Customer Reviews

Transgressions: Chasing Shadows: Two Novellas from Transgressions

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Reviewing an anthology like this is rather difficult; the best way is probably to divide them into three groups.

The OK:
* "Walking Around Money" (Donald Westlake) is the story of hapless thief John Dortmunder; it's amusing, but didn't excite me.
* "Merely Hate" (Ed McBain, the editor of the anthology), is a compelling story, one of dozens set in the 87th Precinct. It's lucky that his knowledge of Islam isn't pivotal to the story, because there are numerous errors (though not quite as glaring as, say, those in Matthew Reilly's "Scarecrow" or Tom Clancy's "The Teeth of the Tiger").
* "Keller's Adjustment" (Lawrence Block) is a character study about an unusual assassin. I haven't read anything else by Block, so I can't really say much more.

The not-so-great:
* "The Corn Maiden" (Joyce Carol Oates) didn't live up to its billing ("a spiral of destruction and despair"); its language shifts on a dime from educated to stilted, and it's badly edited, too (one character's surname is spelled *four* different ways).
* "The Resurrection Man" is a fictional biography of a man doing a necessary, but despicable, job in the 19th century. It's fascinating, but rather thin on plot.

The great:
* "Hostages" (Anne Perry) is the most "literary" of the works here, but it's still a compelling read about the tragedies of human nature.
* "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large" (Walter Mosley) would make a great novel.
* "The Things They Left Behind" (Stephen King) is an elegy about life, loss, and ultimately hope, in the wake of 9/11. [It's also the shortest novella in the anthology by far.]
* "The Ransome Women" (John Farris) is an unusual love story, and a perfect entertainment for a rainy night.
* "Forever" (Jeffery Deaver) introduces Talbot Simms, cop/statistician. He's an intriguing character, and I'd love to see him get a full-length novel of his own.

All in all, a great read; even the not-so-great novellas are still worth the time.

After the success of his novel BLACKBOARD JUNGLE, Evan Hunter (Ed McBain) turned to what were then referred to as "novelettes," his subject being the 87th Precinct detectives of Isola (think New York). As time passed, the 87th Precinct novelettes grew to full-length novels. Fifty years later, McBain persuaded nine other mystery, thriller, and horror writers to submit what are now called "novellas" of around a hundred pages each.

The result was one of my most enjoyable reads of 2006. I don't know why I don't read more anthologies. It was in an anthology that I first experienced Stuart Kaminsky, Sharyn McCrumb, and Lawrence Block.

Coincidentally, one of the best novellas in this anthology is one by Block. Block returns with his enigmatic hit man Keller in KELLER'S ADJUSTMENT. Block manages to make us feel empathy for the man. Although he has sex with a Phoenix real estate saleslady, Keller is essentially a lonely man. He needs somebody to talk to. He once had a dog, but a former girlfriend took it with him when she left; he went to a therapist, but the therapist turned into a snoop, and he had to dust him. Unwilling to take a chance on a living breathing entity, Keller buys a stuffed animal to talk to.

Jeffrey Deaver also responded to the call with FOREVER. In it he introduces Tal Simms, a mathematician/statistician working for Westbrook County Sheriff's Department. Simms is considered a "computer geek" by the rest of the detective squad, especially homicide detective Greg "Bear" LaTour. Simms and his eventual partner LaTour are confronted with several suspicious suicides. Older rich couples are killing themselves under dubious circumstances. In most respects, the underdog character Simms is every bit as likable as Lincoln Rhymes. I would definitely buy a full length novel featuring Simms.

A new discovery for me was John Farris. Farris's THE RANSOME WOMEN concerns a beautiful art appraiser named Echo Halloran who agrees to pose for the great artist John Leland Ransome. She's not only flattered, but as a budding artist herself, she wants to learn from him. Her boyfriend, police detective Peter O'Neil, is suspicious, and with good reason. I enjoyed this novella so much I ran right out and bought FURY, THE TERROR Farris's masterwork.

I have to admit that Ed McBain's own contribution, MERELY HATE, was my principal motivation for purchasing the anthology. I needed my 87th Precinct fix, and it's great as usual. It is post 9/11 in Isola, and the detectives are called to investigate the murder of a Muslim cab driver. Through these cab driver murders, McBain capsulizes the reason for the problems in the Mid East.

Other writers who contributed novellas were Donald Westlake, Anne Perry, Joyce Carol Oates, Walter Mosley, Sharyn McCrumb, and Stephen King. All of them were excellent.

As the editor of this compilation (Ed McBain, aka Evan Hunter) says, novellas are rather unusual these days, although in the old pulp fiction days they were fairly thick on the ground. A novella is, as defined in the publishing world, a story that is longer than a short story (which usually runs up to 5,000 words) and shorter than a novel (usually more than 60,000 words), somewhere in the neighborhood of 10,000 to 40,000 words. And apparently a novella (sometimes called a novelette) is hard to write because it tends either to compress to a short story or expand to a novel. Yet, the ten writers here, none of the neophytes, met their charge from McBain to come up with a genuine novella with aplomb (except perhaps for Stephen King, whose novella really reads like a short story - but then he's a big enough name that it's no surprise that his story made the book without any criticism). As in any collection there are some hits and some misses, but in fact I was engaged by every single entry. Some, though, were a cut above the rest -- Walter Mosley's 'Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large: Walking the Line' and Lawrence Block's 'Keller's Adjustment.' (I will admit that I tend to read everything these two writers produce and they are particular favorites of mine. Mosley, in fact, I consider to be one of our best writers, regardless of genre.)

As is usual for me, I could not get as involved in the story by Joyce Carol Oates, but I suspect that is some peculiar allergy of mine; I've rarely thoroughly enjoyed anything of hers, even though I can admire her skills and obviously plenty of others admire her more than I. Ed McBain's contribution takes place in his familiar Eighty-Seventh Precinct.

One theme that recurs in the stories is the changes in the post-9/11 world. Indeed, in stories like 'Merely Hate' by McBain and 'The Things They Left Behind' by King that is central to the plot. (By the way, the King story causes his usual and still spookily enjoyable frisson with its eerie atmosphere.)

I would definitely recommend this collection to anyone who likes shorter fiction but wants something more substantial than the usual mystery/suspense short story.

Scott Morrison

Hopefully Ed McBain's effort in convincing a stellar cast of fellow writers to contribute the novellas that comprise "Transgressions" will induce publishers to encourage more of the same.
Don't get me wrong, I love long novels. But, in these days when we all seem to have less time than we'd like, the novella is the perfect form to consume in a short period. And, the novella is a deserving and time-honored part of literature. Nabokov and Simenon, to name two among many, excelled in the form.
McBain, who contributed an interesting tale of his own, deserves kudos for the roster of superstars who joined him in this venture. The 10 stories provide a good introduction for those not familiar with the work of some of these writers.
Naturally, some stories are better than others. That, of course, being defined by personal taste.
My own favorite would have to be Anne Perry's "Hostages," a moving look at the continuing plight of families in Northern Ireland. Sharyn McCrumb contributes an excellent Southern gothic tale, "The Resurrection Man," and the awesome Walter Mosley is represented with "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large." There are also tales by Joyce Carol Oates, Stephen King, Jeffrey Deaver, John Farris, Donald Westlake and Lawrence Block.
I can truthfully say I enjoyed all 10 stories and a few writers who were less familiar to me will now receive more attention.

Since I am a big fan of Sharyn McCrumb, this compilation was chosen to find something harking back to her historical novels. "The Resurrection Man" was Southern in setting alright, in Georgia instead of Tennessee, North Carolina or Virginia, but it predated her Appalachian ballads. Why she chose such a morbid subject is beyond me. This story takes place in pre-Civil War and concerns the maneuvering of a medical school doctor to get the cadavers he needs for anatomy class.

In 1852, Dr.George Newton, was forty-five years old and paid his carefully-selected servant to obtain supplies (newly-buried bodies from the cemetery) saying, "We must make use of the dead to help the living." After serving fifteen years doing this grotesque work, he returns to show the freed blacks with white guardians how to be grave robbers. In 1859, the doctor contracts tetanus (lockjaw). Then the war intervened, bypassing Augusta, for the big city of Atlanta. Slaves were called servants. The doctor's supplier returns to the college as a porter.

Walter Mosley contributed "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large." The longest was John Farris' "The Ransome Women." Lawrence Block wrote "Keller's Adjustment." This collection of ten stories was edited by Ed McBain, a writer in his own right. TRANSGRESSIONS is a "quintessential classic collection of stories" by mystery writers.

This anthology includes ten crime novellas.

EXCELLENT
Lawrence Block "Keller's Adjustment" -- Block is a master. In this one hitman Keller ponders his future after September 11. Great writing especially dialogue.

Sharyn McCrumb "Resurrection Man" -- This is less crime and more literary. It's about a black graverobber who works for a Georgia university before, during, and after the Civil War. Stars slow but great storytelling.

Anne Perry "Hostages" -- I usually get irritated with Perry because it often seems that she's being paid by the word. This one, however, surprised me. It's lean, mean, and compelling.

Donald Westlake "Walking Around Money" -- Westlake is another master who knows exactly what he's doing and how to do it.

GOOD
Ed McBain "Merely Hate" -- Good procedural with a few twists.

Walter Mosley "Archibald Lawless" -- Interesting if implausible piece about a naive New Orleans young man who gets involved with a larger-than-life personality after moving to New York City.

Stephen King "The Things They Left Behind" -- Per usual, King is repetitive and can't quite pull off a great concept. I kept wanting this September 11 piece to get better, but it never did.

Jeffery Deaver "Forever" -- Deaver just can't end a story. He's got to add twist after twist after twist until the story becomes this unsatisfying scifi thing. Still, Talbot is a great character.

FAIR --
John Farris "The Ransome Women" -- John Farris is one of the worst writers ever. He is just awful. However, he is so bad he sometimes becomes good. Shlocky, soap operish, melodramatic romance novel--you've got to read it to believe it. I was laughing out loud at some of the hackneyed lines and plot twists. I about died when a character and his doomed relative roasted marshmallows over the burning ashes of one of his paintings.

Joyce Carol Oates "The Corn Maiden" -- Oates is not a bad writer. But she's certainly not a good one either. The story was disturbing and really kind of gross. I don't know what it is about Oates, but I get the feeling that she's never lived but only written and read. If that makes any sense.

Over approximately the last month, I've slowly made my way through Transgressions, the 2005 anthology of crime-fiction novellas edited by the late Ed McBain. As with most anthologies (especially those composed primarily of "big names"), the results have been of mixed quality. A few stand out among the rest -- among them The Ransome Women by John Farris and The Resurrection Man by Sharyn McCrumb -- but only one stood high enough to be recognized as definitely the best of the bunch: Forever by Jeffery Deaver, an author I'd not previously read.

In Forever, Deaver introduces police statistician Talbot Simms. Tal in a numbers whiz who is happy to remain at his desk, crunching arithmetic means and standard deviations. But when a couple of elderly suicides present themselves as statistical "outliers" (meaning the combination of events fall far outside the norm of mathematical likelihood), Tal declares them "2124" (suspicious) and inadvertently heads toward solving his first case as a "real" police detective.

Deaver skillfully portrays Tal Simms as a novice among veterans, concurrently showing the reader all the tiny details needed to follow procedure. But Tal slowly feels his way along, with the reluctant help of Detective Greg LaTour, who develops a grudging respect for the "Einstein" of his department. Both characters are fully three-dimensional, and I would welcome a series from Deaver featuring them. Forever also features some of the most original plotting and imagination this side of classic science fiction. Odd that I put off reading it for so long, primarily from not knowing his work, because Deaver's is the name I'll come away from Transgressions most praising.

From what I've read, it seems like a lot of readers bought this just for the King novella. While King's short novella excellent, I highly recommend you read all the others, too. There's a lot of good material in this big book!

Suspense, mystery, crime readers rejoice and then send a hearty thank-you note to ace thriller writer Ed McBain - it's his idea and he made it happen. His thought was to tap ten of today's best writers in the suspense/mystery field and ask them to pen an original novella. As defined by Webster, novella is "a short novel or a long short story." Not too helpful, eh? McBain made it clearer: 10,000 - 40,000 words. And then added that it wasn't easy to do.

The novellas may not have been easy for the top ten chosen by McBain to write, but they sure are easy listening - compelling, frightening and sometimes, as in the case of Joyce Carol Oates, macabre. Voice performers Michael Boatman and Anne Twomey deliver outstanding readings without overly dramatizing but allowing pause and nuance to add to the tales.

The two writers on this audio edition need no introduction - Walter Mosley stands tall among those in his field and Joyce Carol Oates continually amazes. There'll be no plot stealers here because the entertainment in a suspense story is found in not knowing what's going to happen.

Suffice it to say that Mosley's "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist At Large: Walking the Line" is the terrifying tale of a young journalist's descent into a nether world. And, Oates's "The Corn Maiden," the story of the kidnaping of a mentally challenged young girl, is a haunting narrative that will elicit shivers from even the most jaded suspense fans.

A rare opportunity to enjoy the words of these award winning authors.

- Gail Cooke

Most people will purchase Transgressions simply to read a novella by one of their favourite authors. I myself picked this up just for the Westlake novella inside. I don't think anyone, no matter which author motivated them to buy this, will put down this collection only satisfied by one story. Yes like any various author anthology the quality varies as do the stories fitting into your personal tastes, but I doubt there will be anyone that either doesn't find a new author to check out or at the very least is reminded of the talent of an author they've maybe only read one or two books of a long time ago in the past. Some novellas such as Walking Around Money can only be found in these pages and others such as The Things They Left Behind you may well have already read before (Just After Sunset).

Keller's Adjustment in my opinion is the best of the lot. I've read a few of Block's other books containing stamp collecting hit man Keller, and this is easily the best story. You don't need to have read any previous ones to follow or get the most out of Keller's Adjustment. It reads like a standalone novel with no plots of previous novels given away. Keller a man who used to have no problems getting on a plane in New York and flying anywhere in the US without any serious searching by security for weapons he would take with him to commit the crime or validating his fake ID has had his world suddenly change. The post September 11 2001 demand for the airlines and airports to wake up and take security seriously for domestic flights now means a lot of complications if there's someone that needs to be killed on the other side of the continent. On a road trip across America in a rental car to get to his next victim Keller starts talking to himself out loud, something he's never done before which consequently freaks him out. His target also lives in a high security gated retirement community causing quite the challenge for Keller as well as plenty of time to ponder if a post 9/11 world is really a world where you can have a satisfying career as a hit man.

Walking Around Money although not Westlake's best story or even best Dortmunder novel is an important find for any fan of the late grandmaster's work. You won't find Walking Around Money published anywhere else as it was written after Thieves' Dozen (Westlake's collection of the Dortmunder short stories) was published. In fact it is actually the third last Dortmunder adventure written before Westlake's death and takes place time wise between Watch Your Back and What's So Funny. Important for fans of the series as you find out if repulsive fencer of stolen items Arnie Albright sticks to his rehabilitation. In this adventure Andy Kelp and Dortmunder meet through a friend of a criminal friend an old man named Querk. Querk's angry and bored with his life as a forklift driver, working for a rural printing company who shattered his dreams of using his printing skills he learnt behind bars, which they told him are now obsolete in this computer designed modern world. Querk has plans for counterfeiting currency for a South American country during a night the plant is shut down, however he needs a couple of fellow criminals who don't live in his small town to help with the heavy work and to get it done in time. Like any Dortmunder novel, outside factors and Murphy's Law always play a part in a should be smooth caper not turning out quite that way.

Anne Perry's Hostages about a rural cottage holding a couple and their adult son at gunpoint is interesting, however the husband of the main character is such a racist, bully and just in general not bright or nice guy that you are actually hoping he will be killed and/or the objectives of the Protestant extreme group hoping to replace him as leader will actually come off.

Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large was a bit disappointing for me. I've read and enjoyed other Mosley stories and was enjoying this one to begin with about a young guy from the country who moves to New York and notices a weird advertisement for a job in a few different papers so decides to apply. He then meets a very strange man who gives him a list of people and tells him to go visit them and talk to them if he can. When one dies before his eyes he becomes a suspect. However then the story just got a little stupid.

The other stories Corn Maidern by Joyce Carol Oates, Resurrection man by Sharyn McCrumb, Merely Hate by Ed McBain, The Things They Left Behind by Stephen King, Ransome Women by John Farris or Forever by Jeffery Deaver were no stand outs to what those authors normally produce. However I did find McBain's intro to this collection to be a really interesting read.