“‘Why don’t we kill somebody?’ she suggested. She was a blond, of course, tall and willowy…”
—From Improvisation by Ed McBain

 A dashing lineup of elegant crime tales and gritty hardboiled detective stories, alternately menacing and cozy, with two exotic locales, and murder in the mix

C.S. Montanye’s "A Shock for the Countess"
performed by Fionnula Flanagan
Intrigue in the alps in this clever tale of a jewelry heist

Dashiell Hammett’s "The Creeping Siamese"
performed by John Shea
The Continental Op gets his man

Ed McBain’s "Improvisation"
performed by Isaiah Sheffer
A hilarious story of two tall and willowy sisters up to no good

Louise Erdrich’s "Gleason"
performed by Robert Sean Leonard
A simple plot goes terribly awry

Shirley Jackson’s "The Summer People"
performed by René Auberjonois
Pooky goings-on at a country cottage

Nadine Gordimer’s "Country Lovers"
performed by Hattie Winston
Forbidden love on a South African farm