The words murder and romance seldom appear together. If given a choice, most of us would prefer them to be as far apart as possible. But there is no denying that an edge of danger can heighten tension, intensify emotions, and make every moment a treasure to be seized, since it might be the last chance to experience anything at all.

The collection of stories in Murder Most Romantic is about romance experienced in the teeth of mortal danger, when every decision is life-or-death and the smallest mistake could kill you. It is said that love is at its most intense when it is threatened, and when that threat is mortal, murder and romance can combine to build emotions to a fever pitch.

Many award-winning writers have joined together in creating the new and original stories in Murder Most Romantic. From Laura Resnick's heart-stopping tale of a honeymoon gone very wrong to Dine Stuckart's look at the scary side of the cyber world, to D. E. Meredith's story of love and death in small-town Texas and beyond, every contribution adds a new twist.

The first of two volumes focusing on the African-American experience during the Civil War. Twenty-six articles review the rise of abolitionism in the North, the recruitment of black troops, their performance in battle, race as a factor in combat, women and the war effort, and black troops fighting for the Confederacy.

Ever since the first caveman sketched out the bison hunts on the walls of the Lascaux caves 16,000 years ago, mankind has found a way to communicate. For centuries the letter was the primary form of communication across any distance. Kings, popes, lords, heads of state, scholars, authors -- all used pen and paper to plot against one another, gossip, woo and win each other's hearts, and play intricate games of intrigue.

In the 21 stories in Murder Most Postal, all by masters of the mystery genre, the mail takes center stage. Edgar Allan Poe is here with his classic detective tale of a letter gone astray and the cunning way in which it is retrieved. Lawrence Block tells of the correspondence between a death-row inmate and the brother of the woman he killed, and of the deadly consequences for both. Ellery Queen investigates a puzzling philatelic theft. And Matt Costello writes of letters in cyberspace, as a man pours out his heart to a stranger in a chat room in the last messages he will ever write.

The children in this anthology of 11 stories--whether good or evil, whether ghost, werewolf, or vampire, whether protecting themselves or others--all have one thing in common: they are all "children of the night."

What sort of creatures may have haunted the Mardi Gras festival and who may have said farewell to the flesh in a horribly unique way (and why and how) are the subjects of this collection of murder stories set in New Orleans.

All Original Stories "December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy." President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's unforgettable words informed the American people that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor and initiated America's entry into World War II. But what if things had happened differently? A Date Which Will Live in Infamy is an anthology of fictional alternatives to the events leading up to, during, and following the surprise Japanese attack in Hawaii. Also included is an appendix containing a timeline of the attack and essays on the diplomatic context of the situation and the realities addressed in writing alternative histories about Pearl Harbor.

The collection of stories in Murder Most Romantic is about romance experienced in the teeth of mortal danger, when every decision is life-or-death and the smallest mistake could kill you. It is said that love is at its most intense when it is threatened, and when that threat is mortal, murder and romance can combine to build emotions to a fever pitch. Many award-winning writers have joined together in creating the new and original stories in Murder Most Romantic. From Laura Resnick's heart-stopping tale of a honeymoon gone very wrong to Dine Stuckart's look at the scary side of the cyber world, to D. E. Meredith's story of love and death in small-town Texas and beyond, every contribution adds a new twist. This collection of heart-stopping romance includes: Homicidal Honeymoon by Laura Resnick * The Scottish Ploy by P. N. Elrod * www.gonnahavekelly.com by Diane A. S. Stuckart * The Perfect Man by Kristine Kathryn Rusch * Celtic Cross by Yvonne Jocks * Hostage to Love by Mary Watson * Dizzy and the Biker by Susan Sizemore * Night Hawks by Jody Lynn Nye * Keeper of the Well by Deb Stover * Dearly Beloved by D. R.Meredith * The Show Must Go On by Neesa Hart * Twelve Days by Laura Hayden

Guardian Angels"": Heart-Warming Stories of Divine Influence and Protection, edited by Martin H. Greenberg, is a collection of inspiring, uplifting stories about the most heavenly of protectors: angels. Portraying angels in their splendor and power, it includes stories by Susan Sizemore, Charles de Lint, and Gary Braunbeck.""

Guardian Angels is a collection of inspiring, uplifting stories about the most heavenly of guardians: angels. Whether they appear on earth to show someone the right choice to make in a difficult situation or to defend innocent souls against the powers of evil, angels have always held a special place in millions of people's hearts. In popular parlance, angels are believed to bridge the distance between God and man. The stories in this collection portray angels, in all of their glorious splendour and awesome power, and the ways in which they help those they are charged to protect - men and women who face obstacles and challenges that can only be overcome with a bit of supernatural assistance. Guardian Angels includes the following original stories: Angel with a Mission by Deb Stover; I'm Not Making This Up by Susan Sizemore; and Angels Unawares by Nancy Springer. Additional original stories that have never been printed are written by Gary A. Braunbeck, Jane Lindskold, Yvonne Jocks, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Neesa Hart, Stobie Piel, Paul Dellinger, and Tim Wannoner.Also included are classic angel stories The Big Sky by Charles de Lint; Letting Go by Ken Wiseman; The Box by Bruce Coville; and Unworthy of the Angel by Stephen R. Donaldson.

When a nation's attention turns toward war, many opportunities for other crimes arise. Against the backdrop of brothers fighting brothers and cities under siege, civilians and soldiers alike conspire to use the cover of conflict to steal, cheat, spy and even murder for whatever reason - the honour of their cause or personal gain. Sometimes the crimes committed because of war can be the most terrible of all. The stories in Murder Most Confederate, the majority written specifically for this book, are all set within the Confederacy. They range from the war-torn city of Richmond, Virginia, where a husband and wife run an unusual boarding house, to two brothers fighting on opposite sides of the war and the terrible price one of them pays for happiness. From men and women doing their patriotic duty to rogues and criminals committing crimes under the cover of combat, the savage side of war is revealed in these stories of Murder Most Confederate. The rebellious line-up includes: The Hessian by Doug Allyn * The Price of Coal by Edward D.Hoch * Last Hours in Richmond by Brendan DuBois * Veterans by John Lutz * The Cobblestones of Saratoga Street by Avram Davidson * A House Divided by Marc Bilgrey * Blossoms and Blood by Janet Berliner * Whistling Dixie by Billie Sue Mosiman * Behind Enemy Lines by John Helfers and Carol Rondou * The Unknown Soldier by Kristine Kathryn Rusch * A Woman's Touch by Max Allan Collins and Matthew V. Clemens * Ghost by Bradley H. Sinor * The Last Day of the War by James Reasoner * Valuables by Kristine Scheid * The Face by Ed Gorman * Matthew in the Morning by Gary A. Braunbeck

Murder Most Medieval is a collection of short stories set in medieval times in which murders are solved by the cleverest of methods. Included are stories by Peter Tremayne, Clayton Emery, and Ellis Peters.

The first of two volumes focusing on the African-American experience during the Civil War. Twenty-six articles review the rise of abolitionism in the North, the recruitment of black troops, their performance in battle, race as a factor in combat, women and the war effort, and black troops fighting for the Confederacy.

What sort of creatures may have haunted the Mardi Gras festival and who may have said farewell to the flesh in a horribly unique way (and why and how) are the subjects of this collection of murder stories set in New Orleans.

This collection of 11 stories proves that it's not just vampires who are out for blood these days. Instead, they tell of fearless and perhaps crazy people who hunt and dispatch vampires from this world to the next with torches and crucifixes and garlic -- lots of garlic.

The City. Suggestive of the sophistication and naivete, success and failure, culture and brutality, victim and predator. Does this city ever truly rest? And those who watch from dark places, each night hoping and thirsting? For what? Life? Revenge? Another day? Only the vampires, returned from the dead to drain life from the living, know for sure, and the Streets of Blood are their domain. All the stories in Streets of Blood are set in the greater New York City area. They include: Softly While You're Sleeping, Evelyn E. Smith; Lowlifes, Esther M. Friesner; To Feel Another's Woe, Chet Williamson; Appetites, Lawrence Schimel; Following the Way, Alan Ryan; Seat Partner, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro; Night Laughter, Ellen Kushner; The Land of Lost Content, Suzy McKee Charnas

Perhaps more than any region, the American South is haunted by the mythology of the vampire, returned from the dead to drain life from the living.

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

In the 21 stories in Murder Most Postal, all by masters of the mystery genre, the mail takes centre stage. Edgar Allan Poe is here with his classic detective tale of a letter gone astray and the cunning way in which it is retrieved. Lawrence Block tells of the correspondence between a death-row inmate and the brother of the woman he killed, and of the deadly consequences for both. Ellery Queen investigates a puzzling philatelic theft. And Matt Costello writes of letters in cyberspace, as a man pours out his heart to a stranger in a chat room in the last messages he will ever write. The stories and their authors are: Like a Bone in the Throat by Lawrence Block * The Purloined Letter by Edgar Allan Poe * An Act of Violence by William F. Nolan * The Corbett Correspondence by Agent No. 5 and Agent No. 6 * Agony Column by Barry N. Malzberg * Graduation by Richard Christian Matheson * Someone Who Understands Me by Matthew Costello * Letter to the Editor by Morris Hershman * The Coveted Correspondence by Ralph McInerny * A Nice Cup of Tea by Kate Kingsbury * Letter to His Son by Simon Brett * The Poisoned Pen by Arthur B. Reeve * A Literary Death by Martin H.Greenberg * The Adventure of the Penny Magenta by August Derleth * Letter From a Very Worried Man by Henry Slesar * Pure Rotten by John Lutz * Computers Don't Argue by Gordon R. Dickson * A Letter to Amy by Joyce Harrington * The Adventure of the One Penny Black by Ellery Queen * Make Yourselves at Home by Joan Hess * Deadlier Than the Mail by Evan Hunter

From the gently rolling hills and valleys to the savage storms blowing across the coasts, Ireland is a land of amazing contrasts, a study in both beauty and hostility. Nowhere is this more apparent than in its people. Whether hoisting a friendly pint in the local pub or fighting an enemy, as they have done for centuries, the Irish live their lives to the fullest no matter what the circumstances might be. Slow to anger and equally slow to forgive at times, the Emerald Isle's children have had plenty of experience in life on both sides of the law. Murder Most Celtic is an all-new anthology featuring crime and mystery stories about those men and women for whom being Irish is more than just a state of mind -- it's a way of life.

Examines the effects of the war on Blacks in the South and in the North, including the war's impact on black civilians, the utilization of runaway slaves as workmen for the Union army, the end of slavery, the ramifications of freedom for those who had been freemen before the war, and the education of newly freed slaves.

This collection of 11 stories proves that it's not just vampires who are out for blood these days. Instead, they tell of fearless and perhaps crazy people who hunt and dispatch vampires from this world to the next with torches and crucifixes and garlic -- lots of garlic.

"The Women's War in the South: Recollections and Reflections of the American Civil War, edited by Charles G. Waugh and Martin H. Greenberg", recounts the manner in which Southern women experienced the war and the changes it brought about in their lives. Filled with excerpts from the letters, books, diaries, and postwar writings the women left behind, it reveals the other side of the war -- the women's war -- through first-person accounts of women running farms, buying and selling goods, working outside the home, serving as spies, and even participating in combat in disguise.

The stories in Streets of Blood all take place in the greater New York City area. Authors include Mercedes Lackey, Norma Collins, Laura Ann Gilman, Edward Bryant, Evelyn E. Smith, Esther F. Friesner, Chet Williamson, Lawrence Schimel, Alan Ryan, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Ellen Kushner, Suzy McKee Charnas, and Julian Hawthorne.