Killer, Come Back To Me: The Crime Stories of Ray Bradbury

by Ray Bradbury

Overview

Celebrating Ray Bradbury's centennial, a deluxe illustrated commemorative collection of his finest crime stories — tales as strange and wonderful as his signature fantasy.

Time travelers...dark carnivals...living automata...and detectives? Honoring the 100th birthday of Ray Bradbury, renowned author of Fahrenheit 451, this new, definitive collection of the master's less well-known crime fiction, published in a high-grade premium collectible edition, features classic stories and rare gems, a number of which became episodes of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS and THE RAY BRADBURY THEATER, including the tale Bradbury called "one of the best stories in any field that I have ever written."

Is it murder to destroy a robot if it looks and speaks and thinks and feels like a human being? Can a ventriloquist be incriminated by the testimony of his own dummy? Can a time traveler prevent his younger self from killing the woman they both loved? And can the survivor of a pair of Siamese twins investigate his own brother's murder? No other writer has ever rivaled the imagination and narrative gifts of Ray Bradbury, and the 20 unforgettable stories in this collection demonstrate this singular writer's extraordinary range, influence and emotional power.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781789095395
Publisher:	Titan
Publication date:	08/18/2020
Series:	Hard Case Crime
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

One of the most celebrated writers of our time, Ray Bradbury inspired generations of readers to dream, think, and create. He wrote for magazines, the theater, cinema and TV, creating hundreds of short stories and more than three dozen books, as well as numerous poems, essays, operas, plays, screenplays and teleplays. His groundbreaking works include Fahrenheit 451, The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Dandelion Wine, and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Among his many honors, Bradbury was the recipient of the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, the National Medal of Arts, an Emmy Award and a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation.

Hometown:

Los Angeles, California

Date of Birth:

August 22, 1920

Place of Birth:

Waukegan, Illinois

Education:

Attended schools in Waukegan, Illinois, and Los Angeles, California

Website:

http://www.raybradbury.com

Editorial Reviews

06/29/2020

The 20 worthy tales in this diverse collection of crime stories from Bradbury (1920–2012) originally appeared in popular lifestyle magazines, fantasy and horror pulps, and mystery and detective magazines during the 1940s and 1950s. Naturally, science fiction elements underpin several, most notably the opener, “A Touch of Petulance,” in which a remorseful time traveler attempts to alter his past. Elsewhere, devilish black humor boosts heart-pounding horror in chilling gems like “The Screaming Woman,” in which a child is adamant she hears the screams of a woman buried alive, but is unable to persuade others to initiate a rescue. Other highlights include the title tale, in which a gangster’s moll grooms a man into becoming a replica of her deceased boyfriend, and “And So Died Riabouchinska,” in which a ventriloquist’s dummy holds the answer to a cold case. Bradbury’s flair for dazzling imagery elevates pulp fiction fare like “Dead Men Rise Up Never,” a kidnapping yarn. Quirky tales concerning robots and talking marionettes, though not to everyone’s taste, showcase the author’s inventiveness. This tribute volume should appeal to more than just Bradbury fans. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

"20 worthy tales in this diverse collection of crime stories from Bradbury (1920–2012) ...This tribute volume should appeal to more than just Bradbury fans." -Publishers Weekly

"He could do the hard-boiled strut with the best of them, then enhance it with what the editor calls 'the emotional fire of his prose'....All told in an intense, poetic language that leaves disturbing echoes." -Booklist

"These are all clever, engaging, eerie stories, filled with unexpected twists and informed by a sensibility that can only be called Bradburian." -Los Angeles Review of Books

"KILLER, COME BACK TO ME features some of Bradbury’s oldest writing and some of his best. I can’t give you a better recommendation than that for putting this collection on your must-read list right now." -BookReporter

“Another hit for the Hard Case Crime series and a stunning cover to go with it!” 5* - Jessicamap Reviews

“Creepy, suspenseful, and showcasing a vast range, Bradbury’s crime stories should be read, whether you are a Bradbury fan or love crime novels with a horror edge. “ -The Crime Review 

“Terrific stories. Really invaluable for Bradbury fans and crime fiction scholars alike...” -Atomic Junkshop

​"​There are faint hints in several of these crime stories of the sort of fantasy that would eventually become Bradbury’s trademark. Each story lures us in with familiar crime settings, only to surprise us with unexpected elements and equally unexpected twists.​...This is essential reading for all Bradbury fans – especially those unfamiliar with his crime fiction....The same kind of thrill that came with the first reading of Bradbury’s Martian stories, as well as the stories that cover the body of the Illustrated Man, and all the other wonderful science fiction/fantasy tales, is relived in these memorable stories of murder and other crimes.​" -Bookgasm

From the Publisher