Mystery Writers of America Presents The Mystery Box
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- $13.99
Publisher Description
There's nothing more mysterious than a locked box. Whether it's a literal strongbox, an empty coffin, the inner workings of a scientist's mind, or an underground prison cell, there are those who will use any means necessary to unlock the secrets of...The Mystery Box.
With this anthology, bestselling author Brad Meltzer introduces twenty-one original stories from today's most prominent mystery writers. In Laura Lippman's "Waco 1982," a young reporter stuck with a seemingly mundane assignment on lost-and-found boxes unwittingly discovers a dark crime. In Joseph Finder's "Heirloom," a scheming neighbor frightens the new couple on the block with an unnerving tale of buried treasure. In R.L. Stine's "High Stakes," a man on his honeymoon gets drawn into a bizarre bet involving a coffin--a bet he may pay for with his life.
From the foothills of Mount Fuji to Georgia's Okefenokee Swamp, from a physics laboratory in wartime Leipzig to an unusual fitness club in Boca Raton, these sometimes terrifying, sometimes funny, and always suspenseful tales will keep you riveted to the page.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This all-original MWA anthology includes a nice mix of big names and rising stars among its 21 offerings, all plotted in some manner around a box (literal or metaphorical) and its contents. Some writers not best known for humor tickle the funny bone, like Jan Burke in "The Amiable Miss Edith Montague," whose death reveals depths hidden in life. Karin Slaughter's "Remy Rothstein Toes the Line (annotated)" is an exceedingly offbeat and funny story about a tabloid reporter and swamp people. Mary Ann Kelly's "Angelina" delivers a neat twist in a story about young, noisy neighbors and an old woman who lives alone. Colette becomes a detective in Angela Gerst's "The Secret Life of Books," a natural for the observant and curious French writer. Charles Todd explores the theft and strange peregrinations of a box belonging to the Dundee Rifles in "The Honour of Dundee." Steve Berry, Laura Lippman, R.L. Stine, and Katherine Neville are among the others whose stories brighten this collection.
