Customer Reviews

Duo (Five Star Mystery Series)

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Two of mystery fans most beloved authors, Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, have gathered a collection of their short stories for our reading pleasure. In case you don't know, the above couple are happily married and as a team worked together on some of the stories.

Duo is divided into three sections. Two sections contain the individual works of each author while the remaining section is a collaboration of the two. You will find some of their favorite detectives in their stories ( Sharon McCone and Nameless) but for the most part the stories are very diverse and supply us with memorable moments.

What is the penalty for murdering a cactus? Savor Muller's "Sweet Cactus Wine" and stone yourself to death. Is your marriage on the rocks? Marcia and Bill will delight you with a couples' foibles in "The Dying Time". The most interesting of the stories is by far "Dust to Dust" by Muller which borders on the horror genre. By and large this is a great collection because you get so involved with the characters to the point of wanting the story to continue. Alas, all good short stories must come to an end.

Even though this is a collaboration of partners, I must admit that Muller's work is the strongest of the two. Pronzini is hard hitting with his traditional male detective genre and fares very well but Marcia gives the spark. For fans of both authors this is a must have for your collection.