Customer Reviews

Lone Star Sleuths: An Anthology of Texas Crime Fiction (Southwestern Writers Collection)

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This anthology is a must if you are looking to dwell into crime fiction from the Lone Star state; most of the prose excerpts included in this book focus more on the geography and atmosphere of Texas, and is split into several sections to make the reader aware of the diversity of the state: the Panhandle, North Texas, East & West Texas etc. I found this to be very illuminating because--as written in the introduction to this book--like many ignorant people I thought Texas was all scrub and cactus desert; but this anthology makes it clear to the uninitiated that the Lone Star state is in fact a region of diverse ethnicities and cultures, and geographically more than just a vast expanse of desert. As I said earlier, the prose excerpts in this anthology were selected mostly due to their evocative descriptions of the regions than crime procedural alone; several stories stand out, like Ben Rehder's 'Buck Fever', with its colorful characters and humorous plot; Jim Thompson's pulp classic from the 50's 'The Killer Inside Me'; Joe Lansdale's 'Two-Bear Mambo', where the protagonists travel to a remote East Texas town where the Ku Klux Klan is alive and well; and my favorite, 'Agatite' by Clay Reynolds--now, as I was reading this excerpt, I was thinking of Peter Bogdanovich's 1971 classic 'The Last Picture Show' all the time; the prose was so accurate in its description of a dusty, Dust-bowl ravaged North Central Texas town--I felt like I was there on a flat, mesquite-laden prairie amid the swirling dust and isolation. Highly recommended for people looking to get into crime fiction from Texas!

Short and just enough to whet one's appetite for the rest of the stories. So, now, I'll have to buy a bunch more books. Really enjoyed the tantalizing taste.

It's 1984 and Martin Fender is about to rejoin his old band in the first chapter of Jesse Sublett's "Rock Critic Murders." Austin is full of hipsters and ill-prepared rock journalists. And we can be sure someone will end up dead soon. Sublett's noirish tale is a standout in a book full of bit-sized tastes of Texas mystery writing that leaves you wanting the full meal. Try a side order of James Crumley's literary grit and a supersized Mary Willis Walker mug of fear. Top it off with a little Joe Lansdale for a twisted East Texs dessert. This collection makes it clear that Texas mystery writers are on the job and there are plenty of dead bodies left for a sequel. --Joe O'Connell, author of Evacuation Plan: a novel from the hospice

I found this anthology to be an excellent source of information about mysteries set in Texas (perhaps the only source). It is divided into eight parts, mostly by geographical areas of the state. Before each excerpt, the editors provide insight about the story or the author or both. In addition, notes are provided within excerpts when the editors chose to omit sections of a book to get to a conclusion.

This book could be useful to everyone who loves mysteries, especially those with a taste of Texas. Now if they could just include a way to order the rest of the book, it would be perfect.