Murder, They Wrote

Murder, They Wrote #1

by Martin H. Greenberg (Editor), Elizabeth Foxwell (Editor), Janet Laurence (Contributor)

A collection of eighteen short mysteries includes Nancy Pickard's "The Potluck Supper Murders," Jane Dentiger's "The Last of Laura Dane," and "Deeply Dead" by Charlaine Harris. Original.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies

356 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1997

About the author

Martin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.

For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.

Reviews

[Linda Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this delightful collection of short stories because it contained an Aurora Teagarden selection from Charlaine Harris. The fact that the book has seventeen other wonderful mystery tales was a bonus. Each story is preceded by a short introduction from the fictional character of Jessica Fletcher. Jessica even makes an appearance in the Charlaine Harris entry. I won't try to summarize the individual stories because of the wide variety of material covered. The tales take place in different time periods in different countries with different classes of people. In other words, there is something for everyone in this collection of cozy mysteries. I could have finished the book faster, but I wanted to take the time to savor each individual story. Now I will pass it along to a friend because this one is worth sharing.

[Sophie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Come to Tea - Not a mystery at all (it's told from the murderer's point of view), but it has one of the greatest twists I've read in a long, long time. I enjoyed the narrative style too.

Tippy Canoe - Kind of tedious. It's okay, but I didn't actively like it.

The Last of Laura Dane - Couldn't get more than a couple pages into it. Just not the writing style for me.

Body in the Bosque - The solution seems to come out of nowhere, but I liked the characters a lot, as well as the writing style.

The Potluck Supper Mysteries - Although I consider cozies a pox on humanity, this was an enjoyable read, though again the solution is really out of nowhere.

Anne Hathaway Slept Here - I liked it. Not much else to say.

Framed - Brilliant; maybe my favorite story here. The POV character (possibly developmentally disabled, possibly just neurotic) takes some getting used to, but the reveal is excellent.

A Deadly Attraction - I liked the characters a lot, which is the most important thing to me, but the solution is obvious about halfway through the story.

A Nice Cup of Tea - Mostly not to my taste (pardon the pun), but with another fantastic twist ending.

Sight Gag - I was excited to see a story with a lesbian main character, but the story kind of drags on. I get the feeling the author thought the plot (particularly the ending) was more clever than it actually was.

Safe Deposit - I tried. I just could not get into the characters and the world. Skipped it after a couple pages.

Deeply Dead - A good story, featuring an appearance from Jessica, but marred by a too-easy dénouement, and an inaccurate incorporation of Jessica (namely, she's referred to as Jessica rather than J.B., which really bothered me).

Patience at Griffith Gulch - A little strange and a bit too long, but not bad. It reminded me of a Hardy Boys story in some ways, with the characters being sent in to solve the mystery, and a confrontation with the baddies (albeit off-screen). And it did spoil me with another lesbian character.

The Cat-Whipper's Apprentice - I don't think I made it to the bottom of the first page. It's the sort of dialect-filled, overdone historical fiction that some people like but I can't abide.

The Recluse - Not a particularly good story, and the pedophilia victim-blaming is not a good look.

The Subject of Prosperity - A good story with some good characters, but honestly too many for the amount of development they got: I had trouble keeping them straight. Again, a clumsy attempt to get MSW into the plot.

The Body in the Redwoods - A good story, though I guessed at part of the solution rather early (it's similar to one of my favorite episodes of Monk), and really good characters.

Poison Peach - Honestly, I don't know why I did read this one to the end. Maybe just because I was on a plane without internet, and my other books out of reach? It was pretty unsatisfying.

[Linda C · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good collection of 18 murder mysteries ranging from cozy to hard-boiled style. I picked this up because of the variety of well known authors. It gave me a taste of their work and an idea as to whether I wanted to looked for more. There were at least half a dozen that I am looking forward to pursuing. Authors included that I particularly liked were Kate Kingsbury, Margaret Lawrence, Janet LaPierre, D. R. Meredith, Katherine Hall Page, and Gillian Linscott.

[Alice Anne]

Includes: "Deaply Dead," an Aurora Teagarden Mystery by Charlaine Harris. This story is between Book 5, "Dead Over Heels," and Book 6, "A Fool And His Honey." **** 4/25/09

[EuroHackie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most collections of short stories, this was a nice palate cleanser between novels, and a good way to try out several authors' work. This was a mix of good, average, and not-so-great stories, ranging from the light-hearted ("Safe Deposit") to the dark ("The Recluse"). My personal favorites were "The Potluck Supper Murders" by Nancy Pickard (using a character originated by Virginia Rich) and "Framed" by Sally Gunning. I was not impressed with Charlaine Harris's Aurora Teagarden short "Deeply Dead" (is the character always that judgmental and bitchy?!).

[Jacqueline · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely collection of stories by various authors that feature Murder She Wrote in some form. My favorite story was the "Potluck Murders" a sweet story that features friendship at it's core. Not all the stories are winners however, "The Poison Peach," was confusing and far too short, while "The Death of Lara Dane" had a strange ending that didn't really make sense.

Overall, this is a collection of stories perfect for a winter's nights read.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining collection of mysteries, some better than others, as is common in a collection. I would say that my favorites were Patience at Griffith Gulch and The Subject of Prosperity, probably because of the tough and practical female protagonists.

[Mailis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Its a good collection, some of the stories are brilliant, some are just regular good ones...

[The Mystery Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Murder They Wrote," a collection of eighteen short mysteries, offers a delightful array of tales that showcase the diverse talents of various mystery authors. The anthology provides a satisfying mix of styles and themes, making it a perfect choice for readers who enjoy dipping into different mysteries without committing to a full-length novel.

The inclusion of well-known authors like Nancy Pickard and Charlaine Harris adds a layer of anticipation, and their contributions, "The Potluck Supper Murders" and "Deeply Dead" respectively, live up to expectations. Jane Dentiger's "The Last of Laura Dane" also stands out, demonstrating the author's ability to craft a compelling narrative within a limited space.

The strength of this collection lies in its variety. Each story offers a unique perspective on crime and detection, from traditional whodunits to more suspenseful tales. The short story format allows for concise storytelling, and the authors effectively create tension and develop characters within the constraints of the form.

While some stories may resonate more strongly than others, the overall quality of the collection is consistently high. The collection as a whole highlights the strength and diversity of female voices in mystery writing. "Murder They Wrote" is a must-read for fans of the genre, especially those interested in discovering the work of talented female mystery authors.

★★★★☆

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[Molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

To come

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

18 Short Stories:
#1 Come to Tea by Janet Laurence
#2 Tippy Canoe by Mary Daheim
#3 The Last of Laura Dane by Jane Dentinger
#4 Body in the Bosque by Marlys Millhiser
#5 The Potluck Supper Murders by Estate of Virginia Rich and Nancy J Pickard Trust
#6 Anne Hathaway Slept Here by Marjorie Eccles
#7 Framed by Sally Gunning
#8 A Deadly Attraction by Jean Hager
#9 A Nice Cup of Tea by Kate Kingsbury
#10 Sight Gag by Ellen Hart
#11 Safe Deposit by Sarah J Mason
#12 Deeply Dead by Charlaine Harris
#13 Patience at Griffith Gulch by Janet LaPierre
#14 The Cat Whippers Apprentice by Margaret Lawrence
#15 The Recluse by Betty Rowlands
#16 The Subject of Prosperity by D R Meredith
#17 The Body in the Redwoods by Katherine Hall Page
#18 Poison Peach by Gillian Linscott

*My favorite short story was #7 Framed by Sally Gunning

**in general,
Most have a very strong British style. Half of the stories the 1st person turns out to be the one who has done a horrible thing and the other half the 1st person solves a horrible thing that has been done.

***Jessica Fletcher has a brief appearance in one story, #12 Deeply Dead Charlaine Harris

[Lisbeth Mizula · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first story, 'Come to Tea' by Janet Laurence in this collection is a Five Star must read. As my mother would have said, "Good, good, good!"

Another 5 star story in this anthology, 'Framed' by Sally Gunning--wonderful!

Charlaine Harris's 'Deeply Dead' made me laugh out loud.--so wonderfully funny!

With three stories this good in an anthology, it makes a great gift for short story lovers and something for yourself to reread when your outlook needs lightening up.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

has short story with Aurora Teagarden by Charlaine Harris in it.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read only the Charlaine Harris story. It was ok.