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40th out of 64 books
—
6 voters
The Best American Mystery Stories 2009 (The Best American Mystery Stories)
by
Jeffery Deaver (Goodreads Author) ,
Otto Penzler (Goodreads Author)
Best-selling novelist Jeffery Deaver edits this latest collection of the genre's finest from the past year. Featuring "gritty tales told with panache," this is a "must-read for anybody who cares about crime stories" (Booklist).
Paperback, 400 pages
Published
October 8th 2009
by Mariner Books
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I don't care much for the short story. A master's program in writing will do that to you. Every group has at least five earnest twits trying to be the next Raymond Carver and get their dreary present-tense tale of post-modern angst published in The Atlantic Monthly.
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who hate Atlantic Monthly fiction, and liars.
None of the stories in this year's Best American Mystery Stories would get the time of day from the Atlantic Monthly. Nifty little slices o...more
There are two kinds of people in the world: Those who hate Atlantic Monthly fiction, and liars.
None of the stories in this year's Best American Mystery Stories would get the time of day from the Atlantic Monthly. Nifty little slices o...more
I had high hopes for this book. Hopes of smoking guns, lovable detectives, hidden clues and endings with a twist. My hopes weren't answered, but there were some curious stories that I'm still thinking about. A drug dealer single mom with a difficult decision to make, a murderer who wasn't sure about his guilt and an awkward attempt at a kiss that turns into an accidental murder. Interesting, but not what I would call the best mysteries that I've ever read. Maybe 2009 was just a bad year for myst...more
First, I have never felt that the short story format could truly appreciate a good mystery. But this is a compilation of accomplished authors, and I decided to take a chance. Having said that, these stories are, in fact, very well-written. But WOW. They were dull. Unsuspenseful. And without any backbone.
Boy, these were disappointing. As with all short story collections, some of the stories were better than others, but not one of them was actually a 4 or 5 star story. None of them was who-done-it enough for me. I say skip this volume. Sad, because I really wanted to like it.
I certainly don't share this editor's taste in literature. These stories read like episodes of bad television dramas.
some poor writing & half aren't even mysteries! (says the old book curmudgeony me)
Really a worth reading, staring from the intro by Jeffrey Deaver.
Very good spectrum of crime fiction.
So, some of the stories were good, some were OK. A fair amount of unfun topics (i.e., rape or death). I'm still not sure why a bunch were classified as mysteries - their definition seemed pretty loose to me.
Every year I buy these anthologies and every year I love them. However, this compliation really tops by "Love" list.
Jul 10, 2010
Gretchen
added it
would not suggest this book
About a third of these are well-written, genre-less. About a third are a good thriller read. About a third are dull. Not bad!
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Every year I love the "Best American" series of collections, especially the mysteries--I just can't keep up with all the small journals and magazines in which these gems appear. I always find at least a couple of new authors to try and short works from authors who usually write novels. This collection has a powerful Louisiana noir from James Lee Burke with the great line "a mob never did rush across town to do a good deed."
There are a few good reads, but I couldn't get through them all.
I'm only four stories into and I'm loving it. So far, better than last year's collection. I've found some authors new to me that I'm really looking forward to reading more of. Big Midnight Special by James Lee Burke is definitely in my top 10 short stories of all time.
Great little stories to read on my bus commute.
May 22, 2013
Jacinta
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Jeffery Deaver was born outside of Chicago in 1950. His father was an advertising copywriter and his mother was a homemaker. Deaver worked as a magazine writer, then, to gain the background needed to become a legal correspondent for The New York Times or Wall Street Journal, he enrolled at Fordham Law School. In 1990 he started to write full time. Deaver has been nominated for six Edgar Awards fro...more
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