The Shattered Raven

by Edward D. Hoch

At a gathering of the nation’s foremost mystery authors, death takes the stageDozens die each year for the sake of the annual Mystery Writers of America banquet. Heiresses are poisoned, captains of industry are stabbed, and private detectives are gunned down in the street. To mystery authors, these fictional murders are nothing but good fun. But at the annual presentation of the MWA’s prestigious Edgar and Raven awards, real-life death is about to intrude. Ross Craigthorn’s nightly news program has made him one of the most well-respected men in the country, but deep in his past lies a terrible secret - one he shares with only a few others. They have done their best to forget their long-ago crime, but when Craigthorn decides to come clean, his old accomplice knows that the time has come for murder. When a room full of mystery authors witnesses a killing, which of them will have the nerve to play detective?

Genres: Mystery

192 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1969

About the author

Edward D. Hoch is one of the most honored mystery writers of all time.

* 1968 Edgar Allan Poe Award (Mystery Writers of America): "The Oblong Room", The Saint Mystery Magazine, July 1967
* 1998 Anthony Award (Bouchercon World Mystery Convention): "One Bag of Coconuts", EQMM, November 1997
* 2001 Anthony Award (Bouchercon): "The Problem of the Potting Shed", EQMM, July 2000
* 2007 Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award (awarded 2008): "The Theft of the Ostracized Ostrich", EQMM, June 2007
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Private Eye Writers of America), 2000
* Grand Master (Mystery Writers of America), 2001
* Lifetime Achievement Award (Bouchercon), 2001

Reviews

[Les Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good book which I enjoyed.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good.

I enjoyed reading it. There were things that might have been checked up on and weren’t. Unusual story worth reading.

[Don Osborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great, well crafted literary murder mystery

Murder at the Mystery Writers of America Edgar Award banquet. Chose this one on a whim and glad I did. Turned out to be a great, well crafted literary murder mystery and VERY enjoyable. I highly recommend it. Going to try other books by Hoch!!

[Jeremy Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried this one after reading most of the available Nick Velvet stories, some of which I'd mildly enjoyed (especially the later ones). But I abandoned this novel after the first few chapters (which, of course, is also a caveat regarding my familiarity with the book as I critique it).

Apart from its general aura of stupidity, what made this unreadable to me was the author's embarrassingly poor attempt to get inside the head of a young "career woman." Not that this is surprising from a male author writing in the 1960s; but because the book didn't seem to offer much in the way of mitigating merits, it was easier to throw aside than a generally better book might be.

The Nick Velvet stories are not necessarily any less insulting to one's intelligence, but perhaps the slick "comic book" feel of them makes it less annoying. This novel, by contrast, seems to want to have more of a "real world" sophistication, so the stupidity becomes more glaring.

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a murder occurring at the Mystery Writers of America's annual dinner, the executive secretary is asked by the society to track down the killer and preserve their good name. An interesting behind the scenes look at the MWA with a bit of name dropping. The change in viewpoints from chapter to chapter serves it well, as does the atmosphere of New York and the MWA.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not one of Hoch's best. Better than his Simon Ark series, but no where near as good as his "Night" series.