There's something about Minnesota that inspires crime writers. Maybe it's something in the lake water. Thirteen Minnesota crime writers contributed short stories to this anthology. For added fun, the writers were challenged to incorporate at least four clues from a list of eight into their stories. A few stories didn't appeal to me as much as the others. I might have been tempted to skip a story or two if not for the hook of the "mystery" clues and my curiosity about the way each writer would work them into his or her story. I had managed to identify only seven of the eight clues by the end of the last story.

I had read novels written by some of the writers, I was aware of other contributors although I hadn't previously read any of their work, and some contributors I'd never heard of before. At least two of the authors used characters from their series books. Mary Logue's story featured Claire Watkins and her teen-age daughter Meg, and Monica Ferris's story featured supporting character Jill Cross from her needlecraft series.

I had a couple of reasons for reading this anthology. I liked several of the contributors and hoped I might be introduced to some new writers I might also enjoy. A short story collection seemed perfect for a month when my schedule was busier than usual, including a week-long trip to Minnesota. This collection met my expectations, and I recommend it for crime fiction readers looking for something a little different. ( )