Once upon a crime by Various

by Ed Gorman

Timeless tales gain a sinister, compelling side when retold by today's top mystery authors in this captivating collection. But unlike the well-known traditional tales, the endings found here aren't always the familiar ones you remember -- or expect.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fantasy, Crime, Fairy Tale Retellings, Fiction

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Librarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name

Edward Joseph Gorman Jr. was a prolific American author and anthologist, widely recognized for his contributions to crime, mystery, western, and horror fiction. Born and raised in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Gorman spent much of his life in the Midwest, drawing on that experience to set many of his novels in small towns. After working over two decades in advertising, political speechwriting, and industrial filmmaking, he published his first novel, Rough Cut, in 1984 and soon transitioned to full-time writing. His fiction is often praised for its emotional depth, suspenseful storytelling, and nuanced characters. Gorman wrote under the pseudonyms Daniel Ransom and Robert David Chase, and contributed to publications such as Mystery Scene, Cemetery Dance, and Black Lizard. He co-founded Mystery Scene magazine and served as its editor and publisher until 2002, continuing his “Gormania” column thereafter. His works have been adapted for film and graphic novels, including The Poker Club and Cage of Night. In comics, he wrote for DC and Dark Horse. Diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2002, he continued writing despite his illness until his passing in 2016. Critics lauded him as one of the most original crime writers of his generation and a “poet of dark suspense.”

Reviews

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some pleasent surprises in this little collection. There are also some duds. Thankfully, however, the gems make up for the dudes. There does seem to be a preponderence of mob stories.

The stories range from funny to touching. Now of them all really sad. Standouts include-

"After Happily Ever" by Gillian Roberts which would have a place in any Datlow/Windling collection. Think you know the story of Cinderella, think again.

"Heptagon" by Joan Hess - Snow White meets a shrink.

"Now Fetch Me an Axe" by Simon Clark - a retelling of the Princess and the Frog fetching a famous mystery writer who is not Agatha Christie and who crave a good roast.

"Rapunzel's Revenge" by Brendon DuBois - a male Rapunzel no less.

"The Brave Little Costume Designer" by Les Roberts- wonderful adaption of "The Brave Little Tailor". Best adaption I've seen.

"Love and Justice" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch - despite its setting the most true to life story.

The best story is "Gerda's Sense of Snow" by Sharyn McCrumb - a retelling of the Snow Queen, using the slang defination of the word snow.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars.


I was quite impressed with the overall stories in this book. Normally books of collections of short stories are 50/50 good/not good. So I was pleasantly surprised to find I enjoyed so many. It's definitely one of the better collections I've read in a long time.

Here are my personal thoughts of each story. I have listed what the retelling is of, rather than the name of the actual short story in the book.



1 - Cinderella - Really enjoyed.

2 - Hansel and Gretel - Meh. It was ok but I'm not a romance liking person.

3 - Snow White & The 7 Dwarfs - round of applause for this gem!

4 - Little Red Riding Hood - This was definitely an interesting take on the classic. Quite liked this.

5 - The Frog Prince - umm I'm not that familiar with this fairytale and maybe that's why I didn't enjoy this one too much. It wasn't bad but I also didn't understand the ending. Well written though.

6 - Old Sultan - I have no recollection of this fairytale and was very bored while reading it.

7 - Hansel and Gretel - This was so good I forgot I was reading a short story. I got so absorbed into it. Dam.

8 - (this isn't based on 1 fairytale but tiny bits from a few different ones) - ummm....meh.

9 - Rapunzel - Disgusting. I couldn't finish it. It should come with a trigger warning as it's about Rape and complete disrespect towards females.

10 - The Poor Boy in the Grave & The Old Beggar-Woman - neither of these I have heard of but ohh my gosh. This story fills my heart with so much love and restores my faith that SOME humans really are good people.

11 - Rapunzel's Revenge - I got bored so I stopped half way through.

12 - Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs - This was good. A different perspective of the classic we all know and love.

13 - Seven Swans - nah. I wasn't interested.

14 - Little Red Riding Hood - this was an interesting perspective. I quite enjoyed it.

15 - Gossip Wolf and the Fox - never heard of this fable before but .... Holy crappers this was SO GOOD!!!

16 - The Brave Little Tailor - I don't recognise this story either and didnt like it.

17 - The Emperor's New Clothes - I got bored and didn't finish it.

18 - The Musician of Bremen - never heard of it and I TRIED to enjoy this but couldn't. I wanted to.

19 - Cinderella - Really enjoyed this mystery 'who done it's type story. Its also what I would consider to be a sequel to the original Cinderella we all know and love.

20 - Hansel and Gretel - homeless in the streets of San Francisco, two little kids just trying to survive. I really enjoyed this version. Got dark and creepy at the end but I'm glad it ended well. I felt quite connected to the characters.

21 - Cinderella - This was ok. It was well written but just not so much a story I was too interested in. Kinda meh.

22 - The Twelve Dancing Princesses - ok what the heck? Is this a printing error? It made no sense and doesn't even look like it's written in English. I could get past the first line. It's literally unreadable. Can someone help me out here? Does your copy have 'words' that are just random letters? So weird.

23 - Thousandfurs - never heard of this one so I had 0 connection to the original story but I'm not sure how much that effected my thoughts about it. I just didn't click with it. My mind wandered so many times before I decided to just skip the rest. I wasn't interested at all.

24 - The Snow Queen - this started out quite good but quickly went downhill and was uninteresting.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories based on fairy tales. Some are good, some are bad; but all in all a nice mixture of stories with a few odd twists among them.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

"Fairy tales have captured the imagination of readers -- and writers -- for generations. The themes that so enchanted the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen are also the mainstay of good mysteries -- envy, greed, jealousy, spite revenge, and, of course, a life-or-death climax. Now, in the hands of some of the most respected mystery writers of the decade, stories such as the confinement of Rapunzel, the peril of Little Red Riding Hood, and many others are given a compelling, suspenseful twist -- with an ending that isn't always the one your remember -- or respect ..."
~~ back cover

All well written, but mostly I didn't care much for these stories. They all seemed bizarre, or macabre, or far-fetched. Not the sort of mysteries this reader likes (which are English cozies, preferably in England between the wars.)

[OhWell · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Happily Ever- 4*
Clever Hans - 2*
Heptagon - 3*
It Happened At Grandmother’s House - 3*
Now Fetch Me An Axe - 4*
Old Sultan - 2*
Harvest Home - 4*
Prince Charming - 3*
Rapunzel - 3*
Resurrection Joe - 3*
Rapunzel’s Revenge - 3*
Snow White And The Eleven Dwarfs - 2*
Swan Song - 4*
The Better To Eat You With - 3*
Of The Fog - 4*
The Brave Little Costume Designer - 4*
The Emperor’s New Clothes- 3*
The Musician Of Bremen, GA - 3*
Anniversary Ball - 4*
Invisible Time - 4*
Love And Justice - 2*
“The Twelve Dancing Princesses” Revisited - 3*
Thousandfurs - 2*
Gerda’s Sense Of Snow - 2*

[Samantha · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you like mob stories and fairy tales getting twisted around then this is for you.

[Atea Angelone · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more a fairy tale feel but it’s more crime than anything. Can be confusing if not read carefully and slowly.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the twisted retelllings of fairy tales. These are great both as crime tales and twisted fairy tales. Like the original tales, these are chilling, surprising, enchanting.

[Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Super hard to finish. Cannot keep my mind on the stories for long. Some stories were ok but most of them are just mehh. It takes me forever to finish it.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this decade (God, I'm old), I have begun to like anthologies. I went back this far to read a short story by an author I really like, Sharyn McCrumb. I read all of the other stories as well, and I have mixed feelings about them.

Most of the stories were good or interesting and sometimes both. However, like the Brothers Grimm stories on which they are based, some are a bit too close to the horror side of things for my taste. Some are depressing. Some are funny, but most are not in the way I prefer. A few stories were good enough to keep me reading. They're all very short, too.

Gillian Roberts - After Happily Ever
Sorta fun take on the Cinderella story.

John Breen - Clever Hans
Slightly fun, jilted lover charged with murder. Not great.

Joan Hess - Heptagon
Multiple personalities of the seven dwarves in one murderess. Not for me.

Bill Crider - It Happened at Grandmother's House
Teen werewolf rescues Grandma. Likable.

Simon Clark - Now Fetch Me An Ax
Creepy version of Frog Prince.

Mat Coward - Old Sultan
Honor and loyalty in the mob. So-so.

Elizabeth Engstrom - Harvest Home
Hansel and Gretel sold by wicked step-mother. Not for me.

William DeAndrea - Prince Charming
Kidnapping. Annh.

Jane Haddam - Rapunzel
Terribly disturbing, but written well. Horror.

Gary Braunbeck - Resurrection Joe
Loved this story and this character. Sort of Hansel and Gretel-ish.

Brenden DuBois - Rapunzel's Revenge
Liked this one about a kidnapped geek and his rescue by his wife.

Edwin Hoch - Snow White and Eleven Dwarves
Good story. Humorous but not believable crime story.

John Lutz - Swan Song
Country music agents fight it out. Didn't care about it.

John Helfers - The Better to Eat You With
Good, but grim version of the Red Riding Hood story. Natural setting.

Ed Gormon - Of the Fog
Creepy. Just creepy. Well-written horror.

Les Roberts - The Brave Little Costume Designer
The mob meets its unlikely match. Liked it. Fun.

Simon Brett - The Emperor's New Clothes
Mobsters turn over a new leaf. OK.

Peter Crowther - The Musicians of Bremen, GA
Sad little story of jazz and lost talent.

Audrey Peterson - Anniversary Ball
Cinderella a year later. So-so.

Janet Dawson - Invisible Time
Hansel & Gretel downtown and homeless. Very sad.

Kristine K. Rusch - Love and Justice
Cinderella behind the myth. Sad ending.

Ann Wingate - The Twelve Dancing Princesses, Revisited
Mob bosses and their offspring.

Doug Allyn - Thousandfurs
More mob, but less happy. Waste of time.

Sharyn McCrumb - Gerda's Sense of Snow
The Snow Queen. Sharyn McCrumb is a favorite author, but her short stories from this time period disappoint. Unbelievable and convenient jumps in the story-line. Dissatisfying. See her Ballad series of novels for the good stuff.

[Kara · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of fairy tale revisions, all with a criminal element, most with murder, a lot with the Mafia. The majority are modern day settings, though a few are set in – frankly quite scary – fairy tale lands.

Hands down, the best of the bunch is The Brave Little Costume Designer, where an unlikely protagonist takes on a mob boss, and does it with style. You could easily pick up this book just for that one story alone. I also recommend Of The Fog, Swan Song, It Happened at Grandmother’s House, Harvest Home and the Musician of Bremen Town. Swan Song made me laugh – Musician of Bremen GA made me cry.

Overall, its 50/50, as to which stories have Happily Ever Afters. A lot of the authors deal with the fairy tales that describe child abuse – and put them into terrifying real world settings. The scariest monsters are the ones that look human...

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad read. The editors seem to favour a witty and somewhat self-conscious first person voice. This anthology consists of mostly fairy tale adaptations and re-tellings. Not overly impressed with the quality but it's a delightful and easy-going read. My favourite is probably "Harvest Home" by Elizabeth Enstrom. The other stories are okay. Some are kind of structure and paced poorly but in general it's okay. The cover is amazing.

[Deirdre · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very mixed bag of stories, all clever and all interesting. These take a twist on the stories of fairy tale, taking a more crime oriented look at these stories. Many of them are clever and interesting but some of them are a litle laboured, trying to twist the story a little too much to fit the fairy tale. However it kept me interested and amused throughout.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this was an abridged audio cassette, as some reviews mention stories that I didn't hear. The ones that I did weren't that impressive. I did like "Ever After Happily" that turns the Cinderella story on it's ear, but many of the others worked too hard to have a distinctive narrator and some were just stupid (ie "Rapunzel's Revenge").

[GG · Rating 5 out of 5]

A talented group of writers converted the old fairy tales from your childhood into a group of intriguing crime stories.

I can't rate this book highly enough, all of the stories have charm in their own way, and there is something in here for every appreciator of fairy tales. All of the tales are well written, witty and will leave you hanging on every word until the end.

[Dax · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absolutely amazing book, one you will find yourself reading over and over again. What makes it so brilliant is that it is cram packed with short stories of modern day fairy tales. Little sick twists on the already grimm fairy tales. I would recommend this to any and all adult readers.

[Brett]

Anthology,Mystery

['stina]

Been on my shelf for a while.

[Bronwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery stories based on common fairy tales

[Linda Joy]

this was an unexpectedly great book - take well known fairy tales, add mystery - suspense, and you've got some wonderful quirky not so happy endings.

[Ira · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's really creepy and gloomy. A few of the stories are good, but it's too creepy for me in the end.

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good concept: short stories based on fairy tales by crime fiction authors. Some of them were pretty funny, some were weird, some were spooky. And there were a lot of Mafia ones (yuck).

[Rebeka Griffiths · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty good. Twisted and dark. I still think of some of the stories and giggle when I read fairy tales. Prince Charming will forevermore be a creeper with a foot fetish.

[Zay · Rating 3 out of 5]

There were some stories that I enjoyed in this book and some not so much, but it was interesting to read how fairy tales were used into a more modern crime-twist retelling.