A Merry Band of Murderers
 
A deadly dance between mystery and music
... edited by Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns
aMBoM cover
click cover for a larger image

Published August 2006
Hardback, 264 pages
ISBN 1-59058-301-9
$24.95
also available as an audiobook

Includes music CD with
recordings by the authors.

A Merry Band of Murderers is more than a compilation of short mystery stories from some of the genre’s finest writers. It is also an exploration of music.

The book opens with an essay by Claudia Bishop explaining the role of the short story in mystery writing and one by Don Bruns discussing writers who play, sing, and compose.

These are followed by music-centered stories from thirteen of today's hottest authors of crime fiction (names at left). Each story is accompanied by an interview with the writer.

A one-of-a-kind collection!

Mystery and music combine in this exciting publishing first. Thirteen mystery writers have contributed original short stories and musical compositions related to them. The short stories cover a range of genres—from suspense to cozies. The music spans jazz, folk, country-western, rock and roll, and ballads. Each story is accompanied by an interview with the author and a lively biographical introduction.

A fabulous CD produced by Blackstone Audio Books
accompanies the Poisoned Pen Press hardcover edition.

Contents ...
Your Tickets, Please   Claudia Bishop
Liner Notes   Don Bruns
A Word From the Producer   Robert Rosenwald
Stories (click for excerpts) Songs (click for samples)
File Under Jazz   Bill Moody   Moody's Mystery Blues
Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil   Rupert Holmes   Time To Kill
If I Had Wings   Rhys Bowen   If I Had Wings
Something Out There   John Lescroart   Something Out There
It's Too Late   Jim Fusilli   It's Too Late to Cry
Land of the Flowers   Mary Anna Evans   Land of the Flowers
Bad For His Image   Nathan Walpow   Be My Poodle
The Ferryman's Beautiful Daughter   Peter Robinson   The Ferryman's Beautiful Daughter
The Fan   Jeffery Deaver   Another Day Without You
The Melancholy Danish   Claudia Bishop   Ophelia's Revenge
Cayo Hueso Combo   Tom Corcoran   Bone Island Mambo
Long Black Veil   Val McDermid   Long Black Veil
Courage   Don Bruns   Stories

The editors:

Claudia Bishop (Mary Stanton) is the author of more than 30 novels. She also writes for television. Born in Florida, she grew up in Japan and Hawaii. She divides her time between a small home in West Palm Beach and a goat farm in Upstate New York.

Don Bruns is a mystery writer and songwriter, dividing his time between Ohio, and Florida. Bruns writes from experience about the gritty underworld of the entertainment industry, having traveled as a road musician for eight years. Bruns travels "whenever I get the chance."

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