single mom and is noteworthy for its three alternative endings, two of which are played out in the mind of the young woman who is trying to avoid living a crazy life.
Six B's: Dorothy Cannell's "Bridal Flowers" is a mildly humorous detective story involving her two elderly private investigators, Primrose and Hyacinth Tramwell, who assist a young couple.
