A Flush of Shadows: Five Short Novels Featuring Constance Leidl & Charlie Meiklejohn

Constance and Charlie #0.5, 6.2-6.5

by Kate Wilhelm

Over the years, Constance Leidl and Charlie Meiklejohn have investigated a wide variety of murder and arson cases.
This collection assembles for the first time the shorter cases of the detecting duo, "With Thimbles, with Forks, and Hope," their first case ever; the harrowing account of an arsonist out for revenge, "Torch Song," which has never been published before; and "All for One," also published first in this volume - a bittersweet tale of murderous family relations.
Together with "Sister Alice" and "The Gorgon Field," these stories comprise a full house of fantastic fiction.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction

338 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1995

About the author

Kate Wilhelm’s first short story, “The Pint-Sized Genie” was published in Fantastic Stories in 1956. Her first novel, MORE BITTER THAN DEATH, a mystery, was published in 1963. Over the span of her career, her writing has crossed over the genres of science fiction, speculative fiction, fantasy and magical realism, psychological suspense, mimetic, comic, and family sagas, a multimedia stage production, and radio plays. She returned to writing mysteries in 1990 with the acclaimed Charlie Meiklejohn and Constance Leidl Mysteries and the Barbara Holloway series of legal thrillers.

Wilhelm’s works have been adapted for television and movies in numerous countries; her novels and stories have been translated to more than a dozen languages. She has contributed to Quark, Orbit,  Magazine of Fantasy and ScienceFiction, Locus, Amazing Stories, Asimov’s Science Fiction, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine,  Fantastic, Omni, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Redbook, and Cosmopolitan.

Kate Wilhelm is the widow of acclaimed science fiction author and editor, Damon Knight (1922-2002), with whom she founded the Clarion Writers’ Workshop and the Milford Writers’ Conference, described in her 2005 non-fiction work, STORYTELLER. They lectured together at universities across three continents; Kate has continued to offer interviews, talks, and monthly workshops.

Kate Wilhelm has received two Hugo awards, three Nebulas, as well as Jupiter, Locus, Spotted Owl, Prix Apollo, Kristen Lohman awards, among others. She was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2009, Kate was the recipient of one of the first Solstice Awards presented by the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) in recognition of her contributions to the field of science fiction. 

Kate’s highly popular Barbara Holloway mysteries, set in Eugene, Oregon, opened with Death Qualified in 1990. Mirror, Mirror, released in 2017, is the series’ 14th novel.

Reviews

[Peter Tillman · Rating 2 out of 5]

So far, I've read 3 of the 5 and haven't much cared for any of them. Disappointing. I'm probably done. Closing out as DNF.

[Kirsten Simkiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoy mysteries as a genre, the thing that kills a good mystery for me is the use of a deus ex machina as a plot device. While some might be interested in trying to solve mysteries involving unidentified supernatural humans who murder people with their psychic abilities, it makes it very hard on a reader like me that tries to work out the story as it goes along.

Three of five of these stories depend on such abilities or magic. The other two I greatly preferred, although I didn’t love them. They were well written mysteries with an edge of suspense. I never loved the characters, but neither did I dislike them.

All in all, I feel it was fun to try a new mystery writer, but this author just isn’t for me.

[JoAnn Ainsworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed these five well written short stories.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the finest writers ever to grace the fields of science-fiction and mysteries, Kate Wilhelm superbly combines the two genres in five long stories, among them the outstanding 'The Gorgon Field.'

For a full review, see here on Suite101

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good short stories. This series constantly surprises me. Sometimes there is a sci-fi type theme, other times regular detective work. Constance and Charlie are quite diverse. Love their cats also!

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dependable Wilhelm.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 4 out of 5]

5 novellas with Charlie and Constance

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking freeze frames from various cases of the same characters allows you to know them at a different level. Science fiction and mystery come together believably.