Norman Rumboldt, the jealous husband in "HEAD-OVER-HEELS"
schemes (quite cleverly, in his own misguided opinion) to physically incapacitate
or even murder his wife, if need be, when he finds love letters from and unknown
lover in her desk drawer.
The title story "A WICKED THING!" features a downtrodden
meek little housewife spiraling toward the brink of insanity because of her
invalid husband's never-ending mental abuse. She escapes from her dismal
life into a fantasy world where the final outcome is something she never dreamed
could happen.
All these stories involve ordinary people driven by anger,
jealousy, greed, revenge and, in some cases, curiosity. The protagonists are
varied and complex. They are either meticulous planners or eager opportunists
who commit ill-conceived, convoluted crimes that go awry with catastrophic and,
in some cases, humorous results.