The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 - Hardcover

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0544638743 ISBN 13: 9780544638747

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015

Synopsis

In his introduction, guest editor James Patterson observes, I often hear people lamenting the state of Hollywood . . . If that s the case, I ve got one thing to say: read these short stories. You can thank me later. Patterson has collected a batch of stories that have the sharp tension, drama, and visceral emotion of an Oscar-worthy Hollywood production. Spanning the extremes of human behavior, "The Best American Mystery Stories""2015"features characters that must make desperate choices: an imaginative bank-robbing couple, a vengeful high school shooter, a lovesick heiress who will do anything for her man, and many others in these imaginative, rich, complex tales worthy of big-screen treatment. "The Best American Mystery Stories 2015"includes Tomiko M. Breland, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Brendan DuBois, Janette Turner Hospital, Dennis Lehane, Theresa E. Lehr, Joyce Carol Oates, "and others" JAMES PATTERSON, guest editor, has sold over 300 million books worldwide, including the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He supports getting kids reading through his children s book imprint, jimmy patterson, as well as through scholarships, grants, book donations, and his website, ReadKiddoRead.com. OTTO PENZLER, series editor, is a renowned mystery editor, publisher, columnist, and the 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."

About this title

Review

"These short stories lean more toward horror than whodunits, casting long shadows despite their brevity. Editor Patterson singles out stories that have cinematic scope. Jeffery Deaver's "The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman" gives a tip of the deerstalker to Sherlock Holmes through a protagonist who uses his deductive genius for more sinister ends. In "Molly's Plan," John M. Floyd maps out a nearly impossible bank robbery with a twist ending so ingenious it's tempting to root for the bad guys. The specter of war figures into several tales: a sniper questions his ability to continue in the field; a vet now working in elder care carries out a vendetta; and a woman deranged by war is herself as volatile as an IED. Children are in peril in numerous stories, from abductors, teachers, truly vicious nuns, and sometimes each other. Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane team up in "Red Eye," sending Harry Bosch to Boston, where he and Patrick Kenzie try to find a missing girl whose abductor keeps to a tight schedule. "The Home at Craigmillnar" is Joyce Carol Oates' chilling take on the abuse scandals in Catholic children's homes, serving up rough justice to Mother Superior decades after her reign of terror. Stories set in Haiti and off the Australian coast brighten up the noir, albeit largely in shades of red. Of particular interest for would-be mystery writers: notes at the end of the book feature brief descriptions of each story's inspiration and development, an illuminating peek into the creative process. Richard Lange's "Apocrypha," a bank heist tale primarily set in a tenement hotel, was rescued from a novel the author couldn't develop, and it's a gritty jewel. These edgy tales strike hard and fast but leave vivid memories behind."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

JAMES PATTERSON is the best-selling author of countless mysteries and thrillers, including the Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club series. His books have sold over 300 million copies worldwide, and he holds the Guinness record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers of any author. His most recent thriller is Invisible.

About this edition

• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0544638743
• ISBN 13: 9780544638747
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 413
• Editor: Patterson James, Penzler Otto