The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 1: First Annual Collection

The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories #1

by Ed Gorman (Editor)

The World's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories, First Annual Edition finally fills the void for those with a hunger for the best mystery and suspense stories of the past year. Multi-award--winning editor Ed Gorman has collected stories from the world over, to present more than 200,00 words of superlative fiction. These acclaimed writers, from both the United States and the British Isles,

Doug Allyn
Lawrence Block
Jeffery Deaver
Loren D. Estleman
J.A. Jance
Ed McBain
Marcia Muller
Anne Perry
Bill Pronzini
Ian Rankin
Jerry Sykes
Donald E. Westlake
and many others.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction

384 pages, Paperback

First published September 30, 2000

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”

Reviews

[Kimberly Patton]

I really enjoyed these stories! I didn't finish it, but loved the 4-5 that I listened to on audio-book.

[Carolyn Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some excellent stories and some just so-so, but overall a good collection

[Brice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book I'm currently reading this book. I have finished 3 stories. The stories are Heroes, Rio Grande Gothic, and The Hanged Man. Heroes is about a war when one of the soldiers friends was wounded and panicked and shoot himself. Rio Grande Gothic is about a cop who drove by a church on a road and found shoes. So who he expected he scoped out the house. He had found the shoes every year for 3 years on May 15. He had fell asleep on the 14th and he awoke to being clubbed in his head. So the brothers had told him that they had put the shoes out on the road as a sacrifice. The 3rd is called The Hanged Man. It's about a serial killer whom goes and kills for his dad. So his dad told him to kill a fortune killer, which turns out to be his mom.

[Missmath144 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Scott Brick is the narrator on the CD collection. He is an excellent reader. The stories themselves are performed by many different readers. Most of the stories are quite good, although having listened to them twice now, that will probably be enough. Ed Gorman did go on to create several more of these annual collections of mystery and crime stories.

[Nicole Marble · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! 18 wildly different and wonderfully creative stories. I've made note of the authors names and will look for more of their work. An amazing collection!