Deaver, Benson edit new spy anthology

Two authors of James Bond continuation novels, Jeffery Deaver and Raymond Benson, have edited a new anthology of spy stories.

Ice Cold, presented by the Mystery Writers of America, includes contributions from 20 authors. Here’s a description from the HACHETTE BOOK GROUP WEBSITE:

Nuclear brinksmanship. Psychological warfare. Spies, double agents, femme fatales, and dead drops.

The Cold War–a terrifying time when nuclear war between the world’s two superpowers was an ever-present threat, an all-too-real possibility that could be set off at the touch of a button–provides a chilling backdrop to this collection of all-new short stories from today’s most celebrated mystery writers.

(snip)

In Joseph Finder’s “Police Report,” the seemingly cut-and-dry case of a lunatic murderer in rural Massachusetts may have roots in Soviet-controlled Armenia. In “Miss Bianca” by Sara Paretsky, a young girl befriends a mouse in a biological warfare laboratory and finds herself unwittingly caught in an espionage drama. And Deaver’s “Comrade 35” offers a unique spin on the assassination of John F. Kennedy–with a signature twist.

The hardback book has 400 pages. It goes on sale on April 1 with a $25 price. You can CLICK HERE to see the book’s listing on Amazon.com.

Deaver wrote 2011’s Carte Blanche, which featured a rebooted James Bond and had no continuity ties to any previously published 007 novel. Benson was the author of continuation novels from 1997 through 2002, and also penned some movie novelizations and short stories.