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The Edgar winners: 33rd annual anthology of the Mystery Writers of America
Each of these twenty-four stories won the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Mystery Short Story of its year.
Contents:
The adventure of the mad tea-party / Ellery Queen --
After-dinner story / William Irish --
Catfish story / Lawrence G. Blochman --
Love lies bleeding / Philip MacDonald --
Lamb to the slaughter ; The landlady / Roald Dahl --
The house party ; The Blessington method / Stanley Ellin --
Over there, darkness / William O'Farrell --
The sailing club / David Ely --
Special award : this will kill you / Patrick Quentin --
H as in homicide / Lawrence Treat --
The chosen one / Rhys Davies --
The oblong room / Edward D. Hoch --
The man who fooled the world / Warner Law --
Goodbye, Pops / Joe Gores --
In the forests of Riga the beasts are very wild indeed / Margery Finn Brown --
Moonlight gardener / Robert L. Fish --
The purple shroud / Joyce Harrington --
The whimper of whipped dogs / Harlan Ellison --
The jail / Jesse Hill Ford --
Like a terrible scream / Etta Revesz --
Chance after chance / Thomas Walsh --
The cloud beneath the eaves / Barbara Owens.
Contents:
The adventure of the mad tea-party / Ellery Queen --
After-dinner story / William Irish --
Catfish story / Lawrence G. Blochman --
Love lies bleeding / Philip MacDonald --
Lamb to the slaughter ; The landlady / Roald Dahl --
The house party ; The Blessington method / Stanley Ellin --
Over there, darkness / William O'Farrell --
The sailing club / David Ely --
Special award : this will kill you / Patrick Quentin --
H as in homicide / Lawrence Treat --
The chosen one / Rhys Davies --
The oblong room / Edward D. Hoch --
The man who fooled the world / Warner Law --
Goodbye, Pops / Joe Gores --
In the forests of Riga the beasts are very wild indeed / Margery Finn Brown --
Moonlight gardener / Robert L. Fish --
The purple shroud / Joyce Harrington --
The whimper of whipped dogs / Harlan Ellison --
The jail / Jesse Hill Ford --
Like a terrible scream / Etta Revesz --
Chance after chance / Thomas Walsh --
The cloud beneath the eaves / Barbara Owens.
- GenresMysteryAnthologies
420 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 1980
1 person is currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Bill Pronzini
629 books236 followersMystery Writers of America Awards "Grand Master" 2008
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink
Married to author Marcia Muller.
Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1999) for Boobytrap
Edgar Awards Best Novel nominee (1998) for A Wasteland of Strangers
Shamus Awards Best Novel nominee (1997) for Sentinels
Shamus Awards "The Eye" (Lifetime achievment award) 1987
Shamus Awards Best Novel winner (1982) for Hoodwink
Married to author Marcia Muller.
Pseudonyms:
Robert Hart Davis (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Jack Foxx
William Jeffrey (collaboration with Jeffrey M. Wallmann)
Alex Saxon
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 5, 2012
The Edgar Winners: 33rd Annual Anthology of the Mystery Writers of America edited by Bill Pronzini gives us twenty-four of the stories that have been selected as winners of the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Excellence. It would be safe to assume that all of these stories should be knock-out mysteries...detective fiction...crime fiction. Right? Well...pretty much. There are some just brilliant stories here. My favorites: "After Dinner Story," "Lamb to the Slaughter," "Over There--Darkness," and "Moonlight Gardener." There are some that have an element of the supernatural or the bizarre: "The House Party," "The Chosen One," and "In the Forests of Riga the Beasts Are Very Wild Indeed." There are also a couple that I just don't get or much care for the style: ""Like a Terrible Scream" and "The Chosen One" (double-billing!).
And one that I'm a little uncomfortable with.... Yes, Harlan Ellison's story starts out with a murder. Can't fault him there. But there's no mystery. There's no detection. Don't get me wrong--I love Ellison. The man can write...and he can turn his characters inside out like no one else can. This is a marvelous study of the psychology of the city-dweller. It's pitch-perfect in sound....and feel...and atmosphere. Does it deserve an Edgar? Absolutely--but more in the spirit of "The Masque of the Red Death" or "The Premature Burial" than "The Purloined Letter" or "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
A very nice collection indeed. Four stars.
"The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party" by Ellery Queen: Like the adventures of Alice, this one has a slightly surreal feeling to it--from the odd "gifts" appearing on the doorstep to the mirror that disappears and reappears much like the Cheshire cat.
"After-Dinner Story" by William Irish: Seven men get on an elevator...with the operator, that makes eight. When the elevator plunges from the tenth floor to the basement only six will come out alive. The operator dies of his injuries, but the eighth man has been shot...with his own gun and apparently by his own hand. It's officially ruled a suicide, but the man's father refuses to accept that and takes unique measures to find justice.
"Catfish Story" by Lawrence G. Blochman: A professor of ichthyology tells a story of sleepwalking and accidentally knocking a man downstairs...killing him. Detective Max Ritter smells a fish story, but does that mean the professor is guilty? Ritter throws out some bait and the professor and his wife are surprised at the catch of the day.
"Love Lies Bleeding" by Philip MacDonald: Cyprian has always been able to rely on Charles when he needed help. But when he needs help to escape a murder charge, will the price be too high?
"Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl: A very clever way to get rid of the evidence....
"The House Party" by Stanley Ellis: What if you had to relive your mistakes....and your murder...over and over again?
"The Blessington Method" by Stanley Ellis: Well, that's one way to deal with an elderly relative....
"Over There--Darkness" by William O'Farrell: Miss Fox learns that there are worse things than having your diamond and emerald ring stolen.
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl: Bill Weaver meets a landlady who has fetish for stuffing her pets.
"The Sailing Club" by David Ely: What do successful business men do when they no longer get quite the same thrill out of closing a successful deal? They hope to be elected to the elite Sailing Club. A nice boat trip will certainly get the ol' blood flowing. Somebody's blood anyway.
"This Will Kill You" by Patrick Quentin: Harry Lund decides he wants to be rid of his wife. He doesn't realize how hard it's going to be on him....
"H as in Homicide" by Lawrence Treat: Two young women set out for California. One disappears and winds up dead. Detective Mitch Taylor thinks he's going to wow his lieutenant with his brilliance....but a confession beats him to the punch.
"The Chosen One" by Rhys Davies: Mrs. Vines has a very odd obsession with the man who lives in the cottage at the end of her property. It may well be her undoing....
"The Oblong Room" by Edward D. Hoch: How far would you go for someone you worshiped as a god? Would you die for them? Would you do murder?
"The Man Who Fooled the World" by Warner Law: What's a little painting forgery among "friends"?
"Goodbye Pops" by Joe Gores: The black sheep of the family breaks jail to go home and say goodbye to his dad. He may get a longer stretch as a result.
"In the Forests of Riga the Beasts Are Very Wild Indeed" by Margery Finn Brown: This one is so bizarre that I'm not even sure what to say about it. The real mystery here is....has a crime been committed?
"Moonlight Gardener" by Robert L. Fish: reminiscent of Cornell Woolrich's "It Had to Be Murder" (On which the film Rear Window was based)--with a twist.
"The Purple Shroud" by Joyce Harrington: George Moon cheats on his wife once too often. Don't be fooled by that placid smile, George.
"The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" by Harlan Ellison: a study of the beast that lies within the average city-dweller.
"The Jail" by Jesse Hill Ford: What happens when a pretend sheriff dreams up the "perfect" jail?
"Like a Terrible Scream" by Etta Revesz: There are some things a younger brother just doesn't need to know.
"Chance After Chance" by Thomas Walsh: Can a drunken, defrocked priest redeem himself? But what of the stolen money--will that be too big a temptation to resist?
"The Cloud Beneath the Eaves" by Barbara Owens: Alice has just a little bit of a Daddy fixation....just a bit.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
And one that I'm a little uncomfortable with.... Yes, Harlan Ellison's story starts out with a murder. Can't fault him there. But there's no mystery. There's no detection. Don't get me wrong--I love Ellison. The man can write...and he can turn his characters inside out like no one else can. This is a marvelous study of the psychology of the city-dweller. It's pitch-perfect in sound....and feel...and atmosphere. Does it deserve an Edgar? Absolutely--but more in the spirit of "The Masque of the Red Death" or "The Premature Burial" than "The Purloined Letter" or "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
A very nice collection indeed. Four stars.
"The Adventure of the Mad Tea Party" by Ellery Queen: Like the adventures of Alice, this one has a slightly surreal feeling to it--from the odd "gifts" appearing on the doorstep to the mirror that disappears and reappears much like the Cheshire cat.
"After-Dinner Story" by William Irish: Seven men get on an elevator...with the operator, that makes eight. When the elevator plunges from the tenth floor to the basement only six will come out alive. The operator dies of his injuries, but the eighth man has been shot...with his own gun and apparently by his own hand. It's officially ruled a suicide, but the man's father refuses to accept that and takes unique measures to find justice.
"Catfish Story" by Lawrence G. Blochman: A professor of ichthyology tells a story of sleepwalking and accidentally knocking a man downstairs...killing him. Detective Max Ritter smells a fish story, but does that mean the professor is guilty? Ritter throws out some bait and the professor and his wife are surprised at the catch of the day.
"Love Lies Bleeding" by Philip MacDonald: Cyprian has always been able to rely on Charles when he needed help. But when he needs help to escape a murder charge, will the price be too high?
"Lamb to the Slaughter" by Roald Dahl: A very clever way to get rid of the evidence....
"The House Party" by Stanley Ellis: What if you had to relive your mistakes....and your murder...over and over again?
"The Blessington Method" by Stanley Ellis: Well, that's one way to deal with an elderly relative....
"Over There--Darkness" by William O'Farrell: Miss Fox learns that there are worse things than having your diamond and emerald ring stolen.
"The Landlady" by Roald Dahl: Bill Weaver meets a landlady who has fetish for stuffing her pets.
"The Sailing Club" by David Ely: What do successful business men do when they no longer get quite the same thrill out of closing a successful deal? They hope to be elected to the elite Sailing Club. A nice boat trip will certainly get the ol' blood flowing. Somebody's blood anyway.
"This Will Kill You" by Patrick Quentin: Harry Lund decides he wants to be rid of his wife. He doesn't realize how hard it's going to be on him....
"H as in Homicide" by Lawrence Treat: Two young women set out for California. One disappears and winds up dead. Detective Mitch Taylor thinks he's going to wow his lieutenant with his brilliance....but a confession beats him to the punch.
"The Chosen One" by Rhys Davies: Mrs. Vines has a very odd obsession with the man who lives in the cottage at the end of her property. It may well be her undoing....
"The Oblong Room" by Edward D. Hoch: How far would you go for someone you worshiped as a god? Would you die for them? Would you do murder?
"The Man Who Fooled the World" by Warner Law: What's a little painting forgery among "friends"?
"Goodbye Pops" by Joe Gores: The black sheep of the family breaks jail to go home and say goodbye to his dad. He may get a longer stretch as a result.
"In the Forests of Riga the Beasts Are Very Wild Indeed" by Margery Finn Brown: This one is so bizarre that I'm not even sure what to say about it. The real mystery here is....has a crime been committed?
"Moonlight Gardener" by Robert L. Fish: reminiscent of Cornell Woolrich's "It Had to Be Murder" (On which the film Rear Window was based)--with a twist.
"The Purple Shroud" by Joyce Harrington: George Moon cheats on his wife once too often. Don't be fooled by that placid smile, George.
"The Whimper of Whipped Dogs" by Harlan Ellison: a study of the beast that lies within the average city-dweller.
"The Jail" by Jesse Hill Ford: What happens when a pretend sheriff dreams up the "perfect" jail?
"Like a Terrible Scream" by Etta Revesz: There are some things a younger brother just doesn't need to know.
"Chance After Chance" by Thomas Walsh: Can a drunken, defrocked priest redeem himself? But what of the stolen money--will that be too big a temptation to resist?
"The Cloud Beneath the Eaves" by Barbara Owens: Alice has just a little bit of a Daddy fixation....just a bit.
This review was first posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
November 26, 2019
First, to clarify. Not all of the stories here won the Edgar. Before 1954, the award went to an author for a body of work, so the editors selected representative stories from the canons of Ellery Queen, William Irish (Woolrich), Lawrence Blochman, Philip. Macdonald, and Roald Dahl. And a few of the post 1954 prize-winning stories are missing from subsequent years, perhaps for rights issues?
And like any anthology, you have a mixed bag, especially thematically. What I found surprising was that the stories that held up best originally appeared in genre magazines. The ones that were published in slicker magazines like McCalls or more literary journals now sound pretentious and somewhat dated. Not that they were all bad; the David Ely entry has inspired me to delve further and I'd subscribe to the New Yorker if they were still publishing Roald Dahl. But the EQMM definitely rules the roost here!
And like any anthology, you have a mixed bag, especially thematically. What I found surprising was that the stories that held up best originally appeared in genre magazines. The ones that were published in slicker magazines like McCalls or more literary journals now sound pretentious and somewhat dated. Not that they were all bad; the David Ely entry has inspired me to delve further and I'd subscribe to the New Yorker if they were still publishing Roald Dahl. But the EQMM definitely rules the roost here!
November 28, 2022
Highlights: Special Award(This Will Kill You)/Patrick Quentin, After-dinner Story/Wm Irish, Catfish Story/Lawrence Blochman, The Chosen One/Rhys Davis, Monlight Gardener/Robt L Fish, Chance after Chance/Thomas Walsh , The Man Who Fooled the World/Warner Law, The House Party + The Blessington Method/Stanley Ellin, Goodbye Pops/Joe Gores, H as in Homicide/Lawrence Treat, The Landlady/Roald Dahl and Over There/Wm O'Farrell Also good: Oblong Room/Ed Hoch, Love Lies Bleeding/Philip MacDonald, In the Forest of Riga the Beasts are Very Wild Indeed/Brown, The Whimper of Whipped Dogs/Ellison, The Purple Shroud/Joyce Harrington & THe Adventure of the Mad Tea=party/Ellery Queen
April 5, 2019
I really like mystery books so I was interested in this collection. It had a few things going for it: all of the stories had won the Edgar awards (named after Edgar Allen Poe), they were short stories and they were compiled spanning several decades. I found that I liked the earlier ones better than the later ones (the first story was written in 1934 and the last in 1978). The earlier ones were more film noir and were easier to visualize. I loved the dialogue. The later ones were still well written but lacked that extra zip which made me as interested in the first few. My favorite was probably, "The Blessington Method" by Stanley Ellin, which was about a successful business man being visited by a salesman advocating for a Blessington Method. This businessman had just had his father in law move in with him and was a nuisance. Basically, they talked all around it but ended up having him killed. I guess the reason I liked it was because of the language and the strong descriptors. I also really liked "After Dinner Story" by William Irish. It was about several men who had been trapped in an elevator accident and one of the men had died. The dead man's father believes it was a murder and gathers all of the survivors to try and find the guilty culprit. Most of the stories were good, a few were so so. Altogether an enjoyable read - had to intersperse it with other books though otherwise it was too depressing with most of the main plots being around murder.
What made me pick this book up? One of the Nov 2009 Charity Garage Sale pick ups
What was the best part of the book?
What was the part I liked least? It was sometimes too grim and graphic.
Favorite character: MacKenzie in After-Dinner Story. He was such a good narrator - evoking details without being dull and seeming like a strong, steady center for the story.
Least favorite character: Too hard to tell. Maybe Audrey Vines in The Chosen One. She was crazy and they didn't explain it very well.
What made me pick this book up? One of the Nov 2009 Charity Garage Sale pick ups
What was the best part of the book?
What was the part I liked least? It was sometimes too grim and graphic.
Favorite character: MacKenzie in After-Dinner Story. He was such a good narrator - evoking details without being dull and seeming like a strong, steady center for the story.
Least favorite character: Too hard to tell. Maybe Audrey Vines in The Chosen One. She was crazy and they didn't explain it very well.
December 10, 2011
This collection of murder mystery short stories is the best I read in its genre. My favorites were (in personal preference): 1)"The Man Who Fooled the World" by Warner Law, 2)"After-Dinner Story" by William Irish, and 3)This Will Kill You" by Patrick Quentin. These three stories were riveting and page-turners.
I recommend this book to all murder mystery fans; you'll thank me later.
I recommend this book to all murder mystery fans; you'll thank me later.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews