A review by spygrl1
The Best American Mystery Stories 1999, by Otto Penzler, Ed McBain
4.0
I loooove this series. Year after year, the selections are consistently strong. An occasional story turns out not to be my cup of tea, but the strong and enjoyable far outnumber and outweigh the weak and forgettable.
I was surprised that my favorite turned out to be the Updike story. I've always avoided Updike's fiction, but this tale of an aging novelist's murderous revenge for critical barbs is, to steal one of his beguiling phrases, "creamy satisfaction."
I was surprised that my favorite turned out to be the Updike story. I've always avoided Updike's fiction, but this tale of an aging novelist's murderous revenge for critical barbs is, to steal one of his beguiling phrases, "creamy satisfaction."