Crime Wave 2: Women of a Certain Age

"…a pitch-perfect bedside anthology." —Loreth Anne White, bestselling author of The Patient's Secret

This second anthology from members of Sisters in Crime—Canada West presents sixteen stories of women we recognize through their experiences … and ours.

They vary in tone from the lighthearted wit with which the librarian in "The Fair Rosamund and the Summer of Love" shows her husband the folly of his crush on another woman, to the dark and deeply disturbing accounts in "Grace" and "Little Monsters." Revenge drives heartbreaking stories like "Natural Consequences" and profoundly satisfying stories such as "Almost Invisible." "Terminal Lucidity" is a devilishly clever story featuring a woman of a certain age and one of significant age.

The persistent force of time is central to "The Air Affair," which takes place on an airship flight to Paris, where painful memories have consequences. "Thinkin' Like a Red" illustrates how the lingering hand of childhood shapes our lives. In "Tethered," the protagonist is tethered to the park where as a girl she failed to stop an act of violence. And in "The Pompeii Beauty," a witness keeps her knowledge of the whereabouts of valuable missing artifacts to herself. In "The Hand Off" a woman is driven by the need to punish her dead husband for everything he took from her.

Several stories are inextricably linked to occupations that tie them to crimes already committed. In "Labour of Guilt," two people join forces to step in where the formal justice system failed. In "Third Time's a Charm," a Realtor working in a red-hot housing market discovers how close she is to the area where a number of Realtors have been murdered. The protagonist of "No Traps, No Spray" embraces a chance to get up close and personal with a charming homeowner … until she discovers a skeleton in the basement. In "Done and Dusted," women working as domestics for demeaning divas use their skills to make the world a better place for all. In "Midsummer Day's Dream," a retired nurse's only hope of salvaging her B&B's reputation is to identify a murderer.

From lighthearted to heartbreaking, and from romantic to treacherous … some mysteries can only be solved by a woman of a certain age.

Authors in this volume:

KL Abrahamson

Shelley Adina

JE Barnard

Mirjam Dikken

PJ Donison

Marcelle Dubé

Elizabeth Elwood

RM Greenaway

Debra Henry

Karen Keeley

Winona Kent

Nuala McNaughton

Charlotte Morganti

CJ Papoutsis

Merrilee Robson

Laurie Wood