Edward D. Hoch’s latest collection contains 14 stories about Nick Velvet, the choosey crook who steals only the seemingly valueless – a bald man’s comb, an overdue library book, a faded flag, a playing card, and so on. And in order to pull off a successful robbery, Nick often has to solve a crime as well – sometimes the crimes committed by Sandra Paris, The White Queen, who claims to do impossible things before breakfast. The Velvet Touch contains all of Nick’s encounters with the White Queen. The book includes an introduction by the author and a complete Nick Velvet checklist.