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

by Otto Penzler (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Penzler, the mystery genre's jack-of-all-trades (editor, publisher, bookseller), showcases golf in this enjoyable all-original anthology, the fourth entry in his sports crime series (Murder at the Racetrack, etc.). Authors who would qualify for the senior tour turn in some of the best performances, including Lawrence Block's wry "Welcome to the Real World" and Jonathan Gash's "Death by Golf," in which Lovejoy performs an uncharacteristic good deed. Also on the senior circuit are H.R.F. Keating, who reaches back to golf's beginnings in "Miss Unwin Plays by the Rules," and William Tapply, who spins the best caddy story in "Unplayable Lies." Ken Bruen's brutal "Spittin Iron" and Ian Rankin's "Graduation Day," which features a very tricky shot, add an international flavor, while Laura Lippman, sole distaff member, offers the clever "A Good **** Spoiled." Other contributors include Steve Hamilton, Bradford Morrow, John Sandford and Simon Brett. There are a few hooks and slices, but just about everyone breaks par. (June)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist
Too often authors of crime stories rely on bodies buried in bunkers (there's not enough sand) or on wily caddies exposing the pomposities of country-club fat cats (way too easy). Penzler, who has made a cottage industry out of sports-themed mystery anthologies, doesn't totally avoid these hazards, but the original stories he has commissioned for this volume have one big thing going for them: the writers are all top drawer, from Ian Rankin and Ken Bruen, on the hard-boiled side, to Jonathan Gash and William G. Tapply, on the more relaxed, over-easy side. But these stories all have an edge, often using our stereotypical images of golf to help create it. Bruen does it best, in a story that begins, "I hate fuckin' golf," and then proceeds to explain why. Lawrence Block isn't far behind, in "Welcome to the Real World," in which a retired executive, happy to hit balls at Chelsea Piers Driving Range in Manhattan, is forced onto a real course. For golf and crime fans, Penzler's exhaustive bibliography of golf mysteries is almost as much of a treat as the stories. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Mysterious Press (June 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446697419
• ISBN-13: 978-0446697415
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #668,064 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good, Wicked Fun!, July 20, 2006

By	G. A. McKevett (New York) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Murder in the Rough: Original Tales of Bad Shots, Terrible Lies, and Other Deadly Handicaps from Today's Great Writers (Hardcover)

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)

5.0 out of 5 stars Collins' Water Hazard, April 10, 2009

By	Carol A. Steeger "reviewer extraordinaire" (Hamburg, PA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder in the Rough: Original Tales of Bad Shots, Terrible Lies, and Other Deadly Handicaps from Today's Great Writers (Hardcover)

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.

5.0 out of 5 stars Murder in the Rough, August 8, 2008

By	William J. Benson "Bill Benson" (Spooner, WI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Murder in the Rough: Original Tales of Bad Shots, Terrible Lies, and Other Deadly Handicaps from Today's Great Writers (Hardcover)

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.