05/22/2026
In 1954, Jean Potts won the Best First Novel Edgar Award for GO, LOVELY ROSE." In 1957 she produced her first crime story for Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine called “The Withered Heart.” She followed this with six more superb short stories before the end of her writing career in 1990.
We've collected the entire published output of Jean Potts’ short fiction, including her mainstream beginnings and her latter-day crime fiction treasures. Here is a brief taste...
The Withered Heart: His heart grown cold though years of abuse, Voss murders his wife Myrtle. It is the perfect crime: a car crash in a ravine while Myrtle is on her way to her sister’s. No one would expect foul play. Except for one thing … Voss forgot to include Pepper, her precious dog. Myrtle would never leave the house without Pepper.
Murderer #2: Rolf didn’t deserve to lose his trust fund just because his aging mother needs it. But he has it all figured out. She has to be murdered. He has a reformed drug addict lined up as the patsy, all set up by circumstance to take the fall. It will be the perfect crime.
Just Like Jessica: For most of her life Amy had lived in the shadow of her feisty half-sister Jessica. Then Jessica disappears, and it’s up to Amy to find her.
The Inner Voices: They all thought Byron had died in the plane accident. But now that he’s back, they all realize—his wife, his mother, his brother, his mistress—that they would have preferred he stay dead.
In the Absence of Proof: Addie knew that Jeff had killed her brother. He had the opportunity and he certainly had the motive. But she just couldn’t prove it.
If this sounds like your cup of poisoned tea, JEAN POTTS: THE COMPLETE SHORT STORIES is available wherever books are being sold, including our own website, starkhousepress.com.
