Who killed the bride and groom? Everyone thinks it was "that troublemaker," Peta Donald. Gossips say she came home to stop the wedding. That jealousy led her to murder. No one on Northwind Island believes that Peta has changed since her youth. And nothing has changed in town. Peta is still shunned by everyone. Everyone except Lawson Mills, whose appearance on the island is as mysterious as the double murders. Peta is sure he has an ulterior motive for helping clear her name. Full of questions about another set of murders, Lawson is secretive about himself. Until they discover what's behind Peta's deadly homecoming…

When Spence Harden and Jeff, his writing partner and sometime lover, move into the house once owned by Spence's murdered parents, they have no idea what awaits them. First, they discover someone is stealing items from them, but have no clue who, or why. And then the unthinkable happens. Jeff is killed and Spence is framed for his murder. Crime reporter Gregg Rowe wants to help Spence clear his name. All Spence needs to do is decide if he believes Gregg, or if the man himself is the killer. Once Gregg convinces Spence he's telling the truth, the pair set out to discover if there is a connection between Jeff's murder and that of Spence's parents ten years earlier ... while fighting their growing attraction to each other.

From the corner of his eye, he sees the massive arm swinging down in a hard chop toward his neck. He tries to avoid it but it is too unexpected. There is a numbing blow which snaps his head to one side. He feels the keys slip from his hand as he sinks into darkness. His last thoughts are about the attack. The unknown assailant's sole purpose is to kill him. Why? A mysterious letter sent to Alan Bronze encourages him to return to his childhood hometown to handle the estate of his deceased grandfather, a man he hated and who hated him in return. Instead of the expected paper shuffling, Alan is soon struggling just to stay alive. He has unwittingly walked into the midst of a major drug distribution center-set up by his own grandfather. The old man's corrupt partners are the leading citizens of the small mountain town, and now they plan to take care of Alan-just like they took care of his grandfather. With the help of the well-connected editor of the local newspaper, Alan decides he's going to have to take control of this "kill or be killed" situation.

Pathologist Toni Day knows her mother like the back of her hand. When her mother calls and asks her to investigate the disappearance of her best friend’s husband, Dick, she knows better than to argue. Soon, Toni and her husband, Hal, are on their way back to her hometown of Long Beach, California, where another mystery awaits. Dick’s wife, Doris, is convinced that the historic house she shares with Dick is haunted. To make things even more complicated, Doris is also suffering from a mysterious illness. When Toni and Hal arrive, Doris takes a sudden turn for the worse and ends up in a coma. While doctors struggle to diagnose and treat, Toni explores the historic house looking for clues. After she unearths evidence suggesting that Dick may not be who he seems, as well as a malfunctioning dumbwaiter, a laird’s lug, a secret staircase, and a half-empty bottle of white arsenic, she also finds Dick’s body. As a whirlwind investigation ensues that exposes a decades-old scheme and serial murders, Toni herself nearly becomes the final victim. A Deadly Homecoming is the gripping tale of a pathologist’s journey back to her hometown to solve a complex murder case that leaves her own life precariously hanging in the balance.

This work is a composite index of the complete runs of all mystery and detective fan magazines that have been published, through 1981. Added to it are indexes of many magazines of related nature. This includes magazines that are primarily oriented to boys' book collecting, the paperbacks, and the pulp magazine hero characters, since these all have a place in the mystery and detective genre.

"For my baby's safety, I must give her up…" An old letter is all Kristin Perry has of her birth mother. When the Witness Protection Program couldn't keep mother or daughter safe, the woman fled "underground." With the help of private investigator Zane Black, Kristin tries to track her down. Instead, though, she finds herself the target of a series of deadly "accidents." Zane's still searching for her missing mother—but now Kristin's starting to wonder if her family reunion will be the death of them all….

DEADLY HOMECOMING Someone wants Maggie Morgan dead and her wildlife sanctuary destroyed. Someone connected to the generations-old family feud that's been revived now that her first love, Flint Crawford, has returned to town. And not only is her life in jeopardy, but Flint has discovered the secret she's kept since he left—their five-year-old son. Assailed by memories of their forbidden love and bowled over by the sight of the son he never knew, Flint has a job to do as the new game warden. But now the stakes are raised. Not only must he protect the woman he once loved, but he also has to save his son…or die trying.

The book itself is a three story trilogy about the same thing, vengeance, but on the levels of the paranormal, psychotic and criminally insane in acts of revenge that are best played out in the safest place, inside the pages of a book.

"Collected for the first time in one volume"--Jacket.