Customer Reviews

Murder in the Rough: Original Tales of Bad Shots, Terrible Lies, and Other Deadly Handicaps from Today's Great Writers

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

 

 

When you assemble a group of the world's foremost writers of any genre, you're bound to have a winner, and Otto Penzler has one in Murder in the Rough. Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master, Lawrence Block, shows the dangers of routing a curmudgeon out of his rut in "Welcome to the Real World." Pulitzer Prize winner, John Sandford gives us a glimpse inside the head of a highly determined young woman who redefines "goal oriented" with his "Lucy Had a List." Ken Bruen's "Spittin Iron" is a tad dark, even for my morbid taste. "The Man Who Didn't Play Golf" by Simon Brett will amuse golf widows. (Buy your golfer hubby the book and stick the bookmark there.)
But my personal favorite is "The Secret" by John Westermann. Former cop, turned author, Westermann is known for his comic novels about the seedy side of law enforcement on Long Island. The chuckle-per-paragraph, the quirky characters, and the quality of Westermann's writing will delight the non-golfer, as well as the fairway-obsessed.
In his story, the membership of the luxurious, expensive Le Club Fantastique consists of "the normally deplored" nouveau riche of the Hampton set, "...dot com billionaires...and a Pakistani newsstand operator who won Powerball," who "pay dearly to feel good about themselves." And while these wildly wealthy outcasts are impressing themselves on a course built for ease, bragging about their new-found fortunes, swilling booze, and swapping wives, one of their least illustrious members goes missing. He turns up, of course, in the...well...you'll see. And laugh.
Told from the point of view of an assistant pro named Jay, who is up to no good himself, the story moves quickly and keeps you guessing. Oh...and the "Secret?" The one tip that pros take to their graves, the one that will change your game forever? Well, I ain't tellin'. This story alone is worth the price of the book.
G.A. McKevett
(author of the Savannah Reid Mysteries)

Nice relaxing read - like short stories, you can put them down a lot. This batch was a good selection, and I liked nearly all of them.

I spent a dollar on this at Borders and I wish I could get my money back. It is full of over-used golf sayings that are funny the first time you hear them, but if you're a golfer who has played for a while, you've probably heard them a thousand times. The stories either lacked plot or ended abruptly. It's like these authors didn't know how to write a short story. The stories that setup the plot well and described things fully, ended quickly. It felt like the editor gave them a certain number of pages they could write and they shoe-horned a story into it.

If you want a good book about mystery and golf, this isn't it. I would stick to the true story books and enjoy the 'stories' that actually happened over the years in this great game of golf. If you want a book of short story mysteries, there are much better ones out there, but they aren't centered around golf.

If you're looking for a great short story, this is it. Stephen Collins' "Water Hazard" has exemplary prose and stimulating suspense. An unsuspected ending creates shocking imagery with moralistic value. A must read for everyone.

Excellent selection of murder mysteries. Two of my favorite murder/mysteries authors (Steve Hamilton & John Sanford)have selection in the book, and I have also found interesting authors to peruse again. What an extremely different approach each author used to relate a murder.

Wonderful evening recreational reading. Golf is rich in literature and this adds to the fold

This volume is as much fun as you'd expect, with contributions from favorites like Lawrence Block and Bradford Morrow ,but the real gem here is the novella "His Mission," by Christopher Coake, a writer we're lucky to have.

This book is for murder mystery lovers who like golf--but don't take it all that seriously. Fifteen authors, who are better at writing murder mysteries than golf stories, each contribute a short story: a murder mystery with golf in it somewhere.

To say that golf has to be found in it somewhere is a stretch, because one murder is built around miniature golf. The real golf enthusiasts will wince at some of the obvious violations of the rules of golf that make the murder impossible--or at least highly unlikely. However the average golfer may never even notice the difference.

I am a passionate golfer who likes murder mysteries, so for me this was a march through each story, thinking that the next would be better. Sometimes it was--the best in the book in my opinion was "Lucy Has a List" by John Sandford. Often it wasn't.

I really liked Stephen Collins' (of Seventh Heaven fame) contribution, "Water Hazard," right until the end. The suspense was good, plenty of red herrings to throw you off and keep you guessing, plus a last-minute switch that you don't see coming. But then if you're a keen golfer, there's a breech of the rules that just couldn't have happened in the fictional round of a woman's major...and still have the protagonist win. But for most readers it will be a small thing.

Armchair Interviews says: If you like a murder with golf somewhere in the mix, this book will be a good distraction. Just suspend judgment and enjoy the entertainment, because that's why the stories were written.