The prolific Kellermans (he: The Conspiracy Code, 2003, etc.; she: Street Dreams, 2003, etc.) jointly pen a pair of crisp, smart novellas. Writing as a team for the first time, the Kellermans get it just right: pacing, plotting, even the prose, which in the past has been shaky for both. In "Still-Life," loathsome Santa Fe art dealer Larry Gustafson is found dead by ball-peen hammer, and the SRO suspect list includes an estranged wife, a cheated painter, a brace of embittered senior citizens, and others quite as likely. Laboriously, homicide detectives Darrel Two Moons and Steve Katz begin the dispiriting process of elimination. Two Moons tells his partner about Gustafson: "We keep peeling, he keeps smelling worse." Still, they do keep on peeling. "In the Land of the Giants" moves to Boston, where another pair of determined cops cope with the case of the slain college basketball idol. But is it in fact a homicide? At first, BPD detectives Mickey McCain and Dorothy Breton consider that a no-brainer. Witnesses by the dozens saw bullets fired into the monumental body of young Julius Van Beest, and he is certainly dead. Why, then, is the ME shaking his head skeptically? What fatal flaw did an autopsy pick up that a series of X-rays missed? Two sets of blue-collar dicks, working doggedly out of hard-pressed departments in a thoroughly believable way: nothing fancy here, but oh-so-refreshingly readable. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Those who admire risk, take note: two authors at the top of their game have done something quite new. Those who fear change, take heart: the results are just fine. Faye and Jonathan Kellerman, each with a slew of bestsellers, have collaborated on a volume comprising two mystery novellas. Each stands on its own, with separate settings (Santa Fe and Boston) and separate pairs of homicide detectives. To further heighten the distinction, the book has two front covers, with the authors alternating first billing and a "flip" format. It's intriguing to imagine how these two pros went about writing together, but it's even more fun just to jump in and enjoy. The characters are all new, and so are the locales; that in itself is worthy of admiration. Surprisingly, the two novellas are uneven in quality. The Boston piece, about the mysterious death of a young basketball star, suffers from wordiness and a somewhat murky plot, troubles that short works can ill afford. But the strong Santa Fe story more than compensates, with its fully rounded characters and evocative sense of place. The final scene, haunting and heartbreaking, shows the assured hand of a master. (One-day laydown Oct. 5) Forecast: With a 300,000-copy first printing and the unusual husband-wife pairing, expect plenty of media attention and a run on bestseller lists. (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Read by John Rubinstein and Lou Diamond Phillips. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

It's a two-for-one bonanza--two mystery novellas from a husband and wife whose separate writing careers have earned each a huge following. These stories, set at opposite ends of the country, give barely a hint as to who wrote what, providing a little tantalizing real-life mystery to the puzzlers on the page. Double Homicide: Boston, the strongest of the pair, is also the grittier of the two. A city college basketball star is shot at a nightclub following a nasty incident on the court. The prime suspect is a loudmouth on the opposing team, but as detectives McCain and Breton find out, the crime isn't as straightforward as it seems. The backdrop of Double Homicide: Santa Fe is a tad more refined--though murder, after all, is still murder. A cutthroat art dealer is found dead, and there are plenty of suspects in his address book--including the ex-wife of one of the investigating cops. In both stories, the cops' personal lives add welcome texture to the fairly routine if still wholly entertaining plots. A diversion for the Kellermans but sure to be of interest to their respective fans. --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2004 Booklist