With two Derringer Award wins and two Pushcart Prize honors for her short mystery fiction, Kris Neri really knows the short mystery form. And this collection contains some of her best, including her two Derringer Award winners, the light and hilarious, “L.A. Justice,” which gave birth to her novel series sleuth, Tracy Eaton, and her daffy movie star mother, Martha Collins, as well as the darkly original “Capital Justice.” Included are a variety of tones and outcomes, from the breezy froth of “No Star Murder,” to the magic of “Showtime on the Winter Solstice,” to the over-the-top humor of “Nothing Good Ever Came of a Bad Hair Day.” Whether you like cats as protagonists, or a little of the mystical in your mysteries, there’s something here for everyone.
