LAndmarked for Murder
By members of Sisters-in-Crime/Los Angeles
Reviewed by Jackie Houchin

Sisters-In-Crime, the national organization that promotes mystery books written by women, celebrates their 20th Anniversary in October. The Los Angeles chapter contributed to the celebration by publishing its fourth crime anthology.

LAndmarked for Murderis a wonderful collection of ten short stories (yes, some are written by men), each containing murder, malice or mayhem at some very well-known Los Angeles landmarks.

The stories range from darkly noir to madcap comedy, from the realistic to the bizarre, and from the present day to the summer of 1942. They have druggies, newspaper reporters, lawyers, jazz piano players, marathon runners and race track employees as protagonists, criminals or victims.

In "Just Like Old Times" a group of zany, geriatric Hollywood stars - some in wheelchairs - successfully foil a bank robbery and return a dead body to its source. In "Setup" a white cop curiously hires a black lawyer to defend him for killing a black athlete. In "It Doesn't Take A Genius," a chilling justice is meted out, and in "Making It With Grammy" you'll find crosses and double crosses and a kick at the end.

You'll never visit Venice again without remembering the creepy characters in "Some Creatures I Care About." And "Running Venice" is a non-stop, heart-pounding, terror-inspiring thriller.

Whether it's at the old Biltmore Hotel or the ultra modern Bonaventure, on the campuses of USC and Caltech, or at the Santa Anita Race Track ... there is nowhere you are safe from the criminal mind and the wicked deed. To help you navigate this perilous city, Susan K. Beery has written an excellent introduction, and then sets the scene for each story with a paragraph of local history...and a warning.

LAndmarked For Murder is the best of the Sisters-In-Crime/LA anthologies so far. Pick up a copy at Borders Book Stores, Amazon.com, or go to their website at www.sistersincrimela.com. You will have a hard time putting this one down!