The Best American Mystery Stories 2006

by Scott Turow (Editor), Otto Penzler (Series Editor)

"[Most of] these stories are portraits, in styles ranging from sly to harrowing, of how crimes occurred ... If you like all your characters living at the end of a story, this may not be the book for you." -- from the introduction by Scott Turow

Best-selling author Scott Turow takes the helm for the tenth edition of this annual, featuring twenty-one of the past year's most distinguished tales of mystery, crime, and suspense.

Elmore Leonard tells the tale of a young woman who's fled home with a convicted bank robber. Walter Mosley describes an over-the-hill private detective and his new client, a woman named Karma. C. J. Box explores the fate of two Czech immigrants stranded by the side of the road in Yellowstone Park. Ed McBain begins his story on role-playing with the line "'Why don't we kill somebody?' she suggested." Wendy Hornsby tells of a wild motorcycle chase through the canyons outside Las Vegas. Laura Lippman describes the "Crack Cocaine Diet." And James Lee Burke writes of a young boy who may have been a close friend of Bugsy Siegel.

As Scott Turow notes in his introduction, these stories are "about crime -- its commission, its aftermath, its anxieties, its effect on character." The Best American Mystery Stories 2006 is a powerful collection for all readers who enjoy fiction that deals with the extremes of human passion and its dark consequences.

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

384 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2006

About the author

Scott Turow is the author of ten bestselling works of fiction, including IDENTICAL, INNOCENT, PRESUMED INNOCENT, and THE BURDEN OF PROOF, and two nonfiction books, including ONE L, about his experience as a law student. His books have been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than thirty million copies worldwide, and have been adapted into movies and television projects. He has frequently contributed essays and op-ed pieces to publications such as the New York Times, Washington Post, Vanity Fair, The New Yorker, and The Atlantic.

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 2006 edition of Best American Mystery Stories has been on my to-be-read pile for some time. At last, I picked it up to learn from writers such as James Lee Burke, Jeffery Deaver, Elmore Leonard, and Laura Lippman. It was time well spent.

As editor of this edition, Scott Turow made interesting choices, and I especially liked that some of his selections approach crime from the back door, so to speak. For instance, Theft by Karen Bender is about an elderly woman’s reflection on her life of crime as she contemplates suicide while on a cruise. There were some great twist endings with many stories. A couple had a lighter touch, while some truly dark pieces made me squirm.

Not surprisingly, my favorite stories had strong character development, which is no small feat in short fiction, but writers like Walter Mosley and Joyce Carol Oates are masters at this. The only two stories I didn’t like was an odd piece of about 1,000 words. Even in her bio, the author states surprise that the story was accepted for inclusion. Also, one story was incredibly long and boring with far more telling than action. I haven’t read other Best American mystery collections, so can’t compare this edition with others, but I will say that 2006 was definitely a good year.

[Jennifer Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book for the C.J.Box story “The Brothers Grimm.” This is a great story about two brothers that the main character runs into in the mountains. They have been illegally living off the land. Since Joe, the main character, is a game warden he feels he has to do something about it. The brothers end up wounding him and running off, and he never finds them. This was a short story that became one of Box’s full length novels, which I also read. It is a great story and I used it with my American literature class as an example of western culture.

[Peter Sidell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read and enjoyed the series.

[B. W. Wilhelm · Rating 3 out of 5]

So, I got the rating for this book by averaging my ratings for the individual stories. It's so-so. Stories I recommend: Theft by Karen E. Bender; Pirates of Yellowstone by C. J. Box; Why Bugsy Siegel Was a Friend of Mine by James Lee Burke; Born Bad by Jeffery Deaver; Edelweiss by Jane Haddam; Dust Up by Wendy Hornsby; Louly and Pretty Boy by Elmore Leonard; McHenry's Gift by Mike MacLean; Karma by Walter Mosley; A Temporary Crown by Sue Pike; Ringing the Changes by Jeff Somers; and Vigilance by Scott Wolven. I gave each of these stories a rating of 8 or higher, on a scale of 10. They carried this book, and got it the rating it's received. The rest should be skipped or, preferably, torn from the book and burned. Particularly awful ones were Her Lord and Master by Andrew Klavan; The Crack Cocaine Diet (Or: How to Lose a Lot of Weight and Change Your Life in Just One Weekend) by Laura Lippman; and Ina Grove by R. T. Smith. I gave each of these stories a rating of 1 or less, again on a scale of 10. CNs and other notes were put in the updates while I was reading. Check there for further info, if wanted/needed.

[Berry Muhl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good collection in the series. Not much to complain about or critique. I can say that I found these stories marginally less depressing and dark than those in the 2011 edition. And although I paid less attention overall to the authors' names as I worked through, I was pleasantly surprised by the Joyce Carol Oates contribution, "So Help Me God," after being less-than-impressed by one of her stories in a previous collection. Since you also get an Elmore Leonard piece into the bargain, there's a lot of pro and very little con here. Lots of cons, though.

[Ernie · Rating 3 out of 5]

As always, I give short story collections a rating that is close to the mathematical average of the ratings of the individual stories....so this would get a 3.28...rounded down to 3 stars

Five Star Stories for me:
***** A Temporary Crown by Sue Pike
***** Karma by Walter Mosley
***** Dust Up by Wendy Hornsby
***** Peacekeeper by Alan Heathcock

[Carla · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly typical, and average collection in the 20o6 edition, some standouts, and some I didn’t enjoy much at all, others that were just fine.

[James Mcquillan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank goodness there was not a book called The worst American mystery stories 2006

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fantastic, every story was great. I hope 2020 gets back on track as 2018 and 2019 were pretty bad

[Gfec · Rating 4 out of 5]

hard 4,3

[Vince Darcangelo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Faves:

Karen E. Bender: "Theft"

C.J. Box: "Pirates of Yellowstone"

James Lee Burke: "Why Bugsy Siegel Was a Friend of Mine"

William Harrison: "Texas Heat"

Emory Holmes II: "A.k.a., Moises Rockafella"

Elmore Leonard: "Louly and Pretty Boy"

Ed McBain: "Improvisation"

Mike Maclean: "McHenry's Gift"

Walter Mosley: "Karma"

Jeff Somers: "Ringing the Changes"

Scott Wolven: "Vigilance"

[Ariel Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic collection. I think the editors were really careful & chose some amazing stories. Each one was different, yet had the same underlying theme (of the "original" definition of "mystery:" a story where a crime takes place or is otherwise discussed, as the preface described).

As a "wishful thinking" author, I really appreciated the back section of the book where the author's put in what the inspiration & writing process entailed. Loved it.

[Andre · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 (Scott Turow, 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.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most collections of stories, I found this one uneven, with a few stories I would reread but most forgettable. A few of the authors are old favorites: Joyce Carol Oates, Jane Haddam, and Laura Lippman. I didn't discover any other, new to me, mystery writers, however. When in the mood for shorter reads, these "Best American..." series are reliable.

[Yonit]

I "caught" this book! See this New York TImes article: http://tinyurl.com/5scb55 and www.bookcrossing.com

[Harvey · Rating 3 out of 5]

- just a pretty fair collection