Customer Reviews

Murder for Revenge

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The first thing that I saw was the cover. Then I flipped through the book, looking at the table of contents. The reason I bought the book is somewhat hazy--but it had something to do with Shel Silverstein.

Since I bought this book a few weeks before finals, I was trying so hard not to read it...I couldn't help it. I read it. All the way through. I thoroughly enjoyed it--I loved Shel Silverstein's poem, Mary Higgins Clark's story as well as many others.

Though the cover made me feel embarassed to be holding the book, it is worth being teased for reading something that looks like pulp fiction. If you like this book, read "Murder for Love" as well. It's just as good, and some of the same writers write stories/poems for it.

Otto Penzler has invited twelve of the top selling writers of mysteries to contribute a short story to his MURDER BY REVENGE anthology. All of the stories feature someone pushed over the edge, seeking to get even with the pusher. The tales range from comical to venomous to angst-laden, but they all share the fact that they are all well done.

Unlike most anthologies, this collection contains blockbuster stories authored by superstars and they all do a fabulous job. Fans of murderous short stories could not get a better selection than those in this anthology. Contributors are a who's who, who all succeed: Laurence Block, Mary Higgins Clark, Thomas Cooke, Vicki Hendricks, Joan Hess, Judith Kelman, Eric Lustlaber, Philip Margolin, David Morell, Joyce Carol Oates, Shel Silverstein, and Peter Straub.

Harriet Klausner

When one picks up an anthology titled MURDER FOR REVENGE, you expect that all of the stories will have revenge murders as its theme. That is not the case with this collection.

Some of the stories, such as Lawrence Block's A BONE IN THE THROAT and Judith Kelman's ERADICUM HOMO HORIBILUS, involve characters seeking retribution after events of many years have passed. Other stories such as Joan Hess's CAVEAT EMPTOR, involve a woman who is taken advantage of and decides to get even in a deadly manner.

There are two stories that seemed misplaced in this book and they are Mary Higgins Clark's POWER PLAYS and Phillip Margolin's ANGIE'S DELIGHT. Granted they are two great authors but neither one of their stories could qualify as murder for revenge. The editor does treat us with a poem by Shel Silverstein titled THE ENEMY that talks about different ways of killing someone. Borrowing the title of Joan Hess's short story and buyer beware. The book's title is misleading and it might not be what you are looking for. Most of the stories are good but they just seem out of place in this collection.

If you like short stories, you won't want to miss this one. A great collection of today's most popular authors.

Skip the last story by Peter Straub -- makes no sense and was out of place with the short stories -- it was a novella.