Powers of Detection: Stories of Mystery and Fantasy edited by Dana Stabenow

First sentence:

"'Murder by Magic?' Master Radolphus exclaimed."

Description:

"Investigations of a different kind...

Conjured from the minds of today's most innovative authors, Powers of Detection features a dozen tales of mystery and fantasy, set in worlds where sleuths may wield wands instead of firearms - and criminals may be as inhuman as the crimes they commit.

From a magical boarding school murder to a courtroom where a witch stands trial, from ancient legends of Alaska and Egypt to stories featuring such familiar faces as Sookie Stackhouse and such familiar places as the Nightside, these paranormal procedurals reveal the mysterious behind the mystery..." -- from the back cover

Contents:

• Cold Spell by Donna Andrews
• The Nightside, Needless to Say by Simon R. Green
• Lovely by John Straley
• The Price by Anne Bishop
• Fairy Dust by Charlaine Harris
• The Judgement by Anne Perry
• The Sorcerer's Assassin by Sharon Shinn
• The Boy Who Chased Seagulls by Michael Armstrong
• Palimspet by Laura Anne Gilman
• The Death of Clickclickwhistle by Mike Doogan
• Cairene Dawn by Jay Caselberg
• Justice is a Two-Edged Sword by Dana Stabenow

My thoughts:

These stories are a great mix of fantasy and mystery, with one having a science fiction motif. I liked Simon R. Green's story of a detective who solves his own murder in the Nightside (The Nightside, Needless to Say), Sookie Stackhouse's interaction with local fairies in Charlaine Harris's Fairy Dust and the sometime humorous account of an alien murder investigation in Mike Doogan's The Death of Clickclickwhistle.

Date read: 2/21/2008
Book #: 11
Challenge: Short Story Reading Challenge
Rating: 3*/5 = good
Genre: Fantasy/Mystery/SF

ISBN-10: 044101464X
ISBN-13: 9780441014644
Publisher: Ace
Year: 2004
# of Pages: 286
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
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