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jcbmathcat's review against another edition
3.0
This was the December selection for the mystery book club to which I belong.
Otto Penzler owns The Mysterious Bookshop in New York. He commissions a Christmas story each year from an author, publishes it, and gives it out as a holiday gift to customers. The bookshop has to play some role in the story.
Seventeen of the stories are in this book. It was an amusing read. There is a story for every type of mystery reader.
Now, I have a new place to check out for hard-to-find mysteries!
Otto Penzler owns The Mysterious Bookshop in New York. He commissions a Christmas story each year from an author, publishes it, and gives it out as a holiday gift to customers. The bookshop has to play some role in the story.
Seventeen of the stories are in this book. It was an amusing read. There is a story for every type of mystery reader.
Now, I have a new place to check out for hard-to-find mysteries!
marjolaine_lafreniere's review against another edition
3.0
I really like collections like this. I liked some stories more then others, but that's the point: someone else would like the stories I didn't like, and everyone ends up satisfied.
On an unrelated note, reading this book made me want to go to New-York and visit the Mysterious Bookshop. It must be a great place.
On an unrelated note, reading this book made me want to go to New-York and visit the Mysterious Bookshop. It must be a great place.
yarnpirate's review against another edition
4.0
I picked up this book for a Christmas In July swap. The stories are all fairly quick reads. Naturally some are better than others, but overall I enjoyed the collection and look forward to reading more from some of these authors. I found the appearance of Otto Penzler in most of the stories delightful since every story had a different take on the man. It really makes me wonder what he is actually like and what he thinks of his fictional selves in these annual Christmas tales.
rebeccasreadingrambles's review against another edition
5.0
What a great collection of stories! Each one was enjoyable and many of them made me smile or even laugh. These stories are all so unique and have a festive air that is quite enjoyable. The Mysterious Bookshop really came alive through this novel and is somewhere I'd love to visit. All the stories are so well done and still somehow work well together in the collection. The characters were all great and most of the mysteries were so interesting. All were captivating. A very quick and great read. Recommend this for everyone!
Spoiler
To think all these people would murder in the name of books! It really shows how much people value books and authors, even if it has devastating consequences.krisrid's review against another edition
3.0
This was a fun "theme" book of short stories all about mysteryies set in the Christmas season, with at least part of the action taking place in The Mysterious Bookshop.
The Mysterious Bookshop of the title is actually a real bookstore in the Tribeca area of Manhattan. The owner of the store is the editor of the book containing the short stories, all of which he commissioned through the years from famous mystery authors, one each year as a gift for loyal customers of the store for Christmas. He decided to consolidate and publish them in book form which this book is the result.
Although I am not usually a short-story fan, there were some clever, entertaining stories in the book. There were a handful that either the style or the subject matter just was not interesting to me, but overall the book was a good read and a clever concept. If you like short stories and mysteries, this may be worth your time in checking out.
The Mysterious Bookshop of the title is actually a real bookstore in the Tribeca area of Manhattan. The owner of the store is the editor of the book containing the short stories, all of which he commissioned through the years from famous mystery authors, one each year as a gift for loyal customers of the store for Christmas. He decided to consolidate and publish them in book form which this book is the result.
Although I am not usually a short-story fan, there were some clever, entertaining stories in the book. There were a handful that either the style or the subject matter just was not interesting to me, but overall the book was a good read and a clever concept. If you like short stories and mysteries, this may be worth your time in checking out.
annie8me's review against another edition
3.0
While I enjoy short stories to some degree, I feel mysteries just weren't what I was looking for in this book. It wasn't bad by any means but not my cup of tea this time.
pinkalpaca's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed this collection much better than I thought I would. Most of the stories are very entertaining and for once they are actually short enough to be read in one sitting. Man alive, did it make me want to be in this bookstore at Christmas (especially the old location). Overall, 3.5 stars.
cspiwak's review against another edition
4.0
Hard to decide how many stars as this is a collection of stories. There are enough different styles to appeal to any mystery lover. I particularly enjoyed the humor in the Rupert Holmes, the efficiency of the Ed McBain and the devious Deaver.the mentions of favorites like Collins, Poe and Doyle was welcome, as was the chance to check out some of the authors I didn’t recognize.
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