knitsandnovels's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
me2brett's review against another edition
4.0
For me, a somewhat uneven collection of short stories. These are "stories of crime" - some are more thriller than mystery (the former is less to my taste). In addition, there's a whole swath that all somehow involve the party in power in 1930s/40s Germany, and they are all clumped together, one right after the other. I did greatly enjoy some of the other short stories, later in the book, especially Estleman's Book Club and Lippman's "Library Thing".
zabacitanovine's review against another edition
DNFed
I really tried, but this book didn't fit with me at this point.
The concept was interesting and I hope to come back to it one day, but I couldn't make myself go further with it at this point.
I really tried, but this book didn't fit with me at this point.
The concept was interesting and I hope to come back to it one day, but I couldn't make myself go further with it at this point.
lissalibrarian's review against another edition
4.0
This collection has some great and not-so-great short stories in it. There's one in particular that I will forever remember about the Secret Library of Fictional Characters with first editions that could alter all copies of that book in the world. That was an amazing story.
amyl88's review against another edition
4.0
In most short story collections, there are losers and winners. This one is a pretty even collection, in my opinion. Even my least favorite, "The Book Case" by Nelson DeMille, is not a badly written story. I just REALLY didn't like the narrator. He's an asshole and if he has his own series, I'll be passing on that one. (UPDATE: It's John Corey, and yes, he has his own series. And yes, GR reviews seem to indicate he's a jerk.)
I think my favorite is David Bell's "Rides A Stranger," in which a grown son learns a lot about his deceased father.
There are some established characters - a story featuring Columbo, and one with Mike Hammer.
There are 2 or 3 stories that have supernatural elements; the rest are straight crime/mystery fiction. But all stories in this collection are centered around books: books, bookstores, libraries, book clubs, readers, authors.
Truly enjoyable collection; I will be looking for the next compilation.
I think my favorite is David Bell's "Rides A Stranger," in which a grown son learns a lot about his deceased father.
There are some established characters - a story featuring Columbo, and one with Mike Hammer.
There are 2 or 3 stories that have supernatural elements; the rest are straight crime/mystery fiction. But all stories in this collection are centered around books: books, bookstores, libraries, book clubs, readers, authors.
Truly enjoyable collection; I will be looking for the next compilation.
andyn5's review against another edition
5.0
This collection is the perfect read for lovers of books and mysteries. What can be better than murders themes around books?
These 15 short stories were written by distinguished mystery writers and they make every story count. The editor Otto Penzler put together an anthology of crime between books that fill fit the likes of most readers. From hidden messages inside old books, a deadly bookseller and the deep secrets a library might hide, make this book impossible to put down.
Each storyline is different but they all have something in common: books. The title was definitely well picked and it describes perfectly its content. All the stories take place in modern times and they all involve different types of books or characters related to books like booksellers, book collectors, books privately owned, public displayed books and even an old scroll. Even though most of the stories can be classified as thriller/mystery, some of them have a fantasy touch to them and one fits in the fantasy genre completely.
The authors with stories on this collection, by order of appearance, are:
Jeffery Deaver - "An Acceptable Sacrifice "
C.J. Box - "Pronghorns of the Third Reich"
Ken Bruen - "The Book of Virtue"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "The Book of Ghosts"
Peter Blauner - "The Final Testament"
Thomas Cook - "What's In A Name? "
Loren D. Estleman - "Book Club"
William Link - "Death Leaves A Bookmark"
Laura Lippman - "The Book Thing"
Anne Perry - "The Scroll"
Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins - "It's In the Book"
Andrew Taylor - "The Long Sonata of the Dead"
David Bell - "Rides A Stranger"
John Connolly - "The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository"
Nelson DeMille - "The Book Case"
The editor Otto Penzler did a great job putting this anthology together. All the authors have different styles of writing, different ways of describing and interaction with the reader which is very refreshing when you’re jumping from story to story. Some of the authors I’m familiar with and it was a treat to read some short works from them, like Jeffrey Deaver, Thomas Cook and John Connolly. Additionally, discovering other authors just made my to-read list a bit longer for next year.
I absolutely recommend this anthology to all the fans of murder mysteries and books. These great authors write great stories and getting to know other creators of this genre might help you discover some great books you haven’t read yet.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Pegasus Books and the editor for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
These 15 short stories were written by distinguished mystery writers and they make every story count. The editor Otto Penzler put together an anthology of crime between books that fill fit the likes of most readers. From hidden messages inside old books, a deadly bookseller and the deep secrets a library might hide, make this book impossible to put down.
Each storyline is different but they all have something in common: books. The title was definitely well picked and it describes perfectly its content. All the stories take place in modern times and they all involve different types of books or characters related to books like booksellers, book collectors, books privately owned, public displayed books and even an old scroll. Even though most of the stories can be classified as thriller/mystery, some of them have a fantasy touch to them and one fits in the fantasy genre completely.
The authors with stories on this collection, by order of appearance, are:
Jeffery Deaver - "An Acceptable Sacrifice "
C.J. Box - "Pronghorns of the Third Reich"
Ken Bruen - "The Book of Virtue"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "The Book of Ghosts"
Peter Blauner - "The Final Testament"
Thomas Cook - "What's In A Name? "
Loren D. Estleman - "Book Club"
William Link - "Death Leaves A Bookmark"
Laura Lippman - "The Book Thing"
Anne Perry - "The Scroll"
Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins - "It's In the Book"
Andrew Taylor - "The Long Sonata of the Dead"
David Bell - "Rides A Stranger"
John Connolly - "The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository"
Nelson DeMille - "The Book Case"
The editor Otto Penzler did a great job putting this anthology together. All the authors have different styles of writing, different ways of describing and interaction with the reader which is very refreshing when you’re jumping from story to story. Some of the authors I’m familiar with and it was a treat to read some short works from them, like Jeffrey Deaver, Thomas Cook and John Connolly. Additionally, discovering other authors just made my to-read list a bit longer for next year.
I absolutely recommend this anthology to all the fans of murder mysteries and books. These great authors write great stories and getting to know other creators of this genre might help you discover some great books you haven’t read yet.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Pegasus Books and the editor for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
andyn5's review
5.0
This collection is the perfect read for lovers of books and mysteries. What can be better than murders themes around books?
These 15 short stories were written by distinguished mystery writers and they make every story count. The editor Otto Penzler put together an anthology of crime between books that fill fit the likes of most readers. From hidden messages inside old books, a deadly bookseller and the deep secrets a library might hide, make this book impossible to put down.
Each storyline is different but they all have something in common: books. The title was definitely well picked and it describes perfectly its content. All the stories take place in modern times and they all involve different types of books or characters related to books like booksellers, book collectors, books privately owned, public displayed books and even an old scroll. Even though most of the stories can be classified as thriller/mystery, some of them have a fantasy touch to them and one fits in the fantasy genre completely.
The authors with stories on this collection, by order of appearance, are:
Jeffery Deaver - "An Acceptable Sacrifice "
C.J. Box - "Pronghorns of the Third Reich"
Ken Bruen - "The Book of Virtue"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "The Book of Ghosts"
Peter Blauner - "The Final Testament"
Thomas Cook - "What's In A Name? "
Loren D. Estleman - "Book Club"
William Link - "Death Leaves A Bookmark"
Laura Lippman - "The Book Thing"
Anne Perry - "The Scroll"
Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins - "It's In the Book"
Andrew Taylor - "The Long Sonata of the Dead"
David Bell - "Rides A Stranger"
John Connolly - "The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository"
Nelson DeMille - "The Book Case"
The editor Otto Penzler did a great job putting this anthology together. All the authors have different styles of writing, different ways of describing and interaction with the reader which is very refreshing when you’re jumping from story to story. Some of the authors I’m familiar with and it was a treat to read some short works from them, like Jeffrey Deaver, Thomas Cook and John Connolly. Additionally, discovering other authors just made my to-read list a bit longer for next year.
I absolutely recommend this anthology to all the fans of murder mysteries and books. These great authors write great stories and getting to know other creators of this genre might help you discover some great books you haven’t read yet.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Pegasus Books and the editor for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
These 15 short stories were written by distinguished mystery writers and they make every story count. The editor Otto Penzler put together an anthology of crime between books that fill fit the likes of most readers. From hidden messages inside old books, a deadly bookseller and the deep secrets a library might hide, make this book impossible to put down.
Each storyline is different but they all have something in common: books. The title was definitely well picked and it describes perfectly its content. All the stories take place in modern times and they all involve different types of books or characters related to books like booksellers, book collectors, books privately owned, public displayed books and even an old scroll. Even though most of the stories can be classified as thriller/mystery, some of them have a fantasy touch to them and one fits in the fantasy genre completely.
The authors with stories on this collection, by order of appearance, are:
Jeffery Deaver - "An Acceptable Sacrifice "
C.J. Box - "Pronghorns of the Third Reich"
Ken Bruen - "The Book of Virtue"
Reed Farrel Coleman - "The Book of Ghosts"
Peter Blauner - "The Final Testament"
Thomas Cook - "What's In A Name? "
Loren D. Estleman - "Book Club"
William Link - "Death Leaves A Bookmark"
Laura Lippman - "The Book Thing"
Anne Perry - "The Scroll"
Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins - "It's In the Book"
Andrew Taylor - "The Long Sonata of the Dead"
David Bell - "Rides A Stranger"
John Connolly - "The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository"
Nelson DeMille - "The Book Case"
The editor Otto Penzler did a great job putting this anthology together. All the authors have different styles of writing, different ways of describing and interaction with the reader which is very refreshing when you’re jumping from story to story. Some of the authors I’m familiar with and it was a treat to read some short works from them, like Jeffrey Deaver, Thomas Cook and John Connolly. Additionally, discovering other authors just made my to-read list a bit longer for next year.
I absolutely recommend this anthology to all the fans of murder mysteries and books. These great authors write great stories and getting to know other creators of this genre might help you discover some great books you haven’t read yet.
Thank you NetGalley, the publisher Pegasus Books and the editor for allowing me to read and review a digital copy of this book.
fearandtrembling's review
3.0
This was a lot more enjoyable than I expected it to be. A perfect book to dip into for light reading.I thought I'd only like one or two stories and the rest would be filler, as anthologies often are, but almost all of the stories were fun and interesting, if not exactly mysterious. Standouts were John Connolly (so good!) and Laura Lippman, both of whom I've not read before. The Anne Perry story was the only one I disliked but that would not come as a surprise to anyone who has read her books. A story that could have been weird and creepy is let down by utterly dull prose. Academic jealousy and secret writing dreams and ambitions are also nicely explored in the two stories by Andrew Taylor and David Bell.
gorjessina17's review
4.0
Bibliomysteries is an anthology put together by Otto Penzler, a well-known advocate of the mystery genre, and features fictional stories written by famous mystery authors which all involve books in some fashion. If you are a bibliophile and especially if you are a devotee of the mystery genre like me, you will definitely enjoy this book.
Here’s the lineup:
– Introduction by Ian Rankin
– “An Acceptable Sacrifice ” by Jeffery Deaver
– “Pronghorns of the Third Reich” by C.J. Box
– “The Book of Virtue” by Ken Bruen
– “The Book of Ghosts” by Reed Farrel Coleman
– “The Final Testament” by Peter Blauner
– “What’s In A Name?” by Thomas H. Cook
– “Book Club” by Loren D. Estleman
– “Death Leaves A Bookmark” by William Link
– “The Book Thing” by Laura Lippman
– “The Scroll” by Anne Perry
– “It’s In the Book” by Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins
– “The Long Sonata of the Dead” by Andrew Taylor
– “Rides A Stranger” by David Bell
– “The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository” by John Connolly
– “The Book Case” by Nelson DeMille.
I don’t want to give too much away by describing each story with any more detail than they do in the description (with how short each story is, I’d end up telling the whole thing!) but I will say that each story is very unique and it was fun seeing how different writers would work out completely different tales using the same prompt.
I enjoyed all of the stories, with one exception, which is really good odds for an anthology. My favorite two stories were “The Book Thing” by Laura Lippman & “The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository” by John Connolly (definite favorite!), with close runners up in “The Scroll” by Anne Perry & “Rides A Stranger” by David Bell.
I’d highly recommend this anthology to anyone who loves mysteries, especially if they also love books. It’s not only a fun ride, it’s also a great introduction to authors you may not have read yet. I know I’m definitely going to be adding some of these authors to my “TBR” pile!
Here’s the lineup:
– Introduction by Ian Rankin
– “An Acceptable Sacrifice ” by Jeffery Deaver
– “Pronghorns of the Third Reich” by C.J. Box
– “The Book of Virtue” by Ken Bruen
– “The Book of Ghosts” by Reed Farrel Coleman
– “The Final Testament” by Peter Blauner
– “What’s In A Name?” by Thomas H. Cook
– “Book Club” by Loren D. Estleman
– “Death Leaves A Bookmark” by William Link
– “The Book Thing” by Laura Lippman
– “The Scroll” by Anne Perry
– “It’s In the Book” by Mickey Spillane & Max Allan Collins
– “The Long Sonata of the Dead” by Andrew Taylor
– “Rides A Stranger” by David Bell
– “The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository” by John Connolly
– “The Book Case” by Nelson DeMille.
I don’t want to give too much away by describing each story with any more detail than they do in the description (with how short each story is, I’d end up telling the whole thing!) but I will say that each story is very unique and it was fun seeing how different writers would work out completely different tales using the same prompt.
I enjoyed all of the stories, with one exception, which is really good odds for an anthology. My favorite two stories were “The Book Thing” by Laura Lippman & “The Caxton Lending Library & Book Depository” by John Connolly (definite favorite!), with close runners up in “The Scroll” by Anne Perry & “Rides A Stranger” by David Bell.
I’d highly recommend this anthology to anyone who loves mysteries, especially if they also love books. It’s not only a fun ride, it’s also a great introduction to authors you may not have read yet. I know I’m definitely going to be adding some of these authors to my “TBR” pile!
howjessicareads's review
3.0
Several winners, a couple I didn't like. Short story collections are always kinda hit or miss for me. Full review coming for Shelf Awareness.