Three-quarters of a century ago, Dorothy L. Sayers, the doyenne of mystery writers, assembled an anthology of work by her peers that provided an overview of the genre in 1928.
Now, Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert have followed suit in providing a new anthology which seeks to do the same for mystery writing in the modern era.
Whether they have succeeded in providing a gathering equivalent to that of Miss Sayers may depend as much on personal taste of the reader as on the quality of the assembled works. That they have gathered an impressive collection of works by writers from the 1930s to the present goes without saying. The collection also illustrates the changes which have taken place in style, characterization and attitude.
The anthology begins with a gem of a story by Miss Sayers and concludes with a charming little piece written by Alexander McCall Smith especially for this volume. Hillerman, himself, is represented with two stories. There are tales by many familiar names and I was pleased to be introduced to a few writers new to me who will now be added to my reading list.
This is a volume worthy of any mystery-lover's bookshelf.