Murder Most Romantic: Passionate Tales of Life and Death [Paperback]

Martin Harry Greenberg (Editor), Denise Little (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Murder Most | Publication Date: February 1, 2001

This collection of contemporary never-before-published romantic mysteries looks at the dark side of love, where every decision is life or death and the smallest mistake could kill you.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

There is no denying that a bit of intrigue heightens the tension--and perhaps even the pleasure--of love and romance. How far would you go to win the one you love? And how and when does love become obsession? These stories of twisted love blur the once-clear distinctions between love, danger, and betrayal.

From the Author

Murder and romance are an unlikely combination...or are they? If given a choice in the matter, most of us would prefer them to remain entirely separate. Yet, there's no denying that an edge of danger can heighten tension and intensify feelings, particularly romantic feelings. Love, after all, is often at its most intense when it is threatened. And when that threat is mortal, well...it gives a whole new meaning to the phrase 'a love to die for....'

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Cumberland House Publishing (February 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581821565
• ISBN-13: 978-1581821567
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,213,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Once Upon a Time, Deb Stover wanted to be Lois Lane, until she discovered Clark Kent is a fraud and there is no Superman. Since publication of her first novel in 1995, Stover has received dozens of awards for her cross-genre fiction, including ten Romantic Times BOOKCLUB nominations, and a Career Achievement Award in 2005.

Stover is active in many writers' organizations. She joined Romance Writers of America (RWA) in 1991. In 1994, Deb received Pikes Peak Romance Writers' Volunteer of the Year Award, and Author of the Year in 1997 and 1999. In 1998, she served as director of the Pikes Peak Writers Conference, held annually under the umbrella of the Kennedy Center Imagination Celebration. She served on the RWA National Board of Directors from 1998-2000.

Deb Stover is a native of Wichita, Kansas, but now lives in Colorado with her three children. Over the years, she and her family have also lived in Southern California, Northeastern Oklahoma, and Oregon. If you ask her which state she calls home, she'll tell you she longs for the misty firs of the Northwest, but the Rockies are still the home of her heart.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Combining romance and mystery, September 6, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Most Romantic: Passionate Tales of Life and Death (Paperback)

Murder Most Romantic is Cumberland Houses's latest edition of its "Murder Most..." series., including Murder Most Medieval, Murder Most Delectable, etc. The idea behind each anthology is to combine previously published works under one volume to create the "ultimate" murder mystery collection for avid fans. Martin Greenberg, a/k/a Mr. Anthology, is President of TEKNO Books in Green Bay. His partner in this series, Dennis Little, is an authority on romance writing.

Combining romance and mystery is a little like serving chili and potato soup together; each genre serves up a hearty meal for fans. But the mix proves to be unexpectedly enjoyable for the reader, as the romances involved do not always focus on the strict regimen of "getting the dream man in the end." Indeed, Laura Resnick's "Homicidal Honeymoon" opens with a woman who has temporary lost her memory and identity waking up with a corpse in her bed:

"She developed a theory. `Someone hit me over the head and killed him...' But who? And why? And what should she do now? Trying to ignore her aching head, she wrapped a threadbare towel around herself, turned, and went out onto the balcony. Her room, she discovered, was on the second floor of a grubby pale building in a rundown semi-urban street."

There are a few stories about theater, including P.N. Elrod's "The Scottish Ploy" and Neesa Hart's "The Show Must Go On." For computer heads there is a virtual reality computer story entitled "Twelve Days," by Laura Hayden ... by Diane A.S. Stuckart. A wonderful ghost story entitled "Keeper of the Well" by Deb Stover brings tears with its sweetness. "Hostage to Love" by Mary Watson appeals to today's headlines.

All in all, Cumberland House has done a nice job of compiling a variety of mysteries where love plays a central role. These stories are well written, entertaining, and keeps the reader so interested that one story naturally flows into the other. This reviewer sat up late finishing the book so as not to miss a scary love morsel...

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mystery? Romance? BOTH!!!, December 18, 2007

By 

kellytwo "kellytwo" (cleveland hts, ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder Most Romantic: Passionate Tales of Life and Death (Paperback)

Who knew? Romance writers are so accustomed to being put down, or categorized in an easily-overlooked (but usually very readable) niche, that it's amazing to find out how many of them are so talented and multi-published in other genres. My heartiest congratulations to all the authors in this terrific book, which I somehow missed the first time around.

There are a dozen stories here, which could be either mostly mystery with a touch of romance, or else romantic stories with a touch of mystery. Regardless, they're all simply top-notch! (The blurb for the hard-cover edition says it has sixteen stories, but the paperback definitely has twelve.)

Authors included are: Laura Resnick, P. N. Elrod, Diane A. S. Stuckart, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Yvonne Jocks, Mary Watson, Susan Sizemore, Jody Lynn Nye, Deb Stover, D. R. Meredith, Neesa Hart and Laura Hayden. There's not a clunker in the bunch.

Most of the stories are set in the U.S. (or very nearby) ranging from big-city to the large empty spaces of the Texas pan-handle. One is rather ambiguous in location as well as time. One is a time-travel, and one uses cyber-space as a major character. Love and romance do figure largely in these stories, but with varying degrees of either or both. I found it very difficult to put down, and would encourage any forward-thinking publisher to do a new collection of similar stories. Even one a year wouldn't be too many, to my way of thinking. Brava to all concerned!