The greatest detectives of the Golden Age investigate the most puzzling crimes of the eraSometimes, the police aren’t the best suited to solve a crime. Depending on the case, you may find that a retired magician, a schoolteacher, a Broadway producer, or a nun have the necessary skills to suss out a killer. Or, in other cases, a blind veteran, or a publisher, or a hard-drinking attorney, or a mostly-sober attorney… or, indeed, any sort of detective you could think of might be able to best the professionals when it comes to comprehending strange and puzzling murders. At least, that’s what the authors from the Golden Age of American mystery fiction would have you think. For decades in the middle of the twentieth century, the country’s best-selling authors produced delightful tales in which all types of eccentrics used rarified knowledge to interpret confounding clues. And for even longer, in the decades that have followed, these characters have continued to entertain new audiences with every new generation that discovers them. Edgar Award-winning anthologist Otto Penzler selects some of the greatest American short stories from era. With authors including Ellery Queen, Mary Roberts Rinehart, Cornell Woolrich, Erle Stanley Gardner, and Anthony Boucher, this collection is a treat for those who know and love this celebrated period in literary history, and a great introduction to its best writers for the uninitiated.Includes discussion guide questions for use in book clubs.CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONCHARLOTTE ARMSTRONG (Detective: Mike Russell)The EnemyANTHONY BOUCHER (Detective: Sister Ursula)The StripperMIGNON G. EBERHART (Detective: Susan Dare)PosticheERLE STANLEY GARDNER (Detective: Perry Mason)The Case of the Crimson KissH. F. HEARD (Detective: Mr. Mycroft)The Enchanted GardenBAYNARD KENDRICK (Detective: Captain Duncan Maclain)5-4=MurdererFRANCES & RICHARD LOCKRIDGE (Detectives: Mr. & Mrs. North)There’s Death for RemembranceSTUART PALMER (Detective: Hildegarde Withers)The Monkey MurderELLERY QUEEN (Detective: Ellery Queen)The Adventure of the African TravelerPATRICK QUENTIN (Detectives: Peter & Iris Duluth)Puzzle for PoppyCLAYTON RAWSON (Detective: The Great Merlini)From Another WorldCRAIG RICE (Detective: John J. Malone)Good-bye, Good-bye!MARY ROBERTS RINEHART (Detective: Hilda Adams)Locked DoorsCORNELL WOOLRICH (Detective: Striker)The Mystery in Room 913

**The Most Complete Collection of Impossible Crime Stories Ever Assembled, with puzzling mysteries by Stephen King, Dashiell Hammett, Lawrence Block, Agatha Christie, Georges Simenon, Dorothy L. Sayers, P. G. Wodehouse, Erle Stanley Gardner, and many, many more THE BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF LOCKED-ROOM MYSTERIES: An empty desert, a lonely ski slope, a gentleman’s study, an elevator car—nowhere is a crime completely impossible. **Edgar Award–winning editor Otto Penzler has collected sixty-eight of the all-time best impossible-crime stories from almost two hundred years of the genre. In addition to the many classic examples of the form—a case of murder in a locked room or otherwise inaccessible place, solved by a brilliant sleuth—this collection expands the definition of the locked room to include tales of unbelievable thefts and incredible disappearances. Among these pages you’ll find stories with evocative titles like “The Flying Death”, “The Man From Nowhere”, “A Terribly Strange Bed”, and “The Theft of the Bermuda Penny”, not to mention appearances by some of the cleverest characters in all of crime, including Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Georges Simenon’s Jules Maigret, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, Dashiell Hammett’s Continental Op, and many more. Featuring   • Unconventional means of murder    • Pilfered jewels    • Shocking solutions Includes   • Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, the first detective story and            the first locked-room mystery    • Masters of the short story form: Edward D. Hoch, Ellery Queen, Carter Dickson, and       Stanley Ellin A VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD ORIGINALcontentsIntroduction by Otto Penzler(The most popular and frequently reprinted impossible-crime stories of all time.)THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE Edgar Allan PoeTHE PROBLEM OF CELL 13 Jacques FutrelleA TERRIBLY STRANGE BED Wilkie CollinsTHE TWO BOTTLES OF RELISH Lord DunsanyTHE INVISIBLE MAN G. K. ChestertonTHE DOOMDORF MYSTERY Melville Davisson PostTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND Arthur Conan Doyle(Stabbing in a completely sealed environment appears to be the most common murder method.)THE WRONG PROBLEM John Dickson CarrTHE THING INVISIBLE William Hope HodgsonDEPARTMENT OF IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES James YaffeTHE ALUMINIUM DAGGER R. Austin FreemanTHE CREWEL NEEDLE Gerald KershTHE DOCTOR’S CASE Stephen KingA KNIFE BETWEEN BROTHERS Manly Wade WellmanTHE GLASS GRAVESTONE Joseph CommingsTHE TEA LEAF Edgar Jepson & Robert EustaceTHE FLUNG-BACK LID Peter GodfreyTHE CROOKED PICTURE John LutzBLIND MAN’S HOOD Carter Dickson(Is there a more baffling scenario than to find a body in smooth sand or snow with no footprints leading to or from the victim?)THE MAN FROM NOWHERE Edward D. HochTHE LAUGHING BUTCHER Fredric BrownTHE SANDS OF THYME Michael InnesTHE FLYING DEATH Samuel Hopkins AdamsTHE FLYING CORPSE A. E. MartinTHE FLYING HAT Vincent Cornier(It is a fantasy for many people to disappear from their present lives. Some people disappear because they want to; others disappear because someone else wants them to. And objects—large objects—sometimes disappear in the same manner.)THE DAY THE CHILDREN VANISHED Hugh PentecostTHE TWELFTH STATUE Stanley EllinALL AT ONCE, NO ALICE William IrishBEWARE OF THE TRAINS Edmund CrispinTHE LOCKED BATHROOM H. R. F. KeatingMIKE, ALEC, AND RUFUS Dashiell HammettTHE EPISODE OF THE TORMENT IV C. Daly KingGREAVES’ DISAPPEARANCE Julian HawthorneTHE HOUSE OF HAUNTS Ellery QueenTHE MONKEY TRICK J. E. GurdonTHE ORDINARY HAIRPINS E. C. BentleyTHE PHANTOM MOTOR Jacques FutrelleTHE THEFT OF THE BERMUDA PENNY Edward D. HochROOM NUMBER 23 Judson Philips(There are so many ways for the creative killer to accomplish the act.)THE BURGLAR WHO SMELLED SMOKE Lynne Wood Block & Lawrence BlockTHE KESTAR DIAMOND CASE Augustus MuirTHE ODOUR OF SANCTITY Kate EllisTHE PROBLEM OF THE OLD OAK TREE Edward D. HochTHE INVISIBLE WEAPON Nicholas OldeTHE CONFESSION OF ROSA VITELLI Ray CummingsTHE LOCKED ROOM TO END LOCKED ROOMS Stephen Barr(It may not be terribly original, but shooting someone tends to be pretty effective.)NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Clayton RawsonWHERE HAVE YOU GONE, SAM SPADE? Bill PronziniIN A TELEPHONE CABINET G. D. H. Cole & M. I. ColeDEATH OUT OF THIN AIR Stuart TowneTHE DREAM Agatha ChristieTHE BORDER-LINE CASE Margery AllinghamTHE BRADMOOR MURDER Melville Davisson PostTHE MAN WHO LIKED TOYS Leslie CharterisTHE ASHCOMB POOR CASE Hulbert FootnerTHE LITTLE HOUSE AT CROIX-ROUSSE Georges Simenon(How does a thief remove valuables from a closely guarded room? It seems impossible, but …)THE BIRD IN THE HAND Erle Stanley GardnerTHE GULVERBURY DIAMONDS David DurhamTHE FIFTH TUBE Frederick Irving AndersonTHE STRANGE CASE OF STEINKELWINTZ MacKinlay KantorARSÈNE LUPIN IN PRISON Maurice LeblancTHE MYSTERY OF THE STRONG ROOM L. T. Meade & Robert EustaceNO WAY OUT Dennis LyndsTHE EPISODE OF THE CODEX’ CURSE C. Daly King(Often described as a woman’s murder weapon, poison doesn’t really care who administers it.)THE POISONED DOW ’08 Dorothy L. SayersA TRAVELLER’S TALE Margaret FrazerDEATH AT THE EXCELSIOR P. G. Wodehouse(Some stories simply can’t be categorized.)WAITING FOR GODSTOW Martin EdwardsAbout the AuthorOtto Penzler is a two-time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the editor of numerous anthologies, among them eight other Vintage Crime/Black Lizard anthologies, most recently The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries. He is the owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City.

"With so many great authors contributing to this fiction collection . . . it doesn't take detecting skills to discover the gem. And every story dazzles . . . These stories, in prose both elegant and compelling, get to the heart of why people do what they do." — USA Today The Best American Mystery Stories 2014 will be selected by "writing powerhouse" (USA Today) Laura Lippman. With her popular Tess Monaghan series and her New York Times best-selling standalone novels, Lippman has greatly expanded the boundaries of modern mystery fiction and psychological suspense.ContentsMEGAN ABBOTT My Heart Is Either BrokenDANIEL ALARCÓN CollectorsJIM ALLYN Princess AnneJODI ANGEL SnuffRUSSELL BANKS Former MarineJAMES LEE BURKE Going Across JordanPATRICIA ENGEL AidaERNEST FINNEY The WreckerROXANE GAY I Will Follow YouMICHELLE BUTLER HALLETT Bush-Hammer FinishCHARLAINE HARRIS Small KingdomsJOSEPH HELLER Almost Like ChristmasDAVID H. INGRAM The Covering StormED KURTZ A Good MarriageMATTHEW NEILL NULL Gauley SeasonANNIE PROULX Rough DeedsSCOTT LORING SANDERS Pleasant GroveNANCY PAULINE SIMPSON Festered WoundsDENNIS TAFOYA Satan’s KingdomLAURA VAN BERG Antarctica

Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler's new anthology brings together the most cunning, resourceful, and brilliant female sleuths in mystery fiction. A Vintage Crime/Black Lizard Original.For the first time ever, Otto Penzler gathers the most iconic women of the detective canon over the past 150 years, captivating and surprising readers in equal measure. The 74 handpicked stories in this collection introduce us to the most determined of gumshoe gals, from debutant detectives like Anna Katharine Green's Violet Strange to spinster sleuths like Mary Roberts Rinehart's Hilda Adams, from groundbreaking female cops like Baroness Orczy's Lady Molly to contemporary crime-fighting P.I.s like Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone. ContentsIntroductionThe Victorians and Edwardians (British)The Mysterious Countess: AnonymousThe Unraveled Mystery: Andrew Forrester, Jr.The Redhill Sisterhood: C. L. PirkisThe Diamond Lizard: George R. SimsThe Stir Outside the Café Royal: Clarence RookThe Mandarin: Fergus HumeThe Outside Ledge: A Cablegram Mystery: L. T. Meade & Robert EustaceThe Frewin Miniatures: Emmuska OrczyConscience: Richard MarshThe Hidden Violin: M. McDonnell BodkinBefore World War I (American)Christabel’s Crystal: Carolyn WellsThe Bullet from Nowhere: Hugh C. WeirAn Intangible Clew: Anna Katharine GreenPlanted: James OppenheimThe Pulp EraThe Wizard’s Safe: ValentineRed Hot: Frederick NebelThe Domino Lady Collects: Lars AndersonThe Letters and the Law: T. T. FlynnThe Old Maids Die: Whitman ChambersToo Many Clients: D. B. McCandlessRat Runaround: Roger TorreyMurder with Music and Coke for Co-Eds: Adolphe BarreauxChiller-Diller: Richard SaleThe Passing of Anne Marsh: Arthur Leo ZagatThe Golden AgeThe Secret Adversary: Agatha ChristieDiamond Cut Diamond: Frederic Arnold KummerLocked Doors: Mary Roberts RinehartThe Tea-Leaf: Edgar Jepson & Robert EustaceThe Almost Perfect Murder: Hulbert FootnerThe Lover of St. Lys: F. Tennyson JesseMisogyny at Mougins: Gilbert FrankauIntroducing Susan Dare: Mignon G. EberhartThe Bloody Crescendo: Vincent StarrettBurglars Must Dine: E. Phillips OppenheimThe Missing Character: Phyllis BentleyMurder in the Movies: Karl DetzerThe Gilded Pupil: Ethel Lina WhiteThe Case of the Hundred Cats: Gladys MitchellMid-CenturyMurder with Flowers: Q. PatrickVacancy with Corpse: H. H. HolmesThe Riddle of the Black Museum: Stuart PalmerMeredith’s Murder: Charlotte ArmstrongFlowers for an Angel: Nigel MorlandThere’s Death for Remembrance: Frances & Richard LockridgeMom Sings an Aria: James YaffeThe Modern EraAll the Lonely People: Marcia MullerBlood Types: Julie SmithA Poison That Leaves No Trace: Sue GraftonDiscards: Faye KellermanSpooked: Carolyn G. HartMaking Lemonade: Barbara PaulLouise: Max Allan CollinsStrung Out: Sara ParetskyBeneath the Lilacs: Nevada BarrMiss Gibson: Linda BarnesHeadaches and Bad Dreams: Lawrence BlockAn Affair of Inconvenience: Anne PerryBeaubien: Deborah MorganDouble-Crossing Delancey: S. J. RozanThe Shoeshine Man’s Regrets: Laura LippmanDust Up: Wendy HornsbyThe Case of the Parr Children: Antonia FraserFast: Jeffery DeaverBad GirlsThe Winged Assassin: L. T. Meade & Robert EustaceThe Blood-Red Cross: L. T. Meade & Robert EustaceThe Adventure of the Carnegie Library: John Kendrick BangsThe Woman from the East: Edgar WallaceShe Knew What to Do: Joseph ShearingThe Forgers: Arthur B. ReeveThe Meanest Man in Europe: David DurhamFour Square Jane Unmasked: Edgar WallaceThe Adventure of the Headless Statue: Eugene ThomasThe Madame Goes Dramatic: Perry PaulExtenuating Circumstances: Joyce Carol OatesPermissions Acknowledgments

Contents  INTRODUCTIONOtto Penzler THE END OF THE STRINGCharles McCarry SECTION 7(A) (OPERATIONAL)Lee Child DESTINY CITYJames GradyNEIGHBORSJoseph Finder EAST OF SUEZ, WEST OF CHARING CROSS ROADJohn Lawton FATHER’S DAYJohn Weisman CASEY AT THE BATStephen Hunter MAX IS CALLINGGayle Lynds THE INTERROGATORDavid Morrell SLEEPING WITH MY ASSASSINAndrew Klavan THE HAMBURG REDEMPTIONRobert Wilson THE COURIERDan Fesperman HEDGED INStella RimingtonYOU KNOW WHAT’S GOING ONOlen Steinhauer

The Great Detectives: The World's Most Celebrated Sleuths Unmasked by Their Authors The origins of literature’s finest crime fighters, told by their creators themselves Their names ring out like gunshots in the dark of a back alley, crime fighters of a lost era whose heroic deeds will never be forgotten. They are men like Lew Archer, Pierre Chambrun, Flash Casey, and the Shadow. They are women like Mrs. North and the immortal Nancy Drew. These are detectives, and they are some of the only true heroes the twentieth century ever knew. In this classic volume, Otto Penzler presents essays written by the authors who created these famous characters. We learn how Ed McBain killed—and resurrected—the hero of the 87th Precinct, how international agent Quiller wrote his will, and how Dick Tracy first announced that “crime does not pay.” Some of these heroes may be more famous than others, but there is not one whom you wouldn’t like on your side in a courtroom, a shootout, or an old-fashioned barroom brawl. Contents Foreword by Otto Penzler Roderick Alleyn by Ngaio Marsh John Appleby by Michael Innes Lew Archer by Ross Macdonald Father Bredder by Leonard Holton Flash Casey by George Harmon Coxe Pierre Chambrun by Hugh Pentecost Inspector Cockrill by Christianna Brand Captain José Da Silva by Robert L. Fish Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene The 87th Precinct by Ed McBain Fred Fellows by Hillary Waugh Inspector Ghote by H. R. F. Keating Matt Helm by Donald Hamilton Duncan Maclain by Baynard H. Kendrick Mark McPherson by Vera Caspary Lieutenant Luis Mendoza by Dell Shannon Mr. and Mrs. North by Richard Lockridge Patrick Petrella by Michael Gilbert Superintendent Pibble by Peter Dickinson Quiller by Adam Hall Inspector Schmidt by George Bagby The Shadow by Maxwell Grant Michael Shayne by Brett Halliday Virgil Tibbs by John Ball Dick Tracy by Chester Gould Inspector Van der Valk by Nicolas Freeling Bibliography and Filmography Otto Penzler (b. 1942) is among the world’s foremost authorities on crime fiction. He founded the Mysterious Press (now an imprint at Grove/Atlantic) in 1975, and has edited and published many of the greatest mystery writers of the past half-century—including Joseph Wambaugh, Patricia Highsmith, Joyce Carol Oates, Donald Westlake, Thomas H. Cook, Ed McBain, Ruth Rendell, Thomas Perry, Eric Ambler, Mickey Spillane, Ross Macdonald, and James Ellroy. In 1976, Penzler collaborated with Chris Steinbrunner to write the Edgar Award–winning Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection, a definitive reference work for the genre. He has also written numerous articles and several books about mystery fiction, and has edited more than sixty anthologies, including the prestigious Best American Mystery Stories of the Year for seventeen years and The Lineup, for which he won his second Edgar. He founded the Mysterious Bookshop in 1979 and the electronic publishing company MysteriousPress.com, in association with Open Road Integrated Media, in 2011. He divides his time between Manhattan and Connecticut.

Edgar Award winner Otto Penzler returns with a new anthology of exhilarating mysteries, assembling Victorian society's lords and ladies and most miserable miscreants.Behind the velvet curtains of horsedrawn carriages and amid the soft glow of the gaslights are the detectives and bobbies sniffing out the safecrackers and petty purloiners who plague everything from the soot-covered side streets of London to the opulent manors of the countryside. With his latest title in the Big Book series, Otto Penzler is cracking cases and serving up the most thrilling, suspenseful Victorian mysteries. This collection brings together incredible stories from Arthur Conan Doyle, Thomas Hardy, Oscar Wilde, Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Guy de Maupassant among other legendary writers of the grand era of the British Empire. So brush off your dinner jackets and straighten out your ball gowns for these exciting, glitzy mysteries.ContentsIntroduction by Otto PenzlerDETECTIVE STORIESOne Night in a Gaming-House“WATERS”The Biter BitWILKIE COLLINSHunted DownCHARLES DICKENSThe Wife-KillerJAMES M’GOVANMy Adventure in the Flying ScotsmanEDEN PHILLPOTTSThe Mystery of a Handsome CadMOLL. BOURNEThe Jewelled SkullDICK DONOVANThe Greek InterpreterARTHUR CONAN DOYLEThe Black Bag Left on a Door-StepC. L. PIRKISThe Opal of CarmalovitchMAX PEMBERTONAn Oak CoffinL. T. MEADE & CLIFFORD HALIFAXThe Stanway Cameo MysteryARTHUR MORRISONThe Divination of the Zagury CapsulesHEADON HILLFive Hundred CaratsGEORGE GRIFFITHThe Vanishing DiamondsM. MCDONNELL BODKINHagar of the Pawn-ShopFERGUS HUMEThe Robbery in Phillimore TerraceEMMUSKA ORCZYCRIME STORIESPassage in the Secret History of an Irish CountessJ. SHERIDAN LE FANUThe Advocate’s Wedding-DayCATHERINE CROWELevison’s VictimM. E. BRADDONThe Pavilion on the LinksROBERT LOUIS STEVENSONThe Knightsbridge MysteryCHARLES READEThe Three StrangersTHOMAS HARDYLord Arthur Savile’s CrimeOSCAR WILDEThe Mystery of the Strong RoomL. T. MEADE & ROBERT EUSTACEThe Hammerpond Park BurglaryH. G. WELLSThe Ides of MarchE. W. HORNUNGThe Story of the Lost SpecialARTHUR CONAN DOYLEThe Episode of the Tyrolean CastleGRANT ALLENThe Diamond LizardGEORGE R. SIMSA Prince of SwindlersGUY BOOTHBYINTERNATIONAL STORIESThe NailPEDRO DE ALARCÓNThe Invisible EyeERCKMANN-CHATRIANGod Sees the Truth, but WaitsLEO TOLSTOYThe Moscow Theater PlotALFREDO ORIANIThe Little Old Man of BatignollesÉMILE GABORIAUThe DepositionLUIGI CAPUANAGUY DE MAUPASSANTANTON CHEKHOVWell-Woven EvidenceDIETRICH THEDENAMERICAN STORIESThe Purloined LetterEDGAR ALLAN POEA Thumb-Print and What Came of ItMARK TWAINMy Favorite MurderAMBROSE BIERCEThe Lady, or the Tiger?FRANK STOCKTONThe Corpus DelictiMELVILLE DAVISSON POSTA Difficult ProblemANNA KATHARINE GREENThe Suicide of KiarosL. FRANK BAUM

Murder at the Foul Line: Original Tales of Hoop Dreams and Deaths From Today's Great WritersRefereed by editor Otto Penzler, this anthology collects fourteen, original tales of buzzer-beating suspense and postgame mayhem. "In "Keller's Double Dribble," Lawrence Block tails a clueless hitman with courtside tickets to unplanned bloodshed ... Jeffery Deaver's power guard summons his formidable game instincts to thwart a pack of scammers in "Nothing but Net" ... a flagrant foul and a cruel betrayal send a star player crashing in Mike Lupica's "Mrs. Cash" ... George Pelecanos's "String Music" traces the dangerous escalation of a playground beef ... and in "Galahad, Inc.," by Joan H. Parker and Robert B. Parker, a college prodigy seeks unlikely defensive help against a sorority party sex rap." "Other literary slam-dunk tales ask just how hard a former Olympic medalist will fight to get back his old glory ... what hustle will win you the dunk-or-die prison matchup ... and why the pride of the Knicks will never live to see the playoffs. You'll find all the answers inside these pages from acclaimed storytellers Sue DeNymme, Brendan DuBois, Parnell Hall, Laurie R. King, Michael Malone, R. D. Rosen, S. J. Rozan, Justin Scott, and Stephen Solomita. There's the whistle. Here's the tip-off. Let these great clutch shot-makers put you in the zone."--BOOK JACKET.From Publishers WeeklyAs Penzler suggests in the introduction to his latest sports-themed anthology, basketball and crime go together like "ham and eggs" or, more darkly, like "Michael Jackson and little boys." The results, in any event, are always readable. Penzler's choice of contributors is varied and often surprising: sportswriter Mike Lupica is a natural, as is R.D. Rosen, author of the Edgar-winning Harvey Blissberg series about a professional baseball player. But Laurie R. King, author of the Mary Russell series? Her story, "Cat's Paw," is one of the best, about a teacher who coaches a girl's junior high school basketball team, refers to herself as a "twenty-nine-year-old virgin" and has her life shaken up when she almost runs over a cat on the highway. Also strong is George P. Pelecanos's "String Music," in which a streetwise D.C. kid survives the problems of his daily life by playing pickup basketball: "In pickup, see, you can pretty much freestyle, try everything out you been practicing on your own," he tells us, summing up the spirit of this lively volume. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistAny mystery compendium comprising 14 original works by an all-star roster including Lawrence Block, Robert B. Parker, and George Pelecanos is destined to be thoroughly enjoyable. Add basketball as the backdrop, and you have a very special collection for sports-minded crime fans. Highlights include Pelecanos' menacing "String Music," in which a game of Washington, D.C., street ball takes a potentially deadly turn. Jeffrey Deaver's "Nothing but Net" is a very clever story in which gamblers try to run a scam on an NBA star but find themselves on the short end of a financial version of basketball's backdoor play. Parker and his wife, Joan, team up for a Nick and Nora Charles-like tale in which a glib husband-and-wife detective team try to clear a young basketball player of sexual--assault charges. Penzler's introduction provides brief professional biographies of the contributors. The writing is uniformly excellent, and the seldom-utilized subject matter is rich with possibilities. The result is a collection to satisfy mystery buffs and hoop fanatics alike. Wes LukowskyCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved“Keller’s Double Dribble,”  by Lawrence Block; “Nothing but Net,”  by Jeffery Deaver; “Bank Shots,”  by Sue DeNymme; “The Taste of Silver,”  by Brendan DuBois; “Fear of Failure,” by Parnell Hall; “Cat’s Paw,” by Laurie R. King; “Mrs. Cash,” by Mike Lupica; “White Trash Noir,” by Michael Malone; “Galahad, Inc.,”  by Joan H. Parker and Robert B. Parker; “String Music,” by George Pelecanos; “Mamzer,” by R. D. Rosen; “Shots,” copyright © 2006 by S.J. Rozan; “In the Zone,” by Justin Scott; “Bubba,”  by Stephen Solomita

Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler's new anthology brings together the most cunning, ruthless, and brilliant criminals in mystery fiction, for the biggest compendium of bad guys (and girls) ever assembled.The best mysteries--whether detective, historical, police procedural, cozy, or comedy--have one thing in common: a memorable perpetrator. For every Sherlock Holmes or Sam Spade in noble pursuit, there's a Count Dracula, a Lester Leith, or a Jimmy Valentine. These are the rogues and villains who haunt our imaginations--and who often have more in common with their heroic counterparts than we might expect. Now, for the first time ever, Otto Penzler gathers the iconic traitors, thieves, con men, sociopaths, and killers who have crept through the mystery canon over the past 150 years, captivating and horrifying readers in equal measure. The 72 handpicked stories in this collection introduce us to the most depraved of psyches, from iconic antiheroes like Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin and Sax Rohmer's Dr. Fu Manchu to contemporary delinquents like Lawrence Block's Ehrengraf and Donald Westlake's Dortmunder.ContentsIntroduction by Otto PenzlerThe VictoriansAt the Edge of the Crater: L. T. Meade & Robert EustaceThe Episode of the Mexican Seer: Grant AllenThe Body Snatcher: Robert Louis StevensonDracula’s Guest: Bram StokerThe Narrative of Mr. James Rigby: Arthur MorrisonThe Ides of March: E. W. HornungNineteenth-Century AmericansThe Story of a Young Robber: Washington IrvingMoon-Face: Jack LondonThe Shadow of Quong Lung: C. W. DoyleThe EdwardiansThe Fire of London: Arnold BennettMadame Sara: L. T. Meade & Robert EustaceThe Affair of the Man Who Called Himself Hamilton Cleek: Thomas W. HanshewThe Mysterious Railway Passenger: Maurice LeblancAn Unposted Letter: Newton MacTavishThe Adventure of “The Brain”: Bertram AtkeyThe Kailyard Novel: Clifford AshdownThe Parole of Gevil-Hay: K. & Hesketh PrichardThe Hammerpond Park Burglary: H. G. WellsThe Zayat Kiss: Sax RohmerEarly Twentieth-Century AmericansThe Infallible Godahl: Frederick Irving AndersonThe Caballero’s Way: O. HenryConscience in Art: O. HenryThe Unpublishable Memoirs: A. S. W. RosenbachThe Universal Covered Carpet Tack Company: George Randolph ChesterBoston Blackie’s Code: Jack BoyleThe Gray Seal: Frank L. PackardThe Dignity of Honest Labor: Percival PollardThe Eyes of the Countess Gerda: May EdgintonThe Willow Walk: Sinclair LewisA Retrieved Reformation: O. HenryBetween the World WarsThe Burglar: John RussellPortrait of a Murderer: Q. PatrickKarmesin and the Big Flea: Gerald KershThe Very Raffles-Like Episode of Castor and Pollux, Diamonds De Luxe: Harry Stephen KeelerThe Most Dangerous Game: Richard ConnellFour Square Jane: Edgar WallaceA Fortune in Tin: Edgar WallaceThe Genuine Old Master: David DurhamThe Colonel Gives a Party: Everett Rhodes CastleFootsteps of Fear: Vincent StarrettThe Signed Masterpiece: Frederick Irving AndersonThe Hands of Mr. Ottermole: Thomas Burke“His Lady” to the Rescue: Bruce GraemeOn Getting an Introduction: Edgar WallaceThe Fifteen Murderers: Ben HechtThe Damsel in Distress: Leslie CharterisThe Pulp EraAfter-Dinner Story: William IrishThe Mystery of the Golden Skull: Donald E. KeyhoeWe Are All Dead: Bruno FischerHorror Insured: Paul ErnstA Shock for the Countess: C. S. MontanyeA Shabby Millionaire: Christopher B. BoothCrimson Shackles: Frederick C. DavisThe Adventure of the Voodoo Moon: Eugene ThomasThe Copper Bowl: George Fielding EliotPost–World War IIThe Cat-Woman: Erle Stanley GardnerThe Kid Stacks a Deck: Erle Stanley GardnerThe Theft from the Empty Room: Edward D. HochThe Shill: Stephen MarloweThe Dr. Sherrock Commission: Frank McAuliffeIn Round Figures: Erle Stanley GardnerThe Racket Buster: Erle Stanley GardnerSweet Music: Robert L. FishThe ModernsThe Ehrengraf Experience: Lawrence BlockQuarry’s Luck: Max Allan CollinsThe Partnership: David MorrellBlackburn Sins: Bradley DentonThe Black Spot: Loren D. EstlemanCar Trouble: Jas. R. PetrinKeller on the Spot: Lawrence BlockBoudin Noir: R. T. LawtonLike a Thief in the Night: Lawrence BlockToo Many Crooks: Donald E. WestlakePermissions Acknowledgments

The Lineup: The World's Greatest Crime Writers Tell the Inside Story of Their Greatest DetectivesSUMMARY: A great recurring character in a series you love becomes an old friend. You learn about their strange quirks and their haunted pasts and root for them every time they face danger. But where do some of the most fascinating sleuths in the mystery and thriller world really come from?What was the real-life location that inspired Michael Connelly to make Harry Bosch a Vietnam vet tunnel rat? Why is Jack Reacher a drifter? How did a brief encounter in Botswana inspire Alexander McCall Smith to create Precious Ramotswe? In THE LINEUP, some of the top mystery writers in the world tell about the genesis of their most beloved characters--or, in some cases, let their creations do the talking.INTRODUCTION by Otto PenzlerKEN BRUENJACK TAYLOR by Ken BruenLEE CHILDJACK REACHER by Lee ChildMICHAEL CONNELLYHIERONYMUS BOSCH by Michael ConnellyJOHN CONNOLLYCHARLIE PARKER by John ConnollyROBERT CRAISELVIS COLE AND JOE PIKE by Robert CraisJEFFERY DEAVERLINCOLN RHYME by Jeffery DeaverCOLIN DEXTERINSPECTOR MORSE by Colin DexterJOHN HARVEYCHARLIE RESNICK by John HarveySTEPHEN HUNTERBOB LEE SWAGGER by Stephen HunterFAYE KELLERMANPETER DECKER AND RINA LAZARUS by Faye KellermanJONATHAN KELLERMANALEX DELAWARE by Jonathan KellermanJOHN LESCROARTDISMAS HARDY by John LescroartLAURA LIPPMANTESS MONAGHAN by Laura LippmanDAVID MORRELLRAMBO by David MorrellCAROL O'CONNELLMALLORY by Carol O'ConnellROBERT B. PARKERSPENSER by Robert B. ParkerRIDLEY PEARSONLOU BOLDT by Ridley PearsonANNE PERRYCHARLOTTE AND THOMAS PITT by Anne PerryDOUGLAS PRESTON AND LINCOLN CHILDALOYSIUS X. L. PENDERGAST by Douglas Preston and Lincoln ChildIAN RANKINJOHN REBUS by Ian RankinALEXANDER McCALL SMITHPRECIOUS RAMOTSWE by Alexander McCall Smith

Have yourself a crooked little Christmas with The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries. Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler collects sixty of his all-time favorite holiday crime stories--many of which are difficult or nearly impossible to find anywhere else. From classic Victorian tales by Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Thomas Hardy, to contemporary stories by Sara Paretsky and Ed McBain, this collection touches on all aspects of the holiday season, and all types of mysteries. They are suspenseful, funny, frightening, and poignant. Included are puzzles by Mary Higgins Clark, Isaac Asimov, and Ngaio Marsh; uncanny tales in the tradition of A Christmas Carol by Peter Lovesey and Max Allan Collins; O. Henry-like stories by Stanley Ellin and Joseph Shearing, stories by pulp icons John D. MacDonald and Damon Runyon; comic gems from Donald E. Westlake and John Mortimer; and many, many more. Almost any kind of mystery you’re in the mood for--suspense, pure detection, humor, cozy, private eye, or police procedural—can be found in these pages. FEATURING:-        Unscrupulous Santas-        Crimes of Christmases Past and Present-        Festive felonies-        Deadly puddings-        Misdemeanors under the mistletoe-        Christmas cases for classic characters including Sherlock Holmes, Brother Cadfael, Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Ellery Queen, Rumpole of the Bailey, Inspector Morse, Inspector Ghote, A.J. Raffles, and Nero Wolfe.ContentsINTRODUCTION Otto PenzlerA Traditional Little ChristmasTHE ADVENTURE OF THE CHRISTMAS PUDDING Agatha ChristieGOLD, FRANKINCENSE AND MURDER Catherine AirdBOXING UNCLEVER Robert BarnardTHE PROOF OF THE PUDDING Peter LoveseyTHE ADVENTURE OF THE DAUPHIN’S DOLL Ellery QueenMORSE’S GREATEST MYSTERY Colin DexterMORE THAN FLESH AND BLOOD Susan MoodyTHE BUTLER’S CHRISTMAS EVE Mary Roberts RinehartTHE TRINITY CAT Ellis PetersA Funny Little ChristmasTHE BURGLAR AND THE WHATSIT Donald E. WestlakeDANCING DAN’S CHRISTMAS Damon RunyonA VISIT FROM ST. NICHOLAS Ron GoulartTHE THIEVES WHO COULDN’T HELP SNEEZING Thomas HardyRUMPOLE AND THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS John MortimerA REVERSIBLE SANTA CLAUS Meredith NicholsonA Sherlockian Little ChristmasA SCANDAL IN WINTER Gillian LinscottTHE CHRISTMAS CLIENT Edward D. HochTHE SECRET IN THE PUDDING BAG & HERLOCK SHOLMES’S CHRISTMAS CASE Peter ToddCHRISTMAS EVE S. C. RobertsTHE ADVENTURE OF THE BLUE CARBUNCLE Arthur Conan DoyleA Pulpy Little ChristmasDEAD ON CHRISTMAS STREET John D. MacDonaldCRIME’S CHRISTMAS CAROL NorvellSERENADE TO A KILLER Joseph CommingsAn Uncanny Little ChristmasTHE HAUNTED CRESCENT Peter LoveseyA CHRISTMAS IN CAMP Edmund CoxTHE CHRISTMAS BOGEY Pat FrankTHE KILLER CHRISTIAN Andrew KlavanTHE GHOST’S TOUCH Fergus HumeA WREATH FOR MARLEY Max Allan CollinsA Scary Little ChristmasTHE CAROL SINGERS Josephine BellWAXWORKS Ethel Lina WhiteCAMBRIC TEA Marjorie BowenTHE 74TH TALE Jonathan SantloferTHE UNINNOCENT Bradford MorrowBLUE CHRISTMAS Peter RobinsonA Surprising Little ChristmasNOEL, NOEL Barry PerowneDEATH ON CHRISTMAS EVE Stanley EllinTHE CHINESE APPLE Joseph ShearingA Modern Little ChristmasAND ALL THROUGH THE HOUSE Ed McBainAN EARLY CHRISTMAS Doug AllynTHE LIVE TREE John LutzTHREE-DOT PO Sara ParetskyMAD DOG Dick LochteA Puzzling Little ChristmasSISTER BESSIE Cyril HareTHAT’S THE TICKET Mary Higgins ClarkDEATH ON THE AIR Ngaio MarshTHE THIRTEENTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS Isaac AsimovTHE CHRISTMAS KITTEN Ed GormanTHE SANTA CLAUS CLUB Julian SymonsA Classic Little ChristmasTHE FLYING STARS G. K. ChestertonCHRISTMAS PARTY Rex StoutTHE RAFFLES RELICS E. W. HornungTHE PRICE OF LIGHT Ellis PetersA PRESENT FOR SANTA SAHIB H. R. F. KeatingTHE CHRISTMAS TRAIN Will ScottMARKHEIM Robert Louis StevensonA CHAPARRAL CHRISTMAS GIFT O. HenryTHE CHOPHAM AFFAIR Edgar WallaceA CHRISTMAS TRAGEDY Agatha ChristieAbout the AuthorOtto Penzler is the editor of eleven other Vintage Crime/Black Lizard anthologies, including The Big Book of Pulps, The Big Book of Black Mask Stories, and, most recently, The Big Book of Ghost Stories. He lives in New York City.

The acclaimed authors in this anthology are collectively responsible for dozens of "New York Times" bestsellers. Legendary editor Otto Penzler owns the Mysterious Bookshop in New York and is founder of the Mysterious Press and Otto Penzler books.From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Mystery maven Penzler has gathered 17 stories from top writers for an all-original suspense anthology with results that are about the same as if a master chocolatier had assembled a new sampler box: everything of high quality but with enough variety to appeal to all tastes. All the contributors are true to their own very familiar voices. Ed McBain's "Improvisation," a chilling story of two young actresses who commit murder to learn what it feels like, is cut-to-the-bone sharp. In the haunting "Cielo Azul," Michael Connelly allows both detective Harry Bosch and profiler Terry McCaleb to brood, as only they can, about a murder victim never identified. In "Dear Penthouse Forum (A First Draft)," Laura Lippman uses an original format to showcase a truly frightening woman with a most unusual collecting mania who preys on men in airports. S.J. Rozan's "The Last Kiss" features a dangerous woman who's all the more dangerous because at first she seems so sympathetic. Jeffrey Deaver's "Born Bad" is a brilliant double play, with tight characterizations and an unforgettable plot twist. It's a joy to watch these talented authors, who also include J.A. Jance, Elmore Leonard, Walter Mosley and Joyce Carol Oates, embrace the short story form and produce magic. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistMystery guru Penzler (prolific editor, bookseller, and founder of Mysterious Press) has convinced 17 contemporary mystery writers to submit never-before-published short stories for this anthology. The lineup includes plenty of heavyweights: Ed McBain, Anne Perry, Elmore Leonard, Joyce Carol Oates, and Ian Rankin. Penzler's introduction showcases the entire squad and provides a witty look at dangerous women in mysteries past, such as Philip Marlowe's Brigid O'Shaughnessy and Conan Doyle's Irene Adler. The stories, just about all of which feature a woman gleefully luring a hapless male to destruction, often rely on abrupt power shifts, as in McBain's "Improvisation," which begins with a seductress in a bar saying, "Why don't we kill somebody?" Oates sustains suspense through a pathological love letter in "Give Me Your Heart," and Laura Lippman's "Dear Penthouse Forum (A First Draft)" delivers a twisted O'Henry ending. The cumulative effect is more than a little poisonous--best to take these small ampoules of crime one at a time. Connie FletcherCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedImprovisation • Ed McBainCielo Azul • Michael ConnellyGive Me Your Heart • Joyce Carol OatesKarma • Walter MosleyDear Penthouse Forum (A First Draft) • Laura LippmanRendezvous • Nelson DemilleWhat She Offered • Thomas H. CookHer Lord And Master • Andrew KlavanMr. Gray’s Folly • John ConnollyA Thousand Miles From Nowhere • Lorenzo CarcaterraWitness • J. A. JanceSoft Spot • Ian RankinThird Party • Jay McinerneyThe Last Kiss •  S.J. RozanSneaker Wave • Anne PerryLouly And Pretty Boy • Elmore LeonardBorn Bad • Jeffery Deaver

The Best American Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth CenturyAn unparalleled treasury of crime, mystery, and murder from the genre's founding century With stories by Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum, Edith Wharton, Stephen Crane, and Jack London, The Best American Mystery Stories of the Nineteenth Century is an essential anthology of American letters. It's a unique blend of beloved writers who contributed to the genre and forgotten names that pioneered the form, such as Anna Katharine Green, the godmother of mystery fiction, and the African-American writer Charles W. Chesnutt. Of course, Penzler includes "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," recognized as the first detective story, and with thirty-three stories spanning the years 1824–1899, nowhere else can readers find such a surprising, comprehensive take on the evolution of the American mystery story.ContentsWASHINGTON IRVING The Story of the Young RobberWILLIAM LEGGETT The RifleNATHANIEL HAWTHORNE Mr. Higginbotham’s CatastropheEDGAR ALLAN POE The Murders in the Rue MorgueEDGAR ALLAN POE The Purloined LetterABRAHAM LINCOLN Remarkable Case of Arrest for MurderDANIEL WEBSTER The Fatal SecretTHOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH The DanseuseLOUISA MAY ALCOTT A Double Tragedy: An Actor’s StoryALLAN PINKERTON The Two Sisters; Or, The AvengerFRANK STOCKTON The Lady, or the Tiger? and The Discourager of HesitancyMARK TWAIN A Thumb-Print and What Came of ItAMBROSE BIERCE My Favorite MurderCHARLES W. CHESNUTT The Sheriff’s ChildrenRICHARD HARDING DAVIS GallegherWILLIAM NORR ’Round the Opium LampPERCIVAL POLLARD Lingo DanRODRIGUES OTTOLENGUI The Nameless Man and The Montezuma EmeraldANNA KATHARINE GREEN The Doctor, His Wife, and the ClockWILLIAM M. HINKLEY A Very Strange CaseMARY E. WILKINS The Long ArmCLEVELAND MOFFETT The Mysterious Card and The Mysterious Card UnveiledMARK TWAIN Tom Sawyer, DetectiveMELVILLE DAVISSON POST The Corpus DelictiL. FRANK BAUM The Suicide of KiarosROBERT W. CHAMBERS The Purple EmperorEDWARD BELLAMY At Pinney’s RanchSTEPHEN CRANE The Blue HotelEDITH WHARTON A Cup of Cold WaterNICHOLAS CARTER The Detective’s Pretty NeighborELLEN GLASGOW A Point in MoralsJACK LONDON A Thousand Deaths

Fourteen impossible crimes from the American masters of the formFor devotees of the Golden Age mystery, the impossible crime story represents the period's purest form: it presents the reader with a baffling scenario (a corpse discovered in a windowless room locked from the inside, perhaps), lays out a set of increasingly confounding clues, and swiftly delivers an ingenious and satisfying solution. During the years between the two world wars, the best writers in the genre strove to outdo one another with unfathomable crime scenes and brilliant explanations, and the puzzling and clever tales they produced in those brief decades remain unmatched to this day.Among the Americans, some of these authors are still household names, inextricably linked to the locked room mysteries they devised: John Dickson Carr, Ellery Queen, Clayton Rawson, Stuart Palmer. CONTENTSINTRODUCTIONANTHONY BOUCHERElsewhenFREDRIC BROWNWhistler’s MurderJOHN DICKSON CARRThe Third BulletJOSEPH COMMINGSFingerprint GhostMIGNON G. EBERHARTThe Calico DogERLE STANLEY GARDNERThe Exact OppositeMACKINLAY KANTORThe Light at Three O’ClockC. DALY KINGThe Episode of the Nail and the RequiemSTUART PALMERThe Riddle of the Yellow CanaryELLERY QUEENThe House of HauntsCLAYTON RAWSONOff the Face of the EarthCRAIG RICEHis Heart Could BreakMANLY WADE WELLMANMurder Among MagiciansCORNELL WOOLRICHMurder at the Automat

Entire novels are often written about a single crime, detailing every gruesome, dark detail until the last drop of blood spatters across the page. Yet in this mystery anthology, renowned editor and author Otto Penzler weaves together to heart-stopping effect more than ninety tales of brutality, terror, and unexpected demise, with each story told in a swift one thousand words or less.These crimes may be fast in both form and fallout, but none lack the dark impulses that too often guide human hands to ill ends. Prepare to be transported into the diabolical schemes of criminal masterminds...into robberies and pranks gone horribly awry...into closets crammed with skeletons...into families bound not by love but wickedness.Authors include Peter Blauner, Ken Bruen, Rob W. Hart, K. A. Laity, Tasha Alexander, Patricia Abbott, Bruce DeSilva, Chuck Caruso, Gregory Gibson, Joe R. Lansdale, and many more.