The Best American Mystery Stories 2000

by Donald E. Westlake (Editor), Otto Penzler (Editor)

Overview

After just three years, THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES series is already a great success, earning raves from such diverse sources as Joyce Carol Oates, ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, and ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Little wonder, given the power of the Best American brand, the talent of the series editor, Otto Penzler, and the high profile of the guest editors. Now, with the legendary mystery writer Donald E. Westlake as guest editor, the 2000 edition is sure to boost the series’ popularity even more. From Tfty exceptional stories chosen by Penzler, Westlake has selected the twenty best, including stories by Tom Franklin, Jeffery Deaver, Shel Silverstein, and Dennis Lehane, for a collection that will delight mystery buffs and casual readers alike.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780395939185
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/19/2000
Series:	Best American Mystery Stories Series
Pages:	512
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)

About the Author

OTTO PENZLER is a renowned mystery editor, publisher, columnist, and owner of New York’s The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest and largest bookstore solely dedicated to mystery fiction. He has edited more than fifty crime-fiction anthologies. He lives in New York.

Table of Contents

	Foreword	ix
	Introduction	xiii
	Miracles! Happen!	1
	Ghosts	29
	Spring Rite	49
	Annie's Dream	74
	Motel 66	117
	Jumping with Jim	131
	Triangle	147
	The Instruments of Peace	164
	Grit	183
	Compass Rose	205
	The Defenestration of Aba Sid	229
	The Island in the River	308
	ICU	319
	Running Out of Dog	333
	Sheep	366
	Dead Rock Singer	388
	Wrong Numbers	423
	The Guilty Party	444
	Forgetting the Girl	453
	Water Dog God	468
	Contributors' Notes	479
	Other Distinguished Mystery Stories of 1999	488

Editorial Reviews

"Practically every story here is exemplary of its kind, making this an unusually effective showcase of the year's short mysteries." (on THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 1999)

Kirkus Reviews —

From the Publisher

Guest editor Westlake has done an outstanding job selecting 20 stories published in 1999 for this stellar anthology, now in its fourth year, which should continue to garner big sales. In his introduction he wonders at the form's durability. The financial rewards are small, and these days short stories won't make a literary reputation. Why then do its practitioners persist? As with jazz, that other great American contribution to world art, they engage in it "primarily for the love of doing it," asserts Westlake. In contrast to the novel, where digressions and red herrings are the norm, unity of effect is all, as exemplified by the inventor of the detective story, Edgar Allan Poe--and by the contemporary writers represented in this volume. The names here range from the late Shel Silverstein, bestselling children's book author, whose rollicking tale, "The Guilty Party," stands as a fitting swan song for this versatile talent, to Thomas H. McNeely, whose quietly chilling psychological study, "Sheep," is his first published work of fiction. Robert Girardi's novella, "The Defenestration of Aba Sid," works both as a tale of comic absurdity and as an anti-Grisham lawyer story. In a foreword, series editor Otto Penzler comments on how mysteries have evolved in both style and content. Over the life of the genre, stories have become more complex, more textured. When Penzler says "be prepared for the unexpected, and be ready for some of the best prose being written today," he's not overstating the case. This title will enjoy brisk library sales but is also poised to benefit from the continued general-reader interest in matters mysterious. (Oct.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

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