Sixteen short stories from Jeffery Deaver, best known for thrillers featuring quadriplegic forensic investigator Lincoln Rhyme. In one story, a beautiful woman takes extreme measures to get rid of a stalker. In another, a woman grows paranoid, believing that her husband is trying to drive her mad. And a contemporary William Shakespeare shows up in a chilling tale of revenge. In his introduction, Deaver writes that a short story isn't just a short novel. It's a genre of its own, in which the writer tries to trick the reader. With novels, the reader invests emotional energy in getting to know the character. But in a short story 'all bets are off'. The author is licensed to do everything to fool the reader. Deaver has mastered the art form, but his formula gets repetitive if you read all the stories at once.