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Transgressions #2, 3, 5
Transgressions: Novellas 2, 3 & 5
New York Times bestsellers Sharyn McCrumb, Joyce Carol Oates, and Anne Perry each provided a brand-new, never-before-published tale for this unique collection of stories edited by New York Times bestselling author and mystery legend Ed McBain.
"The Resurrection Man" by Sharyn McCrumb: During America's first century, doctors used any means necessary to advance their craft—including dissecting corpses. Sharyn McCrumb brings the South of the 1850s to life in this story of a man who is assigned to dig up bodies to help those that are still alive.
"The Corn Maiden" by Joyce Carol Oates: When a twelve-year-old girl is abducted in a small New York town, the crime starts a spiral of destruction and despair as only this master of psychological suspense could write it.
"Hostages" by Anne Perry: The bestselling historical mystery author has written a tale of beautiful yet still savage Ireland today. In their eternal struggle for freedom, there is about to be a changing of the guard in the Irish Republican Army. Yet for some, old habits—and honor—still die hard, even at gunpoint.
"The Resurrection Man" by Sharyn McCrumb: During America's first century, doctors used any means necessary to advance their craft—including dissecting corpses. Sharyn McCrumb brings the South of the 1850s to life in this story of a man who is assigned to dig up bodies to help those that are still alive.
"The Corn Maiden" by Joyce Carol Oates: When a twelve-year-old girl is abducted in a small New York town, the crime starts a spiral of destruction and despair as only this master of psychological suspense could write it.
"Hostages" by Anne Perry: The bestselling historical mystery author has written a tale of beautiful yet still savage Ireland today. In their eternal struggle for freedom, there is about to be a changing of the guard in the Irish Republican Army. Yet for some, old habits—and honor—still die hard, even at gunpoint.
402 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 31, 2006
About the author
Ed McBain
673 books679 followers"Ed McBain" is one of the pen names of American author and screenwriter Salvatore Albert Lombino (1926-2005), who legally adopted the name
Evan Hunter
in 1952.
While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.
While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.
He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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July 30, 2025Hostages - Meh, a not entirely credible story of a hostage situation during The Troubles in Northern Ireland. I mean, what happens when the captors fall asleep?
The Corn Maiden - DNF due to writing style.
The Resurrection Man - A fascinating piece of historical fiction about Grandison Harris, a slave and later free man who worked as a grave robber. The problem with early American medical schools was a lack of cadavers for instructional dissection. Enter Harris, "purchased" by a local medical college with the unenviable task of procuring human remains for the school. And he was a real person! And he really did this in Georgia! And the story even has citations as the end for further reading on the man and the subject matter!!
The Corn Maiden - DNF due to writing style.
The Resurrection Man - A fascinating piece of historical fiction about Grandison Harris, a slave and later free man who worked as a grave robber. The problem with early American medical schools was a lack of cadavers for instructional dissection. Enter Harris, "purchased" by a local medical college with the unenviable task of procuring human remains for the school. And he was a real person! And he really did this in Georgia! And the story even has citations as the end for further reading on the man and the subject matter!!
May 11, 2019
Well, I have never read this type of collection of novellas before so had just bought it out of curiosity. Seems like I wasn’t loosing anything great. The book has a collection of 3 passable stories, none of them could hold much of my interest. Maybe there are people who like such stuff but they didn’t work for me.
November 30, 2017
Three very different stories, but all very, very good. I didn't realize until the end of The Resurrection Man that it was
November 11, 2020
Thumbs up!
February 27, 2025
Read The Corn Maiden. An ok tale but kind more bland than twisted.
August 19, 2012
Not technically short stories - 3 novellas.
First, by Anne Perry - Hostages
One of my favourite authors, she manages to introduce interesting characters in an current Irish setting, keeping it pared down as necessary in this short format. I enjoyed the story, the female side of the conflict, the typical female actions of getting by, smoothing things over and being calm - and that doesn't mean being less than male. 3.5 stars out of 5
Second, by Joyce Carol Oates - The Corn Maiden
An author I have not read much, and this story didn't stir up a wish to read more. The characters were thin, too many for this length of story. It would have been better if there was more focus on one character. None of the characters were sympathetic or even very understandable, with the exception of the victim. 2.5 stars out of 5
Third, by Sharyn McCrumb - The Resurrection Man
Another favourite author, one who manages to write historic fiction, current fiction, mysteries and all in all an odd assortment of subjects, but always seems to mesmerize me. I have read her books on Dale Earnhardt (St. Dale) and her recent Ballad of Tom Dooley - which only complaint I have was having the Kingston Trio song stuck in my head for weeks!
This story was set before, during and after the American civil war, the main character begins his live as a slave. This story is well researched, interesting, told in one persons point of view, not a perfect man, but a realistic, empathetic man. 5 stars out of 5
total 11 stars - divided by 3 = 3 and 2/3 stars - so round up to four.
First, by Anne Perry - Hostages
One of my favourite authors, she manages to introduce interesting characters in an current Irish setting, keeping it pared down as necessary in this short format. I enjoyed the story, the female side of the conflict, the typical female actions of getting by, smoothing things over and being calm - and that doesn't mean being less than male. 3.5 stars out of 5
Second, by Joyce Carol Oates - The Corn Maiden
An author I have not read much, and this story didn't stir up a wish to read more. The characters were thin, too many for this length of story. It would have been better if there was more focus on one character. None of the characters were sympathetic or even very understandable, with the exception of the victim. 2.5 stars out of 5
Third, by Sharyn McCrumb - The Resurrection Man
Another favourite author, one who manages to write historic fiction, current fiction, mysteries and all in all an odd assortment of subjects, but always seems to mesmerize me. I have read her books on Dale Earnhardt (St. Dale) and her recent Ballad of Tom Dooley - which only complaint I have was having the Kingston Trio song stuck in my head for weeks!
This story was set before, during and after the American civil war, the main character begins his live as a slave. This story is well researched, interesting, told in one persons point of view, not a perfect man, but a realistic, empathetic man. 5 stars out of 5
total 11 stars - divided by 3 = 3 and 2/3 stars - so round up to four.
May 21, 2007
I do like the overall concept of this series of books. It's interesting to see what authors do with the novella form, and more practically, allows the reader to easily and quickly get exposure to different authors. I'd recommend the Transgressions series for that alone.
Concerning the individual stories, Joyce Carol Oates' was my favorite. It's not surprising considering I bought the book exclusively to read hers. It's a fascinating and unique story. The style actually seemed similar to Atwood's, and I almost wish she can gone even further with the bizarre/creepy elements as Atwood tends to do. Great story, though. I'd read it if it was a novel!
Perry's story Hostages was also quite good. What struck me the most in hers was the depth of characterization. Each character had great dimension and dynamic. I love the tension!
McCrumb's The Resurrection Man was my least favorite, though nothing to sneeze at by any means. She was working with an intensely interesting historical phenomenon, but it was never quite brought to life. (Sorry for the bad pun.) The historical and social settings which should have been crucial to the story seemed like an afterthought. I guess it's the difference between telling and showing. Everything was there, but it didn't feel developed enough.
Concerning the individual stories, Joyce Carol Oates' was my favorite. It's not surprising considering I bought the book exclusively to read hers. It's a fascinating and unique story. The style actually seemed similar to Atwood's, and I almost wish she can gone even further with the bizarre/creepy elements as Atwood tends to do. Great story, though. I'd read it if it was a novel!
Perry's story Hostages was also quite good. What struck me the most in hers was the depth of characterization. Each character had great dimension and dynamic. I love the tension!
McCrumb's The Resurrection Man was my least favorite, though nothing to sneeze at by any means. She was working with an intensely interesting historical phenomenon, but it was never quite brought to life. (Sorry for the bad pun.) The historical and social settings which should have been crucial to the story seemed like an afterthought. I guess it's the difference between telling and showing. Everything was there, but it didn't feel developed enough.
August 27, 2012
This was a vacation read from Costa Rica 2012. I traded my copy of The Girl Who Played With Fire for this on vacation. I do not read much in the horror genre but picked this up for a beach read from the condo collection. I digress. Three novellas. One by the famous Joyce Carol Oates and the other two by unknowns to me. (Sharyn McCrumb & Anne Perry.)
Neat Stories!!! All grab up and surprise. I delayed reading the Oates story because I found to subject too troubling. But eventually I finished it and am less troubled. The Perry story, in spite of its somewhat contrived ending, surprised me and seemed rather wise in the end. Surprisingly powerful story told from the perspective of the weak. The McCrumb story about the life of slave who becomes a pillar in this small town and whose secret (and illicit) duties include unearthing the newly buried for his employer, the local medical school. Dissections require discretion!
Neat Stories!!! All grab up and surprise. I delayed reading the Oates story because I found to subject too troubling. But eventually I finished it and am less troubled. The Perry story, in spite of its somewhat contrived ending, surprised me and seemed rather wise in the end. Surprisingly powerful story told from the perspective of the weak. The McCrumb story about the life of slave who becomes a pillar in this small town and whose secret (and illicit) duties include unearthing the newly buried for his employer, the local medical school. Dissections require discretion!
December 26, 2019
The first short story by Perry is about a woman's redemption. Sadly, it lacks in terms of lyrical voice and imagination, and it hammers the message into your head: hostage means many things, you can be hostage to your political beliefs, to terrorists, and to your marriage. I liked the narrative arc, but overall it was a disappointment. Oates is excellent as per usual, but for me the biggest surprise was McCrumb: reading her, you realize how racially unmixed the previous two stories were. A very, very interesting story, although not detective fiction per se, told from the perspective of a Black porter-cum-illegal grave digger who stole bodies from the cemetary for dissection in the nearby medical clinic in Augusta, Georgia. I was reminded of Henrietta Lacks' biography, which would be a counterpoint to this story. Also, I'm a sucker for research, and McCrumb provides a bibliography at the end. One thing tho: the women characters seem left behind here.
December 27, 2007
This took me a while to finish as I had to work it in as time allowed. I like all three of the authors and they didn't disappoint in this book. Oates' story was particularly disturbing in its depiction of a girl who has a behavior disorder but who seems innocent to those around her. The McCrumb story was an interesting look at a time period when slaves had to do what they were told no matter what and how one slave reconciles himself to his life. The Perry story was engrossing, but since I read it first I don't remember it very well.
May 31, 2008
Very entertaining, all 3 stories in their own right, although all quite different. I'm not sure which I liked more, the suspenseful thriller (set in N Ireland), the historical semi-fiction (set in Civil War era Augusta, GA) or the violent character drama (about an unorthodox kidnapping of a young girl).
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April 14, 2008Mystery,Anthology
October 1, 2012
Three bits of greatness from three of the greatest.
December 30, 2013
the Anne Perry was ok, Joyce Carol Oates I've never liked and this novella of hers does not change my mind one iota, the best was The Resurrection Man by Sharyn McCrumb
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews