The Premonition
“The Premonition” commences around Christmas when Whitney Paxton has a premonition involving his alcoholic brother Quinn, following a worried phone call from their sister. When he shows up at the house, sister-in-law and nieces are behaving almost melodramatically upbeat and full blown in the holiday season, but all visible signs point to a very recent conspiracy to commit murder.
Florence
When Florence was for years old, she received an exquisite antique dollhouse and over the course of her life she has herself transformed into an emotionally empty version of the dolls that came to dominate her imagination and private world. She enjoys success running a liberal arts college, but has never felt the need for a man in her life. A visit to an unfamiliar city as part of an academic convention may or may not affect that situation or may it leave her permanently entrenched one as “The Doll” of the title.
Miranda
Miranda is the name that cat that 56-year-old self-confident and self-satisfied Julius Muir presented to his much younger wife as a kitten shortly after their marriage. While Julius picked the cat out and even gave the animal its name, it was most assuredly his wife’s at. In fact, Miranda has lately taken to manifesting a seething animosity toward Julius which will soon become intermingled in his mind with suspicions about his wife’s own feelings.
Rose Mallow
After 39 years of solidly entrenched virginity, Rose Mallow has decided to find a man to take it. A chance meeting with Joe Pye, otherwise known as the titular “Bingo Man.” Joe is very handsome but Rose thinks him ridiculous. A series of disappointments in her desperate search for a man to make love to for the first time winds up with Rose—almost through a miracle—winning a game of bingo. And then the excitement really starts.
Sybil Black
Orphaned Sybil Black has been raised by her Aunt in a not-particularly-exciting way when done day she approached by a man named Mr. Starr who extends a tempting offer to get paid to model. Strangely, she begins to sense that Mr. Starr might actually be her father since he is not only quite generous with his payment, but is constantly asking about her background. But her Aunt has told her that her parents had both been killed in a car accident. In fact, Mr. Starr does turn out to be her father and the story told by her Aunt could not be farther from the truth.
Bibi
The title character of “Poor Bibi” is the beloved dog of a couple whose health has taken a serious turn for the worst to the point where they take the animal to a doctor with the request to have it euthanized. At first, the reader does not realize that this sick Bibi is a dog and that is the point. When the doctor refuses to put the animal to sleep—suggesting such a request is an abomination—the couple must take the mercy killing into their own hands. Things do not go well.
