Females with Bad Intentions
Dangerous Women Otto Penzler, ed. ($24.95 Mysterious Press)
This short-story collection celebrating very, very bad girls was edited by the venerable Otto Penzler, owner of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, and godfather of the city's mystery scene.
The 17 contributors are a Who's Who of crime and suspense fiction, each of whom weaves a disquieting tale of a dame up to no good. The powerfully written tales stay with you long after the lights are out. more

The opening story "Improvisation" by Ed McBain starts with the proverbial guy walking into a bar. Two women later he's dead; The collection has two standouts: Joyce Carol Oates' "Give Me Your Heart" a stunning tale of a woman scorned, so infused with paranoia it will give you goosebumps, and Jeffrey Deaver's "Born Bad" a tale of an alienated mother and daughter with a jaw-dropping twist.
Nelson DeMille's "Rendezvous" is a tense and blood-soaked tale of an encounter with a beautiful but deadly adversary during the Vietnam War. Walter Moseley's "Karma" is searing and violent in the traditon of Hammet. Ian Rankin's "Soft Spot," is a delightfuly improper and S.J. Rozan's "The Last Kiss" takes the idea of a woman on a mission to new heights.
All in all, a deliciously unpleasant compilation about the "fairer" sex.
Buy this book!