VENICE IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S most famous cities and an obligatory tourist destination. Now, for the first time, we look beyond the teeming canals and the crumbling palazzos to see the darkness at the heart of La Serenissima, the reality behind the postcards, and a city historically associated with both commerce and death comes to life in tales of treachery, crime, and lost souls, inhabited by locals and visitors alike. VENTURING BEYOND ST. MARK'S PLACE, the Doges Palace, the Rialto Bridge and all across the still but deadly waters of the lagoon, stories from writers from all corners of the globe evoke the magic, the decay, and the beauty and despair of a city that has always fascinated its hordes of visitors. A dizzy waltz of sun and noir between the countless bridges, gondolas, and historical landmarks will mean you will never think of Venice in the same way again. MAXIM JAKUBOWSKI is a British editor and writer. Following a long career in book publishing, during which he was responsible for several major crime imprints, he opened London's mystery bookshop Murder One. He reviews crime fiction for the Guardian, runs London's Crime Scene Festival, and is an advisor to Italy's annual Courmayeur Noir in Festival. His latest novel is Ekaterina and the Night, and he edits the annual Best British Mysteries series. He was coeditor, with Chiara Stangalino, of Rome Noir. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction by Maxim Jakubowski Part I: AMONST THE VENETIANS"Cloudy Water" by Matteo Righetto (Cannaregio)"The Comedy Is Over" by Francesco Ferracin (Calcavia)"Commissario Clelia Vinci" by Barbara Baraldi (Mestre)"Little Sister" by Francesca Mazzucato (Ghetto Vecchio) Part II: SHADOWS OF THE PAST"Lido Winter" by Maxim Jakubowski (Lido)"Pantegana" by Michelle Lovric (Santa Stefano)"Desdemona Undicesima" by Isabella Santacroce (Piazza San Marco) Part III: TOURISTS & OTHER TROUBLED FOLK"Venice Aphrodisiac" by Peter James (Canal Grande)"Drifter" by Emily St John Mandel (Ponte dei Sospiri)"Rendezvous" by Tony Cartano (Calle Larga XXII Marzo)"Signor Gauke's Tongue" by Mike Hodges (Palazzo Ducale) Part IV: AN IMPERFECT PRESENT"Tourists for Supper" by Maria Tronca (Santa Maria Formosa)"Laguna Blues" by Michael Gregorio (Porto Marghera)"A Closed Book" by Mary Hoffman (Rialto Bridge)

A cornucopia of the best new whodunits, collected by one of the mystery scene's eminent editors, "a giant of the genre" (Lee Childs).One of the best mystery books of the 21st century, this volume features outstanding new stories of crime, derring-do, fast-paced adventures, and puzzles, featuring hardy amateur detectives ranging from young to old and grizzled private eyes whose patches cover the city streets, all in the hallowed tradition of Sherlock Holmes, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, and Philip Marlowe.Jakubowski's many anthologies, like The Book of Extraordinary Historical Mystery Stories, have attracted plenty of attention and awards. His newest collection, The Book of Extraordinary Amateur Sleuths and Private Eye Stories, features never-before-seen short fiction by some of the most renowned American and British crime and thriller authors of today. Whether the victim was done in at the party uptown or discovered in the other room of a...

Everyone's Favorite British Detective Is Back!Read the newest and most thrilling stories about the most famous super sleuth in this new novel by critically acclaimed author, Maxim Jakubowski.Revisit Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legacy. Sherlock Holmes and Watson have been household names and icons for generations. In this new anthology by Maxim Jakubowski, you can read all about the dynamic duo in a new light. From brand new stories, to deeper looks into famous Sherlock Holmes cases, you'll fall in love with these short detective stories.The perfect book for Sherlock and mystery fans alike. Whether you are a Sherlock super-fan, or an avid crime and mystery reader, The Return of Sherlock Holmes is the perfect novel for you. With brand new, mind-boggling stories, you can delve into the world of Sherlock Holmes and his crime-solving abilities. In this book, you can read:All new Sherlock Holmes storiesThe return...

A murder has been committed but how could it have happened? Was the room locked from the inside? Was the suspect or killer actually close to the scene or death or, impossibly, miles away? How come the body shows no sign of violence? Where is the weapon that inflicted the deadly blow? Was the right person actually killed? Crime and mystery fiction can be full of impenetrable conundrums and endless question marks when the story itself becomes a reality-defying puzzle for the sleuth or policeman in attendance to solve. Some of mystery fiction's most clever talents from the USA and the UK offer a series of brand-new ingenious stories which will have the reader scratching his brow until the very last minute and delight in the Macchiavellian solutions. This is the third volume in Mango's innovative collections of the best that crime fiction has to offer.

FEATURING A BRAND-NEW JACK REACHER STORY! A collection of seventeen brand-new crime stories from bestselling authors Lee Child, Jeffrey Deaver, Stella Duffy, and more.KILLER SECRETSFEATURING A BRAND NEW JACK REACHER STORYOpen the files on an anthology of seventeen new crime stories to probe the brutal and complex hearts of criminals, and unravel the strangest of mysteries. Watch as a secretive group of intelligence community officers trace Jack Reacher through Heathrow in Lee Child's "Smile". In Mary Hoffman's "Fallen Woman", a journalist on the trail of a secretive drug lord gets caught up in the violent suicide of a young woman in Siena. And in Jeffery Deaver's "Connecting the Dots", detectives follow the trail of clues in the brutal killing of a homeless man, wherever it may lead... Invisible Blood is a gripping collection exploring the compulsions of the criminal mind.SEVENTEEN STORIES FROM TODAY'S FINEST CRIME...

The new novel by Maxim Jakubowski, the “King of the Erotic Thriller” ( The Times ) A young Italian woman flees her home in Rome and gets involved with the wrong man in Paris. Cornelia, the fearless stripper and killer for hire, who proved such a hit in previous novels, is back and on another mission to kill. As the two women’s paths intersect, an English crime writer down on his luck is mistaken for a private eye and goes on a quest for a missing person. From New York to Paris, and then on a thrilling journey through Barcelona, Tangiers, Venice and then finally to a small medieval town outside Rome, the waltz with darkness of the three characters in search of love, lust and redemption becomes ever more poignant and mysterious. Sexy, sad, breathless, a memorable tale of lost souls caught in a spider’s web of their own making. FB2Library.Elements.CiteItem

Unputdownable short erotic fiction from the most outstanding writers in the field. Once again, Maxim Jakubowski has put together a masterful selection of over 40 stories of sexual encounters from every corner of the world. From both acclaimed writers and exceptional newcomers, this is powerful erotica which explores the full range of human sensual and sexual experience.

The must-have annual anthology for every crime fiction fan - the year's top new British short stories selected by leading crime critic Maxim Jakubowski.This great annual covers the full range of mystery fiction, from noir and hardboiled crime to ingenious puzzles and amateur sleuthing. Packed with top names like Colin Dexter, Christopher Fowler, Alexander McCall Smith, Robert Barnard, Peter James, Natasha Cooper, Sophie Hannah, and many more

The hidden life of Sherlock Holmes's most famous adversary is reimagined and revealed by the finest crime writers today.Some of literature's greatest supervillains have also become its most intriguing antiheroes—Dracula, Hannibal Lecter, Lord Voldemort, and Norman Bates—figures that capture our imagination. Perhaps the greatest of these is Professor James Moriarty. Fiercely intelligent and a relentless schemer, Professor Moriarty is the perfect foil to the inimitable Sherlock Holmes, whose crime-solving acumen could only be as brilliant as Moriarty's cunning.While “the Napoleon of crime" appeared in only two of Conan Doyle's original stories, Moriarty's enigma is finally revealed in this diverse anthology of thirty-seven new Moriarty stories, reimagined and retold by leading crime writers such as Martin Edwards, Jürgen Ehlers, Barbara Nadel, L. C. Tyler, Michael Gregorio, Alison Joseph and Peter Guttridge. In these intelligent, compelling...

“Drifter” by Emily Mandel was selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2013, edited by Otto Penzler and Lisa ScottolineOriginal stories by: Peter James, Emily St. John Mandel, Barbara Baraldi, Mike Hodges, Mary Hoffman, Maria Tronca, Matteo Righetto, Tony Cartano, Francesco Ferracin, Isabella Santacroce, Michelle Lovric, Francesca Mazzucato, Maxim Jakubowski, and Michael Gregorio."Forget the magnificence of Venice's art, architecture, and music, and delve into this tour of the City of Water's murky depths…visions of a Venice not seen in tourist brochures."--Publishers Weekly"Editor Jakubowski does an excellent job of selecting a variety of stories that represent all strata of Venetian life, from tourists visiting for Carnevale to criminals running illegal operations in the bay…A must-read for lovers of Venice…the presence of a new and intriguing voices, many of them Italian, will pique the interest of international-mystery readers."--Booklist"Sex, food and real estate inspire 14 hot-blooded new takes on crime in the magical city of Venice...Rather than crimes of passion, this collection focuses on the passion of crime, painting its noir in robust tones rather than gritty gray."--Kirkus Reviews"Venice Noir, edited by Maxim Jakubowski, aims to shred through our preconceptions of this remarkable city. The 14 writers featured in this anthology of short stories take our travel brochure images of Venice and scatter them like confetti."--NY Journal of BooksMaxim Jakubowski is a British editor and writer. Following a long career in book publishing, during which he was responsible for several major crime imprints, he opened London's mystery bookshop Murder One. He reviews crime fiction for the Guardian, runs London's Crime Scene Festival, and is an advisor to Italy's annual Courmayeur Noir in Festival. His latest crime novel is Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer, and he edits the annual Best British Mysteries series.About the AuthorMaxim Jakubowski is a British writer and editor who has lived in Italy and returns there annually. He co-edited ROME NOIR, with Chiara Stangalino, and has also assembled London and Paris volumes for other publishers. His new novel Ekaterina and the Night is partly set in Venice and his non-fiction book of essays about the real cities of crime fiction Following the Detectives has been shortlisted for the MacAvity Award. He lives in London when not travelling the world.

fiction has been looked down on as a guilty pleasure, but it offers the perfect form of entertainment: the very best storytelling filled with action, surprises, sound and fury. In short, all the exhiliration of a roller-coaster ride. The 1920s in America saw the proliferation of hundreds of dubiously named but thrillingly entertaining pulp magazines in America ? Black Mask, Amazing, Astounding, Spicy Stories, Ace-High, Detective Magazine, Dare-Devil Aces. It was in these luridly-coloured publications, printed on the cheapest pulp paper, that the first gems began to appear. The one golden rule for writers of pulp fiction was to adhere to the art of storytelling. Each story had to have a beginning, an end, economically-etched characters, but plenty going on, both in terms of action and emotions. Pulp magazines were the TV of their day, plucking readers from drab lives and planting them firmly in thrilling make-believe, successors...

The KC Suite Memories of an affair in words and stolen dialogue, as a lover reconstructs the anatomy of lust and love and the dangerous ways in which they combine. A Map of The Pain A married woman flees her past life and goes on the road. A sexual calvary of encounters and degradation which climaxes in a dangerous club in New Orleans. Hotel Room Fuck Two strangers meet and explore their limits in a torrent of passion which quickly spills over into the more extreme side of BDSM. Bottomless on Bourbon Lovers come together and come apart in the lusty atmosphere of New Orelans' French Quarter, with encounters of all sorts and a vocabulary of desire stretched to its very limits. Edward Hopper Doesn't Live Here Any More A hired assassin on a job in downtown Los Angeles comes across a submissive woman who witnesses his hit. Should he spare her or not. The Rise and Fall of The Burlesque Empire A tale of time and travel and Times Square from...

Intense love stories, espionnage tales, horror narratives and thrillers in all shades of black, but all dominated by striking sex and sensuality: Jakubowski at his dangerous best.Once described as 'the King of the Erotic Thriller', Maxim Jakubowski is also known as one the erotica genre's darkest exponent, with both extreme situations and a poignancy that is truer to real life than the majority of his writing counterparts. This collection brings together six of his more recent stories which run the gamut from dark to even darker, from ink shades to the blackest galaxy of sex.WE MATE IN THE DARKAbandoned by his girlfriend in a Spanish seaside resort, a desperate man takes drastic action and then embarks on a terrible odyssey of sexual pain and retribution which culminates in one of modern erotica's most horrific encounters on an abandoned beach as dawn breaks.BY THE SPY WHO LOVED MEA spy travelling on a train towards the Mongolian border evokes the bittersweet and sexy memories...

Reading and selecting the best from over 4000 submissions, Maxim Jakubowski has composed a new volume of the best erotic writing from 2001-2002. Contributors come from around the world and include a mixture of established writers and bright new talent. Although the final list has yet to be confirmed, outstanding works from the pens of Matt Thorne, Simon Sheppard, Lawrence Schimel, M. Christian, Neil Gaiman and Marilyn Jaye Lewis have already been chosen for inclusion in this volume.

This city-based series of outstanding erotic stories moves on to Dublin, the birthplace of Guinness, James Joyce and so much more. A glittering array of tales guaranteed to titillate, delight, shock and delight as readers journey across the Liffey and the streets of the Irish capital.Brand new stories from authors Ken Bruen, Sean Black, Colin Bateman, Stella Duffy, Shelley Silas, Nikki Magennis and many others are collected here to celebrate and eroticise Dublin.Cities are not just about monuments and museums and iconic places, they are also about people at love and play in unique surroundings.

Witty and arousing, here is the very finest in new erotic writing from the year 2007-08. With more than 40 stories this acclaimed annual offers an addictive menu of sex from all around the world. This year features outstanding work from both established masters and newer talents including Sage Vivant, O'Neil De Noux, Sophie Mouette, Thomas S. Roche, M. Christian, Saskia Walker and Alison Tyler. The stories include: Jeremy Edwards, Slightly AjarLisette Ashton, Victoria's HandKelly Jameson, A Night in CameroonM. Christian, I Am Jo's VibratorThomas S. Roche, Amour NoirLandon Dixon, Matching Skirt and KneepadsRachel Kramer Bussel, Late for a Spanking

Sex in the City is a new series from Xcite Books which features erotic stories that all have a city-based theme. Including stories by Orange and Booker nominees not always known for erotic writing, these books represent the very best of erotic literature.

Ever since the collapse of the Tower of Babel, sex has been the common language uniting men and women throughout the world. Erotic prose is not just an Anglo-Saxon phenomenon but a universal one - as this revised new edition of the influential "Mammoth" volume gloriously demonstrates, with a miscellany of exciting stories from over 16 different countries and languages Editor Maxim Jakubowski has cherry-picked the finest new writing from countries, such as France and Italy, both so fertile right now that they could fill their own volumes. The anthology features stories by Nobel Prize winner Elfriede Jelinek, Orange Prize-shortlisted Stella Duffy, plus ten previously uncollected tales including: 'Jou Pu Tuan' by Li Yu, 'The Sex Lives of Chameleons' by C.D. Formetta, 'Three for the Money' by Marilyn Jaye-Lewis, 'Memories that Linger On' By Carlos Benito Camacho, 'Opera' by Sonia Rykiel, 'The New Fiancee' by N.T. Morley, and 'Tarot' by Florence Dugas.

Hidden gems from the earliest days of mystery fiction. The years 1850-1905 represent the pre-Golden Age of crime writing. Drawn exclusively from those earliest days of mystery fiction, this revealing anthology includes a surprising number of authors not commonly associated today with crime fiction - names like Alexander Dumas, Alexander Pushkin, Charles Dickens, Robert Louis Stephenson, Arnold Bennett, Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling. Over three-quarters of the stories in this fascinating volume have not been reproduced since the 1950s. They include: Guy de Maupassant's "The Hand"; Charles Dickens's "Hunted Down"; Maurice LeBlanc's gentleman-burglar Arsene Lupin; Conan Doyle's "The Adventures of the Three Students"; Robert Louis Stephenson's "Markheim"; Edgar Poe's Chevaller Auguste Dupin, the first genuine fictional detective; Baroness Orczy's "Old Man in the Corner"; and EW Hornung's immensely popular thief Raffles.

In the realm of the senses, everything can be explored A seductive collection of new writing from all over the world during 2005-06, selected by bestselling editor Maxim Jakubowski. These tales explore the extraordinary variety of the erotic experience, as men and women play out the eternal rhythms of desire. Here is explicit sexual drama in all its forms from some of the best writers in the field. PRAISE FOR THE BOOK 'Few publications will boast as many climaxes.' Oliver Robinson, Observer

Unputdownable short erotic fiction from the most outstanding writers in the field. Once again, Maxim Jakubowski has put together a masterful selection of over 40 stories of sexual encounters from every corner of the world. From both acclaimed writers and exceptional newcomers, this is powerful erotica which explores the full range of human sensual and sexual experience.

This city-based series of outstanding erotica stories takes a bite out of the succulent Big Apple. A banquet of seduction, sin, kink and decadence has been specially prepared by top connoisseurs from the American erotica world for the delectation of your imagination.Brand new stories from Thomas S Roche, Michael Hemmingson, Shanna Germain and many other literary talents are collected here to specifically celebrate and eroticise New York.All brought to you by the editor of the bestselling Mammoth Book of Erotica series. Cities are not just about monuments and museums and iconic places, they are also about people at love and play in unique surroundings.

BDSM/Bondage and Dominance and Submission, recently brought to such extraordinary prominence by 50 Shades of Grey, are perennially popular erotic themes. This collection of over 40 outstanding new stories by some of the best writers of erotica and romance, including Kay Jaybee, K. D. Grace and Rachel Kramer Bussel - all shortlisted for the Erotic Writer of the Year award - Donna George Storey, Sunday Times bestseller Vina Jackson, Booker-shortlisted Matt Thorne, Portia da Costa and Kristina Lloyd.

In the realm of the senses, everything can be explored. A fabulous collection of new writing from all over the world during 2004-05, selected by bestselling editor Maxim Jakubowski. These tales explore the extraordinary variety of the erotic experience, as men and women play out the eternal rhythms of desire. Here is explicit sexual drama in all its forms from some of the best writers in the field.

This is a fabulous collection of new writing from all over the world during 2003-4, selected by bestselling editor Maxim Jakubowski. These tales explore the extraordinary variety of the erotic experience, as men and women play out the eternal rhythms of desire. Here is explicit sexual drama in all its forms from some of the best writers in the field.

"when I am in the mood for a little bit of dark and dangerous, this fits the bill in crime noir and erotica categories." - Simply Erotic ReviewsFrom one of the greatest and most popular literary erotica writers of today, highlighted by TIME OUT LONDON amongst the top 20 in the genre, comes a major collection of short stories gathering some of his best and sexiest stories.Moving between London, New York, Paris, New Orleans and tropical beaches these are dangerous tales of sexuality and emotions unbound, combining sex and mystery, despair and tenderness and guaranteed to shock and delight the reader's senses in the most extreme way.Jakubowski's unique brand of erotica - call it 'erotica noir' - offers a edge-of-your-seat stories that are sure to arouse and alarm.

Travel on a journey to new places and sexual experiences with the Sex in the City series of destination erotica from Xcite Books. Each volume contains three stories that take you to the heart and soul of the city, its places, people and lovers. Volume One: Introduction -Maxim Jakubowski What Are You Wearing -Matt Thorne Thames Link -Justine Elyot Monster Francis -Ann Kerr The SEX IN THE CITY series is devoted to the unique attraction that major cities worldwide provide to lovers of all things erotic. Famous places and monuments, legendary streets and avenues, unforgettable landmarks all conjugate with our memories of loves past and present, requited and unrequited, to form a map of the heart like no other. Brief encounters, long-lasting affairs and relationships, the glimpse of a face, of hidden flesh, eyes in a crowd, everything about cities can be sexy, naughty, provocative, dangerous and exciting. Cities are not just about monuments and museums and iconic...

Exciting, intimate, experimental–a selection of the best of recent erotic writing. Featuring more than 40 new stories of sexual encounters from every part of the world, The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica offers the most outstanding work of both well-known names and fresh new talents, such as Lisette Ashton, Polly Frost, Maxim Jakubowski, Marilyn Jaye-Lewis, Laurence Klavan (a first ever erotic story by this winner of an Edgar award for crime fiction), Rachel Kramer Bussel, Kristina Lloyd, Thomas S. Roche, Alison Tyler and Ian Watson.

The very best of over ten years of the Best New Erotica series and other erotica titles compiled by Maxim Jakubowski. Stories have been taken from all volumes of The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica with the exception of recent volumes 8 and 9.They have also been drawn from the Mammoth Book of International Erotica, Mammoth Book of Historical Erotica, Mammoth Book of Erotica, Mammoth Book of New Erotica and Mammoth Book of Short Erotic Novels.The anthology is likely to include stories by Thomas S. Roche; Poppy Z. Brite; Alison Tyler; Lucy Taylor; Matt Thorne; M. Christian; Michael Hemmingson; Mike Kimera; Tara Alton; Marilyn Jaye-Lewis; Savannah Lee; Heather Corinna; Carol Queen; Donna George Storey; Lauren Henderson; Vicki Hendricks; O'Neil De Noux; Cara Bruce; Mark Timlin; Graham Joyce; Conrad Williams; Claude Lalumière; Kristina Lloyd; and Mitzi Szereto.

In the tradition of Carroll & Graf's The Mammoth Book of Erotica, The Mammoth Book of International Erotica, The Mammoth Book of New Erotica, and The Mammoth Book of Historical Erotica - which together have sold more than 400,000 copies - comes this provocative new volume in a hot-selling series, featuring such top writers of erotic fiction as Robert Coover, O'Neil De Noux, Mark Ramsden, Gene Santagarda, and Lucy Taylor along with the editors of this sizzling collection, Michael Hemmingson and Maxim Jakubowski. Written especially for this anthology, these piquant tales do not only titillate. As novellas, they also expatiate, involving the reader in the complications of plot as well as of lust and exploring the emotional interiors of their characters as well as in their sensual intrigues and sexual gymnastics. From Michael Perkins's "Night Moves" to William Vollmann's "De Sade's Last Stand," from Josephine Jarmaine's "The Doll" to M. Christian's "Speaking Parts" - whether...

Sex in the City is a new series from Xcite Books which features erotic stories that all have a city-based theme. Including stories by Orange and Booker nominees not always known for erotic writing, these books represent the very best of erotic literature.

Maxim Jakubowski's skilful editorship has resulted in a collection of the best erotic writing from 2000-2001. Contributors come from the UK and America, plus Europe, the Antipodes, South America and the Asian subcontinent. The book contains a mixture of established talents such as Michael Hemmingson, M. Christian, Marilyn Jaye Lewis, Susannah Indigo, Sarah Veitch and Mark Ramsden, plus acclaimed authors who are welcome newcomers to this genre, such as Lauren Henderson, Matt Thorne and Helen Lederer. Stories include: Saucy goings-on in a British Rail carriage(Helen Lederer) A trilogy of stories about threesomes - as seen from all angles! (Daniel James Cabrillo) The merits of Jane Austen vs the Internet when it comes to steamy sex (Lauren Henderson) The not-so-secret life of a cinema usherette(Jacqueline Lucas) A young man follows an Internet trail of sex with surprising results (Matt Thorne) The erotic interaction between an author and his editor (Anya Ross)

Here in one seductive volume is the finest erotic writing of the year 2006-2007, from around the world. Containing more than 40 new stories, The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica offers an addictive menu of sex in all its splendour. These tales trace the extraordinary variety of the erotic experience, as men and women play out the eternal rhythms of desire. In the realm of the senses, everything can be explored. Here is explicit sexual drama in all its forms from some of the best writers in the field.

The eighth annual of the very best of British crime-writing from established bestsellers and newcomers alike. Thirty-five stories from top contemporary names in British crime fiction, such as Christopher Fowler, Alexander McCall Smith, Reginald Hill, and Colin Dexter. Publishing News calls it "an essential read for all crime fans."

This superb annual anthology of the year's most outstanding short crime fiction published in the UK is now well into its second decade. Jakubowski has succeeded, once again, in unearthing the best short crime stories of English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish authors (along with a handful of US writers living in the UK, and some expatriate Brits). With this collection he showcases the impressive breadth of British crime writing, from cosy tales of detection to noir mayhem and psychological suspense and terror. There are puzzles to solve, nagging questions about the nature of British society, but, above all, there are over 40 wonderful, gripping stories to shock, delight and make you think twice, if not three times. Contributors include Simon Kernick, Val McDermid, Alexander McCall Smith, John Lawton, Tim Willocks, Lee Child, Stephen Gallagher, Christopher Fowler, Peter Lovesey, David Hewson. New to this series are Will Carver, Christopher J. Simmons, Susan Everett,...

Leading anthologist Maxim Jakubowski presents the very best in crime writing from around the world -- 40 short stories from an all-star line-up of international writers.They cover the full spectrum of crime fiction, from noir and thrillers, to whodunnits and procedurals, with settings that include Italy, Cuba, Scandinavia, Russia, USA, Japan, Germany, Mexico, France, Italy, Spain and the UK. Among the writers presented are:Ian Rankin, bestselling author of compelling, cerebral crime fiction set in Edinburgh, featuring the much-loved Inspector Rebus.John Mortimer, the English barrister and writer, famous for his much-loved fictional character Horace Rumpole of the Bailey.Boris Akunin, whose eccentric characters and surprising, inventive plots have earned him a reputation as one of the finest contemporary writers of classic crime fiction.Mark Billingham, whose series of taut procedural thrillers featuring London policeman Tom Thorne have won him...