Lia Matera (ed.): Irreconcilable Differences (2001)

From the Publisher:
Editor Lia Matera has compiled an irresistible concoction of mystery and suspense filled with the clever twists and chilling turns of breakups, family feuds, broken partnerships, and lovers' quarrels. As this acclaimed cast of authors probes the minefield of intimace, devotion, and trust upon which human lives are built, Irreconcilable Differences explodes with heart-stopping mayhem.

Joyce Carol Oates, Amanda Cross, Jeffery Deaver, John Lutz, Edna Buchanan, Bill Pronzini, Marcia Muller, Laurie R. King, Sarah Lovett, Jan Burke, Jeremiah Healy, Julie Smith, Judith Kelman, Margaret Maron, Gillian Roberts, Joan Hess, Sarah Shankman, Pete Hautman, Eileen Dreyer, Lia Matera

Lia Matera (ed.): Irreconcilable Differences. Avon Books, ISBN: 0061097330 (April, 2001), 372 p., $6.50.

Lia Matera (ed.): Irreconcilable Differences (1999)

From the Publisher:
This collection of original stories from today's most successful, prize-winning writers of crime fiction proves that "irreconcilable differences" can't begin to describe the lethal results of a relationship gone wrong.

For this outstanding anthology, editor Lia Mcitera challenged a stellar list of contributors including National Book Award Winner Joyce Carol Oates, New York Times bestsellers Edna Buchanan and Jeffery Deaver, and award winners Laurie R. King, Julie Smith, Bill Pronzini, Margaret Moron, and Marcia Muller to use the phrase "irreconcilable differences" as a springboard for a story. Their responses make for irresistible reading. These twenty concoctions of mystery and suspense move from sharp and probing to humorous and sly, fully evoking the theme of discord most deadly.

Here are the clever twists and chilling turns of breakups, family feuds, broken partnerships, and lovers' quarrels. A coupletakes witty revenge on their honeymooning exes in Judith Kelmon's "Just Desserts." Gillian Roberts's "Heart Break" explores the dark side of staying together. In Sarah Lovett's "Buried Treasure," a hint-dropping stranger changes the life of an imperiled widow, while Jon Burke shows how a Good Samaritan can save a bad marriage in "An Unsuspected Condition of the Heart."

As this acclaimed cast of authors probes the minefield of intimacy, devotion, and trust upon which human lives are built, Irreconcilable Differences explodes with heart-stopping events.

TUSK • Joyce Carol Oates
THE PERFECT REVENGE • Amanda Cross
EYE TO EYE • Jeffery Deaver
STUTTER STEP • John Lutz
MIAMI HEAT • Edna Buchanan
WISHFUL THINKING • Bill Pronzini
UP AT THE RIVERSIDE • Marcia Muller
PALETA MAN • Laurie R. King
BURIED TREASURE • Sarah Lovett
AN UNSUSPECTED CONDITION OF THE HEART • Jan Burke
LEGACY • Jeremiah Healy
FRESH PAINT • Julie Smith
JUST DESSERTS • Judith Kelman
HALF OF SOMETHING • Margaret Maron
HEART BREAK • Gillian Roberts
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS • Joan Hess
LOVE THY NEIGHBOR • Sorah Shankman
SHOWDOWN AT THE TERMINAL OASIS • Pete Hautman
FUN WITH FORENSICS • Eileen Dreyer
IF IT CAN'T BE TRUE • Lia Matera

Lia Matera (ed.): Irreconcilable Differences. 20 Mystery Stories by Edna Buchanan, Jeffery Deaver, Jeremiah Healy, Laurie R. King, Margaret Maron, Joyce Carol Oates, and more. HarperCollins, ISBN: 0060192259 (November, 1999), 354 p., $24.00.