Synopses & Reviews
Its not easy to collect, in a single volume, the finest mystery and suspense fiction the world has to offer, but
The Worlds Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection rises to that challenge, inviting you to discover what Kirkus Reviews dubs “ . . . the years anthology of choice.”
In his Second Annual collection, Ed Gorman once again brings together the years most powerful fiction by such outstanding authors as Lawrence Block, Stuart M. Kaminsky, Ed McBain, Joyce Carol Oates, Ian Rankin, and Donald E. Westlake. The volume also abounds with fresh new stories by newer authors, from U. S. publications, and also from sources on other shores, including England, Germany, and the Netherlands.
Ed Gorman set benchmark for great mystery and suspense fiction with the First Annual Collection. Overflowing with award-winning authors and terrific stories, The Worlds Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection also promises to be a treasure for anyone who loves a mystery.
More than 200,000 words of superlative mystery and suspense fiction from around the world, with stories by:
Lawrence Block
Jan Burke
Dorothy Cannell
Clark Howard
Peter Lovesey
Joyce Carol Oates
Nancy Pickard
Bill Pronzini
Ian Rankin
And many others
A Banquet of Mystery and Crime Fiction
For those who love outstanding mystery and crime reading, award-winning author and editor, Ed Gorman, has once again collected the best stories of the year from around the world. Immerse yourself in stories that baffle, tantalize, and delight, by the following authors:
Miguel Agustí
Doug Allyn
Noreen Ayres
Robert Barnard
Lawrence Block
Jan Burke
Dorothy Cannell
Stanley Cohen
Mat Coward
Peter Crowther
Brendan DuBois
Jurgen Ehlers
Pete Hamill
Joseph Hansen
Edward D. Hoch
Clark Howard
Stuart M. Kaminsky
Richard Laymon
Gillian Linscott
Peter Lovesey
John Lutz
Christine Matthews
Ed McBain
Bob Mendes
Denise Mina
Joyce Carol Oates
Gary Phillips
Nancy Pickard
Bill Pronzini
Robert J. Randisi
Ian Rankin
Les Roberts
Peter Robinson
S. J. Rozan
Kristine Kathryn Rusch
Donald E. Westlake
Review
"The first 50 pages of this giant volume are packed with valuable and fascinating material and you haven't even gotten to the stories yet....As for the stories...they literally provide something for every mystery taste....An improvement over last year's selection, this is excellent value for the money." Publishers Weekly
Review
"A standout among mystery anthologies....This collection, the second in an annual series, has heft and authority, and it breaks the typical Anglo-American bias by including stories from writers the world over....Capers, cozies, character puzzles, mysteries that hinge on wordplay, excursions into noir, and comic jaunts are all represented." Connie Fletcher, Booklist
Review
"[A]n excellent book that reads like an honor roll of the genre....There are forty entries varying in quality, but none are poor as Mr. Gorman always keeps the level of performance at the highest bars." Internet Book Watch
Synopsis
The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories returns with the second volume in this on-going annual series collecting the very best of the year's mystery and crime fiction from all around the world. This comprehensive volume finally fills the void for those wishing for a companion to the The Year's Best Science Fiction and The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror. Edgar and Bram Stoker Award nominated editor Ed Gorman has once again selected the very best mystery and crime stories of 2000 from the world over, and packed them into this mammoth volume.
About the Author
Ed Gorman, winner of the Shamus Award, has been writing fiction in many genres for over twenty years. He is the author of more than twenty novels and dozens of short stories, and has been a finalist for the Edgard and Bram Stoker Awards. He lives with his wife, author Carol Gorman, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
Table of Contents
The Year in Mystery and Crime Fiction: 2000 15
A 2000 Yearbook of Crime and Mystery 23
World Mystery Report: Great Britain 35
World Mystery Report: Australia 41
World Mystery Report: Canada 43
World Mystery Report: Germany 45
The 2000 Short Story Edgar Awards 47
The Year 2000 in Mystery Fandom 49
Spinning 55
The Summer People 79
Afraid of the Dark 93
For All the Saints 113
Let's Get Lost 125
Under Suspicion 137
Childhood 155
Art & Craft 175
The Allotment 187
Twelve of the Little Buggers 203
Missing in Action 215
The Haggard Society 231
Scorpion's Kiss 245
Noble Causes 259
The Sleeping Detective 273
A Night in the Manchester Store 287
What Mr. McGrergor Saw 303
Delta Double-Deal 317
Three Nil 333
The Man in the Civil Suit 345
Black and White Memories 353
Nothing to Lose 363
Widower's Walk 373
Character Flaw 395
Golden Gate Bridge - A View from Below 411
Boo 419
Veterans 433
The Abbey Ghosts 443
The Country of the Blind 471
Happiness 501
The Confession 515
The Perfectionist 521
A Wall Too High 535
The Silence 549
The Big Bite 575
The Gathering of the Klan 587
When the Black Shadows Die 603
Rebirth (Cain and Abel) 627
Helena and the Babies 633
Old Soldiers 643
The Victim 661
The Poet of Pulp 671
Honorable Mentions 685
About the Editors 687