Chaos has descended on the Valducci family. Gina Valducci’s grandmother, mentor, and founder of the family’s thriving nursery business, has died. Her death sets off a string of seemingly unrelated events, including two horrific murders. Gina’s colleague, Jeff, stands out as an obvious suspect, with plenty of motivation, opportunity, and means. In her most unusual and complex case yet, Barbara Holloway accepts Jeff as her reluctant client. But, to defend him, she must first discover how a secret will, corporate greed, WWII stolen art, family skeletons, attempted murder, and an old ornate mirror factor into the case. Barbara must reassemble the puzzle pieces perfectly, before it’s too late.

The case against young Travis Morgan is simple: he walks into his father’s house, into his office, and shoots the man behind the desk in front of two eyewitnesses. That the murdered man is not his father is immaterial; he kills a man in cold blood. Travis, a run-away before his sixteenth birthday, returns to Eugene seven years later in order to find his younger sister who emails him that she is being held captive somewhere. On his return he learns that she died and has been buried. That is the case that Barbara is presented with, and the trouble is that she believes Travis, who swears he is innocent.

Mitch Arno always meant bad news for Folsum, Oregon. When they ran him out of town seventeen years ago, he left behind a wife with two daughters and a family that never wanted to see him again. When he returns, he brings trouble in the form of a lot of suspicious money. As Barbara attempts to counsel Mitch's wife about the money, a second form of trouble arrives, Mitch's corpse.

Barbara Holloway has a reputation for taking on the toughest cases—and winning them. The trial involves the murder of Gus Marchand, a hard-working, God-fearing man who is found dead on his kitchen floor. Without any real evidence linking him to the crime, the locals cast their suspicions toward Alex Feldman, Marchand’s hideously deformed neighbor. At the request of a fellow attorney, Barbara agrees to defend him. But another suspect is the high school principal, Hilde Franz, who’d had a contretemps with the dead man earlier that week, giving police both motive and opportunity for the murder. Hilde is an old friend of Barbara’s father, Frank, a legendary attorney. Naturally, he’s going to defend her… Will Barbara have to square off against the man who taught her all she knows?

Lara and Vinny Jessup had a lovely May-December marriage. Initially, the sheriff in Loomis County thinks that Vinny died when his car rolled over on a bad curve on Lookout Mountain. Then he finds the gunshot wound. Is it suicide or is it murder? With a large insurance policy as her motive, Lara could have staged the death—or so it appears to the sheriff. Barbara Holloway finds herself drawn to the Oregon desert to take on this case. But the case itself is as dead as the desert. Is there any defense at all?

Compelling and distinctive, this drama demonstrates anew why Kate Wilhelm is considered a master of the form.

A message from her father draws Barbara back to Eugene, back to the law practice she had abandoned in order to defend Nell Kendricks, accused of murdering her husband Lucas, who had been shot on the day he reappeared after an unexplained absence of seven years. Plunged into the mystery of his disappearance, chaos theory experiments, and computer disks with beautiful and strange Mandlebrot and Julia sets, Barbara has to battle not only the legal system, but larger and more menacing threats from those who would keep secret their involvement with Lucas Kendricks. It only complicates matters when Barbara falls in love with a mathematician whom she seeks out for help with understanding the disks.

In this spirited story of an artists’ colony in Maryland, we encounter a murder like a work of art: both subtle and dominating, graceful and discreet. From each new angle it shows a different face. Was it, then, the sculptress who strangled the editor? One of her students? Or did some other artist fashion this masterpiece of murder?

Charlie doesn’t want this case, working for three young people, all under twenty-five, who he suspects are setting him up. With one mother and two fathers, the trio bond with one another and present a solid front when Sam, one of the fathers, is killed, but had they carefully plotted the murder in advance with their defense prearranged?

Wanda believes her murdered husband is communicating with her, using Brother Amos as a go-between. Brother Amos and his daughter Sister Angel are moving into her life, into her home. Charlie and Constance are hired to expose him as a charlatan. The result of their investigation leads to explosive violence that threatens their relationship, their sanity, and even their lives.

Gary Elringer, an eccentric young computer genius, sinks most of his company’s funds into the construction of Smart House—much to the dismay of stockholders, most of whom are family and friends. But, when Gary invites them all to a game of Assassin in the newly built house, he never imagines he’ll wind up dead for real. And, when one of the stockholders ends up dead, it’s clear that nothing less than murder is afoot in Smart House. Constance Leidl and Charlie Meiklejohn’s investigations soon show that all of Gary’s guests have reasons for wanting him dead—but everyone’s alibi is as well constructed as the house itself. Which leads to the next obvious question: Could the house be the killer? Just how smart is Smart House?

Quiet—that’s what the town of Spender’s Ferry is. The lake, the abandoned mill, the woods behind the house—everything is so rural and peaceful, not at all like the clamor and constant street noise of the Bronx. When Charlie and Constance are brought in to investigate a murder and the poisoning of a dog, they discover that the placid woods of Spender’s Ferry muffle a teeming jungle of secrets—secret vices, secret pasts, secret pleasures. And one person’s pleasure, as the saying goes, is another person’s sweet, sweet poison.

Charlie Meiklejohn and Constance Leidl probe a mystery whose origins lie beyond the Earth. A series of arson attacks—seemingly unrelated—are destroying old empty buildings across the country, and costing insurance companies dearly. The problem proves not so much to trace the perpetrator, but to understand and prevent the phenomenon which he has been tracking and trying to stamp out for five years: a series of outbreaks of sudden, murderous insanity, each one centered on a remote, deserted building.

What is Ramón’s hold on Carl Wyandot, one of the richest men in the country? Carl’s daughter hires Constance and Charlie to find out why her father intends to give a hidden valley in Colorado to him. In the valley there is the mammoth formation called the Gorgon Field, red sandstone pillars that are unscalable, cover an area a mile and a half from front to back, and reach nearly two hundred feet in height. Why is Constance entranced by them? Why are others so afraid of them?

Roman Cavanaugh runs a small theater company in Ashland, Oregon, one that has gained a nation-wide reputation. When a new director comes to town, bringing with him an eccentric playwright, jealousies arise and tempers flare; suddenly a man is found murdered. Ro’s niece, Ginnie, is accused, and private investigators Charlie Meiklejohn and his wife, Constance Leidl, are called in to clear his name. They uncover a trail of secrets that threaten to tear apart the theater company and cause more violence.

Charlie is being framed as a serial arsonist, fires that have resulted in five deaths so far. Their search settles on Peter Eisenbeis as the arsonist, a recently released convict that Charlie was responsible for convicting. Also, Charlie was part of the chase that caused massive brain injury to the man’s infant son. Marla, the child’s mother, has cared for the hopelessly bedridden boy for thirteen years with love and devotion. Only she can lead Charlie and Constance to Peter before another fire is ignited or before Charlie is arrested, whichever comes first.

Charlie he hates cases involving crazy wills but when one of the new clients mentions that the Bainbridge men are cursed, he knows resistance is hopeless because Constance can not resist confronting a curse.

In a quiet college town in New Jersey five million dollars in cashiers’ checks are hidden in the dead man’s house, and whoever finds the checks gets to keep it all. Two brothers of the deceased, his sister, and the son of another brother have four weeks before the house and its contents become the property of a small college. Two deaths by drowning in the past and another clear case of murder in the present tend to complicate matters. It takes the combined skills of a superbly-trained homicide detective, Charlie, and those of an equally well-trained psychologist, Constance, to unravel the mystery of the Bainbridge curse, and expose a killer.

It starts with an insurance fraud investigation that takes Constance and Charlie to a luxurious resort hotel in Florida where they find their suspect being stalked by an enigmatic woman. It ends with the couple fighting for their lives aboard a fishing boat… alone with a ruthless killer.

Long regarded as "one of the masters of psychological fiction in America" (San Francisco Chronicle) Kate Wilhelm delivers one of her most suspenseful novels. Outwardly calm, yet irresistible, The Deepest Water grows more chilling—and more compelling—as the reader probes deeper into it. This novel is a blockbuster from one of America's best-loved storytellers.

Abby Connors's father Jud is a novelist whose career finally takes off after three novels and years of hard work. Jud is also the most important man in Abby's life to the chagrin of her husband Brice. When Jud is murdered in his Oregon lakefront cabin Abby's life is overturned. Is the killer someone she knew? Fortunately, it seems she has a guide to direct her through the maze that is her life: Jud's last novel. If only she can see through the fiction to perceive the truth.

Hiram Granville, a modern Leonardo, secures more than a thousand patents during his lifetime. His son John, an economics genius, never loses a cent in the stock market or any other financial deal. Now Cat, a documentarian, her researcher Mercy, and Cracker Jack, an electronics whiz, are preparing to do a film about the Granville clan. What they find as they research the family is madness, suicides, a seclusion that appears to be total, and a frightening glimpse about what it means to peer into the future.

Sam and Lori had only just met and now they are dead, the result of a car accident. Accident? Dead? No, and not exactly. In life, Sam was a successful playwright and Lori was a secretary for Ben Carnahan, a scheming movie producer who wants Sam’s new script and whose negligence on a movie set twenty years earlier killed Lori’s father. Now, Sam and Lori are ghosts out of sequence with the real world yet fully aware of their existence. As they work together to find out what happened to them, a plot to murder Ben is revealed. As ghosts, how can they possibly stop this conspiracy? They can’t contact the living—rules are rules—in life and in death and even when you’re in between.

Stories in Volume One include: “Staras Flonderans” (Orbit 1); “Baby, You Were Great” (Orbit 2); “The Planners” (Orbit 3); “Windsong” (Orbit 4); “Somerset Dreams” (Orbit 5); “The Chosen” (Orbit 6); “A Cold Dark Night With Snow” (Orbit 6); “April Fool’s Day Forever” (Orbit 7); “The Encounter” (Orbit 8); “The Infinity Box” (Orbit 9).

From 1966 to 1980, Damon Knight created the Orbit anthologies series of science fiction, representing the finest writing in the genre. Nineteen of Kate Wilhelm’s stories were included in this series of 21 volumes. Among these are the classic “Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang,” an exploration of infertility and cloning in the aftermath of global environmental collapse. It won the Locus, Jupiter, and Hugo Awards for Best Novel in 1977. “The Planners” reaches into the moral conflicts of a primate researcher, which won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 1968. Other stories include: a road trip into a woman’s psyche; primal fears through the eyes of a wise and empathetic alien; an encounter in a bus depot during a raging winter storm; the first “interactive” reality TV show. Ms. Wilhelm’s stories are prophetic, yet as recognizable as a story in this morning’s paper.

Stories in Volume Two include: “The Fusion Bomb” (Orbit 10); “On The Road To Honeyville” (Orbit 11); “The Red Canary” (Orbit 12); “The Scream” (Orbit 13); “A Brother To Dragons, A Companion Of Owls” (Orbit 14); “Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang” (Orbit 15); “Ladies And Gentlemen, This Is Your Crisis” (Orbit 18); “State Of Grace” (Orbit 19); “Moongate” (Orbit 20).

From 1966 to 1980, Damon Knight created the Orbit anthologies series of science fiction, representing the finest writing in the genre. Nineteen of Kate Wilhelm’s stories were included in this series of 21 volumes. Among these are the classic “Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang,” an exploration of infertility and cloning in the aftermath of global environmental collapse. It won the Locus, Jupiter, and Hugo Awards for Best Novel in 1977. “The Planners” reaches into the moral conflicts of a primate researcher, which won the Nebula Award for Best Short Story in 1968. Other stories include: a road trip into a woman’s psyche; primal fears through the eyes of a wise and empathetic alien; an encounter in a bus depot during a raging winter storm; the first “interactive” reality TV show. Ms. Wilhelm’s stories are prophetic, yet as recognizable as a story in this morning’s paper.

The Bird Cage is a collection of four stories, well-told.

“The Bird Cage” - The research is in cold sleep, suspended animation allowing those with incurable diseases to survive until cures are found. Chimps have been the subjects, but the dying millionaire who is funding the research has ordered the team to proceed to the next step: a human subject. The body sleeps but does the mind?

“Changing The World” – Conspiracy theories, instant communication, blogs that go viral, a public ready to accept and believe… If you could change the world, would you? Should you? Unintended consequences could result.

“The Fountain Of Neptune” – She does everything right, gets a second opinion, and then goes to Rome where the old gods may still be alive.

“Rules Of The Game” – It isn't fair for her husband to be haunting her since she'd had nothing to do with his demise at the hands of a hit and run driver. With his ghost in tow she sets out to find his killer and turn over custody to the one who deserves him.

Highlights include: “The Infinity Box,” a long and chilling story of a man who becomes obsessed with his sudden shocking ability to penetrate and control the mind of a vulnerable, frightened woman; “The Time Piece,” a witty and frustrating tale of a man whose retirement present—a watch— enables him to relive moments of his past but leaves him helpless to change any of it, or what follows; and “Man of Letters,” about a hack writer with fading skills whose soap-opera plots seem to be coming true. Other stories are “The Fusion Bomb,” “The Red Canary,” “April Fools’ Day Forever,” “Where Have You Been, Billy Boy Billy Boy?,” “The Village,” and “The Funeral.”

Kate Wilhelm’s speculative fiction is impressive in every sense, and the feeling and texture of her writing leave a lasting impression. This collection includes nine stories, and they are all stunning.

Music Makers is a collection of five superbly woven stories.

“Music Makers” - Jake is sent to Memphis to do a puff article about an old, recently-deceased jazz pianist. There he learns about the true power of music, especially the “other music” that permeates an old southern mansion.

“Shadows On The Wall Of The Cave” - Joey was six when he vanished in the limestone cave in Kentucky, and he was six when he reappeared years later.

“Mockingbird” - Outwardly identical twins, inwardly two distinct individual women, Yin and Yang, day and night, right brain and left brain. If only one can win, will the other survive?

“The Late Night Train” - In the bitter cold of winter, the train whistle sounded as if it were coming closer and closer. Mother, father and adult daughter live together in a paralyzing impasse, but the late night train offers a way out.

“An Ordinary Day With Jason” - The strange thing about Jason is that a mysterious staircase might suddenly appear when he is innocently playing with his toys. Neither he nor anyone else should ascend the stairs, at least not yet.

Yesterday’s Tomorrows contains 11 new short fiction works by Kate Wilhelm. Opening the collection is the title story, “Yesterday’s Tomorrows,” a haunting tale about a woman who glimpses another side of time. It was the feature novella in the 2001 Special Kate Wilhelm Tribute Issue of Fantasy & Science Fiction.

Other stories include “Forget Luck,” “The Happiest Day of Her Life,” “Earth’s Blood,” “Merry Widow,” “Plan B,” “The Moment,” “Strangers When We Meet,” “The Haunting House,” “The Man on the Persian Carpet,” and “Don’t Get Caught.”