Meurtres et Passions : 16 nouvelles inédites par les maîtres du suspens américain

by Otto Penzler, Anne Damour, Yves Sarda

16 nouvelles inédites par les maîtres du suspense américain.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Crime

346 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

About the author

Otto Penzler is an editor of mystery fiction in the United States, and proprietor of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City, where he lives.

Otto Penzler founded The Mysteriour Press in 1975 and was the publisher of The Armchair Detective, the Edgar-winning quarterly journal devoted to the study of mystery and suspense fiction, for seventeen years.

Penzler has won two Edgar Awards, for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection in 1977, and The Lineup in 2010. The Mystery Writers of America awarded him the prestigious Ellery Queen Award in 1994, and the Raven--the group's highest non-writing award--in 2003.

Reviews

[AC]

Out of the 15 newly published stories in this Penzler collection, I chose to read (or to consider reading) 7 or 8 of them. But Anne Perry’s was the [only] real gem. Set in the trenches of France in late 1915, and beautifully written, this story won the 2000 Edgar Award for Best Short Story. Just wonderful: Anne Perry, “Heroes” (2000). Kent Anderson, “Burglary in Progress” is a gritty police story, but too short to be substantial.

The other stories in this collection didn’t grab me, but others might like them:
Edna Buchanen, “The Red Shoes” [suspense]
Joyce Carol Oates, “Vampire”
Amanda Cross, “The Double-Barreled Gun”
Philip Friedman, “Dog Days”
Elizabeth George, “I, Richard”
James Hall, “Crack”
James Crumley, “The Mexican Pig-Bandit”
Eric Van Lustbader, “Slow Burn”
Michael Malone, “Invitation to the Ball”
Ed McBain, “Barking at Butterflies”
Shel Silverstein, “The Guilty Party”
Dennis Lehane, “Running Out of Dog” [totally unlike “his other stuff”. Set in a small southern town in S.C.
Elmore Leonard, “Sparks”

[Frank McGirk]

I really like short fiction when I'm driving (heard these on tape), as I tend to zone out on longer works, and these stories were perfect. A range from Elmore Leonard to Shel Silverstein, and most very good.

Ed McBain is still a chump though.

[Lorene Plat]

J'ai toujours aimé le principe des nouvelles.
On peut en lire une et poser le livre quelque temps, avant de le reprendre.
Toutes les nouvelles de ce recueil sont bonnes.
Il y'a des crimes passionnels et c'est passionnant !

Je recommande ce livre et ses 16 nouvelles.

[Ashia Like Aша]

When I first saw this book and even read its introduction by Otto Penzler himself, I had great expectations for the stories within this book; not to mention that I am very fond of the mystery genre. What I received from this book instead was a group of "flat" stories, that provided me with only a small portion of the thrill that I love to extract from mystery and horror. Not all (The Red Shoes, The Vampire, and maybe a few more) disappointed me, but most of these short stories didn't give me that adrenaline rush or surprise that I'd hoped for. Maybe because they were short stories, or maybe because they were meant to be subtle, but these weren't really the types of stories I look for.

[Tuxlie]

From lethal spikes to fatal kisses, from mad dogs to battle-crazed Englishmen, here indeed is Murder and Obsession, a star-studded collection of previously unpublished short mysteries. In the wickedly and entertaining tradition of Penzler's acclaimed MURDER FOR LOVE and MURDER FOR REVENGE, the award-winning editor has once again gathered the best of the best, fifteen bestselling authors who dare to explore obsession at its most insidious. With authors as diverse as Joyce Carol Oates, Ed McBain, Edna Buchanan, Amanda Cross, James Crumley, Elmore Leonard and Shel Silverstein, Penzler has assembled an anthology that is sure to leave readers spellbound.

[Jacob Gould]

Reading the short story by James Crumley; The Mexican Pig Bandit.

[Bryony]

A routine mix of thriller stories but is passing the time