Three aging mystery writers turn to the more lucrative business of murder-for-hire in this darkly funny crime caper by the Edgar Award–winning author.   In days gone by, Clifford Simpson, Tim Briggs, and William Carruthers were celebrated among the literary elite for their works of crime fiction. Now, they pass the time in their corner alcove at the Mystery Authors’ Club in London while the younger members whisper about them condescendingly. Worse yet, the royalties have really dried up.   But they’ve decided to put their years of valuable experience to use in a new venture: For the small sum of one thousand pounds, they’ll kill anyone for whatever the reason—love, hate, money, fun. All the client has to do was drop a line in their post box and the deal is done.   They dispatch their victims with a cool demeanor and the utmost dignity, and soon the spice has returned to their lives. Until everything begins to go wrong, and they discover that committing murder is never as easy as writing about it . . .   Praise for the writing of Robert L. Fish   “Vivid, humorous, daring and shrewd.” —Anthony Boucher   “Sharply ingenious.” —The New York Times