It’s sad that Mystery Scene magazine, founded in 1985 by Ed Gorman, just ended its run in October 2024 with issue #174. But when The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Third Annual Edition was published in 1994, the magazine world was a very different place.
Jon L. Breen’s “The Mystery in 1993” presents an optimistic picture of the market for mystery novels and short stories. Breen cites publishing statistics and pronounces the field “still healthy.” (p. 9). Breen goes on to list his 15 favorite mystery novels of 1993. In his assessment of the short stories of 1993, Breen singles out Jennifer Bowe’s Death in Store as the best short story collect he read that year (I’m tracking it down!). In the Reference Books category, Breen loved Burl Barer’s “fascinating and thorough account of Simon Templar and his creator Leslie Charteris , The Saint: A Complete History (McFarland). I’m tracking that down, too.
Breen also praised Marc Lachman’s A Reader’s Guide to the American Novel of Detection and Gary Warren Niebuhr’s A Reader’s Guide to the Private Eye Novel–two books I do own.
The Year’s 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories: Third Annual Edition presents a wide variety of stories, something for every reader’s taste. I really liked Lawrence Block’s “Keller’s Therapy” and Doug Allen’s “The Ghost Show.” If you’re looking for a short story collection that captures the mystery short story essence of 1993, this is the book for you. GRADE: B+
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction: The Mystery in 1993 by Jon L. Green –9
Slasher / F. Paul Wilson — 23
Keller’s therapy / Lawrence Block — 37
The mouse in the corner / Ruth Rendell — 59
That bells may ring and whistles safely blow / Margaret Maron — 80
That damn cat / Barb Collins — 89
Parris Green / Carole Nelson Douglas — 103
The man in the red flannel suit / Jan Grape — 127
Checkout / Susan Dunlap — 141
Goodbye, Sue Ellen / Gillian Roberts — 149
The ghost show / Doug Allyn — 162
McIntyre’s Donald / Joseph Hansen — 183
Some sunny day / Julian Rathbone — 203
The wall / Marcia Muller — 231
History repeats itself, and it doesn’t even say pardon / Mat Coward — 276
Strays / Kristine Kathryn Rusch — 283
The lesson / Billie Sue Mosiman — 301
Spin-a-rama / Jeremiah Healy — 308
The mood cuckoo / Jonathan Gash — 322
The ugly earthling murder case / George Alec Effinger — 336
Sweetheart of the rodeo / Mark Timlin — 352
A vacance en campagne / Tim Heald — 376
It takes one to know one / Robert Bloch — 391
Shade work / Bill Pronzini — 412
First lead gasser / Tony Hillerman — 418
Enduring as dust / Bruce Holland Rogers — 427
Looks like a strong cross-section of authors from the time. I still miss Ed Gorman.
Fred, I miss Ed Gorman, too. A great writer, a great editor, and a great guy!
Excellent choice, George! I fell in love with MYSTERY SCENE from the very first issue I saw. I am especially fond of those early rough and tumble issue with their unrestrained coverage of everything mystery-related. (Not that I did not appreciated THE ARMCHAIR DETECTIVE or the later version of MYSTERY SCENE, both both seemed overly refined in comparison; the early MYSTERY SCENE was a gift of love to the die-hard mystery fan and did much to reflect Ed Gorman’s always excellent and catholic [small C] tastes.) The MYSTERY SCENE anthologies and related books are not to be missed.
BTW, Burl Barer is an uncle to Mystery writers Lee and Todd Goldberg. (Another relative, Marshall Barer, wrote the Mighty Mouse theme song.) Barer has also published two novels featuring Simon Templar, the Saint, including the movie tie-in to the disastrous Val Kilmer film.
Jerry, thanks for the info on Burl Barer! The Buffalo Erie County Library has a copy of THE SAINT: A COMPLETE HISTORY so I’ll be checking that out.
I agree with you about Allyn, one of my favorite mystery short story writers, and Block, and I see several other writers I read – Pronzini, Muller, Rusch, Hillerman, Maron, etc.
I never heard, however, of Jennifer Bowe, yet another one I need to look for. Not a fan of The Saint, however.
Jeff, I tracked down a copy of Jennifer Bowe’s book so I’ll be reviewing that soon.
The writers on this collection are more familiar to me than current anthologies.
Patti, THE YEAR’S 25 BEST CRIME AND MYSTERIES STORIES: THIRD ANNUAL EDITION has a lot of “household” names. And the level of quality for the 25 stories is high.
Lots of familiar names here, George.
I read these during my “read a short story a day” kick. Marv Lachman is the one responsible for that; he pointed out how much good writing I was missing.
Beth, I’m happy Patti Abbott launched “Wednesday’s Short Stories” so that more short stories garner attention…and readers!