THE COLLECTED STORIES

by Amanda Cross ‧ RELEASE DATE: Jan. 1, 1997

Cross's brief Introduction explains why this collection--perhaps the shortest volume ever published under its title--is itself so brief: Although Prof. Kate Fansler (An Imperfect Spy, 1995, etc.) has been around since 1964, Cross didn't start to write short stories about her until 1987. Fans of Cross's arch academic mysteries will need no further comment; the less ardent may notice precious little mystery lurking beneath the martinis, civilized chitchat, and occasional scholarly footnotes, as Kate--in one new story and seven reprints (a ninth story, about what to do when you find a stolen masterwork in your luggage, makes do without Kate)--searches for missing dogs, paintings, colleagues, and mothers of mysteriously donated babies, and solves the occasional bloodless homicide, always with a minimum of fuss or surprise. Mild, graceful, and literate to a fault.

Pub Date: Jan. 1, 1997

ISBN: 0345421132

Page Count: 192

Publisher: Ballantine

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 1996

Categories: FICTION