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Better Mousetraps: The Best Mystery Stories of John Lutz
John Lutz nous présente ici un choix de contes cruels, sournois, un brin sadiques, dont les amoureux de l'Humour Noir feront leurs délices.
The other runner
The wounded tiger
The real shape of the coast
High stakes
Buried treasure
The explosives expert
Big game
In memory of ..
Hand of fate
The second shot
The shooting of Curly Dan
The day of the picnic
Mortal combat
Something for the dark
The insomniacs club
The music from dowstairs
The landscape dreams
Until your are dead
Something like murder
Trickle down
Dear Dorie
Dead man
Games for adults
The butcher, the baker
No small problem
Deeper and deeper
On guard
Fractions
Pure rotten
Autumn madness
Understanding electicity
Discount fare
Close calls
One man's manual
Mail order
The other runner
The wounded tiger
The real shape of the coast
High stakes
Buried treasure
The explosives expert
Big game
In memory of ..
Hand of fate
The second shot
The shooting of Curly Dan
The day of the picnic
Mortal combat
Something for the dark
The insomniacs club
The music from dowstairs
The landscape dreams
Until your are dead
Something like murder
Trickle down
Dear Dorie
Dead man
Games for adults
The butcher, the baker
No small problem
Deeper and deeper
On guard
Fractions
Pure rotten
Autumn madness
Understanding electicity
Discount fare
Close calls
One man's manual
Mail order
347 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 1988
About the author
John Lutz
241 books303 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 19, 2020
Excellent book. John Lutz, much like Lawrence Block, never disappoints. In fact, "Insomniacs Club" could easily have been a Block story, very similar to what he writes. Loved most all of the stories. Several that I found interesting: "In Memory of . . .", the unspoken ending is superb and gave me a delightful chuckle, "Dead Man", "Hand of Fate." A couple of the stories were truly hilarious: "On Guard," and "Mail Order."
I'm a big fan of Lutz's Fred Carver Series. Tropical Heat is the first in the Carver series. Kiss is one of my favorites (though it isn't next up--it might be #4).
The Alo Nudger series is also good. Very different from the Carver series, however. My all time favorite of the Nudger series is The Right to Sing the Blues. I highly recommend it. I might dive into The Nudger Dilemmas next.
Lutz also wrote Single White Female, which most people are familiar with.
I'm a big fan of Lutz's Fred Carver Series. Tropical Heat is the first in the Carver series. Kiss is one of my favorites (though it isn't next up--it might be #4).
The Alo Nudger series is also good. Very different from the Carver series, however. My all time favorite of the Nudger series is The Right to Sing the Blues. I highly recommend it. I might dive into The Nudger Dilemmas next.
Lutz also wrote Single White Female, which most people are familiar with.
October 26, 2014
Not quite as good as his collection The Nudger Dilemmas, which has all his stories about private eye Alo Nudger, but this one does have more variety.
June 24, 2022
The Other Runner - 3.0 out of 5.0
An okay crime story.
The Wounded Tiger - 3.25 out of 5.0
An amusing riff on "The Most Dangerous Game".
The Real Shape of the Coast - 3.0 out of 5.0
Interesting premise - a murder mystery set within an insane asylum where the inmates themselves try to determine the culprit - but it's fairly routine otherwise.
High Stakes - 3.25 out of 5.0
A gambler is stranded on the ledge of a building and tries to find a way back inside - simple, but tense. Stephen King spun a similar yarn in "The Cat's Eye".
Buried Treasure - 3.0 out of 5.0
A map leads to something buried in Florida... and it's not treasure. Interesting.
The Explosives Expert - 2.75 out of 5.0
Standard crime tale of infidelity, jealousy, and murder. A weaker entry.
Big Game - 3.0 out of 5.0
A man blackmails patients of a psychiatrist which proves to be a fatal mistake. Okay.
In Memory Of - 3.0 out of 5.0
A pet cemetery is used for alternative means. Okay.
Hand of Fate - 3.75 out of 5.0
One of the best of the collection - a tense tale that follows in the footsteps of Hitchcock's "Breakdown" with a character who is incapacitated and desperately tries to save himself from his situation.
An okay crime story.
The Wounded Tiger - 3.25 out of 5.0
An amusing riff on "The Most Dangerous Game".
The Real Shape of the Coast - 3.0 out of 5.0
Interesting premise - a murder mystery set within an insane asylum where the inmates themselves try to determine the culprit - but it's fairly routine otherwise.
High Stakes - 3.25 out of 5.0
A gambler is stranded on the ledge of a building and tries to find a way back inside - simple, but tense. Stephen King spun a similar yarn in "The Cat's Eye".
Buried Treasure - 3.0 out of 5.0
A map leads to something buried in Florida... and it's not treasure. Interesting.
The Explosives Expert - 2.75 out of 5.0
Standard crime tale of infidelity, jealousy, and murder. A weaker entry.
Big Game - 3.0 out of 5.0
A man blackmails patients of a psychiatrist which proves to be a fatal mistake. Okay.
In Memory Of - 3.0 out of 5.0
A pet cemetery is used for alternative means. Okay.
Hand of Fate - 3.75 out of 5.0
One of the best of the collection - a tense tale that follows in the footsteps of Hitchcock's "Breakdown" with a character who is incapacitated and desperately tries to save himself from his situation.
August 19, 2021
BETTER MOUSETRAPS THE BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF JOHN LUTZ and narrated by KENNETH CAMPBELL consists of 35 amusing short stories of John Lutz's. The stories range from the totally strange to completely sublime and I loved every second of the audiobook!
I got hooked on the works of John Lutz just recently and enjoyed them so much I sought out more. BETTER MOUSETRAPS, in this listeners humble opinion is one of his best ! The stories take twists and turns you dont see coming, or do you? Either way its a totally enjoyable listen! Kenneth Campbell's narration makes the listening experience even better!
I recieved this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review.
I got hooked on the works of John Lutz just recently and enjoyed them so much I sought out more. BETTER MOUSETRAPS, in this listeners humble opinion is one of his best ! The stories take twists and turns you dont see coming, or do you? Either way its a totally enjoyable listen! Kenneth Campbell's narration makes the listening experience even better!
I recieved this audiobook free in exchange for an honest review.
December 10, 2012
Nice book of old time short stories. Most were pretty interesting with a little bit of a twist or 'gotcha' at the end.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews