The Scarlet Stiletto Awards were set up 26 years ago to encourage and support female crime writers. Since then over 3000 stories have been entered in the annual short story competition which requires the author and the main protagonist of the story to be women.

2017 saw 186 entries, 26 of which were shortlisted, with 13 being chosen to receive awards and which appear in this collection. The stories are set in varied locations, from the outback to busy cities; they are funny, poignant and thought-provoking. But they are all written by talented women and Sisters in Crime are honoured to present their work.