A review by duskyliterati
Natale al Mysterious Bookshop by S.J. Rozan, Anne Perry, Lisa Michelle Atkinson, Thomas H. Cook, Jonathan Santofler, Mary Higgins Clark, Charles Ardai, Rupert Holmes, Edward D. Hoch, Otto Penzler, Lawrence Block, Donald E. Westlake, Andrew Klavan, Jeremiah Healy, George Baxt, Antonio Bellomi, Stefano Rosignoli, Michael Malone, Ed McBain, Ron Goulart
3.0
My second read for the Christmas Spirit challenge, is a collection billed as “stories of mistletoe and mayhem from 17 masters of suspense” compiled by Mysterious Bookshop (New York) owner Otto Penzler. Annually, from 1993 to 2009, Penzler commissioned a short story from a leading mystery writer. There were three requirements that had to be met:
the story must be a mystery, crime, or suspense story;
the story must occur during the Christmas season; and
part of action must occur at the Mysterious Bookshop.
These short stories were originally limited to a printing of 1,000 pamphlets and given to customers as Christmas presents.
While I was familiar with a few of the authors by name (Ed McBain, Anne Perry, and Mary Higgins Clark), I had not previously read any works by the 17 authors. I really don’t read too many mysteries, with Walter Mosley being a notable exception. Normally, when I read an anthology, if I’ve been really impressed by a particular short story, I’ll look at buying additional works by that author. Other than looking up a couple of authors on Wikipedia (e.g., George Baxt), none of the stories sparked further interest. One thing I wished had been included, was a short biography of each of the 17 authors for the uninitiated.
What did spark my interest was paying a visit to the Mysterious Bookshop the next time I’m in New York. Most of the stories took place in the original location of the store, with later stories taking place in the store’s new location. The bookstore sounds fascinating and was the reason I was interested in the book in the first place, because some of the action takes place in a bookstore.
the story must be a mystery, crime, or suspense story;
the story must occur during the Christmas season; and
part of action must occur at the Mysterious Bookshop.
These short stories were originally limited to a printing of 1,000 pamphlets and given to customers as Christmas presents.
While I was familiar with a few of the authors by name (Ed McBain, Anne Perry, and Mary Higgins Clark), I had not previously read any works by the 17 authors. I really don’t read too many mysteries, with Walter Mosley being a notable exception. Normally, when I read an anthology, if I’ve been really impressed by a particular short story, I’ll look at buying additional works by that author. Other than looking up a couple of authors on Wikipedia (e.g., George Baxt), none of the stories sparked further interest. One thing I wished had been included, was a short biography of each of the 17 authors for the uninitiated.
What did spark my interest was paying a visit to the Mysterious Bookshop the next time I’m in New York. Most of the stories took place in the original location of the store, with later stories taking place in the store’s new location. The bookstore sounds fascinating and was the reason I was interested in the book in the first place, because some of the action takes place in a bookstore.