{"product_id":"collected-millar-first-things-last-things-banshee-spider-webs-its-all-in-the-family-collected-short-fiction-isbn-9781681990323","title":"Collected Millar: First Things, Last Things: Banshee; Spider Webs; It's All In The Family; Collected Short Fiction","description":"\u003cb\u003eA treasure trove of Millar rarities join her final novels to form a collector’s dream anthology.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Perhaps no other installment in \u003ci\u003eCollected Millar\u003c\/i\u003e displays the staggering variety of form and ranging interests of Margaret Millar as the present volume. On one end readers will find her final two mystery novels, which display the hallmarks of the writer in her heyday; the sharp social commentary and poignant black humor both well-couched in a brilliantly devised plot. The other end of the collection sees her collected shorter works, which includes the return of two fan favorites, Dr. Paul Prye and Inspector Sands. Last but certainly not least is her darkly humorous autobiographical children’s novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eBanshee \u003c\/i\u003e(1983)\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eThe moral hypocrisy of society’s upper crust is laid bare when the untimely death of the young daughter of wealthy Californian landowners slowly destroys the community that loved her in life.\u003cb\u003e  \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eSpider Webs \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e(1986)\u003cbr\u003e The motives and prejudices of twelve jurors are on full display in the case of a Caribbean yacht captain who has been accused of murdering a wealthy white client for her jewelry.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eCollected Short Fiction \u003c\/i\u003ewith an Introduction by Tom Nolan\u003c\/b\u003e (2004)\u003cbr\u003e Millar may have been better known as a novelist but the short stories in this collection prove that she was also a master of the short form. Two novellas and three short stories possess all the hallmarks of her stunning novel-length mysteries, including a return to two favorite characters: The psychologist Dr. Paul Prye and Detective Inspector Sands.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eIt’s All in the Family \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e(1948)\u003cbr\u003e Out of print for decades, and extremely hard to find until now, Margaret Millar’s bestselling and only book-length foray into children’s literature stars a precocious (maybe pernicious) young girl named Priscilla, whose flair for the dramatic is matched only by her preternatural intellect. This semi-autobiographical story remains a delightful depiction of a pre-war childhood, even if the protagonist skews more Wednesday Addams than Dorothy Gale of Kansas.\u003cb\u003ePRAISE FOR MARGARET MILLAR\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eMystery Writers of America Grand Master\u003cbr\u003eWinner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Woman of the Year\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“One of the most original and vital voices in all of American crime fiction.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Laura Lippman\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“I long ago changed my writing name to Ross Macdonald for obvious reasons.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Kenneth Millar (Ross Macdonald), in a letter to the \u003ci\u003eToronto Saturday Night\u003c\/i\u003e newspaper\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e“Very Original.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Agatha Christie\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Stunningly original.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Val McDermid\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Millar's mysteries are filled with clever twists, yet what makes them special is her surgical approach to her characters' inner lives. She's got an eagle eye for the juicy stuff lots of mystery writers still ignore—questions of class, status, sexual desire and the difficult position of women. This last was something she knew about firsthand. Millar's work was long overshadowed by that of her husband, detective novelist Ross Macdonald. In fact, her best novels — like 1955's \u003ci\u003eBeast in View\u003c\/i\u003e — have a ferocious edge that make him look rather tame.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—John Powers, NPR's \u003ci\u003eFresh Air\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"One of the greatest this country has ever produced.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—The Globe and Mail\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"A writer whose own work is every bit as psychologically bruising and critically acclaimed as that of her husband [Ross Macdonald], if not as well known. But [Syndicate Books] hopes to rectify that with \u003ci\u003eCollected Millar\u003c\/i\u003e.\"\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e—Kevin Burton Smith, \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eMystery Scene Magazine\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\"Razor-sharp.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—The Seattle Times\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“She has few peers, and no superior in the art of bamboozlement.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eJulian Symons\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Written with such complete realization of every character that the most bitter antagonist of mystery fiction may be forced to acknowledge it as a work of art.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eAnthony Boucher reviewing \u003ci\u003eBeast in View\u003c\/i\u003e for the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Margaret Millar can build up the sensation of fear so strongly that at the end it literally hits you like a battering ram.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eBBC\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wonderfully ingenious.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe New Yorker\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Brilliantly superlative… One of the most impressive additions to mystery literature—and the word “literature” is used in its fullest sense.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eSan Francisco Chronicle\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“In the whole of crime fiction’s distinguished sisterhood, there is no one quite like Margaret Millar.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guardian\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A superb writer.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eH.R.F. Keating\u003c\/b\u003e   \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“She writes minor classics.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eWashington Post   \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Mrs. Millar doesn't attract fans she creates addicts.” \u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cb\u003e—\u003c\/b\u003eDilys Winn, namesake of the Dilys Award\u003c\/b\u003eMargaret Millar (1915-1994) was the author of 27 books and a masterful pioneer of psychological mysteries and thrillers. Born in Kitchener, Ontario, she spent most of her life in Santa Barbara, California, with her husband Ken Millar, who is better known by his \u003ci\u003enom de plume\u003c\/i\u003e of Ross MacDonald. Her 1956 novel \u003ci\u003eBeast in View\u003c\/i\u003e won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel. In 1965 Millar was the recipient of the \u003ci\u003eLos Angeles Times\u003c\/i\u003e Woman of the Year Award and in 1983 the Mystery Writers of America awarded her the Grand Master Award for Lifetime Achievement. Millar’s cutting wit and superb plotting have left her an enduring legacy as one of the most important crime writers of both her own and subsequent generations.","brand":"Soho Syndicate","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46302616846565,"sku":"NP9781681990323","price":17.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781681990323.jpg?v=1767723905","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/collected-millar-first-things-last-things-banshee-spider-webs-its-all-in-the-family-collected-short-fiction-isbn-9781681990323","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}