"Great collection of short stories about the dark side of the human psyche."

Walk on the wild side of crime with these 11 short stories of uninhabited, intense and uncivilized tales of the dark side of the human psyche. Dana Stabenow has collected a satisfying anthology of engrossing tales showcasing the "call of the wild."

FOLLOWING THE QUARTERS - Michael Armstrong: Petty theft and racketeering take on a whole new meaning when Nick Hughes has to solve the mystery of his disabled ward, a bag of quarters, a newspaper and the "wild" men coming after them both.

THE MAN WHO THOUGHT HE WAS A DEER - Margaret Coel: Dennis Lockett doesn't fit in the "normal" world of the humans. Sure he may look like a human, but this gentle soul believes he's a deer, loving nothing more than being a peaceful part of the forest and one with his herd. However, when a hunter tries to take down one of Dennis' herd, the hunter soon becomes the hunted.

GAMBLING ON DEATH - Mike Doogan: Speedy Dave sees dead people, people no one else can see. Most people chalk it up to the booze, but Trooper Stan Grivach will find that Dave may be the clue to a deadly game more dangerous than the atomic bombs around them.

THE BOG -Loren D. Estleman: Plagiarism doesn't hold to just novels and scripts when a noted writer believes he's committed the perfect crime.

THE SALT POND - Laurie R. King: Miners, missionaries and mysteries go hand in hand in New Guinea, when legends, revenge and rituals come together at the salt pond.

THESE CROWDED WOODS - Skye R. Moody: Eight hermits in Forest Woods have more to fear than the wild life around them, when murder stalks them one by one and the mark of Satan left behind is nothing to kid about.

BAD-HEARTED - Brad Reynolds: Eighth-graders Lizzie Karl and Alice Pitka learn that revenge unleashed can turn a sane man into a grouchy old bear when emotions go wild.

BIRDS OF PARADISE - S. J. Roan: Private Eye Bill Smith uncovers the secrets of Heaven's Messenger and the Reverend Gull for his friends, finding that sometimes a flock can help the meek to inherit the earth.

THE QUIET COLD - James Sarafin: Bootleggers and crooked politics do not stand a ghost of a chance when Police Chief Karuk follows the spirits to get his man.

WRECK RIGHTS - Dana Stabenow: Dead man's curve throws more mysteries than bodies when Trooper Jim Chopin steps in to investigate murder and flagging profits.

MY HEART WENT BOOM - John Straley: A PI gives the off stage performance of his life when he intercedes between a heartbroken man and his midsummer nights dream.

This quixotic collection of tales is sure to please crime fiction lovers everywhere, whether consuming one after the other or doling them out over time. Hearts will beat faster, curiosities will burn brighter, and the reader will come to find out more about just where the wild things are.

Reviewed by Anne Barringer
Posted August 16, 2004

Summary

From Edgar Award winner Dana Stabenow comes an all-new mystery anthology featuring wild men, wilder women, and the wildest crimes imaginable...

Go where the wild things are—whether on unruly and lawless urban streets, a secluded stretch of uncivilized and barbarous woods, or in the frozen mountains of Colorado. Anything can happen to anyone—anywhere—when the nature of man turns wild.

Original stories of mystery in the wild by:

Michael Armstrong
Margaret Coel
Mike Doogan
Loren D. Estleman
Laurie R. King
Skye K. Moody
Brad Reynolds
S. J. Rozan
James Sarafin
Dana Stabenow
John Straley