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The Best American Mystery Stories 1998
This year's guest editor, Sue Grafton, has put together a wonderfully diverse collection of stories to surprise and satisfy all fans of the genre. In this volume, best-selling writers such as Mary Higgins Clark, Walter Mosley, Lawrence Block, Jay McInerney, and Donald E. Westlake stand alongside an impressive array of new talent. As Grafton writes in her introduction, "Nowhere is iniquity, wrongdoing, and reparation more satisfying to behold than in the well-crafted yarns spun by the writers represented here." Already a bestseller in its first year, this year's collection of The Best American Mystery Stories promises to keep readers intrigued and coming back for more.
345 pages, Paperback
First published October 30, 1998
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334 people want to read
About the author
Sue Grafton
144 books6,553 followersSue Grafton was a #1 New York Times bestselling author. She is best known for her “alphabet series” featuring private investigator Kinsey Millhone in the fictional city of Santa Teresa, California. Prior to success with this series, she wrote screenplays for television movies. Her earlier novels include Keziah Dane (1967) and The Lolly-Madonna War (1969), both out of print. In the book Kinsey and Me she gave us stories that revealed Kinsey's origins and Sue's past.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
Grafton never wanted her novels to be turned into movies or TV shows. According to her family she would never allow a ghost writer to write in her name. Because of these things, and out of respect for Sue’s wishes, the family announced the alphabet now ends at “Y”
Grafton was named a Grand Master by the Mystery Writers of America and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, the Ross Macdonald Literary Award, three Shamus Awards, and many other honors and awards.
Grafton had three children from previous marriages and several grandchildren, including a granddaughter named Kinsey. She and her husband lived in Montecito, California, and Louisville, Kentucky.
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Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
November 19, 2022
Decent collection of stories. Tended towards crime stories more than mysteries though.
September 5, 2017
•Child Support by David Ballard ☆☆☆ I didn't actually get it because it was short.
•Swear Not by the Moon by Scott Bartels ☆☆ *1.5 stars* The worst story of this book.
•Keller on The Spot by Lawrence Block ☆☆☆☆ I loved the story the only thing I didn't like was that it ended on a cliffhanger.
•The Man Next Door by Mary Higgins Clark ☆☆☆☆☆ I loved this story, it didn't end on a cliffhanger; it was a full story unlike the previous ones. I'm glad I didn't gave up on this book.
•This Is a Voice from Your Past by Merrill Joan Gerber ☆☆☆☆☆ I loved this story; it went pretty fast but I enjoyed it.
•The Old Spies Club by Edward D. Hoch ☆☆☆☆ I liked the story but: 1st: it was short and 2nd: it ended abruptly.
•Beyond Dog by Pat Jordan ☆☆☆☆ I liked the story but I didn't get the title.
•Find Miriam by Stuart Kaminsky ☆☆☆☆☆ While reading it I thought I was reading one of Poirot's stories. It was fun, I loved it.
•Secrets by Janice Law ☆☆☆☆ I liked it but not that much to give it 5 stars.
•The Adventure Of The Giant Rat of Sumatra by John T. Lescroart ☆☆☆☆☆ Another brilliant adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson! this plot twist was awesome.
•Night Crawlers by John Lutz ☆☆☆☆☆ I liked it but I don't have any specific reasons.
•Prayer for Judgment by Margaret Maron ☆☆☆☆☆ I loved it, the plot twist was sudden.
•Con Doctor by Jay Mclnerney ☆☆☆☆ I didn't quite get the story but it was alright.
•Black Dog by Walter Mosley ☆☆☆☆☆ Awwww! This was the most hearttouching story of the book.
•Faithless by Joyce Carol Oates ☆☆☆☆ The only thing I didn't understand is if Gretel was murdered or if she died from "natural" causes as she said the last day she was seen alive. Also there wasn't an awesome plot twist as I hoped. :(
•The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage by Peter Robinson ☆☆☆☆☆ I absolutely loved this story! No words to describe how happy I am.
• Twelve Days Out Of Traction by Dave Shaw ☆☆☆ I didn't really understand the story :/
•The Power of Suggestion by Helen Tucker ☆☆☆☆☆ This was freaking awesome!!!
•Take It Away by Donald E. Westlake ☆☆☆☆☆ It was an excellent crime story, I loved it.
•The Rest of Her Life by Steve Yarbrough ☆☆☆ I didn't really understand it but it was great.
In conclusion, I liked most of the stories so I guess I can give it 3 or more stars as a book.
•Swear Not by the Moon by Scott Bartels ☆☆ *1.5 stars* The worst story of this book.
•Keller on The Spot by Lawrence Block ☆☆☆☆ I loved the story the only thing I didn't like was that it ended on a cliffhanger.
•The Man Next Door by Mary Higgins Clark ☆☆☆☆☆ I loved this story, it didn't end on a cliffhanger; it was a full story unlike the previous ones. I'm glad I didn't gave up on this book.
•This Is a Voice from Your Past by Merrill Joan Gerber ☆☆☆☆☆ I loved this story; it went pretty fast but I enjoyed it.
•The Old Spies Club by Edward D. Hoch ☆☆☆☆ I liked the story but: 1st: it was short and 2nd: it ended abruptly.
•Beyond Dog by Pat Jordan ☆☆☆☆ I liked the story but I didn't get the title.
•Find Miriam by Stuart Kaminsky ☆☆☆☆☆ While reading it I thought I was reading one of Poirot's stories. It was fun, I loved it.
•Secrets by Janice Law ☆☆☆☆ I liked it but not that much to give it 5 stars.
•The Adventure Of The Giant Rat of Sumatra by John T. Lescroart ☆☆☆☆☆ Another brilliant adventure of Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson! this plot twist was awesome.
•Night Crawlers by John Lutz ☆☆☆☆☆ I liked it but I don't have any specific reasons.
•Prayer for Judgment by Margaret Maron ☆☆☆☆☆ I loved it, the plot twist was sudden.
•Con Doctor by Jay Mclnerney ☆☆☆☆ I didn't quite get the story but it was alright.
•Black Dog by Walter Mosley ☆☆☆☆☆ Awwww! This was the most hearttouching story of the book.
•Faithless by Joyce Carol Oates ☆☆☆☆ The only thing I didn't understand is if Gretel was murdered or if she died from "natural" causes as she said the last day she was seen alive. Also there wasn't an awesome plot twist as I hoped. :(
•The Two Ladies of Rose Cottage by Peter Robinson ☆☆☆☆☆ I absolutely loved this story! No words to describe how happy I am.
• Twelve Days Out Of Traction by Dave Shaw ☆☆☆ I didn't really understand the story :/
•The Power of Suggestion by Helen Tucker ☆☆☆☆☆ This was freaking awesome!!!
•Take It Away by Donald E. Westlake ☆☆☆☆☆ It was an excellent crime story, I loved it.
•The Rest of Her Life by Steve Yarbrough ☆☆☆ I didn't really understand it but it was great.
In conclusion, I liked most of the stories so I guess I can give it 3 or more stars as a book.
May 25, 2009
not much to say about this one. like the last one (1997) had numerous stories about movie stars and celebrities, this one was filled with dogs in some form or another.
most of the stories were predictable, good MacGuffins were hard to come by. in one story (one of the better ones) I knew how it would end by page three (a dog was the giveaway) and the main character just looked stupid in the end. still it was one of the better written stories I came across.
I didn't even finish half of them.
just four more in the series left on the shelf.
most of the stories were predictable, good MacGuffins were hard to come by. in one story (one of the better ones) I knew how it would end by page three (a dog was the giveaway) and the main character just looked stupid in the end. still it was one of the better written stories I came across.
I didn't even finish half of them.
just four more in the series left on the shelf.
May 4, 2024
An oldy but goody. Just came across this volume and I'm glad-it reminded me of how good this series was. Short, punchy stories in all styles, with the common denominator of "mystery" A quick read, one that you can pick up, get your short story fix and come back where you left off later. The editors are always great, as well.
April 18, 2023
Reading this book gave me a chance to read some stories I might not have read on my own by authors I've never heard of. I enjoy a good mystery and liked most of the stories in this book although I would say the stories are more crime than mystery.
May 19, 2018
Most of the stories were very good. An enjoyable way to relax with a story per day.
March 3, 2018
This was a departure for me as I typically read novels, not short stories. I enjoyed the Two ladies of Rose Cottage, Black Dog and This is a Voice from Your Past and several others.
Have you ever read a story and it makes you uneasy? The character has gotten himself in a jam and just keeps making it worse or continues to make bad choices? Well, the 1st couple of stories are like that and it was hard for me to keep reading. I don't give up once I start reading so I kept reading all the stories to the end.
I won't pick up another Best American Mystery Story book, I'll stick to my novels. :-)
Have you ever read a story and it makes you uneasy? The character has gotten himself in a jam and just keeps making it worse or continues to make bad choices? Well, the 1st couple of stories are like that and it was hard for me to keep reading. I don't give up once I start reading so I kept reading all the stories to the end.
I won't pick up another Best American Mystery Story book, I'll stick to my novels. :-)
October 24, 2024
I enjoyed several of THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES 1998. Standouts include "The Man Next Door", "Beyond Dog", "Nightcrawlers", and "The Power of Suggestion". They were intriguing, engaging stories. I wish more of the selections had been as riveting as those. Years ago, I read an excellent mystery anthology: THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF THE CENTURY. I would love to find another similar collection.
January 21, 2020
I guess I've gotten used to tamer fare since most of these were a bit gruesome for me.
May 7, 2020
1.5. Meh. There were like maybe 4 stories out of the 20 included that were interesting enough.
August 11, 2020
Very spotty. Most not really mystery but kind of a thriller or spy story or confessional as to why someone killed someone else. Best was Margaret Maron's.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 16, 2020
It was a nice change to read short stories, especially y favorite genre, mysteries.
January 1, 2022
I don't usually read mysteries so a collection of short stories was excellent to give me a taste of the genre. I enjoyed it
April 1, 2022
Really quite a good collection.
October 12, 2022
Quite enjoyed.
January 4, 2008
This was the first of what turned out to be an annual ritual for me. Come December, I head for Vrooman's and look for the latest installment in the series. Every year's collection is put together by publisher Otto Penzler and new guest editor (Sue Grafton, in this case). Some years are better than others, but none are dogs. These are great books to bring along while traveling — because they're easier to put down.
January 26, 2009
Like eating through my pantry reserves, I'm reading my way through all the books I own but somehow never read. This is left from xmas 2007 I think.
November 27, 2014
Not a bad collection, if memory serves.
April 16, 2015
While most of these should be labeled "crime stories" as opposed to "mysteries," the selection is pretty good and the bulk of the stories are well-written.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews