Customer Reviews

Malice Domestic 8: An Anthology of Original Traditional Mystery Stories

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Malice Domestic is an annual convention celebrating the traditional mystery, and this is the 8th anthology of short stories that they have put together. This is, however, only the second such anthology I have actually read, so I cannot comment on the consistency of quality from anthology to anthology. I can only say that the quality in this collection was extremely uneven.

I have never been a fan of Amanda Cross or H.R.F. Keating, so I wasn't surprised that I didn't much care for their contributions. But I am a huge Ed Hoch fan, so the pedestrian "V-2" was something of a disappointment. "Venus Rising" by Nevada Barr held promise, but it suffered from too many internal inconsistencies. I'd never read anything by Mary Daheim, and thanks to the aptly titled "Just So Much Garbage," I am sure I will never seek out her work.

Many of the stories fall in the "fair to middlin'" category. "Jack and Jill, R.I.P." by Jonathan Gash was an interesting study but didn't really take the reader anywhere. Alanna Knight's "The Deadly Glen" was strong on atmosphere but weak on technical details and credibility. Janet Laurence's "Time Share" would have been a great story if it had played fair with the clues. "Defender of the Faith" by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie was just a little bit too predictable to be satisfying. And while "The Golden Rounds" by Susan Holtzer was entertaining, I wouldn't have picked it as an Agatha nominee. If anything in this book deserved an Agatha nod, it was Miriam Grace Monfredo's "Buffalo Gals, Won't You Come Out Tonight." That historical gem has put Monfredo's novels on my must-read list. "Just Stunning" by Abigail Padgett and Douglas Dennis was a very solid entry, and I really enjoyed Susan Kenney's "Aunt Agatha Leaving."

While I found a number of disappointments in this collection, I was glad of the opportunity to read all of the stories. I always think it interesting to notice the differences between the short form and the novel from authors who publish predominantly in one area or the other. And when it comes to making out your bookstore shopping list, you can't beat an anthology for a quick sampling of unfamiliar authors. For my Derringer nominations, though, I look to venues less concerned with serving such a wide mainstream audience.

Overall, anthologies tend to be somewhat less satisfying than full-length works by a favorite author. Within the constraints of the short story format, there is often just not enough time for character development and plot-spinning that is so integral to most novels. However, true artists of their craft are able to shape both a short story and a novel to create a satisfying read. In this collection, Margaret Maron (a widely read author herself) has brought together an accomplished cast of writers (Nevada Barr, Amanda Cross, Mary Daheim, Jonathan Gash, Edward Hoch, Susan Holtzer, HRF Keating, Susan Kenney, Alanna Knight, Janet Laurence, Miriam Grace Monfredo, Abigail Padgett, Lynda Robinson, and Sister Carol Anne O'Marie) and assembled a menagerie of stories sure to please almost any mystery reader. Give this book a try...you'll probably discover a few old favorites, as well as finding a few new possibilities.