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Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part
New Stories about Love, Lust, and Murder
By Harlan Coben LITTLE, BROWN
Copyright © 2006 Mystery Writers of America, Inc.
All right reserved. ISBN: 0-316-01250-5
Introduction
I'm about to give away the ending. Crimes involving money don't interest me all that much. Oh, sure, as a red herring, they're pretty cool and, hey, now that I'm talking about this, maybe I'll do it in my next story just to fool you. But between us, it's just not what I'm into.
I'm also not big on serial killers hacking people up for no reason. Or conspiracies reaching the White House. There are people who write them well. But they don't really grab your heart, do they?
You want something bigger, more complex, more driven. You want something that you can relate to. You want to read about the crime that you can almost ALMOST see yourself committing. You want the story to explore a place as small as your fist and as vast as the universe. You want the story to trek through a land you know so well and yet you'll never really understand.
In short, you want the story set in the human heart. You want it personal. You want it to be about you and that special someone who is lying beside you. You love your partner, don't you? The way she sleeps peacefully. The way she tosses and turns. You could stare at her all night. Or maybe ...?
Those are exactly the kinds of stories that have been assembled for your reading pleasure within the pages of this anthology. With the assistance of the Mystery Writers of America, nineteen of today's top mystery authors, from established bestselling pros to new writers, have provided a collection of masterful mystery and suspense stories that all delve into the pulsating heart of relationships most foul or, worse, most splendid. They will, I think, give new meaning to the ultimate expression of "till death do us part."
Lest you think that mystery writers are all cynical curmudgeons, there are also several stories in here that celebrate the power of a loving relationship as it pertains to crime and punishment (which is possible). But at least half of these stories end badly for one spouse or both. Come to think of it, according to statistics, that's about the percentage of marriages that end in real life, although usually by not so permanent means.
So give your spouse or special other a big kiss and a hug before settling down to read these stories of domestic discord and marital malice (if you're single, then you don't have anything to worry about, unless this introduction has made you think about keeping a closer eye on your significant other, but that's another anthology altogether) as we present all-new crimes of the heart in Death Do Us Part.
-Harlan Coben
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Excerpted from Mystery Writers of America Presents Death Do Us Part by Harlan Coben Copyright © 2006 by Mystery Writers of America, Inc.. Excerpted by permission.
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