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The Best American Mystery Stories 2011 (The Best American Mystery Stories)
by
Harlan Coben ,
Otto Penzler (Goodreads Author)
The Best American Series®
First, Best, and Best-Selling
The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish....more
First, Best, and Best-Selling
The Best American series is the premier annual showcase for the country’s finest short fiction and nonfiction. Each volume’s series editor selects notable works from hundreds of magazines, journals, and websites. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the best twenty or so pieces to publish....more
Paperback, 412 pages
Published
October 4th 2011
by Mariner Books
(first published January 1st 2011)
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I am a fan of both short stories and mysteries, so The Best American Mystery Stories 2011 was bound to pique my curiosity. This year’s collection was edited by Harlan Coben, so I knew this would be a good set of stories.
Surprisingly, I think my favorite story was The End of the String by Charles McCarry. This story involves an American in Ndala who becomes involved with a military man wishing to overthrow the president. This is not a topic I would normally seek out, but what a storyteller! I was...more
Surprisingly, I think my favorite story was The End of the String by Charles McCarry. This story involves an American in Ndala who becomes involved with a military man wishing to overthrow the president. This is not a topic I would normally seek out, but what a storyteller! I was...more
This collection is a pile of crap that Harlan Coben needs to be ashamed of. None of these stories are worth the time it took to read them, let alone compile as the "Best of the Year".
As usual with "mystery" compilations now, there is not a mystery to be had in the entire book so don't expect detection or even a police procedural. This is really a collection of short fiction occupied with violence.
Even judged solely as a collection of short fiction this volume seriously under-performs. Several o...more
As usual with "mystery" compilations now, there is not a mystery to be had in the entire book so don't expect detection or even a police procedural. This is really a collection of short fiction occupied with violence.
Even judged solely as a collection of short fiction this volume seriously under-performs. Several o...more
A good batch this year - I read these every year to find stories for Thrilling Tales, so I'm reading with a focus on more inherently clear and satisfying stories - and Coben has a fair number of these. I've been wanting to do a Brendan DuBois story in the storytime for some years now, and I think "Ridealong" is finally one that will work w/ the format, as there are some very good twists. Less certain about risking a story co-written by Tom Franklin ("What His Hands had been Waiting For") about t...more
1 like · like · see review
There are some really great stories in here. Like it says in the introduction, these tend to be more about the characters than about actual mysteries, and that's just dandy with me.
Not all the stories were great, but I really enjoyed:
Audacious by Brock Adams: I thought I was going to dismiss it as an emotionally manipulative heartstrings-yanker, but this one had moments of real truth in the way the characters behaved, and that may be what I enjoy most in writing.
The Stars are Falling by Joe Lans...more
Not all the stories were great, but I really enjoyed:
Audacious by Brock Adams: I thought I was going to dismiss it as an emotionally manipulative heartstrings-yanker, but this one had moments of real truth in the way the characters behaved, and that may be what I enjoy most in writing.
The Stars are Falling by Joe Lans...more
This collection was much better than the 2007 Best Short Stories anthology. I had high hopes after reading this line in Harlan Coben's introduction: "[these authors} have taken Elmore Leonard's credo and fed it steroids and raised it to the tenth power and then driven it out to a dive bar by the airport and given it an unlimited tab." Oh yeah.
One of the editors, Otto Penzler, makes a point to explain that these stories are not typical mysteries. As long as a story has elements of a crime, it qua...more
One of the editors, Otto Penzler, makes a point to explain that these stories are not typical mysteries. As long as a story has elements of a crime, it qua...more
My biggest complaint is that far too many of these stories are NOT MYSTERIES. They may be noir, they may involve a crime being committed - but it's not a mystery unless there's a mystery to be solved! And many of these stories don't have that element. There are elaborate descriptions of crimes being committed - but no question of who is doing it, and no one outside the crime trying to find out about it. As far as I'm concerned, those crime stories should not be considered mysteries. Unless someh...more
This is a collection of short stories printed in various periodicals during 2011, and edited by Harlan Coben. I enjoyed this collection. I try to read a short story between novels to clear my mind and make myself ready for the next book. I can honestly say that several of these stories did not let me clear my mind - they stuck with me, forcing me to think about them in depth and I can't ask for more from any story than that.
Notes on a few stories that are worth thinking about:
Audacious - a comp...more
Notes on a few stories that are worth thinking about:
Audacious - a comp...more
This book goes down as the first one I ever read on a Kindle. Can't pass up a $0.99 deal, you know? I have read few mysteries in my time, and this collection was a good snapshot of the modern take on the genre. In the foreword, Otto Penzler describes a "mystery" as not necessarily a detective story, but "any short work of fiction in which a crime, or the threat of a crime, is central to the theme or the plot." This opens up the possibilities in exciting ways, and most of the stories could fit el...more
The Best American Mystery Stories are an annual anthology that publishes a selection of tales published in magazines an anthologies during the year. Each year a guest editor is chosen who determines from a list of about 50 submissions, their favourite 20 stories to be included. Harlan Coben is this years editor and as a fan of his books I was interested to read his choices.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2011 has great variety and I was more than impressed with the overall quality. Of the twen...more
The Best American Mystery Stories 2011 has great variety and I was more than impressed with the overall quality. Of the twen...more
I'm giving this three stars as a book of crime-related short stories. Very few of the stories are what I would consider to be mysteries.
Like many anthologies, some stories are very good, while others are mediocre. Standouts for me were "Audacious" by Brock Adams, "Clean Slate" by Lawrence Block, "Ride-Along" by Brendan Dubois, "A Crime of Opportunity" by Ernest J. Finney, "Flying Solo" by Ed Gorman, "The Hitter" by Chris F. Holm, "The Stars are Falling" by Joe R. Lansdale, and "A Long Time Dead...more
Like many anthologies, some stories are very good, while others are mediocre. Standouts for me were "Audacious" by Brock Adams, "Clean Slate" by Lawrence Block, "Ride-Along" by Brendan Dubois, "A Crime of Opportunity" by Ernest J. Finney, "Flying Solo" by Ed Gorman, "The Hitter" by Chris F. Holm, "The Stars are Falling" by Joe R. Lansdale, and "A Long Time Dead...more
The Best American Mystery Stories of 2011 edited by Harlan Coben and Otto Penzler is the 15th edition of this very popular anthology. I look forward to it every year, so I gave a little fist pump when I was able to snag an advance reader’s copy from the publisher. As usual, this is an excellent collection of stories by new-to-me authors and some old favorites. Read the rest of my review at http://popcornreads.com/?p=2125
Faves:
Brock Adams, "Audacious"
Dennis McFadden, "Diamond Alley" (Go Pirates!)
Lawrence Block, "Clean Slate"
David Corbett and Luis Alberto Urrea, "Who Stole My Monkey?"
Loren D. Estleman, "Sometimes a Hyena"
Ed Gorman, "Flying Solo"
Harry Hunsicker, "West of Nowhere"
Joe R. Landsdale, "The Stars Are Falling"
Andrew Riconda, "Heart Like a Balloon"
Brendan Dubois, "Ride-Along"
Chris F. Holm, "The Hitter"
Brock Adams, "Audacious"
Dennis McFadden, "Diamond Alley" (Go Pirates!)
Lawrence Block, "Clean Slate"
David Corbett and Luis Alberto Urrea, "Who Stole My Monkey?"
Loren D. Estleman, "Sometimes a Hyena"
Ed Gorman, "Flying Solo"
Harry Hunsicker, "West of Nowhere"
Joe R. Landsdale, "The Stars Are Falling"
Andrew Riconda, "Heart Like a Balloon"
Brendan Dubois, "Ride-Along"
Chris F. Holm, "The Hitter"
I was just going to skim the titles in the table of contents and put it back on the shelf, but the terrific pieces in this great little collection just pounced on me. Stand outs include the overwhelming, bittersweet noir 'Baby Killer,' by Richard Lange, and 'Last Cottage' by Christopher Merkner. (The author's notes for both these stories are definitely worth reading.)
I gave it such a bad rating because I just couldn't even continue it. I read the first several stories and they just weren't for me. I was either bored reading them or didn't like the endings or whatever. I could see that some people may enjoy the book but like I said, it just wasn't for me. I will definitely give a book of short stories another try though because I like the idea.
1 like · like · see review
Many of the stories aren't whodunnit mysteries in the traditional sense. Instead, they make the reader wonder what in hell is going on, which then constitutes a mystery. I particularly enjoyed Charles McCarry’s "The End of the String," S. J. Rozan’s "Chin Yong-Yun Takes a Case" and Lawrence Block’s "Clean Slate." Dennis McFadden's "Diamond Alley" didn't live up to the hype and a couple of other stories plodded along, which is why I didn't give this book all five stars.
Looking forward to purchase...more
Looking forward to purchase...more
I thought mysteries were supposed to have killers and a group of kids with their crazy dog unveiling whodunit at the end. But these stories were just plain haunting. Not always in good ways. I think that was sort of the point, though.
Like any anthologies, this one is either a hit or miss depending on the type of writing you like. Each year holds promise for a reader to find something they enjoy and this one is no exception. The variety of stories should allow everyone to find at least one story that appeals to them. As a whole, however, I found this book to be less than stellar. While some stories did garner my interest the majority seemed predictable and flat which isn't what one would expect from a best of the year series....more
All the stories were great. If I was forced to pick one I like best, I'd say it was Who Stole My Monkey?
But really, a solid collection put together by Harlan Coben.
But really, a solid collection put together by Harlan Coben.
There are many excellent short stories in this volume. They run the gamut from police procedural to suspense thriller. All the best authors are represented here.
Didn't finish it. Not what I would call mysteries. Dark short stories is more like it. Not all that interesting, either. A Kindle bargain book, but I want my $2 back!
Dec 31, 2011
Jill
rated it
1 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
short stories, mystery, best american mystery
This seris is always a hit or miss for me. This particular edition was a miss for me. The stories were just really dull and not exciting. Maybe 2012 edition will be more exciting.
Gave up about half-way through. More pretension than mystery. Not one story was up to the standard of guest editor Coben's average output.
The Story "Ride Along" stands out and deserves 4.5 stars. Other stories vary and one takes an awkward, semi-offensive blame the victim tact.
Didn't like this as much as the 2011 Short Story collection - I didn't start enjoying this until 40-50% in. Some of the stories are good, but I thought some frankly sucked. Glad I bought it on sale.
Excellent volume of short mysteries, as was The Best American Short Stories, 2011, edited by Geraldine Brooks. The contents of each is very varied, and the writing universally superb. Rather than try to describe any one story, I will quietly recommend the short story as a sometimes-underrated format. Personally, after beginning a collection, I find that they hold my interest for hours, one after the other, like a hypnotic. Especially good for long stretches of reading.
Several of these stories were OUTSTANDING. An excellent collection.
Great choice, I particularly liked 'Audacious' story
some really good stories in this year's collection! I especially enjoyed "Chin Yong-Yun Takes a Case", "A Long Time Dead", "The Stars Are Falling", and "The Hitter". This collection never fails to impress, and although they aren't all true mysteries, there is always some high quality writing.
eh
As up and down as a collection of stories usually is. Really tough to read beginning to end, should have used it as something to pick up and put down between other books.
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With over 50 million books in print worldwide, Harlan Coben’s last six consecutive novels, SIX YEARS, STAY CLOSE, LIVE WIRE, CAUGHT, LONG LOST and HOLD TIGHT all debuted at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list and lists around the world. His first Young Adult novel SHELTER was just released in paperback, and the second in the Mickey Bolitar series, SECONDS AWAY, was released on September 18th....more
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