Synopses & Reviews
Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected and most popular of its kind.
This seventh installment of the premier mystery anthology boasts pulse-quickening stories from all reaches of the genre, selected by the world-renowned mystery writer Michael Connelly. His choices include a Prohibition-era tale of a scorned lover's revenge, a Sherlock Holmes-inspired mystery solved by an actor playing the famous detective onstage, stories of a woman's near-fatal search for self-discovery, a bar owner's gutsy attempt to outwit the mob, a showdown between double-crossing detectives, and a tale of murder by psychology. This year's edition features mystery favorites as well as talented up-and-comers, for a diverse colleciton sure to thrill all readers.
- James Crumley
- Pete Dexter
- Brendan DuBois
- Elmore Leonard
- Walter Mosley
- Joyce Carol Oates
Review
"This year the well-knowns have the floor, with James Crumley, Pete Dexter, Elmore Leonard, Walter Mosley, and George P. Pelecanos all on board and all turning in excellent stories....This series can be counted on to showcase the best of mainstream crime fiction." Bill Ott, Booklist
Review
"[An] outstanding compendium....Writers who deserve to be more famous, like Doug Allyn, O'Neill de Noux and Monica Wood, bring fresh insights to familiar material." Publishers Weekly
Synopsis
Our anthology marks its seventh year by featuring selections from all reaches of the genre. World-renowned mystery scribe Michael Connelly has chosen work by mystery favorites as well as talented up-and-comers for a diverse collection sure to thrill all readers.
Synopsis
Don't miss this page-turner for the mystery lover
Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system has helped make the Best American series the most respected -- and most popular -- of its kind.
This seventh installment of the premier mystery anthology boasts pulse-quickening stories from all reaches of the genre, selected by the world-renowned mystery writer Michael Connelly. His choices include a Prohibition-era tale of a scorned lover's revenge, a Sherlock Holmesinspired mystery solved by an actor playing the famous detective onstage, stories of a woman's near-fatal search for self-discovery, a bar owner's gutsy attempt to outwit the mob, and a showdown between double-crossing detectives, and a tale of murder by psychology. This year's edition features mystery favorites as well as talented up-and-comers, for a diverse colleciton sure to thrill all readers.
James Crumley Pete Dexter Brendan DuBois Elmore Leonard Walter Mosley Joyce Carol Oates
About the Author
Michael Connelly is the author of the best-selling
Blood Work,
Chasing the Dime, and most recently
Lost Light. He has won many international awards, including the Edgar Award, the Maltese Falcon Award, and the Grand Prix, and he is the 2003 president of the Mystery Writers of America.
Otto Penzler is the founder of the Mysterious Bookshop and the Mysterious Press.
Table of Contents
Foreword ix
Introduction by Michael Connelly xiii
The Jukebox King by Doug Allyn 1
Aardvark to Aztec by Christopher Chambers 22
The Pickpocket by Christopher Cook 34
After You've Gone by John Peyton Cooke 47
Hostages by James Crumley 62
Death on Denial by O'Neil De Noux 68
The Jeweler by Pete Dexter 80
Thug: Signification and the (De) Construction of Self by Tyler Dilts 88
War Can Be Murder by Mike Doogan 96
Richard's Children by Brendan DuBois 115
When the Women Come Out to Dance by Elmore Leonard 137
The Confession by Robert McKee 150
Lavender by Walter Mosley 169
The Skull by Joyce Carol Oates 199
The Dead Their Eyes Implore Us by George P. Pelecanos 215
Sockdolager by Scott Phillips 231
The Adventure of the Agitated Actress by Daniel Stashower 250
Home Sweet Home by Hannah Tinti 270
Controlled Burn by Scott Wolven 289
That One Autumn by Monica Wood 299
Contributors' Notes 315
Other Distinguished Mystery Stories of 2002 327