A HELL OF A WOMAN An Anthology of Female Noir Edited by Megan Abbott Fall 2007 Introduction by Val McDermid. (paperback) $18 (hardcover) $26   Cornelia Read's Hungry Enough won the Shamus Award for Best Short Story!   Daniel Woodrell's story, "Uncle," was nominated for an Anthony Award and a 2008 Edgar® for Best Short Story! Featuring original stories by Lynne Barrett, Charlotte Carter, Christa Faust, Alison Gaylin, Sara Gran, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Vicki Hendricks, Naomi Hirahara, Annette Meyers, Donna Moore, Vin Packer, Rebecca Pawel, Cornelia Read, Lisa Respers France, S. J. Rozan, Sandra Scoppettone, Zoe Sharp, Sarah Weinman, Ken Bruen, Stona Fitch, Allan Guthrie, Charlie Huston, Eddie Muller, Daniel Woodrell. One of the best mysteries/anthologies of 2007!    —Daily Camera (Boulder, CO) "A Hell of a Woman is not only an exceptionally entertaining anthology, it's an invaluable resource that will be cherished by aficionados of the genre."    —Chicago Tribune "As a statement on contemporary noir and as a barometer of the culture, A Hell of A Woman tells the whole story and then some."    —Woody Haut, London-based journalist and author of Neon Noir: Contemporary American Crime Fiction "The next time some jackass smirks and tells me that women can't write noir, I'm going to knock him upside the head with a copy of A Hell of a Woman. Megan Abbott, our leading Queenpin of crime, has assembled a powerhouse collection of noir by the best dames in the business. (And the stories by the dudes ain't half bad, either.) I've fallen hard for this antho, even though it's destined to clean out my savings account, sleep with my best friend and break my heart."    —Duane Swierczynski, author of The Blonde and Severance Package "A Hell of a Woman is a brilliant and riveting new take on noir—a 21st century Female noir. Tales of resilient women faced with life's cards, shuffling and dealing the deck their own way. The tensions notch, the plots twist in a stranglehold, and it's one hell of an anthology."    —Cara Black, best-selling author of Murder on the Ile-Saint Louis "Beautiful, bold and bloody—the dames in this collection rock, and when they do, heads roll. This anthology of compelling stories about members of the 'fairer sex' with a proclivity for deadly schemes is a must-read for all lovers of noir. Each story is a gem."    —Carolyn Haines, author of Penumbra and Fever Moon   DAMN NEAR DEAD Edited by Duane Swierczynski July 2006 Introduction by Duane Swiercznsyki. Price $18, trade paperback original. ISBN: 0-9767157-5-9   NEWS! You can now read Bill Crider's "Cranked," the 2007 Edgar Award-nominated short story from DAMN NEAR DEAD here (PDF format). It was also nominated for the Anthony Award and was the winner of the Derringer Award! Hard-boiled story collection, featuring original "geezer noir" tales by Jeff Abbott, Megan Abbott, Charles Ardai, Ray Banks, Mark Billingham, Steve Brewer, Ken Bruen, Milton Burton, Reed Farrel Coleman, Colin Cotterill, Bill Crider, Sean Doolittle, Victor Gischler, Allan Guthrie, John Harvey, Simon Kernick, Laura Lippman, Stuart MacBride, Donna Moore, Zoë Sharp, Jenny Siler, Jason Starr, Charlie Stella, Duane Swierczynski, Robert Ward, Sarah Weinman and Dave White. "Damn Near one of the best anthologies I have read in along time."    —Lance Carter, Murder & Mystery Books 101 (blog) "The best anthology I've read this year."    —Jennifer Jordan, Crimespree Magazine "Some [of the stories] are hilarious; many are sad; all are the kind of stuff that makes Miss Marple look like a Girl Scout."    —Dick Adler, Chicago Tribune   DAMN NEAR DEAD 2 Edited by Bill Crider Introduction by Charlaine Harris. Coming November 2010! More information to come.