Product Description
The bestselling author of The McCone Files teams up with the creator of the "Nameless Detective" for a collaborative mystery that bridges the San Franciscos of 1894 and 1986. Muller and Pronzini masterfully parallel the investigations of turn-of-the-century detective Quincannon and Chicana amateur sleuth Elena Oliverez. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Its a Mys-tory!
Mixes history and mystery -- it's a mys-tory!Switching between 1894 and 1986 to solve a crime committed in 1846 - and 1986.Interesting mixture, well done by this husband-and-wife writing team.

The detectives in 1894 are the male/female team of Carpenter and Quincannon, creations of Pronzini, the detective in 1986 a female Hispanic detective drawn by Marcia Muller, each the subjects of their own books by their respective creators.

Disappointing effort by talented storytellers
Marcia Muller and especially Bill Pronzini are each great storytellers and two of my favorite mystery writers.While less impressive on plot, they are generally strong on characters, dialogue, and setting (in particular, their descriptions of the varied parts of California).They collaborated to decent effect in "Double," a fairly absorbing mystery.Muller has written passable books featuring different detectives.But, contrary to the other, happy-talk reviews, the sad reality is that Beyond The Grave is a very disappointing effort.

The transition in narration from the present (Muller's modern curator) to the past (Pronzini's dusty detective) is not smooth.It grinds the story to a halt every time.It leaves too little room for development of either the modern or the historical characters and situations.The historical story is incredibly slow-paced, drawn-out, and cliche-ridden.The ending is anticlimactic.The curator is far too slow on the uptake and her "detective work" is minimal and unimpressive.Key events that provide the only sense of menace or suspense in the present turn out to depend on the tired plot device of an old, delusional drunk.The solution to the puzzle of where old Mexican treasure was hidden also turns out to be simplistic and implausible.The reader deserves a lot better from these talented authors than trudging through hundreds of pages of dry, turgid, tired material to an uninspired, let-down ending.

Final Book in Elena Oliverez trilogy
This is the third and final book of Marcia Muller's Elena Olivereztrilogy, completing the exploits of her Hispanic art museum curator.The first was: "The Tree of Death" and the second was "The Legend of the Slain Soldiers."However, this final outing was co-authored with Bill Pronzini (who is now Muller's husband).Pronzini employs his lesser-known (to his famous Nameless Detective that Sharon McCone calls Wolf) Quincannon who lived about a century ago.I think this trilogy gets better book by book, so I actually liked this one the best.It's interesting to see both Muller and Pronzini write about protagonists other than their famous ones (Sharon McCone and Nameless, respectively).Muller also authored the Joanna Stark trilogy about an art security expert.The Elena Oliverez series is heavily into the world of Hispanic art but is highly dosed with the personalities of its highly divergent characters--highlighting human foibles.It is not a continuing saga like the Stark trilogy, but is connected in time and in the characters involved.Interestingly, Muller gives Elena a cameo appearance in her latest Sharon McCone adventure: "The Dangerous Hour."I find both Elena and Quincannon appealing.I consider this one of her best works--I liked this book very much, and it's worth reading the entire trilogy.I am not as familiar with Pronzini's works, however, the two have collaborated on several novels so far "Duo" and "Double" as well as editing numerous themed short story collections together (e.g. "Child's Play," "Kill or Cure," "The Wickedist Show on Earth," and the western story collection, "She Won the West").In other of the novels written together, sections describing each character's actions flip flop between the two authors.However, in prior efforts, they employed McCone and Nameless; here each uses a different protagonist.Also, in this book there is a major time lapse between the eras of the two characters making this an unusual and especially intriguing work.I've read over 30 of Muller's works, and I consider this one of the 5 best.Enjoy!

Not bad, not bad at all.
Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, Beyond the Grave (Carroll and Graf, 1986)

Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini team up for a novel that takes place in two times focusing on the same mystery. Elena Oliverez, in the present day, accidentally stumbles upon a piece of the report of one Detective Quincannon, hired to find the stolen treasures of a Mexican ranchero in the 1890s. As Oliverez gets absorbed in Quincannon's story, she finds herself looking to solve the mystery Quincannon wasn't able to uncover eighty years previously.

The two stories interlock without a hitch, and both Oliverez and Quincannon are engaging protagonists. This is quick, easy beach fare; fast-paced, homey, digestible, and well worth the time for mystery fans. Those who haven't yet discovered either Muller or Pronzini, this is one of many good starting points...

Double your fun when Pronzini and Muller team up
The best thing about being a Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini fan is that there always seems to be a book by one of them that I somehow missed. Sure, I've read every Sharon McCone and Nameless Detective novel, their short story collections, and many of Pronzini's stand-alones; however, these married authors have written and edited DOZENS of books, including many that are out of print. What a treasure trove for the discerning reader of suspense!

As far as I can determine, Muller and Pronzini have collaborated on three novels: LIGHTHOUSE, a stand-alone thriller; DOUBLE, a Nameless/McCone mystery; and BEYOND THE GRAVE, featuring two of the authors' lesser-known series characters, Muller's art museum director Elena Oliverez and Pronzini's late-19th-century San Francisco detective John Quincannon. As in DOUBLE, the authors alternate -- first, we get a few chapters told from Oliverez's point of view, and then we switch to Quincannon. What makes this collaboration noteworthy is that the Quincannon chapters take place in 1894, Oliverez's in the 1980s.

Oliverez has bought a Mexican wedding chest at auction for her art museum, and when she's examining it, she finds an old report written by Quincannon inside a hidden compartment. He had been on the trail of some lost religious artifacts, but apparently was never able to find them. By using Quincannon's report, Oliverez hopes to recover the valuable pieces. In the process of searching, both characters encounter murder and face danger.

The story flows seamlessly between past and present. While these may be the authors' second-string characters, this book is definitely never second rate. ... Read more

Product Description
Marcia Muller is one of the finest authors of detective fiction, however, she also writes Western stories. When the title story first appeared, it not only won a Spur Award from the Western Writers of America, but went on to inspire a motion picture. This is an extraordinary collection of Western stories by a truly outstanding author, stories that can and will be read and reread with sustaining enjoyment. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

MYSTERY TEAM
Two of mystery fans most beloved authors, Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, have gathered a collection of their short stories for our reading pleasure. In case you don't know, the above couple are happily married and as a team worked together on some of the stories.

Duo is divided into three sections. Two sections contain the individual works of each author while the remaining section is a collaboration of the two. You will find some of their favorite detectives in their stories ( Sharon McCone and Nameless) but for the most part the stories are very diverse and supply us with memorable moments.

What is the penalty for murdering a cactus? Savor Muller's "Sweet Cactus Wine" and stone yourself to death. Is your marriage on the rocks? Marcia and Bill will delight you with a couples' foibles in "The Dying Time". The most interesting of the stories is by far "Dust to Dust" by Muller which borders on the horror genre. By and large this is a great collection because you get so involved with the characters to the point of wanting the story to continue. Alas, all good short stories must come to an end.

Even though this is a collaboration of partners, I must admit that Muller's work is the strongest of the two. Pronzini is hard hitting with his traditional male detective genre and fares very well but Marcia gives the spark. For fans of both authors this is a must have for your collection. ... Read more

Product Description
Sleuthing twosomes have long made their mark on detective fiction. In this marvelous anthology, a real-life detective duo--married mystery novelists Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini--have brought together twenty-five of the best paired puzzle-solvers in short stories of remarkable range and scope.

From Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, to Agatha Christie's Mr. Satterthwaite and Harley Quin, to Patrick Quentin's Peter and Iris Duluth, to Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone and Rae Kelleher, Muller and Pronzini have gathered a treasure chest of stories featuring almost every possible variation on the types of partnership sleuths. Imitations of--and the original--Holmes and Watson tandem appear alongside husband and wife teams, two-woman duos, professional and amateur duos, multi-ethnic parings, and collaborations between two writers and their individual series characters. Spanning more than a century of crime fiction, including both classic tales by the greats of mystery writing as well as outstanding stories from contemporary writers, Detective Duos will captivate the sleuth in all of us. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

uneven collection
An anthology of stories with crime solving twosomes - it's a winning idea. Unfortunately, the editors couldn't decide if they wanted to present an historical review or a collection that holds up to today's standards and expectations. Some of the stories are true winners, capable of delighting contemporary audiences as much as they did the original readers. Some stories, however, are seriously dated...not just in setting, but in mindset and perspective. While it is possible to ask respect for those pieces from an historical point of view, it is harder to claim that they make for compelling reading today.

Partners in Crime
This book presents a varied selection of stories featuring crimes solved by partners, by autbors ranging from Edgar Allen Poe to Julie Smith.Although the quality of the stories varies depending on the skill of the author in using the short story form, they are all interesting.The introductory essay preceding each story gives a good summary of the author's work as a whole, not just those works which feature the duo in the story.Especially valuable is the long Introduction to the book. which discusses the many partnerships in crime-solving which appear in works too long to appear in this collection as well as those which do.I found this work to be enjoyable and a wellspring of leads to authors I had overlooked. ... Read more

Product Description
Investigating her friend's murder, private eye Sharon McCone follows a trail into San Francisco's glamorous architectural community in search of a very valuable clue--a Tiffany lamp adorned with the grinning face of a Cheshire Cat. Reissue. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

The Painted Ladies murders
Private Investigator, Sharon McCone receives a message from an old friend, Jake Kaufmann, asking her to meet him in one of the old Victorian terrace houses in the suburbs of San Francisco, which he is restoring and painting in very bright colours. The locals highbrows who disapprove of anything which is not an original colour, call this row of houses, the Painted Ladies. She finds his murdered body lying in a pool of bright red paint, at the foot of a tall ladder and calls in her boyfriend, Lieutenant Greg Marcus, the head of Homicide. This turns out to be the first of three murders which occur in these houses, and all seem to be connected,pointing directly to both the various architectural bodies which object to the bright colours and to the local poor population who object to their neighbourhood being gentrified, thus depriving them of cheap housing which these houses were when in their dilapidated state. It's a quick little read and quite interesting with its descriptions of the furnishings and architectural features of Victorian terraces in America.

Death inside a "Painted Lady"
Private eye, Sharon McCone, receives a frantic phone call from a friend, Jake Kaufmann, who paints houses in the Painted Lady district of San Francisco.When she reaches the Victorian house where Jake asks her to meet him, she finds him dead.During her investigation she discovers that there are many special interest groups in the area who might have a motive for murder.There are purists who want the homes restored to their original look and there are those who want to fix them up to sell them by painting them the gaudy colors which became popular in the 60's.Sharon (and the reader) find out about the different kinds of Victorian houses which became popular in San Francisco and also some of the furnishings which go well in the houses.Against this background McCone finally figures out who in the community committed Jake's murders and some others.This is a good mystery from the reliable Marcia Muller.

Enjoyed the Painted Ladies but not the plot
Ah, the San Francisco of the postcard.Alamo Square with Victorian Row houses with downtown in the background.Muller's third Sharon McCone novel has a terrific sense of place and taught me many new things about the Victorian scene in San Francisco.

Still, the pacing seems a bit bogged down. The side characters, often a highlight in Muller's books, aren't very interesting or sympathetic.Who cares if one of them is killed -- just don't wreck the Tiffany Lamp.

A good read if you love the atmosphere of "romantic San Francisco" but otherwise so-so.

Another good outing for McCone
"The Cheshire Cat's Eye" is the third book in the Sharon McCone series by Marcia Muller. McCone finds her friend Jake Kaufmann dead in a San Francisco Victorian house that he is restoring by painting it withgaudy colors.The architectural communty is very opposed to thesepsychedelic houses.There are several suspects, and McCone is one of them. She must investigate, not only to clear her name, but find Jake's killer.Sharon McCone is by far my favorite female PI in detective fiction. Muller's characters are well-drawn, and her books are a pleasure to read.This novel is not as complex as some of her later works, but this is anexcellent place to start.If you haven't yet met Sharon McCone, you willbe in for a big treat.

Not as good as other McCone mysteries
I've read about 5 of Muller's books featuring Sharon McCone.This wasn't one of my favorites. ... Read more

Product Description
Tending her museum of Mexican arts during the Santa Barbara Fiesta, Elena Oliverez is shocked when her friend, a historian, is murdered, and she wonders how the killing may be linked to his research on a 1930s legend. Reprint. PW. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Second Elena Oliverez book
This is the second book of Marcia Muller's Elena Olivereztrilogy, continuing the exploits of her Hispanic art museum curator.The first was: "The Tree of Death" and the third and final is "Beyond the Grave" (co-authored with Bill Pronzini who is now Muller's husband).Actually, I think this trilogy gets better book by book, so I actually liked this one better than the first, but not as much as the third of the 3.But, it's interesting to see Muller write of protagonists other than Sharon McCone--demonstrates her breadth of talent.She also authored the Joanna Stark trilogy about an art security expert.The Elena Oliverez series is heavily into the world of Hispanic art but is highly dosed with the personalities of its highly divergent characters--highlighting human foibles.It is not a continuing saga like the Stark trilogy, but is connected in time and in the characters involved.Interestingly, Muller gives Elena a cameo appearance in her latest Sharon McCone adventure: "The Dangerous Hour."I find Elena to be a very appealing character and admire Muller for delving into a somewhat different world for this trilogy.I liked this book very much, and it's worth reading the entire trilogy.Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
"Woman at Apache Wells, The" by John Jakes(1-56740-971-7 04A)
"Peace Officer" by Brian Garfield(1-56740-971-7 04B)
"Sisters" by Marcia Muller(1-56740-971-7 04C)

(See individual titles for more info) ... Read more

Product Description
First in a new series that features new fiction by some of the best mystery writers around, this collection includes contributions by Marcia Muller, Ed Gorman, and Bill Pronzini. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Deceptive Subtitle, Random Stories
This book clearly states on its cover "Western Stories". However, only one of the stories is Western in nature."Crucifixion River", the story, is compelling and creative, not to mention WESTERN, which "Crucifixion River", the book, is most definitely not. This is a very strange little volume containing unrelated, unwestern, random and mostly bad stories that include horror, mystery, unrecognizable genre and one good western tale. If you must read it, check it out at the library and return it after you have finished the first story. ... Read more