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lulo49's review against another edition
3.0
As in the few other books in this collection, there are a few really good mysteries in each book. But then - there are more stories with hard-core murder and violence in them for my taste.
bibliophile24's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories rated much higher than others.
firerosearien's review against another edition
4.0
Didn't love it as much as the other volumes but there were some of standouts for me:
Fool Proof, Safety, Christians, A Death, Trash, Christmas Eve at the Exit, Entwined, and Border Control
Fool Proof, Safety, Christians, A Death, Trash, Christmas Eve at the Exit, Entwined, and Border Control
guardian's review
2.0
I typically do not like short stories and this collection did nothing to change my feeling for this literary form. The stories were boring, not mysterious, and in some cases there wasn't even a mystery.
melg's review
4.0
The first two stories were just awful, but they got better. The last story was also awful, but the stories in between are worth reading.
lovelyandmorbid's review
3.0
all stories averaged: 2.8
I am trying to expand my horizons with mystery but I had a few structural issues 1) mystery is a very broad genre and I don't like all that it encompasses. 2) as addressed in the introduction (red flag) my fave subgenre, detective fiction, is less present because they rely on longform narrative. 3) short stories kind of don't work in general with a lot of these? Half the stories fell into two camps: either they set up a story really well, and then it would end feeling like a first chapter rather then a complete story or nothing would happen at all but it would be vaguely creepy so it technically counted as mystery?
This was my first short story collection, so im giving short stories and this series another shot. Already bought 2017 collection. Then I'll know if its the editor, the guest editor, the genre of short stories or short stories in general?
I am trying to expand my horizons with mystery but I had a few structural issues 1) mystery is a very broad genre and I don't like all that it encompasses. 2) as addressed in the introduction (red flag) my fave subgenre, detective fiction, is less present because they rely on longform narrative. 3) short stories kind of don't work in general with a lot of these? Half the stories fell into two camps: either they set up a story really well, and then it would end feeling like a first chapter rather then a complete story or nothing would happen at all but it would be vaguely creepy so it technically counted as mystery?
This was my first short story collection, so im giving short stories and this series another shot. Already bought 2017 collection. Then I'll know if its the editor, the guest editor, the genre of short stories or short stories in general?
mohogan2063's review
3.0
My favorite story in this collection is Megan Abbott's Little Men; it is haunting and well written. I struggled through The Continental Opposite, I wanted more for a story set in my hometown. Border Crossing by Susan Thornton is a haunting story with a realistic feeling. I gave this collection three stars because most of the stories do not read like mysteries to me.
spygrl1's review
3.0
Stephen King's "A Death" was a standout. You think you can see the "twist" in the tale of a man rounded up and sentenced to die for the killing of a young girl, but the story turns in a way I didn't expect. [In spite of Sheriff Barclay's uncertainty about Jim Trusdale's guilt, the man is hanged, and his autopsy reveals the missing piece of evidence -- a coin stolen from the dead girl that had never been recovered. Throughout his captivity, as he continued to assert his evidence, Trusdale swallowed the coin again and again to avoid incriminating himself.]
Another favorite was "Street of the Dead House," which re-imagines "Murder in the Rue Morgue" from the point of view of the poor orangutan (taken captive, experimented upon, stolen and transported to France, and manipulated into crime).
I liked "The Little Men" by Megan Abbott. Less violent than most Abbott tales, this follows the unraveling of a woman who had a tough time in Hollywood, even before she moved into the possibly haunted unit at Canyon Arms. Are the little men she sees out of the corner of her eyes at night the result of stress, excessive drinking, or are they real?
I remember reading "The Tank Yard" by Michael Noll (presumably in Ellery Queen). I like how the protagonist initially seems like a typical young man, working multiple jobs and trying to get an out-of-his-league girl but is gradually revealed to be a meth entrepreneur who is capable of violence.
"The Mountain Top" by Georgia Ruth shows how an elderly couple deals with hard times through thrift and grit and with tough neighbors through wiles and a loaded gun.
Another favorite was "Street of the Dead House," which re-imagines "Murder in the Rue Morgue" from the point of view of the poor orangutan (taken captive, experimented upon, stolen and transported to France, and manipulated into crime).
I liked "The Little Men" by Megan Abbott. Less violent than most Abbott tales, this follows the unraveling of a woman who had a tough time in Hollywood, even before she moved into the possibly haunted unit at Canyon Arms. Are the little men she sees out of the corner of her eyes at night the result of stress, excessive drinking, or are they real?
I remember reading "The Tank Yard" by Michael Noll (presumably in Ellery Queen). I like how the protagonist initially seems like a typical young man, working multiple jobs and trying to get an out-of-his-league girl but is gradually revealed to be a meth entrepreneur who is capable of violence.
"The Mountain Top" by Georgia Ruth shows how an elderly couple deals with hard times through thrift and grit and with tough neighbors through wiles and a loaded gun.
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