The Best American Mystery Stories 2005 [Hardcover]

This is the tenth book in this series and I have loved every one of them. Unlike many anthologies, where some stories are good and others are weak, this hefty book is a treat because every story is first-rate. It is clear that the series editor, Otto Penzler, and the guest editor, Scott Turow, like literary fiction, much of which is somewhat noir. Good examples are "Karma" by Walter Mosley, "So Help Me God" by Joyce Carol Oates" and "Improvisation" by Ed McBain, which begins with a great opening line: "`Why don't we kill somebody?'" she suggested." I'd never heard of some of these authors before, like Karen Bender, Wendy Hornsby and R.T. Smith, but their stories are just as beautifully written as those by such famous writers as James Lee Burke, Jeffrey Deaver, Elmore Leonard and Laura Lippman. I wanted to stretch out the book and make it last a while, but I found the stories so enjoyable that I finished it in three nights. If you like great writing in your mystery stories, you'll love this book. *****FIVE STARS

This collection is made up of Scott Turrow's selections of stories taken from many other great collections such as Dangerous Women, The Cocaine Chronicles and other leading anthologies. Being the case this means if you are into various author anthologies you more than likely have come across a few of these stories before but it also means most of these stories in here are good. Like any various author anthology stories do vary in quality and style from author to author. I have to admit I didn't enjoy every story within but there are certainly more than your usual number of literacy hits inside. The great collections not only allow you the pleasure of reading authors you already like but also introduce you to new ones as well which this one does over and over again.

Unfortunately for me I'd already read the great collection Dangerous Women before this so about a third of the stories inside here I had already read. Also because that collection was a fairly niche product being an anthology with strong female villains and other characters, the result is the 2006 edition of The Best American Mystery Stories also is very heavy with this factor. I recommend you get both books. If you want to read my reviews of those stories both in this and in Dangerous Women click on that book's link, I'll concentrate on the best of the stories within this collection not in that one.

Dust Up by Wendy Hornsby is my pick of the stories by authors not many people would have heard of before. Pansy is a raptor watcher who is witnessing the birth of an endangered eagle. Hit men out of Vegas murder a human then murder the mother of the endangered chick which Pansy is watching. Pansy is furious and will do whatever it takes to stop them killing the chick as well. She leads them on a great bike/car chase where she plans on getting her vengeance before returning to the Nevada canyon to help the bird.

I also thought it was great to finally read a story by C.J. Box that doesn't have park ranger Joe Pickett in it, not because I don't usually enjoy those, it's just that great authors are never tested until they can show they can write something different which is exactly what he did with Pirates of Yellowstone. This story is the tale of a couple of Czech guys on a working visa who have arrived in Yellowstone only to find their promised jobs were not kept by their employer. In exchange for board they help out a struggling mother in the meantime and decide that blackmail is their only way to prosper in America.

I thought Jane Haddam's story Edelweiss was also up there quality wise about the plot by two high school girls to murder their next door neighbour who babys her cat.

You can always rely on Laura Lippman to produce a great short story and I guess the only reason they didn't use the story she wrote in Dangerous Women was because the one she wrote in Cocaine Chronicles was even better. The Crack Cocaine Diet has a couple of superficial white teenagers venturing into the hood to buy some cocaine so they will lose weight and make the guys who dumped them look stupid in front of their friends at an upcoming party.

Since Amazon doesn't list the stories and authors on this webpage for some reason, I will do so for those interested.

Theft by Karen E Bender
Pirates of Yellowstone by C.J. Box
Why Bugsy Seal Was a Friend of Mine by James Lee Burke
Born Bad by Jefferey Deaver
Edelweiss by Jane Haddam
Texas heat by William Harrison
Peacekeeper by Alan Heathcock
A.K.A. Moses Rockefella by Emily Holmes II
Dust Up by Wendy Hornsby
Her Lord and Master by Andrew Klevan
Louly and Pretty Boy by Elmore Leonard
The Crack Cocaine Diet by Laura Lippman
Improvisation by Ed McBain
McHenry's Gift by Mike Maclean
Karma by Walter Mosley
So Help Me God by Joyce Carol Oates
Smile by Emily Roboteau
Ina Grove by R.T. Smith
Ringing the Changes by Jeff Somers
Vigilance by Scott Wolven

A great collection, excellent value for money!

Another great collection this year guest edited by Scott Turow along with the always great series editor Otto Penzler. Highlights include Joyce Carol Oates' "So Help Me God" and R.T. Smith's "Ina Grove" but all the stories are consistantly great. Easily the best mystery anthology of the year.