The Collected Stories of Amanda Cross (Kate Fansler) - Softcover

Cross, Amanda

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345421132 ISBN 13: 9780345421135

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 1998

Synopsis

Amanda Cross is master of the American literary whodunit. In her delicately menacing short fiction, assembled here in one volume, dangerous impulses seize the most unlikely individuals, and everyday existence is fast eclipsed by the bizarre. Among the compelling intrigues: The cold-blooded murder of Mrs. Byron Lloyd, shot dead during a writers' panel discussion . . . the enigma of the nameless toddler who walks out of the bushes one New England summer afternoon . . . the reappearance of a missing Constable drawing just where it can cause the most trouble . . . and other wonderful mysteries, many of which star the incomparable amateur sleuth Kate Fansler.

About this title

Review:

Amanda Cross is really Carolyn Heilbrun, author of the groundbreaking nonfiction book Writing a Woman's Life, and, like her heroine Kate Fansler, a professor of English. That's why these 10 stories--written during breaks between her longer works--are intellectual puzzles rather than action-packed adventures. Each one is a cool, bracing spoonful of lemon sherbet for the brain. Cross/Fansler novels in paperback include Death in a Tenured Position, In the Last Analysis, The James Joyce Murder, and A Trap for Fools.

From the Publisher:

When I read THE JAMES JOYCE MURDER, I instantly became a fan of Amanda Cross and her protagonist, English professor Kate Fansler. And I continued to devour this wonderful series: THE QUESTION OF MAX, DEATH IN A TENURED POSITION, NO WORD FROM WINIFRED -- and onward. In time, I (and many other readers) came to realize that "Amanda Cross" is a pseudonym for Dr. Carolyn G. Heilbrun, the revered Columbia University professor whose WRITING A WOMAN'S LIFE and other nonfiction volumes are recognized as ground-breaking classics in literary criticism and feminist studies. My admiration for the author grew and grew -- in both her guises. And then a few years ago, I had the great good fortune to become the editor of her "Amanda Cross" half. Which has given me many opportunities to get to know Carolyn personally (it helps that we live only a few blocks from each other). So I've been in the company of this widely beloved author for autograph parties, bookstore events, an honorary dinner, and recently at the ALA (American Library Association) conference, where scores of adoring fans -- librarians and educators -- patiently queued up to get personally autographed copies of THE PUZZLED HEART, the latest Fansler mystery, as well as backlist titles in the series. Even with the resultant writer's cramp, it was a great day for "Amanda." And another cherished memory I have of this charming, gracious, and multitalented author.

--Joe Blades, Associate Publisher

About this edition

• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0345421132
• ISBN 13: 9780345421135
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 192