A New Omnibus of Crime [Hardcover]

Tony Hillerman (Editor), Rosemary Herbert (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 20, 2005

In 1929, Dorothy L. Sayers published her landmark anthology, The Omnibus of Crime. More recently, Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert decided it was time to produce a definitive new anthology representing the best of the genre since then - the critically acclaimed A New Omnibus of Crime. This extraordinary collection emphasizes the most exciting styles and voices in each genre, rather than taking a typical decade-by-decade approach. As a result, A New Omnibus of Crime boasts a broad range of engaging, page-turning, and spine-tingling selections from the past eight decades. Stories in this collection include Patricia Highsmith's "Woodrow Wilson's Necktie," Sue Grafton's "A Poison That Leaves No Trace," Alexander McCall Smith's "He Loved to Go for Drives with His Father," and many more. A New Omnibus of Crime is a marvelous achievement that brings together some of the greatest crime and mystery short fiction ever collected.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Mystery writer Hillerman and critic Herbert (aided and abetted by Sue Grafton and Jeffery Deaver as contributing editors) draw a vivid chalk outline of the body of crime fiction since Dorothy Sayers published her overview of the genre, The Omnibus of Crime, in 1929. The goal of this anthology is to demonstrate the ways in which crime fiction has changed since Sayers' collection. The editors include mystery fiction from the 1930s through the 1970s that they consider groundbreaking (so we find Sayers herself, as well as Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, and Ed McBain as representative crime-fiction revolutionaries). The editors also take on the range of mystery writing since 1980, including stories by Hillerman, Ian Rankin, and Alexander McCall Smith. There are 26 stories in all, from authors around the globe, and each story is accompanied by an introduction that explains the author's style and how he or she influenced mystery writing. Catch this omnibus. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

"The best and most satisfying mystery bargain to come along in years. It will give readers countless hours of pleasure and surprise in one volume." --Cleveland Plain Dealer

"Not a clunker in the bunch...Dorothy Sayers edited a classic 1920 collection of short stories called 'The Omnibus of Crime.' There have been numerous collections since then, but until now, none has had the depth, intelligence and chutzpah to call itself 'A New Omnibus of Crime.'" --Bloomberg News

"A worthy successor to Dorothy L. Sayers's classic Omnibus of Crime (1929)." --Publishers Weekly

"Picking up where Dorothy L. Sayers's 1920 classic, The Omnibus of Crime, left off, this collection gathers works of short mystery fiction from the end of World War I to today, including pieces by Raymond Chandler, Ross Macdonald, Dashiell Hammett, Elmore Leonard, Ruth Rendell and P.D. James." --Good Housekeeping

"A New Omnibus of Crime is essential for anyone with more than a passing interest in detective fiction. Brilliantly assembled, and beautifully edited by people who know what they're doing." --Robert B. Parker, author of Double Play and Cold Service

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; First Edition edition (October 20, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195182146
• ISBN-13: 978-0195182149
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.7 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,354,517 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I'm excited to have two new books published in 2010: A New Omnibus of Crime, which I co-edited with the late Tony Hillerman, and my first mystery novel, Front Page Teaser, which follows the adventures of gutsy Boston tabloid reporter Liz Higgins. While A New Omnibus of Crime is an anthology that celebrates the best of the last 75 years in mystery writing, Front Page Teaser is a love song to the news-reporting life, a tribute to librarians, and a celebration of Boston's lively Irish pub/Celtic music scene. It also takes a look at how the way we write and headline the news colors the public's understanding of it. In our edgy contemporary world, it is also shows how people who pre-judge one another often get into deep trouble. May I add, that there is plenty of humor in Front Page Teaser, along with these more thought-provoking themes. Much action is set in scenes that will be familiar to Bostonians and residents of some other Massachusetts cities and towns -- and some action is set during Christmastime.

As the Edgar Award-nominated editor in chief of The Oxford Companion to Crime & Mystery Writing, as a book reviewer, and as the editor of a number of mystery anthologies, it is quite a thrill, with Front Page Teaser, to add "mystery writer" to my credentials as "mystery editor," "mystery scholar," and "mystery critic."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious selection of page-turners, March 31, 2006

By 

Smita Rao (NY, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A New Omnibus of Crime (Hardcover)

An unbeatable combination: Excellent mystery stories with varied flavors all packed into one beautiful hardbound book. Wish it was Christmas! Men and Women authors are well represented, both male and female protagonists are featured. The collection features all my favorite crime genres: The slick thriller, the tranquil suburban shudder, the whodunnit as well as my favorite PIs. Here is detective fiction at its best, lovingly packaged and presented. Go forth and enjoy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Impressive Collection, January 14, 2007

By 

John R. Lindermuth "J. R. Lindermuth, author ... (Coal Township PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A New Omnibus of Crime (Hardcover)

Three-quarters of a century ago, Dorothy L. Sayers, the doyenne of mystery writers, assembled an anthology of work by her peers that provided an overview of the genre in 1928.

Now, Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert have followed suit in providing a new anthology which seeks to do the same for mystery writing in the modern era.

Whether they have succeeded in providing a gathering equivalent to that of Miss Sayers may depend as much on personal taste of the reader as on the quality of the assembled works. That they have gathered an impressive collection of works by writers from the 1930s to the present goes without saying. The collection also illustrates the changes which have taken place in style, characterization and attitude.

The anthology begins with a gem of a story by Miss Sayers and concludes with a charming little piece written by Alexander McCall Smith especially for this volume. Hillerman, himself, is represented with two stories. There are tales by many familiar names and I was pleased to be introduced to a few writers new to me who will now be added to my reading list.

This is a volume worthy of any mystery-lover's bookshelf.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read and Overview of the Genre, September 9, 2008

By 

Marti Dolata "SEOhioYarns" (Nelsonville, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: A New Omnibus of Crime (Hardcover)

Title says it all. I especially enjoyed seeing how the conventions of the genre have changed over the years, and was pleased at how well represented women writers were. Not a dud in the book, but lots of variety, and new authors to check out.