I.D.: Crimes of Identity

by Martin Edwards (Editor), Frank Tallis, Zoë Sharp

***Winner of the National Crime Short Story Prize***

***Robert Barnard's contribution 'Sins of Scarlet' won the National Crime Short Story Prize.***

A woman contemplating suicide on Beachy Head finds a bench dedicated to the memory of herself...

An art lover in Venice conducts a spree of mutilations as a response to the Surrealist Movement...

At Heathrow Airport, armed police take up positions to apprehend the wrong man...

The latest showcase of shorts from the CWA celebrates the ‘who’ in the whodunnit, the psyche behind the psychological profile. Husbands lead double lives, psychologists confuse perpetrators with ex-partners, neighbours reassess the people they thought they knew. It seems if there’s one thing you can’t classify or slap an ID card on, it’s the id.

The collection includes stories by two recipients of the Crime Writers’ Association ‘Diamond Dagger’ lifetime achievement award (Peter Lovesey and Robert Barnard), and an American Grand Master awardee (Edward D Hoch, who has published more crime short stories than anyone else, ever!).

Featuring: Michael Jecks – Bill Kirton – Peter Lovesey – Stuart Pawson – Christine Poulson – Zoe Sharp – Frank Tallis – Yvonne Eve Walus – Carla Banks – Tonino Benacquista – Robert Barnard – Natasha Cooper – Matt Coward – Martin Edwards – Kate Ellis – Paul A Freeman – Edward D Hoch

Genres: Short Stories

224 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 28, 2006

About the author

Martin Edwards has been described by Richard Osman as ‘a true master of British crime writing.’ He has published twenty-three novels, which include the eight Lake District Mysteries, one of which was shortlisted for the Theakston’s Prize for best crime novel of the year and four books featuring Rachel Savernake, including the Dagger-nominated Gallows Court and Blackstone Fell, while Gallows Court and Sepulchre Street were shortlisted for the eDunnit award for best crime novel of the year. He is also the author of two multi-award-winning histories of crime fiction, The Life of Crime and The Golden Age of Murder. He has received three Daggers from the Crime Writers’ Association and two Edgars from the Mystery Writers of America and has also been nominated three times for Gold Daggers. In addition to the CWA Diamond Dagger (the highest honour in UK crime writing) he has received four other lifetime achievement awards: for his fiction, short fiction, non-fiction, and scholarship. He is consultant to the British Library’s Crime Classics, a former Chair of the CWA, and since 2015 has been President of the Detection Club.

Reviews

[The Northern Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great mix of crime short stories including the really well written Tell Me by Zoe Sharp which had me second guessing myself and the equally excellent A Blow on the Head by Peter Lovesey which totally fooled me with the ending.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just two stories I didn’t care much for
Wide variety to suit all tastes

[Kally Sheng · Rating 3 out of 5]

CONTENTS

Introduction
Martin Edwards

Don’t You Hate Having Two Heads?
Christine Poulson

The Document
Paul Freeman

Les’s Story
Stuart Pawson

The People in the Flat Across the Road
Natasha Cooper

Revisiting
Kate Ellis

The Rock
Edward D. Hoch

Other People
Bill Kirton

Sins of Scarlet
Robert Bernard

Tour New Zealand in Five Easy Murders
Yvonne Eve Walus

A Blow on the Head
Peter Lovesey

Tell me
Zoë Sharp

Jizz
Mat Coward

Out of Her Mind
Carla Banks

Street Value
Frank Tallis

The Black Box
Tonino Benacquista
Translated by Mélanie Laurent

A Case of Identity
Michael Jecks

InDex
Martin Edwards

Appearing confident was half the battle. - Revisiting, Kate Ellis, Pg. 32

Who am I? Who are you? We like to think we know but, really, we’re at the mercy of other people. They get some sort of impression of us, make a quick judgement, and that’s that. As far as they’re concerned, that’s who we are. And the person we think we are is lurking somewhere underneath all the layers, with no hope in hell of ever getting out. - Other People, Bill Kirton, Pg. 80-81

Everybody has their own take on morals. Our mental health depends on how we obliterate troublesome memories. -Mr. Laurent Aubier, The Black Box, Tonino Benacquista, Pg. 179

It is our doubts and mistakes that make us who we are.
Small certainties help us understand how we became what we are.
- The Black Box, Tonino Benacquista, Pg. 180

We often wonder what we would do , given the chance to know our own future. The knowledge of the past is more extraordinary. To fear the future is nothing in comparison with the fear of the past. The future is nothing but a late realisation of the past. - The Black Box, Tonino Benacquista, Pg. 181

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the many mystery short story collections I have been buying and reading.

As that I read it almost 6 months ago I have nothing to add except that I must have liked it because I gave 5 stars