Beverley Cottrell had a dream life: a prestigious job, a beautiful husband and baby boy. This is stolen from her one winter afternoon when her son Malakay is kidnapped from a parked car. Despite a media campaign, a full police investigation, and the offer of a reward, Malakay is never found. Beverley's marriage soon dissolves and her husband emigrates from England to the U.S. with a new wife. Beverley gives up her job, sells the house, and moves from...

"In this provocative and haunting collection of short stories, edited by two masters of the form, a diverse group of contemporary writers probes the nature and connection between two of the most powerful, exhilarating, and terrifying forces that define and shape the human experience. The drive for lifefor survival and reproductionand the drive for deathfor violence and self-destructionare the two dominant, instinctive urges of human behavior. These...