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carrie562's review
4.0
Four stars for the collection because it includes such a variety of excellent stories, not all of which were written by "mystery authors," and many of which seem to stretch the definition of "mystery story." Yes, here you will of course find your Philip Marlowe, your Ellery Queen, your Kinsey Millhone; but you will also run across gems from Willa Cather, James Thurber, Pearl Buck, and other surprises.
Obviously in any story collection, there will be variation in appeal among the entries. I'd award five stars to:
"A Jury of Her Peers," Susan Glaspell 1917
"Red Wind," Raymond Chandler 1938
"Rear Window," Cornell Woolrich 1942
"The Moment of Decision," Stanley Ellin 1955
"The Day of the Execution," Henry Slesar 1957
"Quitters, Inc.," Stephen King 1978
"The Absence of Emily," Jack Ritchie 1981
"Too Many Crooks," Donald Westlake 1989
Obviously in any story collection, there will be variation in appeal among the entries. I'd award five stars to:
"A Jury of Her Peers," Susan Glaspell 1917
"Red Wind," Raymond Chandler 1938
"Rear Window," Cornell Woolrich 1942
"The Moment of Decision," Stanley Ellin 1955
"The Day of the Execution," Henry Slesar 1957
"Quitters, Inc.," Stephen King 1978
"The Absence of Emily," Jack Ritchie 1981
"Too Many Crooks," Donald Westlake 1989
bjerz's review
2.0
This is an enormous book filled with a whole lot of not very mysterious mysteries. There are some gems, by masters like Raymond Chandler and John D. MacDonald, and favorite authors like Sara Paretsky, but most of the stories are either dull or pretty creepy reads (there was even one by Stephen King). I did enjoy the story by Sue Grafton (of the "A is for..." series). It reminded me of the first time I read her, in Redbook magazine, about a million years ago. I did find one author, who was new to me, to be quite good: Michael Malone. His short story "Red Clay" while not really a mystery (at least to me) was well written and engrossing.
rickklaw's review against another edition
5.0
How could a 813 page book with 46 stories titled The Best American Mystery Stories Of the Century steer you wrong? It can’t. Sure you won’t agree with everything that is in and not in the book (that is part of the fun of Best of... collections) but with contributors like [a:Lawrence Block|3389|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1175465339p2/3389.jpg], [a:James M. Cain|14473|James M. Cain|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1214424417p2/14473.jpg], [a:Raymond Chandler|1377|Raymond Chandler|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1206535318p2/1377.jpg], [a:William Faulkner|3535|William Faulkner|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1189905090p2/3535.jpg], [a:Sue Grafton|9559|Sue Grafton|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1202586126p2/9559.jpg], [a:Dashiel Hammett|16927|Dashiell Hammett|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1202585790p2/16927.jpg], [a:O. Henry|854076|Robert Louis Stevenson|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1192746024p2/854076.jpg], [a:Shirley Jackson|4191|Emily Brontë|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1200326444p2/4191.jpg], [a:Stephen King|3389|Stephen King|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1175465339p2/3389.jpg], [a:Donald E. Westlake|30953|Donald E. Westlake|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1230870096p2/30953.jpg] (still chuckling from his Dortmunder tale) and a host of others even the most hardened mystery fan will find something to like. This is truly the best.
meeners's review against another edition
4.0
n impressively ambitious project, and i appreciated the variations in styles and plots and moods. (though i have to admit that it's those very variations that also irked me at times - felt too much like the editors were straining to "break free" of genre restraints, when really they didn't have to.)
there were quite a few stories i didn't think really deserved the title, but i guess you could cite personal preferences as part of the reason. my favorites were the ones by cain (can't go wrong with a title like "the baby in the icebox"), woolrich (teh suspense!!), jackson (creepy awesome old lady protagonist), westlake (master of the bumbling crook caper), and hammett (best last sentence....EVAR.)
in fact, i'll always be eternally grateful to the editors for introducing me to hammett's "the gutting of couffignal," which is one of those stories that grabs onto you and never lets go once you've finished reading it. so great.
there were quite a few stories i didn't think really deserved the title, but i guess you could cite personal preferences as part of the reason. my favorites were the ones by cain (can't go wrong with a title like "the baby in the icebox"), woolrich (teh suspense!!), jackson (creepy awesome old lady protagonist), westlake (master of the bumbling crook caper), and hammett (best last sentence....EVAR.)
in fact, i'll always be eternally grateful to the editors for introducing me to hammett's "the gutting of couffignal," which is one of those stories that grabs onto you and never lets go once you've finished reading it. so great.
buchdrache's review against another edition
3.0
Dieser Band befasst sich, nachdem Blaine überwunden wurde, hauptsächlich mit Rolands Vorgeschichte und seiner ersten und bisher einzigen großen Liebe, ehe er und sein Ka-Tet wieder dem Pfad des Dunklen Turms folgen. Das Buch hat mir nach seiner Lektüre durchaus etwas die Lust an der Reihe verdorben, weil es so unglaublich zäh war. Fast neunhundert Seiten, und die meisten davon wenig inhaltsvoll. Auch in den Vorgängerbänden kristallisierte es sich bereits heraus, dass King mit dem Dunklen Turm anscheinend nur ungern auf den Punkt kommt, aber dieser Band trieb es unangenehm auf die Spitze. Hinzu kommt, dass Rolands tragische Liebe zu Susan einfach nichts ist, das mich sonderlich reizt. Es gab also nichts, das mich über den Wortschwall hinweg trösten konnte und mich bei Laune hielt. Das ging schließlich so weit, dass ich über 200 Seiten überblättert hatte, weil ich einfach so dermaßen gelangweilt davon war. Sich hier bedeutend kürzer zu fassen, hätte dem Buch wesentlich besser getan. Was jedoch positiv auffällt, ist, dass Rolands Welt auch sprachlich nach Regionen untergliedert wird. In verschiedenen Teilen des Landes wird verschieden gesprochen, und das ist auch durchaus essenziell für die Handlung, was mir gut gefiel.
caffeinatedbibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
Review to come later when I've thought more about it...
inlibrisveritas's review against another edition
2.0
I don't even remember the story anymore, I just remember hating it. So I guess this is a pointless review
kxowledge's review against another edition
2.0
One of the first 'books' I read completely in English.
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(Date is not accurate nor is the rating, I just remember not liking it)
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(Date is not accurate nor is the rating, I just remember not liking it)
madscibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
Read this in one day because it is so short. I am shelving it as a classic because it's Steinbeck. It's my first Steinbeck novel and I thought it was all right. I don't think it is his best work. My guess though is that he is fascinated with poor people being miserable (given the little I know about The Grapes of Wraith) because that is what this book is about, too. Yes, we can attribute it to other life-long lessons, but really, poor people being miserable is a pretty good summary of this book.