The Best British Mysteries [Hardcover]

Maxim Jakubowski (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Best British Mysteries | Publication Date: November 2003

British crime and mystery writing is popular all over the world. And how could it not be? After all these are the shores that saw the talents of Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dorothy L Sayers and so many others flourish. From the Golden Age of classic mystery writing onwards, British talent has captured the imagination of readers in a unique way, and the modern era has been no exception. The art of the short story has always been one that mystery writers have excelled at, and here we are proud to present 25 examples of the bite-sized mystery from the very best authors in Great Britain today.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Contributors include: Ian Rankin, Anne, Perry, Edward Marston, Martina Cole, Peter Robinson, Stella Duffy, Jerry Sykes, Liza Cody, Marin Edwards, Marion Arnott, Amy Myers, Bill James, Peter Turnbull, Robert Barnard, Peter Lovesey, Val McDermid, Mat Coward, Denise Mina, Sptephen Gallagher, Judith Cutler, David Williams, John Harvey, Carol Anne Davis, Nicholas Royle, Sally Spedding

About the Author

Maxim Jakubowski is a crime critic for the Guardian, a novelist, and the literary director of Crime Scene, a festival held annually at London's National Film Theatre. A regular broadcaster on radio and TV, Maxim runs one of the largest crime bookstores worldwide, which is situated in London.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Allison & Busby LTD (November 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 074900696X
• ISBN-13: 978-0749006969
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,061,067 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Hit and Miss, May 25, 2005

By 

Elinor Teele - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best British Mysteries (Paperback)

This is a compilation of short stories from experienced crime and mystery writers, as well as relative newcomers. Indeed, it is difficult not to be entertained by the distinctive styles in Ian Rankin's "Saint Nicked", or Simon Brett's "Exit, Pursued" (bound to be a hit with Shakespeare fans), both of which lead the reader on a meandering course of false trails before their sly endings. A notable new voice is Mat Coward, whose "Too Subtle for Me" both utilizes and mocks existing mystery standards.

On the other hand, there are many stories in the book that fall short of the complexity that is needed for a mystery/crime story; experienced mystery readers will be able to discover a large number of twists within the first paragraphs. As an example of British crime telling it is patchy, but there are spots of great fun.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars More Horror than Mystery, July 9, 2005

By 

Xenobea (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Best British Mysteries (Paperback)

I took this book out of the library because my mom loves mysteries. But she said none of the books were really murder mysteries, and upon reading about half of the stories I agree. They are more stories of revenge and death, with very little of the traditional mystery involved. I found I didn't much enjoy reading them and didn't finish the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Modern British Mystery & Crime Writing--not cozies, June 16, 2006

By 

S. Westcott (Fairfax, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Best British Mysteries (Paperback)

This anthology serves as an excellent introduction to the current crime fiction scene in Britain. Excellent up and comers and a few bestsellers known over here as well are represented allowing a chance to get in on the ground floor of the next Rankin.