A Good Story and Other Stories

A Good Story and Other Stories is an anthology collection of some of Westlake's stories first published mostly in the 60s but with two from the 80s and five from the 90s. None are first published in here so odds are you've probably read some of these before, even if you don't recognise the titles. This collection was published in 1999. The stories in this collection cover a range of genres and styles reflecting the way his full length novels have over Westlake's career. You've got crime, you've got science fiction, you've got the just plain weird, what you don't have is comic capers if that's what you were after. Anyway the stories inside are - Sinner of Saint - 1958, about a con artist who plans on a rich lady's donation to build a hospital by immitating a priest. One on a Desert Island - 1960, Interesting story about a loser mother's boy guy who decided after her death to abandon his boring life and sail to China even though he'd never been in a boat before. The Coast Guard stops him a few times (although why is never really explained) but eventually he sneeks past them and out to sea where he realises he doesn't know what he is doing. He ends up shipwrecked on a deserted island in the Pacific where his imagination invents a female companion. However she begins to nag him so he starts to think about murder. You Put on Some Weight - 1960 Not a bad story about a con who gets out of prison only to discover the crime world he'd hoped to walk back into no longer exists. Everyone he meets has left that world behind but tells him you look good, you've put on some weight. What is he to do, the answer will come in the middle of the night. The Curious Facts Preceding My Execution - 1960, is a very interesting story about a man whose wife doesn't work but spends more money than he earns. When ever he mentions anything she says its his fault for not making more money. He wants the marriage over but knows she'll take everything and leave him in debt and paying alimoney. He comes up with the perfect murder but never realised how many door to door salesman and telimarketers communicate with his wife each day when he's not home. Good Night, Good Night - 1960 has appeared in numerous anthologies, you've probably read it before. It's about a guy who wakes up in front of a TV with the show he is on playing and has to work out before he dies which one of his costars killed him. The Risk Profession - 1961, is a murder mystery set in space where an insurance investigator has to go to a space version of a gold mining claim and work out if the claimant on a policy murdered his insured mining partner. Never Shake A Family Tree - 1961, is a very average story about a woman who places an ad for information about her family tree The Mother of Invention is Worth a Pound of Cure - 1965, a male paid mistress is told by his married older lady client lover that she no longer needs him but with a deadly twist to the firing. Sniff - 1967, a very predictab