The new collection contains 20 stories, including classics of the genre and rare, little-known gems such as the title story, Bradbury's first published mystery. A number of the stories were adapted by the author for his popular TV series, The Ray Bradbury Theater, and fans of Bradbury's work will recognize his touch with crime stories about circus sideshow performers and ventriloquists' dummies, sunken cathedrals, time travelers, and robots that look just like people. But they will also discover plenty that is startling and unfamiliar, such as the original short story that inspired a portion of Bradbury's famous novel Dandelion Wine, as well as that story's dark and psychologically disturbing sequel, written at the prompting of no less a figure in the mystery field than Ellery Queen. No one ever wrote like Bradbury. And as this lavish collection demonstrates, when he turned his hand to this genre, he produced some of the most unforgettable crime stories ever told.--Publisher.