Aptly-named Guilty Creatures is a delicious collection of fourteen short mysteries written by well-known and lesser-known authors mostly during the Golden Age of crime classics. Martin Edwards does a splendid job of showcasing these authors, many of whom are familiar to me and some of whom I was happy to learn more about in his descriptions which preface each mystery. Animals such as monkeys, horses, dogs and birds are highlighted and are victims, witnesses and detectives in these impossible crimes. Far fetched? You decide.

Amongst my favourites are G. K. Chesterton's riveting The Oracle of the Dog, Penelope Wallace's The Man Who Loved Animals (the ending in particular) and Christianna Brand's The Hornet Nest. The most memorable will always be the short but effective The Pit of Screams by Garnett Radcliffe. Not exactly realistic but it need not be. Each author has his/her unique writing style, some are more engaging than others, all fascinating.

It is not necessary to be an animal lover like myself to enjoy these stories. They are pure joy to read. Just get lost in them whether they are believable or not and be transported

My sincere thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this marvelous book!