A Prisoner of Memory: And 24 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories by Ed Gorman (Editor), Martin H. Greenburg (Editor)

From the Publisher

The year's finest in short crime fiction! Including Oates, Deaver, Block, Perry, Muller, and Connelly.

In the past ten years, it's become obvious that crime and mystery fiction has become the most popular form of entertainment for literary and television audiences alike. And as more readers are discovering, mystery fiction isn't limited to the longer forms. Some of the most enjoyable, startling, and memorable crime and mystery fiction can be found in the shorter lengths.

Award-winning editors Ed Gorman and Martin H. Greenberg have put together their best anthology yet. The names of the authors say it all: Joyce Carol Oates • Jeffrey Deaver • Lawrence Block • Michael Connelly • Anne Perry • Marcia Muller

These New York Times-bestselling writers are joined by a prodigious group of veterans and newcomers who promise to intrigue and delight. So sit back and relax in the company of some of the world's finest writers, gathered here to give you many nights of pleasure and thrills.

Publishers Weekly

Drawing more than half their selections from Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazineand Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Gorman and Greenberg offer a star-studded lineup of crime and mystery stories published in 2007 in their latest anthology. Among the highlights are Jeffery Deaver's "Making Amends," which plays a deadly twist on a popular TV sitcom; Sandra Scoppettone's "Everybody Loves Somebody," which will fool most readers; and Doug Allyn's "Dead as a Dog," which pits a harried husband against a deadly hunter. Other notable entries include Loren D. Estleman's "The Profane Angel," about Hollywood legend Carole Lombard, and Brendan DuBois's "Country Manners," in which a rural New Hampshire PI gives the FBI a lesson. Jon L. Breen provides a critical overview of the year, while Sarah Weinman, who chose four online stories for the volume, supplies a brief survey of online mysteries. (June)

Kirkus Reviews

The latest installment of the annual anthology suggests that it hasn't been a vintage year for the mystery short story. Big names dominate. Michael Connelly's accident specialist works a suspicious one-car fatality; Jeffery Deaver's converted sinner makes amends to those who've crossed his path; Lawrence Block's tennis fan turns stalker; Laura Lippman's tough girls deal with a lug looking for you-know-what. In the three longest stories, Doug Allyn pits a suburban father against the hunters who killed his family dog, Dorothy Salisbury Davis recalls a Black Irish murder two generations ago and Clark Howard packs a mercenary off to Kabul to break his brother out of jail. Every entry is workmanlike, none a true standout. Even the anthology's biggest innovation-four online stories prefaced by a survey of online mystery fiction-offers more professionalism than inspiration. The distinguished roster also includes Marcia Muller, Bill Pronzini, Dick Lochte, Robert S. Levinson, Kristine Kathryn Rusch and Joyce Carol Oates, all in middling form. The saddest news of all is the death of Edward D. Hoch, whose hundreds of mystery short stories offered so many anthologists so much material for so long. Since the collection depends heavily on brand names, 2007 can't even be described as what baseball managers call a building year. Wait till next year is more like it.

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