Cartier Diamond Dagger-carrying Lovesey grabbed Ruth Rendell's attention when he published his first story 50 years ago and has since written 100 short-form mysteries. Here are 15 favorites he selected for this collection, along with a personal essay about his sources of inspiration.

The 16 dazzling selections in this inviting collection from MWA Grand Master Lovesey (the Peter Diamond series) range from his first published story, "The Bathroom" (1973), to three new ones. In one of these three, "And the Band Played On," a boy learns the surprising truth about the hidden past of his mentally impaired grandfather, who likes to sing an old-fashioned tune about dancing with a beautiful blonde. More than one twist graces this affecting tale. The sly title story, narrated by a monk who tends a monastery garden in London, puts a nice spin on a classic Agatha Christie trope. Other notable entries are "The Deadliest Tale of All," in which an obituary writer attempts to repair Edgar Allan Poe's reputation, and "A Three Pie Problem," in which police detective Peter Diamond exposes the dalliances of an aged attorney at a toxic corporate Christmas gathering. Throughout, Lovesey delivers crisp dialogue, effortless narration, appealing characters, ingenious plots, and effervescent whimsy. A concluding essay, "The Tale of Three Tubs," details the true story of the inspiration behind "The Bathroom." This is a thoroughly entertaining compendium of the best of the best by one of the best. Agent: Jane Gelfman, ICM Partners/Gelfman Schneider Literary. (Feb.)

Lovesey, whose fans regard him as a one-man Golden Age of Detective Fiction, is with us again, bearing 16 short stories plus a history lesson plus a bouncy poem. The qualities that make his work special are all on display here. Prankishness almost overwhelms "Agony Column," which parodies an old-time advice column. At the last moment, Lovesey lets us in on the joke. The scorpion-tail sting, almost a Lovesey patented device, is featured in the title story, which shows how far a Godly monk might go to maintain his Godly life. "Ghosted" displays the folly of an author who writes gushy romances but might be familiar with another, deadlier genre. And there's Lovesey's fluent, rhythmic prose--"villas mostly, pink or ochre, nicely spaced"--that pulls one along like a beguiling undercurrent. An essay on the notorious and sadly comical bathtub murders from a gone time is followed by a gem of light verse. A woman recalls being enraptured by a gent with piercing eyes and a cultured voice leading up to the giveaway: "above all that a deerstalker hat."

Eighteen stories, 15 of them reprints from 1973-2020, from the prolific British writer equally distinguished by his inventiveness and his polished craftsmanship. The oldest tale, "The Bathroom," is a fictionalization of the career of serial wife-killer George Joseph Smith most noteworthy for the anecdote it inspires in Lovesey's introduction; its true-crime counterpart, "A Tale of Three Tubs," is more beguiling and compelling. The historical interest is also the strongest element in "The Deadliest Tale of All," in which Edgar Allan Poe meets the man who plans to write his obituary. And the trimmings in "A Three Pie Problem," in which Superintendent Peter Diamond eludes his visiting relatives by investigating the poisoning of a retired accountant at his own Christmas party, shine more brightly than its payoff. Mostly, though, the stories are a demonstration of how many things Lovesey can do well. A burglar who wins a contest that sends him to Marrakesh in "Lady Luck" suffers an exquisitely well-calibrated payback. The veteran romance novelist tempted from her midlist purgatory to ghostwrite a roman à clef about a thinly disguised celebrity in "Ghosted" smells a rat just in time. In "The Homicidal Hat," another mystery writer gets unexpected help from her crabby husband designing the winning entry in the cozy mystery conference Malice Domestic's contest for most creative hat. "Formidophobia" traces the roots of the narrator's fear of scarecrows to a dread secret that conceals still darker secrets. The hanging of a theatrical troupe's leading lady introduces a surprisingly orthodox whodunit in "Gaslighting." And the ending of the title story, in which the impending loss of their monastery leads to the poisoning of two monks, is more heartwarming than surprising. A celebratory display of the many things an accomplished veteran can do with the short mystery. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.