When Law Meets Paw...The result is this delightful anthology of seventeen courtroom tales by top-notch mystery writers. Cats and mysteries go hand-in-hand, no doubt. After all, what other animal is as mysterious as the common - yet never ordinary - house cat? What lurks behind that smug expression? What hidden secrets belie that indifferent stare? Always dignified, cats are quick to deal out their own justice with a claw or bite, and so it is only natural we find them in a variety of roles in these feline mysteries. Cats take the stand in their own defence to pounce on criminals, provide evidence, and turn the legal system on its collective ear - all in the name of justice. From a private eye who goes to bat for a cat's inheritance to a common mouser who turns out to be quite a bit more during a high-profile murder trial, these tales of crime are as crafty and cunning as kitties themselves - and just as entertaining Stories in this clever anthology include: The Witness Cat by Parnell Hall * Justice Knows No Paws by Jon L.Breen * It's in the Bag by Bill Crider * Animal Sounds by Dulcy Brainard * Blue Eyes by Janet Dawson * Cat, the Jury by Catherine Dain * The Memory Pool by Tracy Knight * The Lawlessness West of the Pecos by Jan Grape * Statute of Imitations by Morris Hershman * Catnip by Dick Lochte * Hoskin's Cat by Shirley Rousseau Murphy * Missing the Cat by Mat Coward * Prints by Ann Barrett * Mr. Biggles for the Defense by Matthew Costello * Family Ties by Richard Chizmar and Barry Hoffman * For the Benefit of Bootsy by Jeremiah Healy * In the Lowlands by Gary A. Braunbeck

CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS WITH FAMILY AND FELINES
In these nineteen original tail-twitching tales of mystery, cats from Maine coon to Scottish fold, tabby to Siamese, white Persian to calico crack all manner of holiday capers. Arbor Day reminds a veterinarian how a kitten's coat cinched a murder case . . . A smart young woman at Christmas discovers that the way to an old man's inheritance is not through his heart but through his cat . . . A family Hanukkah celebration gives a sharp-eyed cop with a fondness for felines insight into blackmail and murder . . . An abused stray at Thanksgiving sends a family over the edge . . . And many more!
Once again mystery fans will cheer as cats meet crime for a fur-raising showdown of deceit, detection, and a dizzying display of feline fireworks.

"From the Paperback edition."

The World's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, First Annual Edition finally fills the void for those with a hunger for the best mystery and suspense stories of the past year. Multi-award--winning editor Ed Gorman has collected stories from the world over, to present more than 200,00 words of superlative fiction. These acclaimed writers, from both the United States and the British Isles, include:

Doug Allyn
Lawrence Block
Jeffery Deaver
Loren D. Estleman
J.A. Jance
Ed McBain
Marcia Muller
Anne Perry
Bill Pronzini
Ian Rankin
Jerry Sykes
Donald E. Westlake
and many others.