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cartoonmicah's review against another edition
3.0
Let's say 3.5 stars.
This collection has a handful of real gems from the golden age of detective fiction sprinkled in among many oddities and run-of-the-mill magazine fodder. With a nice biographical piece about the author following each story, the history elements were just as enjoyable (and occasionally more so) as the stories themselves.
The premise here was simply to bring together lost or forgotten minor works from masters of detective fiction. Some of these pieces have never been collected for obvious reason, while others were simply mislaid or tragically under-appreciated. Because the parameters are based on the publication history of the pieces, there is everything here from true locked door and whodunit mysteries to mind of the killer thrillers and even some Hitchcockesque adventure story telling. Many are very good or at the least unique enough to keep an avid mystery junky in his element. A few others felt like the scrap of an idea that was sent off to some magazine for spending money's sake.
If you're just a classic detective fiction fanatic who can't get enough of it, you've come to the right place. If you prefer plots and characters that inspire and compel, you'll probably have to skip two out of three of the stories here. For the most part, these are the lowest quality stories from some of the best mystery writers of the definitive generation.
This collection has a handful of real gems from the golden age of detective fiction sprinkled in among many oddities and run-of-the-mill magazine fodder. With a nice biographical piece about the author following each story, the history elements were just as enjoyable (and occasionally more so) as the stories themselves.
The premise here was simply to bring together lost or forgotten minor works from masters of detective fiction. Some of these pieces have never been collected for obvious reason, while others were simply mislaid or tragically under-appreciated. Because the parameters are based on the publication history of the pieces, there is everything here from true locked door and whodunit mysteries to mind of the killer thrillers and even some Hitchcockesque adventure story telling. Many are very good or at the least unique enough to keep an avid mystery junky in his element. A few others felt like the scrap of an idea that was sent off to some magazine for spending money's sake.
If you're just a classic detective fiction fanatic who can't get enough of it, you've come to the right place. If you prefer plots and characters that inspire and compel, you'll probably have to skip two out of three of the stories here. For the most part, these are the lowest quality stories from some of the best mystery writers of the definitive generation.
pennykearns's review against another edition
5.0
Ah. the golden age of mystery - excellent short stories I'd never read before.
jaadhimalli's review against another edition
3.0
Liked about 11 stories out of 14.
#PopSugarReadingChallenge2020
11. An anthology
#PopSugarReadingChallenge2020
11. An anthology
chrisscorkscrew's review
Just lost the thread really. The stories went on too long and did not hold my interest.
barbarab's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
I found many of the stories to be rather boring, I don’t know if that was because they were older, but I read a lot of golden age detective stories without finding them this uninteresting. But since some are better than others, I gave the book a 3 as an overall rating
Also the narrator was somewhat difficult to understand
Also the narrator was somewhat difficult to understand
tinaha083's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this collection! I’m a huge fan of Golden Age detective fiction and this was a great introduction to some authors I wasn’t familiar with. It also has some stories from authors I’m familiar with.
I generally have difficulty with short story collections. Some will be hits, most will be misses. This collection was pretty much all hits! I was surprised to find myself enjoying pretty much all of the stories. I listened to this on audio, which I have to highly recommend. The narrator was amazing. Each story is differently narrated, and he has an excellent range of voices, and accents.
There was really only one story I didn’t enjoy, The Girdle of Dreams. It was a bit too far fetched for me. Otherwise, I had a great time listening to all of them, and will definitely reread them. There is also a second collection, which I will check out.
I generally have difficulty with short story collections. Some will be hits, most will be misses. This collection was pretty much all hits! I was surprised to find myself enjoying pretty much all of the stories. I listened to this on audio, which I have to highly recommend. The narrator was amazing. Each story is differently narrated, and he has an excellent range of voices, and accents.
There was really only one story I didn’t enjoy, The Girdle of Dreams. It was a bit too far fetched for me. Otherwise, I had a great time listening to all of them, and will definitely reread them. There is also a second collection, which I will check out.
searchandrescueteam's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
The stories: they're short, obviously, and I think I like my crime fiction to have the greater depth of plot and character of a novel. There tends to be a "gotcha" moment rather than an "aha". However they are, for the most part, beautifully crafted. Each writer being skilled, and characters often if not funny, at least bemusing.
The history: really doesn't add anything to the volume for me. I guess I just came for the fiction, not the facts.
The history: really doesn't add anything to the volume for me. I guess I just came for the fiction, not the facts.
kirstenfindlay's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5