Crime Through Time II

SPQR #8.4 - The Etruscan House

by Miriam Grace Monfredo (editor/contributor), Sharan Newman (Editor)

Bestselling mystery authors Miriam Grace Monfredo and Sharan Newman present Crime Through Time II—featuring original historical mysteries by Robert Barnard, Jan Burke, Michael Coney, Dianne Day, Carole Nelson Douglas, Elizabeth Foxwell, Edward D. Hoch, Nancy Kress, Gillian Linscott, Edward Marston, Miriam Grace Monfredo, Maam Nyers, Sharon Newman, Anne Perry, John Maddox Roberts, Laura Joh Rowland, Walter Satterthwait, Sarah Smith, and William Wu. A companion to Crime Through Time, the remarkable first collection of historical mysteries All new, never-before-published stories by bestselling award-winning writers. Named a Top Ten Paperback by "The Poisoned Pen."

Genres: Mystery, Historical Mystery, Historical Fiction, Short Stories, Anthologies, Historical

368 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Miriam Grace Monfredo, a former librarian and a historian, lives in Rochester, New York. This is the seventh Seneca Falls Mystery. A previous Seneca Falls Mystery, The Stalking-Horse, was chosen by the Voice of Youth Advocacy as one of 1998's best adult mysteries for young adults and received a "best" review in Library Journal's young adult section.

Reviews

[Vivian Yonkey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not impressed. A few of the stories read as if the authors are more thrilled with their own cleverness than in writing a solid story. The overly modern vernacular used in the historic context of at least one is not only jarring, but borders on ridiculous. In the words of writing mentors everywhere - stick with what you know and can write with knowledge & understanding about.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are a million and one other things that I should be doing instead of reading this collection of mystery stories, but . . . Most of the stories in here were quite good. Some I would say were not exactly mysteries but tales of suspense and tragedy (the Paris performer story, the Titanic story). And a couple of them were very troubling -- the one in Venice which was incestuous and the one in Japan about a child prostitute -- and some were rather enjoyable (Genghis Khan and the Irishwoman in Kansas). Certainly a wide variety of historical mileiu and some glimpses into worlds not often incorporated into mysteries.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was just the logical extension of my whole historical mystery craze. It's a collection of short stories by various established authors that deal with murder in different time periods. Several of the stories were quite good. The notable standout was Walter Satterthwait's Murder One, which humorously described civilization's first homicide. I was also impressed with the story by Sharon Newman and by the last entry, Dorothy Past and Present. Unfortunately, the quality of the stories varies. In particular, a large middle chunk seemed rather unfulfilling. And the short story sometimes just doesn't provide enough room for the adequate exploration of a situation. If the author designs the piece correctly, this isn't a problem. But that's assuming the author designs it correctly.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting short stories set in various places and times throughout history. With any collection of stories by various authors there were some I enjoyed more than others.