This is an anthology of short stories compiled by Elizabeth George, providing a reading journey through crime fiction written by British and American women authors over the past century. Here is Booklist's summary and glowing conclusion: "Well known for her Inspector Lynley series, George here collects short mysteries by women, bracketing the 26 entries with two tales about the death of abusive husbands, written more than 80 years apart. Between them springs an entertaining assortment of locked-room murders, theatrical whodunits, white-collar-crime and detective stories, and psychological puzzlers, each headed by revealing author notes. Agatha Christie, praised by George in the volume's enlightening introduction, isn't represented, but her contemporaries in the Golden Age of Mystery in Great Britain are: Ngaio Marsh, Dorothy Sayers, and Margery Allingham. Dorothy Davis, Charlotte Armstrong, Minette Walters, and Ruth Rendell are here as well, and sleuths Sharon McCone, Jemima Shore, and V. I. Warshawski, each one now a star of her own long-running detective series, make appearances. Here, too, are writers not associated primarily with the genre, including Joyce Carol Oates and Nadine Gordimer, whose tragic tale about the consequences of an interracial affair in South Africa is both mystery and political fiction. From start to finish, a first-rate anthology."
Library Journal opens their review with: "In her lively, informative introduction to this collection of 26 stories, mystery author George... ably defends the oft-maligned genre of crime fiction...the chronological arrangement gives the reader a feel for the evolution of crime fiction over the past century." and closes with "George's popularity will ensure fan interest and perhaps introduce readers to some unfamiliar women writers."
What I most enjoyed were the short biographies of the women writers that George provided preceding each story. I found several of the stories more creepy (psychologically) than mysterious.
No comments:
Post a Comment