Nine short stories from one of the nation’s finest mystery authorsWhenher husband demands a divorce, a young wife heads to Reno alone,leaving the baby with her husband and his new beloved, betting that aweek trapped between his child and his mistress will make her hubbyyearn for her return. By the sea, a hairdresser gets into mischief over astar sports fisherman. And in a city threatened by conflict, a WorldWar I veteran tries to make himself useful by enforcing the blackout.Theseare just a few of the scenes from the short fiction of Mary RobertsRinehart, who in these nine brief tales shows why she was one of thenation’s most popular authors for so many decades. Though famous as amystery writer, Rinehart is just as much at home writing drama, ortaking a witty look at the lighter side of law and order. More than acentury since she published her first story, Rinehart’s prose remains assharp as an assassin’s blade.