The Book of Extraordinary Historical Mystery Stories: Best New Original Mysteries

by Maxim Jakubowski (Editor)

Overview

Outstanding new crime fiction spanning centuries of history from Dagger winner Kate Ellis, Edgar winner Martin Edwards, and many more.

Collected by Anthony and Dagger Award-winner and eminent editor Maxim Jakubowski, The Book of Extraordinary Historical Mystery Stories features never-before-seen stories by some of the most renowned American and British crime and thriller authors of today, offering a showcase of puzzling, adventurous, and atmospheric short fiction—set in eras ranging from prehistory to medieval, Victorian to World War II, and starring detectives both professional and amateur.

Contributors include Linda Stratmann, Amy Myers, Lavie Tidhar, Jane Finnis, O’Neil de Noux, Ashley Lister, Eric Brown, Kate Ellis, A.K. Benedict, and others.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781633539693
Publisher:	Mango Media
Publication date:	05/15/2019
Series:	The Series of Extraordinary Mystery Stories
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	791,317
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Maxim Jakubowski is a novelist and editor. He was born in the United Kingdom and educated in France. Following a career in book publishing, he opened the world-famous Murder One bookshop in London in 1988. He compiles two acclaimed annual series for the Mammoth list, Best New Erotica and Best British Crime. He is a winner of the Anthony and Karel awards, a frequent TV and radio broadcaster, crime columnist for the Guardian newspaper, and Literary Director of London's Crime Scene Festival. He lives in London, United Kingdom.

Read an Excerpt

Crime and mystery fiction has for decades proven both popular and commercial in all its guises from the hallowed investigations of Sherlock Holmes to the mean streets of contemporary noir, through the golden age of Agatha Christie and her traditional cohorts, the dark shadows of psychological thrillers, women detectives, private eyes, and a variety of categories that have persisted in defying the imagination and seducing readers in thinking that crime does, in fact, pay or, at any rate, royally entertain! For our opening volume, we present fifteen brand-new stories by some of the best authors practicing the craft today, each introducing imaginative facets of crime and its subtle variations but set in the past, in periods ranging from far flung prehistory to the murky days of World War II, and passing through medieval periods, mythical times, the somber alleys of Victorian times and a whole variety of past years and places where the allure of mystery only serves to enhance the deviousness of the plots and its heroes and villains. Historical mysteries are one of today’s most rewarding sub-genres, often characterized by the charms of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose, the Brother Cadfael tales of the late Ellis Peters and so many other major talents of the writing world. In a world without forensics and the modern tools of the detecting trade, the authors and their hardy characters must use their little gray cells and their powers of deduction with so much more diligence than the detectives and cops of today and this often constitutes one of the greatest charms of historical mysteries (and fiction).

Table of Contents

Introduction 9

The Sound of Secrecy Martin Edwards 11

The Temple's Coin Levie Tidhar 27

Another Body O'Neil De Nowx 43

The Secret of Flight Kate Ellis 59

Fair Trade Ashley Lister 69

Murder on the Sacred Mountain Rhys Hughes 79

Run Rabbit Run Sally Spedding 93

The Man from Crocodilopolis Keith Moray 113

A Pinch of Pure Cunning Jane Finnis 133

Flesh of a Fancy Woman Paul Magrs 143

The Hill of Hell Bernie Crosthwaite 153

Murder and the Cucumbers Amy Myers 171

Gracie Saves the World Michael Bracken Sandra Murphy 187

The First Locked Room Eric Brown 203

Electricity Linda Stratmann 217

About the Editor 233

About the Authors 235

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“An intriguing mixture of past tradition and future-shock dystopia, written by a giant of the genre...highly recommended.”
―Lee Childs, author of the Jack Reacher novels

“I have been a fan of Maxim Jakubowski for years. There just is no finer mystery writer and editor anywhere. Find a comfortable chair and a strong drink and prepare to be enthralled.”
―Alexander Algren, author of Out in a Flash: Murder Mystery Flash Fiction​

“The Book of Extraordinary Historical Mystery Stores is a stunning collection, simply the best short mystery and crime fiction of the year and a real treat for crime-fiction fans. I highly recommend!” ―Leonard Carpenter, author of the Conan the Barbarian books and Lusitania Lost

“Maxim Jakubowski is deeply experienced in the field... Sometimes a brief zap of great writing is just what you’re in the mood for or have time for. That’s when anthologies like his are ideal....intellectually outstanding.”

—New York Journal of Books