27 short prose pieces, two novelettes and a one-act play provide a feast for all who love mysteries, romance, fantasy, humor and suspense. The novelettes are thrillers, set in Egypt. Two essays won awards for Best Humor, while another two are drawn from the author's own encounters as an apprentice writing contest judge. John Howard Reid himself is now Chief Judge for three of America's leading literary events. Stories include "Anyone for Play Ball?" which is centered on a small but aggressive baseball club in a rural area of California; "Counter-Clockwise", a humorous story, Highly Commended in no less than three writing contests; "Dead Man Walking", a thriller, set in modern-day Egypt; "Step-Ladder Nine", a cross-genre story/poem, Highly Commended in a national literary competition; "Gone West", a humorous story; "Scent of Lotus on a Windy Day", a tale of horror and suspense in Ancient Egypt, short-listed in three national writing contests; and a pair of Highly Commended humorous pieces, "Wharf Idler" and "Beachcombing: Your Questions Answered".