"This is fabulously funny stuff." — John D. MacDonald. Good-natured and witty, this expert compilation samples the best of the worst in 20th-century mystery writing. Introduction by Ed McBain.

Hilarious and informative study of "alternative Westerns" takes aim at sub-par cowboy fiction, surveying 20th-century pulp magazines and paperbacks to provide laughably awful dialogue, humorous plot summaries, anecdotes, and historical background.

Love mystery? Then you'll love this book. Hate mystery? Then YOU'LL love this book. Pronzini is a fount of information about the "best" (read: hilariously inept) in mystery fiction. He's read every book ever written in the genre, it seems, and shows genuine affection for the form. The fun he pokes at the authors and their works is gentle and doesn't distract at all from your wonderment at the fact that these books ever even existed. It might, however, make you want to seek them out and try for yourself. Or maybe it'll help prevent a misstep in purchasing a book you wouldn't end up enjoying. Either way, this book is worth a read (or three). These mystery authors have gone unsung for too long.

Stock Fitter's Bible was written for one purpose, to help clay target shooters improve their scores. As you read you will understand why the book has received so many rave reviews. Coaches and trainers teach specific gun mounts, stances and body postures (shooting forms). To shoot up to your full potential, you must use a correct form. To do that, your gun must have stock dimensions that allow someone of your individual size and shape to use the form. If your gun doesn't fit you, a correct form cannot be used - it's that simple. To help you shoot better, the book explains step by step, how your gun can be made to fit you. When it fits, you can expect smoother, more accurate swings, higher, more consistent scores and reduced felt recoil. It also explains how to see targets better, how to effectively visualize targets before calling for them, ways to reduce stress and to postpone fatigue. Almost anyone can improve their shooting. Stock Fitter's Bible explains how to do it.

Follow-up to the Edgar Award-nominated Gun in Cheek further celebrates neglected classics of substandard mystery writing, uncovering even more twisted treasures for connoisseurs of hideous prose.