books:

	• The Best American Mystery Stories 1997 (Best American Mystery Stories) Houghton Mifflin Company, 1997 - 357 pages average customer review:based on 8 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

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.

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Pay Attention as You Read these Reviews

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.

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Wonderful Anthology

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.

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