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THE KING IN YELLOW Robert W. Chambers was influenced by Ambrose Bierce and hailed by H. P. Lovecraft. He inspired such authors as Clark Ashton Smith, A. Merritt and Sax Rohmer. His works have been anthologized over the years in horror collections and his stories praised by such editors as Lin Carter, Hugh Lamb, Sam Moskowitz and Stephen Jones.  Inspired by the Decadents, Chambers wrote about poisonings of the soul—taintings of the spirit—generating what Lovecraft referred to as “cosmic fear.” It started with The King in Yellow, a collection of vaguely connected stories tied together by a forbidden book, the reading of which induces madness in its readers. Written in 1895 while the author was a young artist in Paris, these stories exude a true Gothic sense, steeped in darkness and decay. THE MYSTERY OF CHOICE The Mystery of Choice from 1897 collects further tales of suspense and unease, also loosely connected by its characters and mood. But unlike the foreboding gloom that pervades the stories of The King in Yellow, the supernatural tales in The Mystery of Choice are lighter in tone, set more in the outside world—the world of nature—and offer an interesting contrast to the earlier collection. This volume forms part one of “The Complete Weird Fiction of Robert W. Chambers.”

COLLECTING MYSELFBarry N. Malzberg has published more than 500 short stories in a wide range of magazines, books, and best-of-the-year anthologies during the past six decades. Many of those stories have appeared in his assorted collections - but not all of them."Collecting Myself: The Uncollected Stories of Barry N. Malzberg" goes a long way towards filling that gap. Here are thirty-five beautifully crafted stories that range across a broad spectrum of Malzbergian concepts, themes, memes, obsessions, and narrative approaches.Nobody can tell a story like Barry N. Malzberg. Read these rediscovered gems and find out for yourself.

NOBODY LIVES FOREVERDoc Ganson's career has bottomed out, but he has a plan for the perfect con-a rich widow, ripe for the plucking. All he has to do is convince the big guy, Jim Farrar, to take her on. But Farrar is growing tired of the grifter's life. And he certainly doesn't want to have anything to do with a lowlife like Doc. He misses his life back in Florida, and crazy redhead Tony. But his lawyer, Johnny Doyle, talks him into it. Then Farrar meets the mark, Mrs. Halversen, and old habits take over. He charms her in spite of himself. Meanwhile, Doc is growing impatient. He doesn't trust Farrar. And when Doc doesn't trust someone, there's hell to pay.TOMORROW'S ANOTHER DAYEveryone admires Lonnie and his carefree attitude. He seems to be born lucky, particularly at cards. He even wins Ballard's restaurant in a card game. Which is where he meets Mary. She's with the Greek, the only one of the gamblers who doesn't admire Lonnie. In fact, the Greek resents him. And when Lonnie snatches Mary away from him-and marries her, no less!-his resentment turns to plans of revenge. Lonnie used to be quite a risk-taker, but under Mary's influence, he puts all that behind him. Until the perfect scheme arrives. How could he know that behind this gamble is the Greek's vindictive retribution?

NIGHT BOAT TO PARISPost war life in England hasn't been kind to Duncan Reece. So when Boyler offers to pay him to retrieve a special bit of microfilm that the Reds also want to get ahold of, he accepts the top secret mission. The film shows the plans for a nuclear-powered space station and there have already been men murdered for it. Reece is no longer a patriot, but Boyler isn't looking for a patriot-he's looking for a thief.So Reece puts together a team: Tookie, an American ex-GI who has the contacts; Otto Lorenz, a former Nazi known for his efficiency; Samaur, a French giant of a man, for muscle; and the Della Vichia brothers, Gino and Marcus, the guns. The man with the film is hosting an exclusive charity ball at his French estate, and all Reece has to do is commandeer it, steal all the money and jewels... and somehow in all the excitement, find the film-and escape-without letting his team know what he's up to. Because one of them is a traitor.

The Folly of Eustace: Eustace Lane decided at any early age to don the mask of the clown. People began to take notice, calling him a whimsical, irresponsible creature. He reveled in surprise parties and practical jokes, in being silly in unexpected way. Then he fell in love with Winifred Ames, and she with him. But was she in love with the mask... or the man underneath?The Last Time: While on the train to Calais, Strickland is seated in front of woman who momentarily breaks down in extreme anguish. Embarrassed, he says nothing. But they meet again. And this time Mrs. Armitage explains the tragedy of her life, and her deepest regret.The Letter: Everyone was surprised when Lena Wareham accepted Eustace Henley's proposal of marriage. Lena is somewhat surprised herself. Then the letter arrives. Eustace has put his true thoughts about Lena in a letter to the woman he really loves, then mistakenly mails it to Lena. Should she let him know she received it, or accept a seemingly loveless marriage?Enter the compelling world of Robert Hichens. These stories and six more tales of human folly and foibles await you.

THE DARK CORNERKathleen Conley is the perfect secretary. And she knows a tail when she sees one. The guy in the white suit has been following her detective boss, Bradford Galt, all evening. So Galt braces the guy and takes him to his office for a little talk, and has Kathleen follow him after he leaves. Turns out the man in the white suit is working for Jardine, his ex-partner, the man who set him up a few years back to take a homicide rap-the very man he'd love to get his hands on. But with Kathleen to back him up, Galt discovers there is more here than a crooked ex-partner. This time someone is setting him up for a murder rap!SLEEP, MY LOVEAlison Cordeley wakes up in a train headed for Boston. But she has no idea where she is, or how she got here. She lives in New York City. A kindly old lady who had seen her get on the train tries to help. But it's a shattering experience. How did she end up on a train to Boston without any memory of being at the train station? When she returns, her husband, Dick, is terribly concerned. Alison has been sleepwalking, but nothing like this. He hires a psychiatrist named Dr. Rinehart, but he only frightens Alison out of her wits. Is she losing her mind? A man she meets on the train, Bruce Elcott, thinks otherwise, but are suspicions enough to save Alison from herself?

FREAKSHOWBat Fidler has always been a loner, never able to fit in with other people. Then he lands a wrestling job at a carnival sideshow. That's where he meets Emmy, a scrappy stripper, and Fish Boy, the belligerent guy in charge-and his lovely wife, Fish Girl, one of the stars of the freakshow. Bat as usual finds himself the misfit among the other performers. They all annoy him. He even finds himself arguing with Emmy. It's not long before Bat realizes that, in spite of her deformity, it's Fish Girl he wants. And that's when his life at the carnival turns to violence, and all their lives are changed.

THE BUTLER DIED IN BROOKLYNShepard had been a loyal family butler, but when Marianne finds him that evening, he is a very dead butler. Someone had staged his exit as a suicide. However, police detective Gridley Nelson realizes that this is a case of murder. A murder with too many suspects. There are the twins, Hale and Clement, Marianne's brothers; their Grandmother, Beulah, the matriarch of the family, currently married to hapless husband number four, Leonard Roberts; Marianne's boyfriend, Dwight, who has just come into a tidy bit of cash; Cromwell Proctor, who Beulah would prefer to be Marianne's boyfriend; and Beulah's guest, Dr. Silk, a prominent dentist with a sideline in astrology. An interesting group... but which one of them could possibly want to kill the kindly old butler? MURDER RUNS A FEVERIt's wartime in the U.S. and Kyrie Martens has gone undercover for the FBI. But her cover is blown so she decides to stay with her cousin Louise Cotter. Louise is anxiously awaiting the return of her husband Charles on leave from the army. The night that he returns he falls sick, and that same night Louise's unwanted guest, Captain Shay, is found murdered in their apartment. And then Kyrie goes missing. Detective Sergeant Gridley Nelson is old friends with Louise and Kyrie, and even though they seem logical suspects in the death of Shay, he is convinced otherwise. Still, there is something here that doesn't add up here. What is this mysterious sickness that has struck down Charles? How is his loyal cook Sammy involved? And what has happened to Kyrie Martens?

SINISTER HOUSEGail Hollister has been sent to Casa de Ayer to organize Colonel Conniston's antique collection. Her first surprise occurs when she is stopped along the way by an unsuccessful highway robbery, particularly since she recognizes the would-be thief-Kerry O'Neil. Later that evening, having finally arrived at the Colonel's old California estate, she is shown the intaglio gems that Kerry had been trying to steal. And still later, she is shocked to discover Conniston's dead body on the library floor!Police detective Bartlett is convinced that Gail had something to do with the death, that she helped her friend Kerry break into the tightly-locked house. Bartlett knows about the failed robbery, but Gail knows that Kerry couldn't have committed murder. And now it's up to Gail to figure out who did kill Conniston. Could it have been his trusted aide, Dimity, who always seems to be lurking behind doorways? Or Norman Stark, the Colonel's son, whom she has a really bad feeling about? All she knows is that she had better move fast, or both she and Kerry are likely to end up in prison.

THE FLOODS OF FEARSpring is late, and the warm rains of June create a flood that threatens all the small towns and farms in its path. The dikes need to be shored up, and the situation is so desperate that prison inmates are added to the work gangs. Then the dike brakes and everyone is swept in a deluge downstream. One of those men is Donavan, the murderer, and an expert swimmer; another is Peebles, the thief, who probably would have drowned if Donavan hadn't saved him.In their path is Elizabeth, a rich man's daughter stranded by the flood, who is about to learn a lot more about life than she could have ever imagined. In the next 24 hours she will have to fend off the unsavory advances of Peebles while putting faith in a man found guilty of killing another human being. Each of them is caught up in something bigger-and now they are being tested as they have never been before.

THE BODY IN THE BEDBarr Breed doesn't want to take the case at first. When Mr. Gibbs comes to him with a story about finding his mistress strangled in her bed, and not wanting to go the cops about it, Breed turns him right down. He doesn't want to get involved in murder. But Gibbs persuades him to take a look at the murder scene and keep the cops away for 24 hours. Convinced of Gibbs' innocence, Breed begins to cover his client's tracks. Then someone tries to push him into traffic. And not long after, Gibbs himself is gunned down. Breed is the thick of it now. And between the thug who's shadowing him and the cops who're after him, this case could just be his last.THE BODY BEAUTIFULWhen Barr Breed is introduced to showgirl Coffee Stearns, it's lust at first sight. But she plays hard to get. In fact, just as Breed is figuring that she doesn't like men at all, she changes her tune. That night he decides to catch her show. Coffee she is one of the nearly nude golden girls that swing from cages above the actors below. But as soon as the cages begin to rise, there is a flash of light and Coffee falls forward out of her cage and into the orchestra pit-with a knife in her back! Breed immediately goes into action, but there's nothing he can do for her. So he sets out to find out who murdered her-and why-and takes on the most dangerous case of his career.

POOR HARRIETMarianne knows that the business she works for is in trouble, so she isn't surprised when the owner's wife, Irma, asks her to do a little favor for her-take her diamond bracelet to a man who will give her money for it. But when she confronts Mr. Moran, he seems a bit shifty to her. And Moran's wife, Harriet, seems to be an even odder character. After leaving, Marianne discovers that one of them stole the bracelet from her, so she returns and confronts Moran. He takes her to Harriet, and all seems well when she gets the bracelet back. But Moran decides that the bracelet should be his after all-he knows Irma all too well, and figures she owes him a diamond bracelet at least. Now it's Harriet's job to get it back. THE SILENT COUSINPaul-Dr. Potter-has come back to Long Acre, back to his cousins Millicent and Louise, back to Aunt Cora and MacDonald. Back to the family estate, where nothing has changed. But this time, there is a death. Mrs. MacDonald is found halfway across her room, dead on the floor. And later, Uncle Humphrey drowns in his fishing pond. Change is in the air. But is it a change that the cousins can control? Millicent has some definite ideas about what needs to happen to the estate, but now they have been "invaded" by a young outsider, the son of the other half of the family, who has some ideas of his own. Paul feels the world shifting about him. Old passions rise back to the surface. Change may come to Long Acre, but it brings with it-death.

THE TIGRESSIn which Lieutenant Al Wheeler is called upon to unravel the mystery of -the murdered secretary found in the coffin of her grieving boss's wife-the insolent maid and the questionable "club" she works for-the dead wife's nympho best friend and her wildcat-taming loverTHE EXOTICIn which Lieutenant Al Wheeler is confronted by-a corpse delivered to the front door of Sheriff Lavers' by a clueless cabbie-the two wily thugs who put the man in the taxi-the dead man's daughter, who sheds not a tear for her departed dad ANGEL!In which Lieutenant Al Wheeler investigates -the sudden death of a stunt flyer when his plane explodes in midair-the rest of the flyers and the man for whom the bomb was really intended-their sexy mascot, Angel, the good luck charm with the heart of ice

WILD IS THE WOMANEve Barry is a woman on a mission-to free her brother from prison for a crime he didn't commit. The man who put him there is Vance Owen, now a city councilman and soon to be major. But Vance is a liar and a rat, and Eve intends to get him to change his charge against her brother, whatever it takes. But first, she has to get his attention. Knowing that he has a weakness for strippers, Eve joins a burlesque show. There she meets Sugar, cynical captain of the chorus girls; Cheeta, a Latin spitfire with a larcenous soul; Wiley, self-effacing orchestra leader; and Jeff O'Hare, the hard-bitten, tough-talking manager. All Eve has to do now is learn how to take her clothes off on stage... LOVERS DON'T SLEEPSuzy is crazy in love with Harry Sloan, but to Harry, she is just a means to an end. An attractive means, sure, but Suzy is more valuable to him working his divorce racket than anything else. And what a great racket it is. A couple want a quick divorce, and lawyer Harry arranges to have the husband found by the wife and a photographer in a hotel room with a scantily clad Suzy. It's a great scam. Except that the photographer, Joe, is worried that Suzy is letting herself be used by Harry. And now that Harry's got a new deal cooking with Camilla, Suzy means even less to him. If only Joe can wise up Suzy before it's too late...

A Collection of Murder Tales from Patrick Quentin...The Jack of Diamonds: Starner had something on each of them. So Vanderloon sent them all an invitation that included the handwritten phrase "to meet and to murder Mr. Joseph Starner." The object is to kill him and make it look like an accident. But, of course, the best laid plans often go awry. Exit Before Midnight: It's New Year's Eve, and the stockholders of Leland & Rowley are about to sign over an agreement to merge with the Pan-American Dye Combine. On her way to the meeting, secretary Carole Thorne finds a typed message: "... if the merger is carried, I have decided to murder several of you..." She thinks it's a practical joke-until their attorney becomes the first victim!Another Man's Poison: When Dr. Knudsen collapses dead during an operation, it looks like someone had poisoned his coffee. And only one person could have done it. With his back against the wall, it's up to young intern Oliver Lord to prove his innocence.The Gypsy Warned Him: Gunner's Mate Lew Warren is on an 8-hour leave and decides to hit the first bar he sees. There he meets a little man who tells him about a gypsy, "the best fortune teller in New York," and even offers to pay the gypsy himself to tell Warren's fortune. How could he know that he had just fallen into a subtle trap that would end in murder?

HALL OF DEATH"My first night at the Training School for Girls was three deaths and as many years ago. Yet it is still as much a part of me as my heartbeat, and everything that took place in the seven months I was there is more than memory-it still seems to happen..." Miss Michael is hired as the superintendent's assistant at a dismal reformatory. Life here is grim, filled with restrictions, squeezed dry of compassion. Mrs. Spinks keeps tight control of the staff, and Johnny rules the girls with a bully's sure hand, tormenting Miss Michael as well. Johnny has a particular passion for harassing quiet Lucy. Then there is a suicide at the reformatory... and Miss Michael decides it's time to take action.MOUSE IN ETERNITYJane Wallace works for the Social Service Bureau. It's a thankless job. Her clients all deserve more than they get. But there is nothing Jane can do. Her supervisor, Mrs. Patch, is an ogre, never permitting anyone more than the minimum, making life in the office a daily hell. They all agree-Bea, gentle Miss Mary, Smitty, Gwen the writer, Peg, Margy, even her fellow supervisor, Mrs. Martin-Mrs. Patch is cruel beyond words. So when Jane finds her one evening lying on her desk with her skull crushed, she naturally assumes that someone in social services must have done it. But who could it be? And why is she being followed? And what happened to the file that was on Mrs. Patch's desk the night she died?....

They plan the perfect heist-until the trailer park girls get involved.Burt, Al and Jack are fresh out of the army, living in a trailer park on the cheap. Jack sells insurance, Al races cars and Burt tends bar. But they're all restless for something else, particularly Burt, who was planning to be a doctor until his brother stole the inheritance that was going to put him through medical school. Then Burt hears about a department store that can easily be robbed, and he and Al and Jack start to make plans.That's when they meet Sally, Fran and Marianne, who live in the trailer nearby. Al invites Sally to a party at their trailer, and the next they know, the six of them have paired up. Then Al lets slip to Sally about the heist, and the secret is out. Now each one of them has to decide what's more important-love... or money.

PERP WALK"It was the first Monday, the longest day of the month. Reporting Week had commenced and the afternoon rolled on ever so slowly. Participants on both sides of the desk met each interview with joyless anticipation. The convicted-wave upon wave of the District's federal offenders-trooped into the obscure suite of offices known almost only to them, buried down a back hallway on the first floor of the U.S. Courthouse. It was the monthly march of the felons. Known internally as the Perp Walk."Corey Sullivan is a U.S. Probation Officer. It is his job to act as confidante, confessor and controller to his assigned caseload of gang members, racketeers, embezzlers, drug and gun traffickers, counterfeiters, bank robbers and corrupt former public officials-convicted federal criminals great and small.When Manu Salaber comes up for supervised release from the U.S. Penitentiary at Terre Haute, Corey lobbies his boss for that assignment. Manu is both a career challenge and a career changer-a hyper-violent sadistic opportunist turned organized crime kingpin with a reputation for eliminating his competitors. He previously held much of the District's power elite in his pocket through bribery or blackmail. If Corey can control Manu, he can handle anyone. If only he can survive the experience.

A MYSTERY, CRIME & NOIR NOTEBOOKThis book is a compilation of almost 50 articles written over a period of 40 years by noted collector/author/publisher Gary Lovisi. They include topics about some of his favorite books in the mystery, crime and noir genres. Many of these books are found only in scarce paperback editions.All of the articles in this book have been published previously in a variety of venues. Each article has been substantially rewritten-expanded and updated from their original appearance for this special Stark House edition. A Mystery, Crime & Noir Notebook is a celebration of these wonderful books and their talented authors, many of whom Gary Lovisi knows-or knew-personally.Accompanying most of these articles is a sampling of some of the classic era book covers. This is Gary Lovisi's loving memoir to all the authors and books that he's enjoyed reading over the years. We hope you'll enjoy taking the trip with him.

TOO YOUNG TO DIE:When Quent gets out of prison, all he wants is to put together another heist. This time it'll be perfect. He certainly doesn't want to have anything to do with women. His ex-wife Pearl cured him of that. But as he puts together a team to pull off a Manhattan diamond job, he meets his driver's girlfriend, Cindy. Cindy is young, not quite 18, but she's streetwise and knows the score. But she's too young for Quent. So it comes as a big surprise to him when he finds himself falling for the girl, even caring what happens to her. It's one of his rules: no women involved in a heist. But for Cindy, he might have to make an exception.THE TIME OF TERROR:He's lost his job. His wife left him, and she took the two kids. He barely has enough money to put gas in his car. Frank Mace is desperate. He decides to stick up a grocery store. But when he sees the young boy alone in the next car, on impulse he takes him instead and leaves a ransom note. Now Frank is wracked with guilt, and afraid to follow through. He's almost too terrified to pick up the ransom money. That's when Barney-bullying old friend, as opportunistic as they come-enters the picture. When Barney finds out what Frank has done, he takes over the situation. And that's when the real trouble begins....

The Black Spaniel: Luttrell introduces his two good friends, and assumes they too will become friends. Deeming is a successful London doctor, and Vernon a rich man interested in the arts. But for some reason, Vernon, an animal lover, takes an immediate dislike to the pragmatically cruel Deeming. When Vernon discovers that Deeming owns a black spaniel, the dog becomes a focal point in the enmity between the two men.The Hindu: John Latimer is a practical man. But when he suspects his wife with having an affair with a Hindu gentleman-now deceased-he agrees to a séance. He calls the Hindu to him to exact revenge. But his plan has an unfortunate result, for now the spirit of the Hindu follows him everywhere, its evil casting a pall over his life.Sea Change: The Reverend Uniacke welcomes painter Sir Graham into his island home. The older man is not well. He is being consumed by melancholy at having caused his young London model to run away. The painter had filled the city boy's head full of the sea in order to create his art, and in the end, the romance of the sea had consumed him. But the lad's fate is known all too well to the reverend...Enter the mysterious realm of Robert Hichens. These stories and four more tales of unease await you.

DEATH OF A PUNKLenny Hornblower used to drive a cab. Now he finds people for a fee--$100 a day plus expenses. When Lisa Perlont calls and asks him to find her son Blinky, it seems like an easy job. Blinky hangs out at an East Village punk club called AC-DC. Lenny puts up with the noise, but when someone knocks him out in the alley and steals his wallet, he starts to take it personally. However, the search for Blinky turns up more than a young punk with a safety pin in his nose-Lenny also finds a group of equipment hijackers with a large stash of cocaine. In fact, it looks like Blinky is running a scam of his own, one that just might prove fatal. Lenny wants to do right by his client but is this any way to make a living? Murder meets the Blank Generation!

ACAPULCO G.P.O.Acapulco is a paradise to some, but for most of the expatriates living here, the good life is a mixed blessing. Too much money and too much temptation is a bad breeding ground. Jim Harris knows that all too well. As a painter, his glory days are behind him, and all he can do is teach. His wife Sonia has become the breadwinner, modeling in the nude for the other painters. So Jim and Sonia argue-and drink.But now Sally, a teenage girl Harris teaches, has gone missing, and he is the last person to see her. Harris knows he was drunk last night, but he's sure he didn't rape and murder his young student. He wasn't that drunk. So why do they find one of his pallet knives, sharpened to a deadly point, near a pile of Sally's clothes?

HOLLOW TRIUMPHHenry Mueller is convinced that he is better than everyone else, but is frustrated when he realizes that the rest of the world doesn't agree. He wants to become a doctor but doesn't have the patience, so instead pursues a life of petty crime. Upon his release from prison, Henry marries a trusting young woman for her money. Once she gets wise to the fact that the only person Henry loves is himself, she leaves him. And now it's just Henry and his put-upon friend Turk. But even Turk has his limits. He balks at murder...Henry discovers that there is a wealthy, successful psychiatrist in town who appears to be his exact double, except for a scar on his face. Could Henry be clever enough to trade places with the doctor? Once Henry creates a scar on his own face, he is ready to try to become Dr. Viktor Bartok. Unfortunately, he first must first remove the real doctor. But how could he know where his deception would lead him, what it would cost him-and the people he would lose along the way?This is the fifth in a new series of Film Noir Classics from Stark House Press. Hollow Triumph, also known as The Scar, was released in 1948 starring Paul Henreid and Joan Bennett.

THE ACCUSEDAlvin Morlock isn't looking for a wife, but after a wild weekend away from his duties teaching English to a bunch of unresponsive college students, meeting Louise is a nice surprise. She seems so demure, quiet and sensitive. But after their hasty marriage, Morlock finds out that Louise is anything but demure. It starts with her not paying the household bills, several hundred dollars' worth. Then she starts staying out, coming back drunk and argumentative-or not coming back at all. All Morlock wants is a bit of peace and quiet. All he wants is to be left to his memories of better days... Now he finds himself on trial for murder, with every witness testifying against him. THE SNATCHThere are three of them now, but the plan started with two-Howard Mollison and Lou Morgan. Mollison is a used car salesman who got in too deep with a financial scam, and now has to come up with several thousand dollars in a hurry. Morgan tried to keep up his social position and borrowed more than he could afford, and is just as desperate to get his hands on some quick cash. So the two of them decide to kidnap the money-lender Anacosta's young grandson.Mollison doesn't trust Morgan to do the job right, so he brings in simple-minded Patsy to guard the kid at the old textile mill. He knows he can get Patsy to do what's necessary when the job is done. But he was right not to trust Morgan. Because Morgan begins to develop a conscience. Keeping the boy alive is more challenging than the snatch itself because Morgan has to outwit his own partner to do so.

COLLABORATIVE CAPERSSome writers feel that collaboration requires twice the work for half the reward. Barry N. Malzberg is not one of them.You hold the proof in your hands. In Collaborative Capers, you'll find more than two dozen extraordinary short stories written in collaboration with an assortment of wild talents during the past five decades. That includes writers like Mike Resnick, Kris Neville, Jack Dann, Paul Di Filippo, Batya Swift Yasgur, Robert Friedman, and many more.In these remarkable duets, Barry N. Malzberg's powerful, compelling voice blends with those of his collaborators to create unique harmonies that linger.

A WOMAN POSSESSEDMay is crazy in love with Dan Ferrel. So in love that she risks her life and freedom to spring him from the work gang. But Dan's only thoughts are for Vera. He just wants to feel his hands around her pretty throat. Just once. Because Dan's a lifer. Accused of shooting a man in cold blood, only Dan knows that the killer was hired by Vera to settle the score between them. Now he's traveling the backroads with May, trying to avoid the cops, on his way to find another woman. But while Dan searches for Vera, a work gang guard named Hawkins is searching for him-with a loaded gun he is just itching to use.PRIME SUCKERHank Ireland is sitting at George's poker table when he starts to become aware of the man's wife. Amy sparks something in him. Later in the kitchen he drunkenly crushes her to him, and is surprised when she responds to his impulsive kiss. The next day Hank still can't stop thinking about her. His own wife, after ten years of marriage, treats him rather coolly, so a passionate kiss is all that it takes. Hank starts questioning his life. And what he decides is that he has to see Amy again-and soon! Which is just fine as far as George is concerned, because he has plans of his own for a sex-starved sucker like Hank.

ANY MAN'S GIRLAll the men agree that it was a damn shame that Lucinda Perky was strangled like that. Just a plain waste of beauty. But they've got her husband Russ behind bars where he belongs, and if there's any justice, he'll fry for killing her like that. What a waste...Dan Waxman and his wife Marty have moved down to Florida so that he can start his hydroponic experiments growing tomatoes. Marty was all set to be a lawyer, but gave that up when she married Dan. But Dan feels like Marty needs to do something before she goes crazy with boredom, and talks her into taking the case of the young husband who is accused of murdering his pretty wife. How could they know where this simple decision would lead them?

OFF DUTYFrank Chase used to be a Boston cop. Now he's married to his former partner's ex-wife, Ida, selling real estate in Andover. But Chase has a secret. He funded his new life by hijacking a drug deal before leaving the force. What he doesn't know is that his partner, Rupert Goetz, set the whole scheme up. Then a body shows up on Chase's lawn. And the secrets begin to come out. Chase has got a hitman on his tail, and Goetz has got the Mafia on his ass as well. All Chase had wanted was to get away from the killing, and marry Ida. All Goetz had wanted was to make his partner happy and give him a new life with his old wife, so he could marry Sherry. And all the Mafia want is their money back.

MURDER NEEDS A NAMEThe radio show has ended for the day, and the actors and writers are out for dinner, including their sponsor, Abner Ridenour. After the dinner breaks up, Jane and Abner announce their intention of eloping, so Catherine offers them her cottage for their honeymoon. Which doesn't sit well with Daudette, who still holds a torch for Abner. Or young John Severence, their announcer, who feels the same way about Jane. That night, Jane disappears. And the next day, Daudette is found murdered. Lt. Gridley Nelson has a large cast of suspects for the latter, and a nagging suspicion that the two crimes are somehow connected. But who is this Daudette, she of the phony French accent... and what has happened to Jane? MURDER NEEDS A FACEAn unidentified man is found dead in the Greenhedge courtyard, killed by a blow to the head from a bottle. Franca is wracked with guilt because that night she had thrown a milk bottle out of the window to chase away a yowling cat. But Lt. Gridley Nelson figures that this is a case of murder. The group of apartment dwellers are a close-knit group, however, and try to block his attempt to get a straight answer, much less the name of the victim. The reticent renters include the Murtees-a browbeat husband and his raucous wife. The Coopers-a blind father and his over-protective nightclub singing daughter. Mr. Curtis, the love-sick manager. And a rather seedy couple, Vinnie & Myrtle Booth. Someone here knows something about the mysterious body, but this group would rather die than talk.