Collected here for the first time anywhere are the author's 20 finest stories, including his Edgar-winning The Home Front, about death and repentance during World War II; the Shamus Award finalist Nobody Wins, about a brutal gangland enforcer searching for the woman he loves; and year's-best selections such as A Bar Called Charley's, about a traveling salesman's most grueling night on the road. From Brazil at Carnival to Times Square, from Tijuana, Mexico to history's first gunshot in 11th-century China, Ardai will take you to some of the most dangerous places in the world - and the darkest corners of the human heart.