Dorothy Salisbury Davis, now in her eighties, is one of the giants of 20th-century crime fiction. In her first new book in many years, she has put together a collection of short stories which are beautiful little masterpieces. My personal favorite, Maggie and Christopher, tells a tale of a magician and his assistant traveling the backroads of the Midwest during the Depression of the 1930's. The writing has the deceptive simplicity that comes from a highly-honed craft.

I had never heard of the book or the author, but was intrigued by anyone being a "gentle murderer." And with this story, the reader knows who the murderer is from the very beginning. But I found myself quite caught up in following those who don't know who he is. The first person looking for the killer is the priest who tried to help him in the confessional. Father Duffy hopes that the killer will go to the police, but soon realizes that this isn't going to happen. So he begins his search for the man who reminded him of pictures of St. Francis. And when the murder is discovered, the police are soon also looking for this unknown killer. Sergeant Ben Goldsmith begins his search. The question becomes, can either the priest or the police find the killer before there is a risk that he might kill again? As the search continues, Duffy and Goldsmith's paths cross. And they both know how important it is to find this killer.

I thought I was buying a book written by Mary Higgins Clark. I am one of her biggest fans. The short stories were pointless and poorly written. One story was written by Mary Higgins Clark and even that was pointless. On a scale of 1 to 5, this rates a 0.

This twelve-story anthology loosely focuses on the title, MURDER IN THE FAMILY. Though the tales are well written, they lack the suspense and cutting edge expected of this famous group of popular authors that contributed to the collection and that of previous short story books produced by the Adams Round Table. For most mystery readers, previous Adams Round Table editions are stronger (see MURDER AMONG FRIENDS, etc.). However, die hard fans of Lawrence Block, Mary Higgins Clark, Stanley Cohen, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Mickey Friedman, Joyce Harrington, Susan Isaacs, Judith Kelman, Warren Murphy, Justin Scott, Peter Straub, and Whitley Strieber will want to read the tales. Yet even the strongest of loyalists need to keep the expectations a bit lower than usual as the gaggle of writers fall short of what each one usually provides.

Harriet Klausner

Lawrence Block, et.al.'s Murder In The Family packs in high-profile mystery writers whose new presentations have not seen print elsewhere. Mary Higgins Clark probes a father's motivation for revenge, Susan Isaacs presents a chilling portrait of a family which should not be in business, and Dorothy Davis tells of a letter which transforms lives in this excellent collection.