title: Criminal Tendencies: Great Stories from Great Crime Writers
author: Lynne Patrick
description: Divided equally between reprints and original entries, this fine anthology showcases many of today's top British crime writers, from seasoned veterans like Peter Lovesey and Reginald Hill to newer names like Zo Sharp and Roz Southey. The creepy opening tale, Carla Banks's <i>Twilight Zone</i>like Out of Her Mind, which features a writer and a knife-wielding killer, contrasts nicely with the humorous story that soon follows, Simon Brett's Work Experience, in which burglars plot to rip off a coin dealer's cache stored above a police station. On balance, the 26 selections tend to the scary side, as shown by Ann Cleves's Games for Winter, in which a teacher's decision to try his survival skills in a remote part of Alaska has fateful consequences. In one of the book's best tales, Sophie Hannah's unsettling The Octopus Nest, a babysitter's chance look at a couple's photo album reveals a stalker. Proceeds from the volume benefit breast cancer charities in the U.K. <i>(Sept.)</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  ## Praise for “America’s Best  
  
  
  True-Crime Writer” (Kirkus Reviews) and  
  
  
  her #1 New York Times Bestselling Series
  
  
  ### ANN RULE’S CRIME FILES
  
  
  Twelve riveting volumes of true-crime stories  
  
  
  drawn from her personal collection
  
  
  “Chilling cases…. A frightening, fascinating rogue’s gallery of mercenary
  murderers.”
  
  
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  “Fascinating, unsettling tales…. Among the very small group of top-notch true-
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  “Rule’s ability to depict both criminals and victims as believable human
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  “Gripping tales…. Fans of true crime know they ca