The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century
by
Tony Hillerman ,
Otto Penzler (Goodreads Author) , Robert L. Fish , Tom Franklin (Goodreads Author) , Jacques Futrelle , Pearl S. Buck , Raymond Chandler , Susan Glaspell
,
more…
In THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF THE CENTURY, best-selling author Tony Hillerman and mystery expert Otto Penzler present an unparalleled treasury of American suspense fiction that every fan will cherish. Offering the finest examples from all reaches of the genre, this collection charts the mystery's eminent history from the turn-of-the-century puzzles of Futrelle, t...more
Paperback, 832 pages
Published
April 13th 2001
by Mariner Books
(first published 2000)
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Jul 29, 2012
Werner
marked it as being-read-intermittently
July 1, 2012
Otto Penzler edits a long-running and well regarded annual anthology series called The Best American Mystery Stories, showcasing short fiction in the genre. This volume is a sort of spin-off of the series, collecting 46 of the "best" mystery tales (in the estimation of book editor Hillerman) produced by American writers in the 20th century. Not all of the 47 authors represented ("Ellery Queen" was actually the pen name of the team of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee) are usually as...more
Otto Penzler edits a long-running and well regarded annual anthology series called The Best American Mystery Stories, showcasing short fiction in the genre. This volume is a sort of spin-off of the series, collecting 46 of the "best" mystery tales (in the estimation of book editor Hillerman) produced by American writers in the 20th century. Not all of the 47 authors represented ("Ellery Queen" was actually the pen name of the team of Frederic Dannay and Manfred B. Lee) are usually as...more
Reviews on stories from the book THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES of the CENTURY
1903 A Retrieved Reformation-
This short story was centered on a character that had just gotten out of jail and started a new life but his old life as a robber makes things difficult. This was a very interesting story that played with the deeper emotions of human nature from my point of view. The language used was very insightful; I could picture everything that was happening. Also the ending was something that had m...more
1903 A Retrieved Reformation-
This short story was centered on a character that had just gotten out of jail and started a new life but his old life as a robber makes things difficult. This was a very interesting story that played with the deeper emotions of human nature from my point of view. The language used was very insightful; I could picture everything that was happening. Also the ending was something that had m...more
what can i say -- if you like mysteries & the short story form, then this will have something in it for you. as for me, i don't think i hit a story i didn't like. Donald Westlake solidified his position in my pantheon of favorite authors. stalwarts like Dennis Lehane and Raymond Chandler delivered wonderfully. my impression that i ought to read more of Dashiell Hammet was reinforced. Sue Grafton didn't make me run screaming. hoo-whee Dwight Yoakum!
yeah, i mentally complained that a heck of a...more
yeah, i mentally complained that a heck of a...more
As the editors rightfully point out in the foreword and introduction, calling these stories the best of the century is very subjective. They even address the debate about whether some of these stories would qualify as "mystery" stories. Once these potential complaints are defused, all that's left to ask is: are they stories any good?
Like any anthology, there's bound to be a few stories that don't resonate with the reader as strongly as the others. However, because of the careful selection from a...more
Like any anthology, there's bound to be a few stories that don't resonate with the reader as strongly as the others. However, because of the careful selection from a...more
How could a 813 page book with 46 stories titled The Best American Mystery Stories Of the Century steer you wrong? It can’t. Sure you won’t agree with everything that is in and not in the book (that is part of the fun of Best of... collections) but with contributors like Lawrence Block, James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, William Faulkner, Sue Grafton, Dashiel Hammett, O. Henry, Shirley Jackson, Stephen King, Donald E. Westlake (still chuckling from his Dortmunder tale) and a host of others even th...more
n impressively ambitious project, and i appreciated the variations in styles and plots and moods. (though i have to admit that it's those very variations that also irked me at times - felt too much like the editors were straining to "break free" of genre restraints, when really they didn't have to.)
there were quite a few stories i didn't think really deserved the title, but i guess you could cite personal preferences as part of the reason. my favorites were the ones by cain (can't go wrong with...more
there were quite a few stories i didn't think really deserved the title, but i guess you could cite personal preferences as part of the reason. my favorites were the ones by cain (can't go wrong with...more
Dec 28, 2012
Patrick
added it
4/5/12: "The Catbird Seat" (1942) by James Thurber
4/5/12: "First Offense" (1955) by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain)
4/4/12: "The Day of the Execution" (1957) by Henry Slesar
3/20/12: "Haircut" (1925) by Ring Lardner
3/20/12: "A Retrieved Reformation" (1903) by O. Henry
3/19/12: "The Dark Snow" (1996) by Brendan DuBois
3/17/12: "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" (1973) by Harlan Ellison
3/11/12: "Red Clay" (1997) by Michael Malone
4/5/12: "First Offense" (1955) by Evan Hunter (Ed McBain)
4/4/12: "The Day of the Execution" (1957) by Henry Slesar
3/20/12: "Haircut" (1925) by Ring Lardner
3/20/12: "A Retrieved Reformation" (1903) by O. Henry
3/19/12: "The Dark Snow" (1996) by Brendan DuBois
3/17/12: "The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" (1973) by Harlan Ellison
3/11/12: "Red Clay" (1997) by Michael Malone
Great collection of short stories by outstanding writers of suspense and surprise endings. The stories range from the spooky supernatural (a la Stephen King) to thriller whodunits (Dashiell Hammett, Sue Grafton), to masters of complex plot and character intrigue (John Steinbeck, Willa Cather). Really good book to keep handy on the lamp table for a quick read when time is short and an escape from the grind beckons.
This is an enormous book filled with a whole lot of not very mysterious mysteries. There are some gems, by masters like Raymond Chandler and John D. MacDonald, and favorite authors like Sara Paretsky, but most of the stories are either dull or pretty creepy reads (there was even one by Stephen King). I did enjoy the story by Sue Grafton (of the "A is for..." series). It reminded me of the first time I read her, in Redbook magazine, about a million years ago. I did find one author, who was new to...more
I enjoyed the earlier stories more than the later, more so than the recent ones. The later stories just got too profane for my tastes because I like my mysteries to be more mysterious than vulgar. What a shame when writers have to depend on that sort of thing. It's no wonder I like the classics so much.
For me, this redefined what constitutes a "mystery" story. I'm used to the hard crime, murder mysteries, but this tome included much more. Sometimes, after finishing a story, I was left scratching my head, thinking, "That was a mystery story?". But that's why I liked this. It was an excellent bathroom reader. I'd lend you my copy, but I doubt you'd want to barrow it now... :)
the "best" is the opinion of Tony Hillerman and Otto Penzler and for the most part I've enjoyed the stories. I love having a short story choice just before bed and from authors such as steinbeck, runyan, cather, O.Henry, faulkner and many others that one doesn't make a point of reading since college days.
Aug 29, 2008
Christine Verstraete
added it
I love these collections, great stories.
May 19, 2013
Sandy (WI girl at heart)
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Tony Hillerman, who was born in Sacred Heart, Oklahoma, was a decorated combat veteran from World War II, serving as a mortarman in the 103rd Infantry Division and earning the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart. Later, he worked as a journalist from 1948 to 1962. Then he earned a Masters degree and taught journalism from 1966 to 1987 at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, wh...more
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Aug 12, 2012 05:04pm
Aug 12, 2012 05:12pm