Murder in Vegas: New Crime Tales of Gambling and Desperation
In a witty, engaging introduction, Connelly, author of the celebrated Harry Bosch series, makes the case for why Las Vegas serves as such an excellent backdrop for crime fiction. It's an easy case to make: bright lights, pretty girls, all that money, and all that desperation set the stage for any number of crimes. In this collection of 22 new stories by a mix of well- and lesser-known authors, murder takes the spotlight from slot machines and chorus girls. Contributions from James Swain, author of the acclaimed Tony Valentine series, and Edgar winner S. Z. Rozan will attract the most attention, but nearly all the tales manage to use the usual Vegas topics--desert heat, the Mafia, big scores gone wrong--in new and unusual ways. In Wendy Hornsby's "Dust Up," for instance, thugs in the process of whacking a turncoat mistake a birdwatcher for a federal agent; the birdwatcher, in turn, thinks the thugs are poachers out to eliminate an endangered bird. Only in Vegas.Mary Frances WilkensCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.