The Best American Mystery Stories

"The Best American Mystery Stories 1999" is a strong collection of modern crime related short stories that run the gamut from Private Eye tales to ameture sleuth stories to whodunnits? They are as varied as the authors themselves. Some giants of the genre check in here, including Lawrence Block with "Keller's Last Refuge," Loren Estleman with an Amos Walker short "Redneck," and John Updike with the sinsiter little tale "Bech Noir." Among the best of the rest are "Poachers" by Tom Franklin, the gruesome mass murder aftermath story "Safe" by Gary A. Braunbeck, "Netmail" by Brendan DuBois, and an excellent Vietnam era story, "A Death on the Ho Chi Minh Trail." As with every entry in this fine series, there were a couple here that didn't work for me, but overall the quality of the nineteen stories selected cannot be disputed.

What fun! The stories in this anthology were entertaining, thought-provoking, and at times, frightening. These are not only good mysteries, they are very well written short stories. It's the kind of book you pass on to your friends,

This is an exceptional anthology; almost all 20 stories are true gems. One is only a semi-precious stone, and that because it suffers in its juxtaposition with another story with a similar plot. The final story in the anthology, John Updike's Bech Noir, is just cut-glass--I can understand it appealing to mystery writers, as it deals with a writer who kills his critics, but it seemed to lower the quality of the book somewhat. Among the very best stories are "Safe", Gary A. Braunbeck's absolutely harrowing semi-autobiographical tale of those left behind by a serial killer; Thomas H. Cook's retelling of a very familiar story, "Fatherhood"; and David K. Harford's Vietnam murder mystery "A Death on the Ho Chi Minh Trail". My favorite was Tom Franklin's "Poachers", a novella in the best tradition of southern fiction about three orphaned brothers without a chance. [If you like Franklin's work, I'd also recommend Lewis Nordan's novel "The Sharpshooter Blues".] What struck me most about this entire anthology was the depth of the authors' artistry. Not only can they tell a mean mystery, but they also create vivid, compelling characters who seem very lifelike. This is difficult enough in a novel, but in a short story it is the sign of an excellent writer indeed. I enjoyed this anthology so much that I made sure to get the subsequent year's, which I'm reading now. The only regret I had about this book was that editor Ed McBain did not contribute more--there is no McBain story, only a clever introduction. I highly recommend this book and I will definitely be looking for Tom Franklin's work again.

Be cautious as you read the reviews here. Some of them are for the 1999 collection (guest editor Ed McBain) and some are for the 1998 collection (guest editor Sue Grafton). There is also a 1997 collection (guest editor Robert B. Parker). I've read both the '97 and '98 collections and found them excellent (I think everything I've ever read that Otto Penzler had a hand in is excellent). I have no reason to believe the '99 collection isn't also a great read (I'm ordering it today), but in reading the reviews, be aware that some refer to the McBain collection while others review the Grafton collection.

This yearly collection of short stories in a rather short time (only the third annual anthology) has lived up to its title of being the best. The current collection includes a modern day who's who of American authors that run the gamut of the mystery genre and beyond. Each story works as an exciting entity all its own, but adds to the overall freshness of the collection. Fans of short stories will love this anthology that includes works by Block, Deaver, Estleman, Gorman, Oates, Updike, etc. among the nineteen tales. 1999 THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES is a winning short story collection because the editors widen the genre barriers while including nineteen strong tales. There is not one loser among the contributions.