As editor McBain admits in his introduction, it was a bit of a challenge to
persuade 10 superstar authors (well, only nine, since he's also a contributor)
to each write an original novella, with its awkward length between 10,000 and
40,000 words, for this excellent crime and suspense anthology, but he's come
up with an impressive roster. One can't help wondering how a writer like Donald
E. Westlake, who writes so much under several names, can fit in a jolly new
story, "Walking Around Money," about his humorous burglar hero Dortmunder.
And how does Anne Perry, who now writes three separate series and is probably
planning another, move to a completely different period with "Hostages,"
a touching portrait of a woman caught up in the current Irish troubles who tries
to keep her sanity by doing household chores? Walter Mosley, on the other hand,
seems to be looking for new ways to get his points across: his "Archibald Lawless,
Anarchist at Large: Walking the Line" might be the fuse to light a fire. McBain's
own "Merely Hate" lends fresh insight into his 87th Precinct series.

Download File Size:186.41 MB

---