Cat Crimes Through Time [Hardcover]

Edward Gorman (Editor), Martin Harry Greenberg (Editor), Larry Segriff (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1999

Cats star in each of these 21 specially commissioned mysteries, which cover just about every historical period, from ancient Egypt to the Wild West, to 1940s Hollywood.'

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The editors, prolific anthologists all, keep coming up with new ways to package short mystery fiction. This time, they target fans of both feline and historical mysteries. Unfortunately, their offerings are mostly mediocre. Each tale takes place in a period setting, with a feline figuring in the outcome, occasionally outsmarting the human characters. One of the few truly entertaining entries is Carol Gorman's "The Death Cat of Hester Street," set in late-19th-century New York. Also notable are "The Mummy Case," by Carole Nelson Douglas, a clever tale narrated by a sacred cat at Pharaoh's court in ancient Egypt, and "St. Margaret's Kitten," by Doug Allyn, wherein a troubadour and his adopted kitten find murder at a nobleman's castle in 12th-century Scotland. Only a few of the remaining stories rate mentioning, and those more for their human, rather than feline, characters. Gary A. Braunbeck's "Mail-Order Annie" tells of a mail-order bride with a big problem. "Fur Bearing," by Brett Hudgins, set in a 19th-century Canadaian fur-trapping settlement, presents lively characters. Most often, the authors in this collection seem to proffer their feline heroes as afterthought rather than as inspiration: readers can expect wet fur and few purrs.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

These 21 new stories, commissioned from both newcomers and old hands, represent many historical time periods. The editors include brief notes about the authors.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 335 pages
• Publisher: Carroll & Graf Pub; First Edition edition (January 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786705558
• ISBN-13: 978-0786705559
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,245,669 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jack Albert's travels have taken him to three continents on a variety of activities. His stories show his keen eye for people and how they live. As a literary author, he has been described as one of the top modern writers of short stories. While planning on continuing to write short fiction, he is now involved in several longer projects.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cat's Meow..., July 19, 2000

By 

Brenda "MYSHELFDOTCOM" (United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Cat Crimes Through Time (Hardcover)

Authors are: Elizabeth Ann Scarborough, Janet Dawson, Debbie De Lousie, Jon L. Breen, Bill Crider, Carol Gorman, Doug Allyn, Morris Hershman, Tom Piccirilli, Shirley Kennett, Brett Hudgins, Elizabeth Foxwell, Bentley Little, Marc Bilgrey, Gary A. Braunbeck, Barbara Collins, Jack Albert, Bruce Holland Rogers, Jan Grape, Peter Crowther, Carole Nelson Douglas.

The one that caught my attention was Elizabeth's, Tinker Tam and the Body Snatchers. Being a cat about Edinburgh, Tinker Tam notices a homeless girl is taken against her will, so he sets about rescuing her... In some of the stories the cat is the focus, in others the cat is a part of the story and brings about the clue or clues to solve the mystery.

A delightful read. Cat fans, mystery lovers and history buffs, this is the book for you. The stories are all different. The history travels from Edinburgh, to the California gold rush, to the Wild West, on to the royal tombs, and there's still more!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars For cat lovers only, October 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Cat Crimes Through Time (Hardcover)

The book contains short stories of varying quality. The title gives the impression that the collection deals with crimes solved by cats. This, however, is not usually true, although a cat plays a major role in each story. Two of the stories were outstanding and would hold their own as good literature. They were: "The Death Cat of Hester Street," by Carol Gorman and "Byron" by Jack Albert. Cat lovers will love the book, for it was written with cat lovers in mind