Mystery Writers of America Presents Vengeance [Hardcover]

Inc. Mystery Writers of America (Author), Lee Child (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 3, 2012

When a different kind of justice is needed---swift, effective, and personal---a new type of avenger must take action. VENGEANCE features new stories by bestselling crime writers including Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Karin Slaughter, as well as some of today's brightest rising talents.

The heroes in these stories include a cop who's seen too much, a woman who has been pushed too far, or just an ordinary person doing what the law will not. Some call them vigilantes, others claim they are just another brand of criminal.

Edited and with an introduction by Lee Child, these stories reveal the shocking consequences when men and women take the law into their own hands.

Full list of contributors:

Alafair Burke

Lee Child

Michael Connelly

Mike Cooper

Brendan DuBois

Jim Fusilli

Michelle Gagnon

Darrell James

C.E. Lawrence

Dennis Lehane

Steve Liskow

Rick McMahan

Adam Meyer

Dreda Say Mitchell

Michael Niemann

Twist Phelan

Zoë Sharp

Karin Slaughter

Orest Stelmach

Anne Swardson

Janice Law Trecker

Editorial Reviews

Review

PRAISE FOR THE PROSECUTION RESTS:

"A stellar anthology...that will appeal both to contemporary noir fans and devotees of Law and Order....The consistently high quality of the 22 selections will lead many to hope the MWA will sponsor more volumes in this vein." (Publishers Weekly )

"These are short stories to set you on the edge of your chair....Excellent contributions to the mystery circuit...I recommend you buy two copies...one to read on a dark and stormy night and another as a gift for your favorite mystery writer." (Bookloons.com Pat Elliott )

About the Author

Lee Child is the author of the New York Times bestselling series of Jack Reacher thrillers. His debut, Killing Floor, won both the Anthony and the Barry awards for Best First Mystery, and The Enemy won both the Barry and Nero awards for Best Novel. Child, a native of England and a former television director, lives in New York City.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Mulholland Books (April 3, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780316176347
• ISBN-13: 978-0316176347
• ASIN: 0316176346
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #381,444 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A collection well worth having March 28, 2012

By Kirk Pasich

Format:Hardcover

I like a good short story. My problem with many anthologies is just how uneven they often are. Indeed, frequently, I use anthologies on a "just-in-case" basis--just in case I find myself with a few minutes here or there and I want to occupy those few minutes without becoming too engrossed. That was not how I read this anthology. I ended up reading it like a good novel, turning from one story to the next, looking forward to what I might find.

This collection makes my list of favorites. Yes, it has some of my favorite authors--and that was one of the main reasons I picked it up (the other being the Mystery Writers of America). And the contributions by those authors help make this book a great read.. But, I had the pleasure of reading authors new to me, and enjoying them all. Putting it simply, these are great stories all tied (very differently) to a common theme. This is not a "just-in-case" collection at all, but a book that I found very hard to out down--and, in fact, did not until I finished it.

Putting it simply, these are great stories all tied (very differently) to a common theme. This is not a "just-in-case" collection at all, but a book that I found very hard to put down--and, in fact, did not until I finished. Highly recommended by The Mystery Bookstore Los Angeles.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars exciting and gruesome April 19, 2012

By B. D. Clark

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

A great collection of new short stories, some very vivid in their portrayals of the criminal mind and the criminal as well as the victims. If you are sensitive and your conscience or morality bruises easily, then I would skip these great and terrifying stories. Excellent reading; something you can read a few minutes in a sitting as opposed to the longer Child, Grisham, etc. mystery novels that you never can put down.

7 of 10 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Two short stories were excellent - by Michael Connelly and Darrell James. Most of the rest were just ok. May 4, 2012

By Jane TOP 1000 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Audible Audio Edition

MYSTERY WRITERS OF AMERICA PRESENTS VENGEANCE by various authors.

21 short stories with themes of revenge or vengeance. I hesitate to read short stories. More often than not something doesn't get developed enough - characters, motivations, plot. Some of my harsh ratings below are because of this. Those same authors would probably get a higher rating from me for their full length novels. But, it can be done. Two of the short stories were excellent. The stories below are in the same order as in the book.

3 stars. THE 14th JUROR by Twist Phelan.
Two police detectives talk to a judge. The ending was too abrupt. I wanted to see specifically what would happen to the recipient of the revenge.

1 star. LOST AND FOUND by Zoe Sharp.
This was a weird combination of second and third person point of views. "You" are being attacked. "He" is doing the attacking. Throughout the story the author switches back and forth between what "You" are thinking and feeling and what "He" is thinking and doing. I was frustrated and confused. This was too subtle for me. I didn't like the ending. I wanted to know what was going to happen to "He."

2 stars. THE MOTHER by Alafair Burke.
The main story was pretty good - 3 stars. But the ending was unfinished - 1 star. It left me hanging. A bad guy was discovered, and I have no idea what will happen with him. One storyline is who will have custody of a two-year-old girl who had been raped.

1 star. BLIND JUSTICE by Jim Fusilli.
Angie and Turnip are two guys who interact with organized crime types. Relationships could not be fully shown because there were too many characters. Motivations and actions were vague. I didn't know who did what or why. I didn't know what the bad guy did that caused a need for revenge. The revenge was referred to, not shown. At the end one guy asks "Dead or alive?" The other guy says "What do you think?" This ending was too vague.

3 ˝ stars. THE CONSUMERS by Dennis Lehane.
A broker sells bad investments causing people to lose money. He also beats his wife. The story was good until the end. A character got revenge, but I wasn't clear about his motives. I wanted to understand him better.

3 stars. MOONSHINER'S LAMENT by Rick McMahan.
Too much was too vague. I didn't see motives for Goat's actions after he left the men in the woods. Then I vaguely knew what happened to the men in the woods. I needed to know more about the bad guy's motivations and actions.

2 stars. RIVER SECRET by Anne Swardson.
A street musician sees a little girl with her mother. Too much subtlety. Not obvious enough.

3 stars. HOT SUGAR BLUES by Steve Liskow.
A lot of time was spent with things the bad guy musician did which was depressing. His victims were wimps because they were powerless or they didn't choose their actions well. Someone gets revenge which was ok, but the overall story was depressing.

3 ˝ stars. THE FINAL BALLAD by Brendan DuBois.
Good story. It's about what happens after Beth's daughter was beaten by the son of a senator.

2 stars. AFRICA ALWAYS NEEDS GUNS by Michael Niemann.
So, so. I couldn't get into the characters. An investigator needs to examine cargo. The pilot won't let him.

2 stars. THE UNREMARKABLE HEART by Karin Slaughter.
This didn't feel like revenge or vengeance. The main character is dying and her main crime was trusting someone she shouldn't have and saying some mean things to others. As a story it's ok but it's depressing about someone dying. There is a shocking surprise at the end.

2 stars. IT AIN'T RIGHT by Michelle Gagnon.
Too subtle. Don't know what happened. Joe and his wife may have done something bad. I didn't see any revenge or vengeance in this story. It's possible my mind wandered and I missed it?

3 stars. SILENT JUSTICE by C.E. Lawrence.
A killer confesses to a priest. Ok story.

4 stars. EVEN A BLIND MAN by Darrell James.
Young girl is in trouble. Her grandfather travels across the country by bus to find her and help her. He pretends to be blind, but he is not. This was very good.

2 stars. THE GENERAL by Janice Law Trecker.
Not a pleasant story. Not enjoyable. The General did evil things when he was in power which are recalled. The ending has some revenge, but it was more sad than good.

4 ˝ to 5 stars. A FINE MIST OF BLOOD by Michael Connelly.
Yay! I love Harry Bosch! This is another installment in that series. It was my favorite story in this book. Detective Bosch is investigating a murder. At first I was drawn in because I thought "how in the world is he going to catch this person?" Later there was suspense, and I was worried about Bosch. Then my favorite part was the person who got revenge - that was a surprise. I didn't expect it. And, we had a complete ending. So to Michael Connelly, thank you, you write so well!

3 stars. LEVERAGE by Mike Cooper.
The subject matter was depressing. Much of the story is about employees of a company being terminated and losing their pensions. One of the employees wants to do something about it. It was ok, but I didn't feel much. At least the ending was complete.

3 stars. THE HOTLINE by Dreda Say Mitchell.
Ruckshana wears a Muslim head scarf when working at the bank. Her boss lies to her and is behind her firing. It's an ok story.

3 stars. BLOOD AND SUNSHINE by Adam Meyer.
It was ok but odd. I was frustrated that the author didn't say what happened to the baby. I'm still troubled by that. Eddie is a college student working at a day care center/camp for kids during the summer. Dillon is a five-year-old who is sneaky and evil. This is a dark story. The good guy gets revenge but did something evil to get it. It left me with an unsettled feeling.

3 stars. IN PERSONA CHRISTY by Orest Stelmach.
Maria and her son Manuel flee Mexico and live with a priest in a Connecticut parish. Her husband was killed by bad guys. Several years earlier Father Nathan lost his right arm and right leg and wears prosthetics. The ending was pretty good about someone saving the day and getting some revenge.

3 stars. THE HOLLYWOOD I REMEMBER by Lee Child.
The main character is a killer for hire. He kills prostitutes who threaten to talk/blackmail their clients. Someone wants revenge and to see him in jail. The revenge he gets is unexpected. This was ok at best.

DATA:
Unabridged audiobook reading time: 11 hrs and 58 mins. Swearing language: occasional use of some strong words, but not often. Sexual language: none. Sex scenes: One sex scene was referred to, no details shown. Another sex scene was a woman tied to a bed, being raped by four men. Setting: current day mostly U.S. but there's also Africa, London and Paris (I think). Book copyright: 2012 for the anthology. Most of the short stories were 2012. One was 2010. Genre: mystery suspense.