Book excerpt: All four mysteries starring the lesbian translator, globetrotter, and amateur sleuth —including Gaudí Afternoon—from the Lambda Literary Award–winning author. “[Cassandra Reilly] has a restless nature, a facility for languages, and a lively curiosity about foreign cultures. Toss in her offbeat sense of humor and you have a terrific road pal.” —The New York Times Book Review “[Cassandra Reilly] has a mind like a steel trap; a literate, uplifting voice; and a wicked sense of humor.” —Library Journal Gaudí Afternoon: In this “high-spirited comic adventure,” professional translator and amateur detective Cassandra Reilly travels to Barcelona to find the missing spouse of Frankie Stevens—but soon learns no one is who they seem (The New York Times). Wilson’s award-winning novel was the basis for the movie directed by Susan Seidelman and starring Judy Davis as Cassandra. Gaudí Afternoon won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Lesbian Mystery. “In the same way that she works issues of sexual politics into her madcap plot, Ms. Wilson also makes the city of Barcelona a lively party to the action.” —The New York Times Trouble in Transylvania: In this “very funny second outing,” the London-based lesbian translator and part-time sleuth gets embroiled in a murder in a run-down Transylvanian health spa (Kirkus Reviews). As the mystery unfolds, Cassandra and her cohorts—including her friend Jacqueline and potential love interest, Eva—are steeped in the history of Romania, from the devastating relics of Ceausescu’s tyrannical reign to the vampire folklore born in the region centuries ago. “Travel-writing so compelling that you’ll be reaching for your passport. Wilson is smart, tart, and knows how to write from a feminist perspective without once stooping to polemic.” —Kirkus Reviews The Death of a Much-Travelled Woman: These nine madcap stories follow the wayfaring translator and amateur sleuth around the globe to picturesque locales such as Maui, the English moors, and the Icelandic coast. Stories include “Murder at the International Feminist Book Fair,” in which the exploits of a mudslinging women’s magazine lead to death at the convention, and “An Expatriate Death,” in which a local Mexican writer appropriates Cassandra’s identity for a character in his novel—and then promptly kills off the character. “Well-drawn characters and colorful settings . . . recommended.” —Library Journal The Case of the Orphaned Bassoonists: At the Venice-based symposium on women musicians of Vivaldi’s time, an invaluable antique bassoon has been stolen—and bassoonist Nicky Gibbons stands accused. As Cassandra investigates, she immerses herself in the world of Baroque music, the tangle of personal intrigues at the symposium, and a second mystery involving the orphaned bassoonists of eighteenth-century Venice. “Venice, Vivaldi, international intrigue, lesbians with bassoons—if you have a hankering for any of these, this book is for you!” —The Bloomsbury Review