BookList - Denise Perry Donavin
Editor Stern searched doggedly throughout Alcott's papers to uncover the pseudonyms and publishers linked to her tales of passion, written "for monetary reward as well as psychological release." Although there have been previous publications of Alcott's short thrillers, including "Behind the Mask" and its sequel "Plots and Counterplots", this is the first time, according to Stern, that all the stories have been brought together in one volume and in the order of their original appearance--a boon for scholars as well as fans. Now readers can judge whether Alcott's gothics, filled with heroic women, romantic themes, and stormy plots, are "rubbishy tales," as Alcott called them.

Booknews
Twenty-nine tales of intrigue, suspense, revenge, drug addiction, and sexual power struggles originally published in magazines between 1863 and 1870, written anonymously and pseudonymously by the author of the genteel Little Women. The potboilers have vivid characters, feminist heroines, and complex plots that illuminate Alcott's skill and versatility as a writer. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR