The Widow of Slane and Six More of the Best Crime and Mystery Novellas of the Year

by Ed Gorman (Editor), Doug Allyn (Contributor), Dana Stabenow (Contributor)

The novella has always held a hallowed place in literature, and nowhere is that more true than in the mystery field. Its length often allows a more in-depth examination of the fictional characters and crimes portrayed, while maintaining a wonderful sense of pacing and plot that can sometimes be lost in longer works.

Now, Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg are proud to present some of the finest crime and suspense novellas and novelettes from 2004, each from an acclaimed author in the field. From a literary mystery based on one of the most famous novels in the world by worldwide-bestseller Anne Perry to a nail-biting prison break from master storyteller Clark Howard, these insightful stories represent the best of the mystery novella in 2004.

Genres: Short Stories

324 pages, Paperback

First published July 11, 2006

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

[James]

The novella is short form fiction, longer than a short story but shorter than a novel. This book contains seven novellas in the crime genre by seven different writers, all of which have previous appeared in pulp fiction magazines. Most of them are American potboilers, set in Michigan, Alaska, California, and other such staple American locations. One is an unusual update of A Christmas Carol with some financial crime thrown in to ensure it fits the genre. Two are set in far-off lands: the title story is about an American in Ireland, and the final tale is rather unexpected: it gives us a quick visit to the French Revolution, where the crime is the theft and hoarding of cheese. I liked the book, mostly for its originality, but it was missing something. Although reading it was fun, many of the characters seemed wooden and lacking description, so they failed to lodge in the memory, and by the end of the book, I couldn't remember anything about the previous stories at all. A good book stays with you after finishing it. This wasn't bad, but there is a lot of room for improvement.

[Pam]

01/26/08 purchase via amazon