Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy

Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy (2008) — Anthology

Editor and Authors[]

Editor: Dana Stabenow

Contributors: Charlaine Harris (UF, mystery), Carole Nelson Douglas (UF), Michael A. Stackpole (scify), Sharon Shinn (Sci-Fi/Fant, Romance, YA), Mike Doogan (mystery), Donna Andrews (mystery-thrillers), Michael Armstrong (non-fiction), John Straley (mystery), Laura Anne Gilman (UF), Laurie R. King (mystery), Simon R. Green (UF)

Genre and Sub-Genres[]

Urban Fantasy / Mystery / some Sci-fi

Theme[]

Supernatural detective stories

Description[]

COVER BLURB: This follow-up to Powers of Detection showcases bestselling and award-winning names from Simon Green to Laurie King to Sharon Shinn, with original stories featuring otherworldly investigators trailing uncanny criminals across fantastical realms. From video game characters seeking civil rights and a cave dragon loan shark pondering an investment, to Santa Claus's Australian vacation and an enemy of Sam Spade's out for revenge, plus visits to the Nightside and Sookie Stackhouse's hometown, these stories will take readers around the world on a magical mystery tour. ~ Goodreads | Unusual Suspects

Supernatural Elements[]

Vampires, witches, telepath, CinSims (holograms), ghosts, magic users, cave dragons, elves, imps, dwarves, veils, Seer and Sword, electrical current based "supernatural talent". . .

List of Stories[]

Story Title	Series and Order Number	Author	Lead(s)
“Lucky”	Sookie Stackhouse series #7.1	Charlaine Harris	Sookie, Amelia
“Bogieman”	Delilah Street #2.5	Carole Nelson Douglas	Delilah, Snow
“Looks Are Deceiving”	none	Michael A. Stackpole	Duke Darikean, Primin, Kellach
“The House of Seven Spirits”	none	Sharon Shinn	Erica
“Glamour”	none	Mike Doogan	Alf
“Spellbound”	none	Donna Andrews	Master Justinian, Gwynn
“The Duh Vice”	none	Michael Armstrong	Resource Allocation officer
“Weight of the World”	none	John Straley	Santa
"Illumination"	Paranormal Scene Investigations #0.5	Laura Anne Gilman	Bonnie, Zaki
“The House”	none	Laurie R. King	Brad
"Appetite for Murder"	Nightside series	Simon R. Green	Sam Warren
“A Woman’s Work”	none	Dana Stabenow	Seer and Sword

To expand the table, right-press on a row of the table or (Control-press on a Mac)—choose add row.

Synopsis by Story[]

“Lucky” by Charlaine Harris — Sookie Stackhouse series #7.1

Sookie and Amelia are approached by local real estate agent to help him solve a mystery. But this mystery is much more complicated then the girls originally anticipated. ~ Lucky–GR

Sookie solves a mystery involving the luck of the clients of various insurance agents. — This story is set before the events of From Dead to Worse. When Sookie and Amelia investigate a possible break-in at the office of a local insurance agent, they find a few surprises.

“Bogieman” by Carole Nelson Douglas — Delilah Street #2.5

When the body of a CinSim is discovered with a corkscrew from the Inferno Bar in its chest, Snow recruits Paranormal Investigator Delilah Street to solve the mystery.

Delilah investigates the seemingly impossible murder of a recreation of Humphrey Bogart playing Sam Spade. Some of the character interactions were a little lost on me, but the world seems interesting. — set in a Las Vegas where holograms of famous movie characters are grafted over dead people's bodies to entertain casino guests—touches of magic and science fiction.

“Looks Are Deceiving” by Michael A. Stackpole

A magic user investigates the attempted murder of a lord that he dislikes. — Someone is trying to kill Duke Serean Darikean so he calls upon Primin to find and stop the murderer. With Kellach watching his back what they discover is surprising, but even more startling is the Duke’s reaction to the news.

“The House of Seven Spirits” by Sharon Shinn

A story about a house that has something like living memories. — When a woman moves into a haunted house, she is surprised to learn that she can interact with the ghosts that the property manager warned her about. As she gets to know her roommates, she starts to figure out the secret that keeps them all bound to the house.

A writer in the midst of divorce, Erica needs a quiet place to live and get her life back together. In the process, she’ll help change the afterlives of the ghostly residents of the home she chooses to rent.

“Glamour” by Mike Doogan

A peasant’s story about his missing daughter catches the attention of a stranger who begins to investigate. The main character's cluelessness is funny at times. — When his daughter goes missing and his wife has no clue where to look, Alf finds himself working with a stranger to locate her. He wasn’t nearly as surprised that she’d gone missing as he is to find out where she’s been.

“Spellbound” by Donna Andrews

Everyone suspects that there will be trouble when a group of witches comes to a wizard’s school for a conference. One of the apprentices thinks the worst she’ll have to deal with are the awkward seduction spells being aimed at her teacher, but when a murder takes place her observations come in handy. — With a witch setting her sights on Master Justinian, and a murder to investigate, Gwynn is busy keeping an eye on everyone. It seems that the conference being held at their Westmarch College of Magical Studies has just brought more trouble than any of them could have anticipated.

“The Duh Vice” by Michael Armstrong

In a future America where energy and food are strictly rationed, a man whose job is to find those using more than their share stumbles on a secret power source. — Sometimes taking simple advice to heart is the right way to go. For this Resource Allocation officer his failure to heed that advice will find him all alone in a shack near Boundary.

“Weight of the World” by John Straley

Santa Claus and a murder mystery! — When one elf is found dead and another goes missing, Santa calls off their yearly vacation to get to the bottom of things. The killer’s actions will bring forth some interesting changes for Santa and his helpers. — Setting: New Zealand.

"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman — Paranormal Scene Investigations series #0.5

Bonnie's back story! — In a world where magic is related to electricity, a young woman with magical ability investigates the disappearance of her irresponsible father. — From the letter she receives, it’s easy for Bonnie to see that her father, Zaki, is in trouble. He’s a gambler, and this time he may have cost himself more trouble than Bonnie wants to handle.

“The House” by Laurie R. King

Atmospheric story of a teen and his friends are drawn to an abandoned house. — Brad and his friends have an assignment due for school and have chosen the empty house in their neighborhood as their subject. When one of their small group disappears, one of the remaining kids will realize the shocking truth.

"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green — Nightside series

An aging detective joins forces with a superhero to catch a serial killer in the Nightside. — Someone is killing people for their special abilities. — With a serial killer on the loose, Sam Warren and Ms. Fate team up to uncover the clues. Only one of this investigating pair will be smart enough to discover and capture the murderer.

“A Woman’s Work” by Dana Stabenow Seer and Sword are sent to Pylos to hear charges and dole out justice in the King’s name. They’ll uncover a surprising secret in the midst of judging a criminal for the most heinous of crimes. — Two women with special abilities work as traveling judges for their king. When they go to a land where women are treated more as property than people, they’ll have to challenge the society’s conventions in order to find a murderer.

~Sources:

Cover Artist[]

Artist: Johnathan Barket (ISFdb: Unusual Suspects)

Publishing Information[]

Publisher: Ace Trade
Book data: Paperback, 320 pages, Pub: Dec 2nd 2008—ISBN: 0441016375
Unusual Suspects: Stories of Mystery & Fantasy - Powell's Books

Cover Blurb[]

This follow-up to Powers of Detection showcases bestselling and award-winning names from Simon Green to Laurie King to Sharon Shinn, with original stories featuring otherworldly investigators trailing uncanny criminals across fantastical realms. From video game characters seeking civil rights and a cave dragon loan shark pondering an investment, to Santa Claus's Australian vacation and an enemy of Sam Spade's out for revenge, plus visits to the Nightside and Sookie Stackhouse's hometown, these stories will take readers around the world on a magical mystery tour.~ Goodreads | Unusual Suspects

External Links[]

Book:

Goodreads: Series & Story Pages:

Author Websites:

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