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Death do us Part

by Harlan Coben

Harlan Coben has gathered together stories from both new and familiar writers in this collection, concentrating on relationships ending in murder. Death do us Part, published by the Mystery Writers of America, Inc. and edited by Mr. Coben brings us a wide variety of tales with a single theme – love that ends with a vicious climax.

Ridley Pearson's 'Queeny' is a story about an innocent man accused of murdering his wife, 'Safe Enough' by Lee Child tells a tale about an electrician involved with two murders, and Charles Ardai's 'Home Front' set the WW II years, is about a self-righteous individual who finds himself working for the woman whose son he'd killed. 'The Last Flight' by Brendan DuBois spins a yarn featuring Gus Foss with a pilot who killed Gus' wife in a drunken collision, and 'Part Light, Part Memory' written by Bonnie Hearn Hill, is about slaves during 1865 and one woman's revenge.

'Blarney' by Steve Hockensmith is written about an unpublished writer and a published one, then 'Heat Lightning' by William Kent Kruger reveals the passion of a man who kills his dying wife for love of another woman. 'Til Death Do Us Part' is a truly unusual story concerning a chemist and a botanist, married to each other and celebrating their anniversary with a very odd feast. Rick McMahan's 'Cold, Hard Truth' tells about a young man who finds his lost love with her new boyfriend. P. J. Parrish writes about an old man's recollections when he visits the house where he was raised in 'One Shot', and 'Cyberdate.Com' is a decided warning by Tom Savage against the perils of online chat rooms with subsequent dates.

With his tale titled “Home Coming', Charles Todd records a story about a son lost at war and what replaces him, and 'The Masseuse' by Tim Wohlforth describes a woman who commits murder for cash. 'A Few Small Repairs' by Jeff Abbott, tells us about a man who kills his father at his father's request, then caught by a quirk of fate. 'Chellini's Solution' with author Jim Fusilli is another yarn about World War II and revenge – and 'One True Love' (Laura Lippman) is about prostitution, blackmail, and love for a son.

'Wifey' by R. L. Stine is primarily about a very special dog and the neighbor who killed his master. Jay Brandon's 'Pushed or Was Fell' is about a honeymoon gone wrong, and finally Harlan Coben contributes to the collection with his story titled 'Entrapped', about a woman who murders her husband and finally trapped by a police imposter.

As with every collection of stories, most are good and some are not-so-good. But we'll go with the 'most.' Ingenuity infiltrates the majority of plots, and it's decidedly interesting to see the various approaches to the central theme of this assortment. Mr. Coben provides a number of great stories for the murder-mystery fan who needs a break from complete novels!

Alan Paul Curtis

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