and "Every woman gets a call like this sooner or later. The phone rings, a man 'This is a voice from your past.' and " The opening of the compelling title story of Merrill Joan Gerber's collection sets the tone for each of the thirteen remarkable pieces therein, two of them previously unpublished. Set mostly in Southern Californiain seemingly peaceful, suburban householdsGerber's stories expose the raw, sometimes murderous impulses normally hidden beneath the facade of middle-class life. From the vulnerable women of and "I Don't Believe This and " and "Night Stalker and " to the increasingly paranoid housewife of and "Dogs Bark and "; from the ferocious infighting of family life in and "We Know That Your Hearts Are Heavy, and " and "A Daughter of My Own, and " and "Latitude and " to the sudden triumphs of unexpected revelation in and "Approval and " and "See Bonnie and u0026 Clyde Death Car, and " Merrill Joan Gerber's powerful collection confirms her place among the ranks of America's best fiction writers.