author : Mary Kay McComas

I bought this to get the Eve Dallas "Haunted in Death" novella, as its events were mentioned in passing in Born in Death. The theme of the collection is ghostly love stories: none of them is particularly ghostly.

Contents (possible spoilers)

• J. D. Robb. Haunted in Death

Lt Eve Dallas investigates a murder that appears to have been done by a ghost. [Despite many references to Eve's pragmatic disbelief in ghosts, depressingly there is actually one involved, though thankfully not as the murderer.]

• Mary Blayney. Poppy's Coin

Regency Romance involving a magic coin that grants wishes.

• Ruth Ryan Langan. The Passenger

Two loners are marooned together in a remote hunting shack, and come to realise something about themselves, helped by some friendly apparitions.

• Mary Kay McComas. Mellow Lemon Yellow

Charlotte's childhood invisible friend returns to help her regain her life after her father dies.

I bought this to get the Eve Dallas "Eternity in Death" novella. The alleged theme of the collection is paranormal love stories. A more disturbing theme emerges from the later stories: being a successful business woman is not fulfilling; you need to give all that up for the love of a good man. Feugh. (Eve manages to have love and a high pressure career. Which certainly makes her more interesting to read about..)

Contents (possible spoilers)

• J. D. Robb. Eternity in Death

Lt Eve Dallas investigates a murder that appears to have been done by a vampire. Unlike the "Haunted in Death" novella's actual ghost, here there isn't actually a vampire, but we do get all the accoutrements.

• Mary Blayney. Amy and the Earl's Amazing Adventure

This carries straight on from the end of "Poppy's Coin", and tells the time-travelling story of Amy and her barman. It sheds an interesting, and knowingly unpleasant, light on Regency times.

• Ruth Ryan Langan. Timeless

Successful but unmarried businesswoman Laurel Douglas travels to Scotland for a holiday, then time travels back to the era of Con the Mighty, discovering they are lovers linked through time. Returning to the present day, she discovers the current laird is awfully familiar. [I bet she quits her job. Feugh.]

• Mary Kay McComas. On the Fringe

Bonnie Sanderson is discontented with her life and wishes she had never been married. Since she's holding a magic carpet at the time, this wish is granted. She's now a successful but unmarried businesswoman, who is taken hostage at her bank by her not-in-this-universe husband, and falls in love with him. It all ends happily ever after when she returns to her previous existence, realising how happy she really is. Feugh.

Another one of these collections of four novellas, that I buy just for the Eve Dallas story. Here the link is really weak: they're all to do with "Suite 606", but there's no agreement on what Suite 606 is. However, there is also a more subtle link: in each of the first three stories there is some kind of random event that seems to be there just to add a little local colour, but each of these is actually a scene from the final story. Hmm.

Contents (possible spoilers)

• J. D. Robb. Ritual in Death

Lt Eve Dallas is at a party when a murder is committed in the next suite. There is an obvious suspect, but Eve suspects some deeper deviltry.

• Mary Blayney. Love Endures

Another "magic coin" story: here two lovers have been kept apart by lies, but now a ghost has a chance to put things right.

• Ruth Ryan Langan. Cold Case

A cop on leaves staggers out of a car crash into a house full of secrets and danger: he is there to "witness" it.

• Mary Kay McComas. Wayward Wizard

A mother and son find themselves sucked into the past by a wizard's lost talisman.

Another in the themed collection of four novellas, that I buy just for the Eve Dallas story. Here the (again rather weak) link is "the other side": mostly, but not always, ghosts.

Contents (possible spoilers)

• J. D. Robb. Possession in Death

Lt Eve Dallas is possessed by a Gypsy curse to solve a missing person mystery, before it becomes a murder.

• Mary Blayney. The Other Side of the Coin

"If you were a woman, and I was a man/Would it be so hard to understand"

• Patricia Gaffney. The Dancing Ghost

A fake haunted-house investigator meets a fake-haunted house owner.

• Ruth Ryan Langan. Almost Heaven

Recently dead loving parents watch over their daughter's wedding preparations, and are horrified to discover that her fiance murdered them, and is planning to murder her.

• Mary Kay McComas. Never Too Late to Love

MJ Biderman discovers that her family house is haunted by her mother and aunts. She must discover what they have lost before they can leave and let her tear the house down.

Contents (possible spoilers)

• J. D. Robb. Chaos in Death

• Mary Blayney. Her Greatest Treasure

• Patricia Gaffney. Dear One

• Ruth Ryan Langan. The Unforgiven

• Mary Kay McComas. His Brother's Keeper