Manhattan Mayhem

by Mary Higgins Clark (Editor), Lee Child (Contributor), Jeffery Deaver (Contributor)

Take a crime-filled tour of Manhattan with this collection of all-new stories of mystery, murder, and suspense presented by Mary Higgins Clark—with contributions by Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and more. From the streets of Harlem to the winding paths of Central Park to the high-rise towers of Wall Street, Manhattan is brimming with motivation, opportunity, means—and unsolved mysteries. In this new collection of stories, brought together by Mystery Writers of America and edited by bestselling suspense author Mary Higgins Clark, neighborhoods in the borough come to life—or death—with their own cases to be cracked.   In Lee Child's exclusive Jack Reacher story, “The Picture of the Lonely Diner,” the legendary drifter interrupts a curious stand-off in the shadow of the Flatiron Building. In Jeffery Deaver’s “The Baker of Bleecker Street,” an Italian immigrant becomes ensnared in WWII espionage. And in “The Five-Dollar Dress,” Mary Higgins Clark unearths the contents of a mysterious hope chest found in an apartment on Union Square. With additional stories from T. Jefferson Parker, S. J. Rozan, Nancy Pickard, Ben H. Winters, Brendan DuBois, Persia Walker, Jon L. Breen, N. J. Ayres, Angela Zeman, Thomas H. Cook, Judith Kelman, Margaret Maron, Justin Scott, and Julie Hyzy, Manhattan Mayhem is teeming with red herrings, likely suspects, and thoroughly satisfying mysteries.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Crime, New York, Thriller

338 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 2, 2015

About the author

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has written thirty-eight suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a his­torical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her sister-in-law is the also author Mary Jane Clark.

Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.

Reviews

[Dr. Appu Sasidharan (Dasfill) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Marry Higgins Clark did a spectacular job of compiling an anthology of new crime stories by the best mystery writers of America, which introduces us to the iconic Manhattan neighborhoods. We can see the creations of writers like Lee Child and Jeffery Deaver in this book. Some of the stories are written really well, while we will find it challenging to connect with few others. This is a must-read book if you are someone who loves to read crime thrillers or if you are a New York City resident, or if you are planning to visit New York City soon.

“Look at this city, will you? Best city in the world. Do you know why it works? For the most part, people get along, look out for each other, cooperate. I would like to think that, for the most part, people are honest, like to live straight and narrow. That is the way it works. That is the only way it can work.”

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[Kelly Kosinski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I was disappointed in this collection of short mysteries. There were a few I liked. I love Mary Higgins Clark, my favorite author when I was young. I would go out and immediately buy the new book that she released. My favorites are Where Are the Children, A Stranger is Watching, The Cradle Will Fall (really loved that one) and Pretend You Don’t See Her

I was so EXCITED when I saw this book available and man, what a disappointment! 😞😞

[Althea Ann · Rating 2 out of 5]

*** The Five Dollar Dress - Mary Higgins Clark
A young woman, looking through her deceased grandmother's things, makes an unsavory discovery regarding an old crime. It's not bad, but I expected a bit more. The writing style felt a bit clunky and overly-straightforward ("She did this. Then she did that.") In addition, the way the eventual 'discovery' was presented felt too easy, leaving a detection-loving reader feeling a bit cheated.

** White Rabbit - Julie Hyzy
This one started off playing into one rather-tired trope, and then 'twisted' into a different, but equally-tired trope. At Central Park's 'Alice in Wonderland' statue, a young woman reading is approached by a pushy and annoying young man who insists on making small talk. But what are the real reasons either of these two are there, on this particular day?

*** The Picture of the Lonely Diner - Lee Child
Brief piece featuring Child's popular character, Jack Reacher. It's not bad - it does an especially nice job conjuring up Madison Square Park - but I found the interaction between Reacher and an FBI agent he encounters to be a bit unbelievable (why on earth would she be so forthcoming?) Overall, I think readers who are already familiar with the books in this series would probably appreciate it more.

*** Three Little Words - Nancy Pickard
A doctor tells a young woman that unfortunately, her cancer is terminal, and suggests that she make a 'bucket list.' However, just a few days after her diagnosis, the woman is violently murdered. Whodunnit? The story gets a lot of suspects into a limited amount of pages, but I finished it feeling like I'd been 'led around' by the author just a bit too much.

*** Damage Control - Thomas H. Cook
A man's former foster child is found dead of an apparent suicide. The tragic death leads him back to consider the reasons why he kicked her out of his house. Were they justified? The story does a nice job of illustrating how different perspectives on the same facts can lead people to come to very different conclusions.

*** The Day After Victory - Brendan DuBois
WWII has just ended, and a street sweeper cleaning up after the victory parade has a chance encounter with a man waiting on the street - or is it really a chance meeting?

*** Serial Benefactor - Jon L. Breen
An elderly man tells his young granddaughter about an old mystery he's tried to solve. Back in his day, when he was a Broadway actor, a serial killer was offing some of the more reprehensible characters on the theater scene - and he suspected it was someone he knew. Not bad, but not terribly memorable, either.

**** Trapped! - Ben H. Winters
This is the one I picked up the collection for - after reading Winters' 'Last Policeman' books I was interested in checking out more of his writing.
I was a little surprised to find this is a humorous piece about Broadway theater - but it was quite good. That said, I feel I would've enjoyed it even more if I'd ever read or seen Deathtrap! (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathtr...)
I suspect that real theatrical insiders would find it even more hilarious.

*** Wall St. Rodeo - Angela Zeman
In an old-timey New York, an unprincipled con man tries to take advantage of a young Irish boy, in hopes of securing a fortune. But things don't quite work out the way he hopes. A fun and heartwarming little tale.

*** Copycats - N.J. Ayres
Nice period feel to this one... probably the best piece of writing in the book so far. This long story introduces us to a group of young men from the Lower East Side to are deployed in WWII together. Their wartime experiences change them, and afterward, they go in different directions. One becomes a cop... but others take other roads.

*** Red-Headed Stepchild - Margaret Maron
Woe betide those who cut a girl's hair against her wishes...

** Sutton Death Overtime - Judith Kelman
At a mystery writer's group attended by an obnoxious journalist, one writer divulges the plot of her next true-crime novel. But why would she 'give away' so many details? I felt like the ending was supposed to be an emotional kicker, but it didn't really work for me.

*** Dizzy & Gillespie - Persia Walker
Conflict between long-time residents and a new neighbor in a dilapidated Harlem townhouse takes an unexpectedly heartbreaking twist. Well-crafted, but very, very sad.

*** Me & Mikey - T. Jefferson Parker
Hard-boiled and no punches pulled. This is a tale of two brothers in a Mafia family. It feels very cinematic (not really like a true 'insider's' perspective), but I think it works pretty well.

*** Evermore - Justin Scott
Time-travelling Edgar Allan Poe and an on-the-lam bank robber pull off a heist together. Silly, but rather funny.

*** Chin Yong-Yun Makes a Shiddach - S.J. Rozan
Heartwarming cozy about a Chinese mom with hidden depths that neither her Private Investigator daughter nor her lawyer son guess at.

** The Baker of Bleecker St. - Jeffery Deaver
Fascist spies on the LES during WWII. I didn't really connect with any of the characters, and I thought the 'patriotic' content came off as sappy rather than inspiring.

Overall - there were some decent stories here, but the collection didn't live up to my expectations overall. Those expectations were fairly high, considering the 'Mystery Writers of America' stamp of approval. In general, I think this is a genre that tends to be more successful in a longer format.

Many thanks to Quirk books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read in exchange for an honest review.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crooks, German spies, sneaky kids & ticked off grannies This is an anthology of 18 short stories from the Mystery Writers of America. Some of the authors are familiar to those who love the genre....Lee Child, SJ Rozen, Margaret Maron & Jeffery Deaver to name a few. 
But what I love about these books is the chance to sample writers I've not read before & from there, go on to check out their full length work.
The forward is provided by the venerable Mary Higgins Clark & she describes how they arrived at the theme. It's all about New York City. Each author had to choose a specific neighbourhood as their setting, then were given free rein. The result is an eclectic mix of mysteries accompanied by old black & white photos of each area. They run the gamut of present day to post WWll, noir to time travel, cops & robbers to scary grandmothers.
I won't review them all. Each is a quick read & everyone will have their personal favourites. From the authors I am familiar with, my hands down pick is "Chin Yung-Yun Makes a Shiddach" by SJ Rozen. I enjoy her Lydia Chin series & this story features Lydia's no-nonsense mother in a hilarious turn as a private eye.
Authors new to me include Nancy Pichard who tells a nice, twisty little tale. Judith Kelman gives us the story of an old missing person's case that is wistful yet oddly hopeful & it sucked me right in with the need to know how it ended. 
But I particularly enjoyed Justin Scott's take on a mystery with the element of time travel. A modern day bank robber ends up partnered with the very alive Edgar Allan Poe who is having trouble publishing a best seller in today's market that will make him eligible to win the award that bears his name. It's a fast paced shoot 'em up full of ironic commentary on what authors have to deal with & Poe gets all the best lines ("Do not expect me to be frightened by an armed robber. I'm accustomed to agents & publishers.").
There's something here for everyone who loves a good mystery & it's a great way to test drive a bunch of writers before you plunk down your hard earned cash on their novels. Enjoy!

[Jeannette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read on the WondrousBooks blog.

When I requested this book on NetGalley, I was expecting something creepier, more complicated and also full of interesting little facts about New York. This book was none of these things. None.

I remember reading Mary Higgins Clark a few years ago, since my grandmother is a big fan and she borrowed many MHC books from the library. I'm not a die-hard fan of the mystery genre, but I do love me a good crime novel from time to time. That's why, of course, as usual, why not, I had high expectations about this anthology. For one, Ms Clark participates herself in it, for another, she was the editor so naturally I was sure she'd have chosen really good pieces for Manhattan Mayhem.

In reality, the book started off really well. In the first 5-6 stories there really was the element of creepiness and I liked the style and the flow as a whole. That was soon ruined by American writers' obsession with America's "glorious" past full of mafioso-wannabe's. I'll get back to that later. After too many bad stories, there was a spark of something with the story about the two step-sisters. And then we were brought back to the dull reality of this book.

As I mentioned above, too many of the stories are set in the past, too many of them have Italian mafia types, too many seem to lack a concrete idea and are, in my opinion, a rush order to fill a couple of pages. The authors felt that they needed to be part of this anthology, or they were asked to participate, and the result is obvious, a string of unimaginative and boring short stories which lack a lot in the mystery department, too much, considering that this is a mystery book.

In particular I knew the book had totally lost me with the Broadway Executioner which was dragged out and with an ultimately unsatisfactory ending which left me wondering whether I missed something. The total low was the short play, which was just so dull and lifeless. The last 5 stories were so boring, I barely had the willpower to finish them.

I think the biggest issue is that all of these people, the authors, decided that one can create a much better mystery in the past than in the present. I think the opposite is true, which the present is not a good arena for a few types of genres, mystery is not one of them. With our level of development, a much more complicated case can be presented and with a much more creative way to be solved. However, it is obvious that these authors were not really willing to put too much effort in a short story for an anthology. Their lack of initiative and interest is obvious by their sloppy plots. I haven't read anything by most of them, but I'm sure they put a lot more effort in their own stuff, because all of the stories in Manhattan Mayhem were made by a formula: a character with humble beginnings, a couple of sidekicks, you don't really get what's going on and by the time you do, the story is done and you are left with the feeling that all of the authors were in this for an easy buck. All of the stories that don't fit in this category, are somewhat worth reading, though not groundbreaking, just a little bit more bearable than the rest.

[Jessica (Odd and Bookish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book for free through BookLikes' Giveaways.

I really enjoyed this anthology of short stories. I loved the concept of each story taking place in a different part of New York City. I thought that was really fun and creative. I especially loved how there was a tiny little map of the area at the top of each story.

I liked some stories more than others. My favorites were "The Five-Dollar Dress," "White Rabbit," "Serial Benefactor," and "Trapped!"

[Mauoijenn · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great find at the library.
I love mysteries and so a book full of short mystery stories.
Yes, please.
Excellent choices, some better than others, but that is to be expected.
I very much enjoyed this and would recommend it to others.

[4cats · Rating 4 out of 5]

What links this mixed bag of crime short stories offered up by the Mystery Writers of America is the wonder that is Manhattan Island. Each author has set their novella in an iconic location and so we get to travel to Harlem, Union Square, the Upper West Side and the Flatiron District to name but a few.

What is great about an anthology like this is you get to read authors your may never have come across before and some lesser known authors get to be in a book alongside some of their more famous peers such as Mary Higgins Clark, Jeffery Deaver and Lee Child. I particularly enjoyed reading Margaret Maron's offering along with Julie Hyzy, Persia Walker, Thomas H. Cook and Nancy Pickard. However, other readers will enjoy other stories within this collection and that's what makes this type of anthology so great.

So why not dip in to this pick and mix and just enjoy.

[Ethan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

I gotta say, while I'm not a huge fan of books that comprise of many short stories, I thoroughly enjoyed this very much. I won the book through Goodreads and I want to thank Quirk books for being so generous!

While some of the stories weren't nearly as exhilarating as others, many were extremely well written. Each author clearly has expertise in writing mysteries. I forgot how much I loved mysteries until I read this.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for quick thrills and impressive, curious plots. This includes a play, among other things, and each style is a great transition from the last. This, for a fact, makes you yearn for more mystery. And as I read, thank you to Mary Higgins Clark for her work in this. Absolutely riveting.

[Amanda McGill · Rating 2 out of 5]

My favourite part of the novel was how 17 short stories came together. The theme was New York City. Each author wrote a mystery story about 1 location/neighbourhood in NYC. I loved seeing the pictures and maps of the area. Some stories were historical so it was nice seeing NYC in a different time period.

There was some good stories in here, but also a lot of not so good ones.

My favourite stories were: Trapped!, Sutton Death Overtime, The Five-Dollar Dress, White Rabbit, Three Little Words, Damage Control, Red-Headed Stepchild, Dizzy and Gillespie and Chin Yong-Yun Makes a Shiddach. A brief summary/review on each of the stories is below.

1. The Five-Dollar Dress by Mary Higgins Clark
- 3 stars
- Jenny's grandmother has died and it is up to Jenny to go through her stuff. While going through her grandmother's things she discovers her grandmother's friend was murdered and Jenny figured out the murderer.
- I felt a connection with Jenny, but oh man the ending took me a long time to get!

2. White Rabbit by Julie Hyzy
- 3 stars
- Jane is mourning a friend at the White Rabbit status in Central Park. She ends up talking to a stranger, Mark, and turns out they have more in common than what we think.
- I enjoyed the twist ending, but the whole thing just felt a bit creepy, in a not so good way

3. The Picture of the Lonely Diner by Lee Child
- 2 stars
- I don't get the appeal of Jack Reacher. Reacher walks into an investigation and ends up getting information from the secret agent in charge. Does these things happen in real life?!
- Side note: I was talking to my mom this morning (she's a huge Jack Reacher fan) and turns out that Lee Child as a young boy had a fascination with NYC and the Flatiron building (which is the setting of this story). When he began a famous writer, he ended up buying 2 apartments in the building (1 for home, 1 for his office) which is his childhood dream come true. I liked the backstory of it and you could feel in his novel that he really loves that area/building.

4. Three Little Words by Nancy Pickard
- 3 stars
- A woman was diagnosed with cancer and has come up with a bucket list to tell the truth. A few days later she was killed. Her doctor goes to her funeral and everyone has a secret.
- I enjoyed this one, but there was some icky stuff going on that I didn't enjoy.

5. Damage Control by Thomas H. Cook
- 3 stars
- A family took in a foster daughter a number of years ago but because of a situation they can no longer handle the girl and return her to her family. The now adult woman is killed and the father reflects back to on the family's time with the girl.
- Interesting story about different accounts of a certain situation.

6. The Day After Victory by Brendan DuBois
- 1 star
- A sweeper meets a guy in Times Square the day after WWII ended.
- I couldn't get into this one.

7. Serial Benefactor by Jon L. Breen
- 1 star
- About a 100 year old man and his great great granddaughter. He tells her about a crime that happened in the Broadway scene.
- Meh, didn't care for the man or the mystery. A bit all over the place (past and present).

8. Trapped! by Ben H. Winters
- 4 stars
- A play about a murdered producer and everyone is a suspect.
- Wow I never thought I would like this so much! So funny and I didn't know what to expect!

9. Wall Street Rodeo by Angela Zeman
- 1 star
- A man getting a young boy to con an old man
- Very odd, but I didn't see the ending coming.

10. Copycats by N.J. Ayres
- 1 star
- About friends before and after being solders in WWII.
- Again couldn't get into this one.

11. Red-Headed Stepchild by Margaret Maron
- 3 stars
- A stepdaughter's view on living with her father, new stepmother and stepsister.
- Good read! I just guessed the ending before it happened.

12. Sutton Death Overtime by Judith Kelman
- 4 stars
- A writer tells others (including a reporter) about the new novel she is working on about the disappearance of her friend who was a millionaire beauty.
- Good ending! Really enjoyed the writing.

13. Dizzy and Gillespie by Persia Walker
- 3 stars
- A daughter's view on a fight between her mother and a new resident in their building.
- Sad story with a good mystery.

14. Me and Mikey by T. Jefferson Parker
- 1 star
- About a mafia family
- I've had enough of mafia families for a bit.

15. Evermore by Justin Scott
- 1 star
- Going back in time (as well as forward) to pull off a robbery.
- Just wasn't realistic.

16. Chin Yong-Yun Makes a Shiddach by S.J. Rozan
- 3 stars
- About a chinese mother doing what's best for her children and living a secret life that her children don't know about
- Liked the surprising factor of this one.

17. The Baker of Bleecker Street by Jeffery Deaver
- 1 stars
- Spies during WWII
- Didn't like this one at all.

[Dorie - Cats&Books :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

I remembered reading Mary Higgins Clark when I was much younger and enjoying her style of writing and expertise.
I don't usually like short stories but this collection is remarkable.

Not only did I get a chance to read authors that I had never read before, but I also found their styles to be very different and each book, though short, seemed like a satisfying ending. The play included was a surprise and interesting read. It was fun having the settings change from Harlem, Union Station and the Flatiron district and more.

I think anyone would enjoy sampling the many offerings here from Mystery Writers of America. Great book for traveling also when it's sometimes hard to get into a long novel.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

I keep getting fooled.

I keep thinking that the more-or-less annual anthologies put out by the Mystery Writers of America will be great. They should be; the editors and all the contributors are MWA members, many of them among the most respected authors in this field.

But the anthologies are frequently disappointing. Manhattan Mayhem is, in my opinion, one of the poorest of the volumes that I have read in this series. It shouldn't be. This was the seventieth anniversary of the MWA, and readers might have expected a particularly good entry in the series. It was edited by Mary Higgins Clark and story authors include Clark herself, Lee Child, Thomas H. Cook, Jeffrey Deaver, Brendan DuBois, Margaret Maron, Nancy Pickard, T. Jefferson Parker, and S. J. Rozan, superstars all. The stories are all set in different Manhattan venues.

Jon L. Breen is an astute mystery critic and a respected editor, but I have never considered him an outstanding author of fiction. The clues in his story "Serial Benefactor" are all lyrics from Broadway shows; this is revealed early in the story, and I suspect that I am far from the only reader who recognized this immediately. But once that is established the rest of the story just is not very interesting.

"Trapped" by Ben H. Winters also has a theatrical theme. The story is presented in the format of a murder mystery play, which is about a murder mystery play, which is about a murder mystery play. People are rehearsing what is intended to be an Off-Broadway revival of the play Deathtrap by Ira Levin. If I recall correctly, I enjoyed Deathtrap much more than I enjoyed this story, which I found neither amusing nor suspenseful. I note that many of the people commenting on Goodreads liked the story much more than I did, though.

Justin Scott has a science fiction/fantasy tale titled "Evermore," in which a crook named Stark joins forces with a strangely updated version of Edgar Allan Poe. This Poe hangs out with Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville, and at one point begins to relive one of his most famous stories. This is sometimes amusing but mostly just silly.

Angela Zeman's "Wall Street Rodeo," on the other hand, is nothing but silly. Con man Slick Nick tries to use an eight year old boy to trick an old man into telling where his stolen loot is hidden. This feels old-fashioned but is set approximately in the present day.

The story here set in Little Italy is, not surprisingly, a Mafia tale, T. Jefferson Parker's "Me and Mikey." The narrator is a strong believer in tradition. But there are, y'know, traditions and traditions. A very routine gangster story.

A number of these stories are set in the past. Jeffery Deaver's "The Baker of Bleecker Street" is a World War II spy story, in which folks from Germany, Italy, and the United States all want possession of a certain stove holding a much sought-after substance. I thought this was quite predictable. I suspect that the title is intended to mix the title of Gian-Carlo Menotti's opera The Saint of Bleecker Street with the euphonious "Baker/Bleecker" combination.

A retired FBI agent is serving as a sanitation worker in Times Square on August 15, 1945, the day after V-J Day, on which World War II officially came to an end. That is the beginning of "The Day After Victory" by Brendan DuBois. But why would a former member of the FBI be sweeping the streets? Because there are some things that one wants to clean up personally. A simple story with an obvious but satisfying ending.

Lee Child's continuing protagonist Jack Reacher is the central character in Child's absurdly unlikely tale "The Picture of the Lonely Diner." Reacher gets off a subway train in midtown at 11:00 pm on a summer night. He is the only one in the station. The police and the FBI have cordoned off the station but had not put any law enforcement personnel in the station, perhaps because of time constraints or perhaps because they did not anticipate that someone might get off a New York subway train. In midtown Manhattan. At 11:00 pm on a summer night. Then the story gets even more far-fetched, with a literally unbelievable conversation between Reacher and a Federal agent.

Some of these stories could be set in places other than the particular Manhattan location specified. Julie Hyzy's story "White Rabbit," however, needed to be set in part at the magical Alice in Wonderland statue in Central Park. A young woman was murdered in the park exactly one year earlier and now a young man and woman meet at the statue, each holding an identical copy of Alice in Wonderland. The man seems very pushy; perhaps he is a stalker. The premise is fine, the development is, once again, truly unlikely. And I have to agree with Goodreads commenter Cnut that the story has an unpleasant sexist aspect.

The only problem that I have with S. J. Rozan's story "Chin Yong-Yun Makes a Shiddach" results from Rozan's skill in depicting this story's central character in earlier entries in her excellent Lydia Chin and Bill Smith series. Chin Yong-Yun is always shown as an intolerant racist whom readers (or at least this reader) dislike. In this story, she is not only a clever woman and a loving mother, she is also nice, and that is hard to accept. (I also doubt that she would think that a poor illegal immigrant would be an ideal spouse for her son.)

There is one principal flaw with Margaret Marion's story "Red-headed Stepchild" as well: it is not a mystery or crime story. It does have what is intended to be a surprise ending, but an easily anticipated one. Nevertheless, the story has charm and I enjoyed it.

The title of "Sutton Death Overtime" by Judith Kelman is a pretty bad pun and has nothing to do with the pretty good story that goes with it. The narrator was a new mother when she met and was befriended by a wealthy socialite. That socialite had grown up in poverty in a small town in Mississippi, had gone on to a successful singing career, and had met and married a very wealthy man. Then one day the socialite disappears and can not be found. This has a complicated and unnecessary framing device that might well have been omitted.

"Dizzy and Gillespie" are two cats in Persia Walker's story of that title. An aging woman has spent her entire adult life in a large old apartment in Harlem. Her daughter, the narrator of the story, still lives with her mother. She thinks that the two of them should move to a nicer, newer place, especially one that is not plagued with mice as the current apartment is. The mouse problem becomes much worse when a new, uncooperative neighbor in their building starts construction in his unit. The daughter gets two cats, which the mother is strangely reluctant to accept, but the mother grows to love them. The cats work fine as mouse-deterrents and the mice leave - for the apartment of their belligerent neighbor. The situation escalates in tragic ways.

The three words in Nancy Pickard's story "Three Little Words" are not the ones usually associated with that phrase. They are words written down by a young woman who has just been told by her doctor that she will die soon. Then, however, the young woman is murdered. The doctor feels compelled to look into this, partly because the woman was a wonderful person and partly because the doctor has a secret concerning that woman that even she did not know. He finds that the woman's family were not wonderful people; in fact, they were monsters. The doctor begins to think that he knows who the murderer is.

Appropriately, Mary Higgins Clark has one of the best stories in the book. In "The Five-Dollar Dress," Jenny is cleaning out the apartment of her recently deceased grandmother. She finds saved clippings and notes about the murder of her grandmother's best friend in 1949. An autopsy showed that the friend had been six weeks pregnant when she was killed. A dress designer with whom the friend worked was questioned but he had an alibi. Then a "borderline mentally disabled" young man was charged and convicted. He had eventually died in prison. As Jenny continues to look through this old material, she finds surprising information.

"Copycats" by N. J. Ayres is another story set during and after World War II (and another story with a bad title). Four young men from roughly the same neighborhood serve together in Europe during the war. They are close friends, but their lives sharply diverge. One becomes a police officer; he is the main focus of the story. The others choose different paths. This feels very much like a story written, or perhaps filmed, in the 1940s.

Thomas H. Cook's story "Damage Control" (another ill-chosen title, I think) is a mournful tale of a life destroyed by one decision. The narrator is a man who is notified that a woman who stayed with him and his wife and daughter briefly when she was a child has died. She appears to have starved to death in her apartment. The man had found her presence with his family unsettling and had sent her away. The man's daughter, now grown, recalls the past differently. I found this a sadly moving and disturbing tale.

I must add that I think it is odd that in an anthology set in Manhattan and published in 2015, only two of the stories are primarily about people of color.

The book itself is unusually handsome. My copy does not have a dust jacket, but the book cover is a teal-colored wrap-around map of Manhattan. The sites of each of the stories is indicated, with the author's name and the part of the city printed in white with an accompanying red dot with a number in it indicating on what page the story begins. Each story is headed with a small map of the immediate area in which it is set. There are black and white photographs with each story, all well-chosen and some of them quite striking. The only photograph in the book that I recall seeing before is the iconic picture of a sailor kissing a nurse on V-J Day.

The stories that I think are particularly good are "Red-headed Stepchild," "Dizzy and Gillespie," "Three Little Words," "The Five-Dollar Dress," "Copycats," and "Damage Control."

[Terri Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a fan of both mysteries and of short stories (especially mystery short stories!) but it is hard to find short stories these days. Mary Higgins Clark has edited this nice collection of 17 stories by well-known authors. I didn't like a number of them but the ones that I did were well worth the price of the book. Let me describe the ones I liked:

(1) The Five-Dollar Dress by Mary Higgins Clark: Jenny's Gran has died and the newly minted attorney went back to New York from San Francisco to empty out the apartment. Her grandmother's dying words were that "Barney didn't kill her. Vincent did." Jenny finds an old file of clippings her grandmother kept about the murder of an old friend who modeled a designer's dress that would be sold to women for $5 each back in 1949 who died in one of the dresses. When Jenny begins to investigate the cold case she discovers to her horror that the real killer of the 6 weeks pregnant model was way too close to home.

(2) White Rabbit by Julie Hyzy: Jane is sitting by the Alice in Wonderland fountain in the park in New York holding a copy of the Alice in Wonderland book when a strange brash man sits down beside her trying to dig into her personal life. As he makes her more and more uncomfortable, he follows her to the spot where her friend was murdered and an old man pops out of the bushes. Shocking revelations follow.

(3) The Picture of the Lonely Diner by Lee Child: This one is a nod to the cafe/diner seen in many films Noir and features Child's character Jack Reacher in an odd story.

(4) Three Little Words by Nancy Pickard: Priscilla is told by her doctor that she only has a short time live before the 20-something young woman dies of her inoperable cancer and suggests she make a bucket list to fulfill before she dies. She decides that the list will center around telling the truth to those she needs to tell off including her cold parents (the dad molested and impregnated her), her crappy sister and the old boyfriend that dumped her for her crappy sister, the bitch who runs the day care center she works at, neglectful parents from the daycare, and the child she gave away (had him by her dad 8 years earlier). She begins doing this but is suddenly murdered The doctor goes to the very odd funeral and learns many secrets but then, he has a major secret of his own.

(5) Damage Control by Thomas H Cook: A young woman Maddox is found dead, starved to death in the dark in her own apartment. Police question the man who, with his wife, had taken her in for a year when she was 10 as a favor to her single mom and planned to raise her as their daughter alongside their daughter Lana who wanted a sister. He said they hadn't seen her in years but remembered how he thought she was a bad seed and shipped her back to her mother. Now he finds out from Lana that what he thought was sinister behavior wasn't that at all. Heartbreaking story.

(6) The Day After Victory by Brendan DuBois: Bizarre story set in 1945 with a weird ending.

(7) Red-Headed Stepchild by Margaret Maron: This isn't really a mystery at all but a hilarious story of how a little motherless girl dealt with the hateful woman her dad married and the woman's nasty daughter using head lice of all things!

(8) Dizzy and Gillespie by Persia Walker: Very strange story about a 90 year old woman who lives with her daughter in a run-down apartment in Harlem and what she did when an annoying neighbor poisoned her two cats because he wanted all the mice in their apartment instead of his.

(9) Chin Yong-Yun Makes A Shiddach by S.J. Rozan: This has a lot of humor in it too. Chin Yong-Yun is a Chinese immigrant (legal) to New York and has raised 4 sons and a daughter. Two sons are married with kids, the third is gay and has a partner, the fourth son is a well off lawyer deemed too nerdy by many women, and the daughter is a police detective. Mom just wants to marry off the last two (and would no doubt like to see the son and his boyfriend get married) and hoped to do a shiddach (match-making). When the youngest son tries to get in touch with his sister the detective to help with a kidnapping for ransom, Mom takes over.

Yes, there are 8 stories I hated but the 9 I loved are so good!!!

[Hope Sloper · Rating 4 out of 5]

There is no reason for anyone not to read Manhattan Mayhem.

This novel is the first I’ve read of its kind. I’ve read many anthologies, but none structured as delightfully as this. I just loved how each story took place during a different time, in a different part of one of the greatest cities in the world. All 18 of the short stories were quick awesome reads, all entertaining, and all of them leaving me wishing there was more to read. I feel like it’s impossible to review each one because I enjoyed them all so much. There were three that definitely grabbed me more than the others: Evermore by Justin Scott (this my favorite), Copycats by N.J. Ayres, and last but not least, The Baker of Bleecker Street by Jeffery Deaver.

For readers who have not read a lot of mystery and crime, there is a little something in this book for everyone. I highly recommend it to readers who want a taste of great crime stories by great authors, but are unclear where to start and who to start reading first. I was only familiar with Mary Higgins Clark, but now, after reading this, I intend to read more by each of these authors.

[Glenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There seem to be a lot of gags about writing in this collection of short stories ... probably even several that I completely missed. The title explains that the collection is unified by the setting: Manhattan. All of the other story elements are unlimited and the all-star roster of authors gives us tales that span historical eras and numerous mystery subgenres. The ensemble cast on the Brilliance audio edition gives a solid performance of the eclectic material.

[Kaye · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know why I seldom read short stories. This one hooked me because it was edited by Mary Higgins Clark and she also contributed a story which turned out to be my favorite. I skipped the one about the mice after I figured out where it was going but most of the others ones were just a good fun read. Jeffry Deaver's was the last one and it also was terrific. I enjoyed the favorite of characters, historical eras and locales.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few good ones in there, especially “Trapped!” But others left me wondering where the mystery was supposed to be, I guess that’s a mystery in itself. I had higher expectations unfortunately, especially from the Mystery Writers of America.

[Kim Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed! Brought back memories of reading my dad's old Ellery Queen magazines.

[Andréa]

Note: I received a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.

[Sundria (Sundi) McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this set of short stories and of course, my NYC, being the main character. Thanks, LL!

[Delia]

Loved each story! Each reflected the unique culture of the neighborhood AND the specific time period.

[Jewlsbookblog · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only read the first 5 stories of this group. Of those, the best ones were White Rabbit by Julie Hyzy and Three Little Words by Nancy Pickard. They kept me engrossed and guessing until the end.

[Margie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A group of short stories by different authors. Interesting is the fact they are set in different sections of Manhattan. Past and present.

[Eustacia Tan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Manhattan Mayhem is a collection of mystery short stories, and obviously, I had to request it from NetGalley. Mystery!

But, as much as I would like to say so, the book wasn't a unanimous hit. I liked quite a few of the stories, but I didn't understand (or connect) with a fair few either. It's probably a matter of personal taste, but I would say that the number of stories I didn't get/was bored with was roughly the same as the number of stories I loved, while the rest were fairly normal. So instead of talking about the stories I didn't get, like the play, I thought I'd just pick out a few of my favourite short stories from the collection.

White Rabbit by Julie Hyzy: How can I not love anything that has Alice in Wonderland as an inspiration? I thought the story was well-done, and the twist at the ending definitely surprised me. I was completely fooled by the author.

Three Little Words: About a terminally ill patient who was killed. There's family drama, and I spent a lot of the time wondering who on earth killed her. Obviously, I was wrong (again), but there were some great moments of tension here.

Damage Control by Thomas H. Cook: A girl dies, and her foster father is contacted. It was an interesting look at how people can see the same event differently. I was left wondering who's perception of the events was the truth - and we'll never know, since the only person who knows her intentions is now dead.

Serial Benefactor by Jon L. Breen: My second favourite story in this collection! It's about a series of mysterious murders, and while the murderer is never explicitly mentioned, I have my own suspicions. Whether I'm right or not depends on whether the narrator is an unreliable narrator.

Red Headed Stepchild by Margaret Maron: My favourite story in the entire book, even though it's not really a mystery. Even though it's on the short side compared to the other stories, the author packs a punch and a twist in it. I really enjoyed reading it.

So these are my favourite 5 out of 17 stories. On the whole, the collection was enjoyable, although there weren't enough stories that I loved that would make me buy a permanent copy. Borrow it, yes, but not buy it.

Disclaimer: I got a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for a free and honest review.

This review was first posted at Inside the mind of a Bibliophile

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the Goodreads First Read Program and I thank Quirk Books from the bottom of my heart.

I love mystery books and this anthology did not disappoint. I found many of the stories piqued my interest in some way and I found new mystery authors to read. If I had to pick my favorite, it would have to be The Five Dollar Dress from my favorite mystery author, Mary Higgins Clark. Here is a run-down of the stories:

The Five Dollar Dress: 5 stars, great intrigue with an ending I didn’t see coming.

White Rabbit: 3.5 stars, good premise, predictable.

The Picture of the Lonely Diner: 4 stars, not much happens but good description of New York.

Three Little Words: 5 stars, brilliant, suspenseful.

Damage Control: 2 stars, no suspense, sad, didn’t like characters.

The Day After Victory: 5 stars, great suspense.

Serial Benefactor: 2.5 stars, great suspense, no ending. So disappointed.

Trapped!: 5 stars, hysterical, suspense in a theatre, written as a one-act play.

Wall Street Rodeo: 1 star, didn’t hold my attention, fell asleep, didn’t care.

Copycats: 4 stars, gritty, intense, post-war crime story.

Red-Headed Stepchild: 5 stars, modern-day Cinderella with a suspenseful twist.

Sutton Death Overture: 5 stars, mysterious disappearance of a rich beauty, surprise ending, brilliant as it kept me guessing.

Dizzy and Gillespie: 3 stars, mother and daughter live in a run-down apartment in Harlem, annoying neighbor, mysterious deaths, good intrigue with a dash of Harlem.

Me and Mikey: 1 star (although to be honest, I’d give it a -10), pointless drivel, hated main characters and I loved Sopranos, whiney MC drove me to drink lol.

Evermore: 5 stars, Edgar Allan Poe and a two-bit crook meet in an alleyway in this fast-paced time travel suspenseful story. I could see this as a television show.

Chin Yong-Yun Makes a Shiddach: 3 stars, not for me, Chinatown mystery.

The Baker of Bleeker Street: spies, Germany infiltrating America during WW2 and an Italian baker. Fabulous spy thriller. I wanted more.

My Overall Rating: 4 stars

[Fred Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Familiar with the Cracker Barrel audio tape program? Purchase one at list price, return it when finished and you will be charged $3.49 for each week you had it. Great deal for those who drive a lot. At any rate, I was browsing the rack and came across this one, a collection of stories in honor of the 70th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America including some by some of my favorite authors like Lee Childs, Jeffrey Deaver, etc. and edited by Mary Higgins Clark.

As the name implies, the common theme is that the story takes place in and around Manhattan but in a wide variety of locations, time, and themes. Definitely kept me entertained for the duration and helped the miles go more smoothly despite some of the worst traffic I have seen in South Florida in years due to a tornado flipping a semi which came to rest across all the lanes of southbound I-95, the fellow who drove a garbage truck off a 50 foot high entrance ramp near downtown Miami and survived, an overhead traffic sign sheared from the support poles, etc.

But, I digress. As to these stories, some easy, some complicated, some violent, some humorous, some well done, some not so much but for a mystery/thriller fan it was time well spent. I should note that in the forward, Mary mentions that the book contains photos and maps of the time and locations related to the stories which I would like to have seen but I guess that is one drawback to the audio version. Tried to find a copy at the local Barnes and Noble but this is not included in their system or is out of stock.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from Quirk in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.

Like most collections like this I enjoyed a good chunk of the stories, but there were ones that fell flat for me. There is a great variety of topics and types of mysteries contained. It was nice to see a mix between heavy, dark stories and ones that were light-hearted well dispersed throughout the book. Since they are short, the stories are not very complex, sometimes seemed rushed and can be unpolished. I skipped the ones that didn't hold my interested but only did that a few times.

If you live in or are familiar with New York, this book will be more fun for you. While I can scrape together scenes from movies and TV, someone who knows New York will probably appreciate the descriptions of the area more.The physical book is beautiful and is formatted very nicely. The black and white photos of New York City are a nice touch and helped me place each story.

Overall, I liked the collection. Many of the stories were interesting and fun to read. I found many more that I liked than not. My favorite stories were Three Little Words, Trapped! and Red-Headed Stepchild. If you like mysteries, I would recommend checking this collection out.

[Charlene Roberson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I saw Mary Higgins Clark and didn't pay attention to the description of this book, so I was surprised to find a collection of short stories set all around the island of Manhattan!! The authors are all members of the Mystery Writers of America and they all know how to tell a story - in just a few words and/or pages!!

If you are looking for a quick read, or something to "clear your palate" after a particularly heavy read, this has got you covered. I was familiar with most of the authors and enjoyed all the stories.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off I did not read this whole anthology. I only got to read a sampler that had 4 stories that are featured in this collection. They are Three Little Words by Nancy Pickard, Chin Yong-Yun Makes A Shidduch by S.J. Rozan, Trapped by Ben H. Winters, and The Day After Victory by Brendan DuBois. I liked all of the stories but was not really feeling S.J. Rozan's story. However all of them did have the great feel of the theme of this anthology "Manhattan Mayhem". My favorite story was Three Little Words. For a short story the author really wrote with such passion and emotions. Instantly I shared a connection with the characters in this story. I was a little sad when the story ended. Than there is Trapped which I liked the concept of this story. A story within a story. A classic murder story with a twist. The Day After Victory is real. It touches on after the Japan War. Therefore I did like what I read and will have to check out this full anthology.

[Elisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you, Quirk Books!
The problem with anthologies is that they tend to be very uneven. You love one story but dislike the next one. Manhattan Mayhem surprised me because I liked every single story (some more than others, but over all, they are all great). This is what happens when you compile stories by members of the Mystery Writers of America. I particularly enjoyed Chin Yong-Yun Makes a Shiddach, by S. J. Rozan; Dizzy and Gillespie by Persia Walker, made me tear up, and White Rabbit by Julie Hazy and The Baker of Bleecker Street by Jeffery Deaver, completely surprised me. As a former theater person, I also enjoyed all the references to Broadway in the golden years. A great collection of stories for lovers of New York.