Odd Partners: An Anthology

Inspector Ian Rutledge #11.5 - Blood Money

by Anne Perry (Editor), Allison Brennan (Contributor), Jeffery Deaver (Contributor)

Throughout the annals of fiction, there have been many celebrated detective teams: Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. Nick and Nora Charles. Hercule Poirot and Arthur Hastings. Thomas and Charlotte Pitt. That last pair is the creation of beloved mystery writer Anne Perry, who, as the editor of Odd Partners and in conjunction with Mystery Writers of America, has enlisted some of today’s best mystery writers to craft all-new stories about unlikely duos who join forces—sometimes unwillingly—to solve beguiling whodunits.

From Perry’s own entry, in which an English sergeant and his German counterpart set out to find a missing soldier during World War I, to a psychological tale of an airplane passenger who wakes up unsure of who he is and must enlist his fellow passengers to help him remember, to a historical mystery about a misguided witch-hunt and the unlikely couple that brings it down, each story deals in the wonderful complexities of human interactions. And not just human interactions: Honey bees avenge the death of their beekeeper, a wandering cat brings home clues to a murder, and a gray wolf and a fly fisherman in the Minnesota woods try to protect their land from a brash billionaire.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Thriller

368 pages, Hardcover

First published April 23, 2019

About the author

Anne Perry, born Juliet Hulme in England, lived in Scotland most of her life after serving five years in prison for murder (in New Zealand). A beloved mystery authoress, she is best known for her Thomas Pitt and William Monk series.

Her first novel, "The Cater Street Hangman", was published in 1979. Her works extend to several categories of genre fiction, including historical mysteries. Many of them feature recurring characters, most importantly Thomas Pitt and amnesiac private investigator William Monk, who first appeared in 1990, "The Face Of A Stranger".

Her story "Heroes," from the 1999 anthology Murder And Obsession, won the 2001 Edgar Award For Best Short Story. She was included as an entry in Ben Peek's Twenty-Six Lies / One Truth, a novel exploring the nature of truth in literature.

Series contributed to:
. Crime Through Time
. Perfectly Criminal
. Malice Domestic
. The World's Finest Mystery And Crime Stories
. Transgressions
. The Year's Finest Crime And Mystery Stories

Reviews

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

All New Stories

Truth in reviewing here, I was intrigued by the title “Odd Partners: An Anthology” by Anne Perry and by the fact that the book contained a new Hap and Leonard short story by Joe R. Lansdale. Some of the other authors had semi-recognizable names, however were not authors I generally read or followed.

This can either be a good thing or an ‘at your own risk’ kind of thing. Out of the nineteen authors showcased in this anthology it saddens me to report that over all, I lost that bet.
That this is an anthology from the ‘Mystery Writers of America’, to me, bodes ill of the state of the mystery.

I enjoyed reading only four or five of the stories presented here. Some of the others were just flat out poorly written. What stood out most favorably were Lisa Morton’s story “Whatever Happened to Lorna Winters?", and "Songbird Blues" by Stephen Ross, and perhaps a couple more.

A word about the Lansdale story “Sad Onions”, I usually truly enjoy most everything he produces. However, here I have a bone of contention to pick. The story reads like a warm up exercise to his current novel “The Elephant of Surprise” or a blatant advertisement for that book. The man rarely lets me down.

Perhaps I am not the audience for this anthology; I also do not believe Ms. Perry chose any of these stories. She likely sold her name to the publisher for use to increase sales of the book.

An overall let down of a book, with so much else out there to choose from, I chose poorly and spoiler, there were few “Odd Partners”. There were no new authors presented here that I plan to pursue.

Contents:

vii - Introduction by Anne Perry
003 - "Reconcilation" by Anne Perry
021 - "The Nature of the Beast" by William Kent Krueger
035 - "Sad onions: a Hap and Leonard Story" by Joe R. Lansdale
054 - "The Wagatha Labsy Secret Dogtective Alliance" by Jacqueline Winspear
078 - "Glock, Paper, Scissors" by Shelley Costa
086 - "Blood Money: an Inspector Rutledge story" by Charles Todd
101 - "The Violins Played Before Junshan" by Lou Kemp
120 - "Whatever Happened to Lorna Winters?" by Lisa Morton
137 - "Oglethorpe's Camera" by Claire Ortalda
154 - "The Last Game" by Robert Dugoni
169 - "NO 11 SQUATTER" by Adele Polomski
181 - "A Cold Spell" by Mark Thielman
201 - "What Would Nora Do?" by Georgia Jeffries
214 - "Hector's Bees" by Amanda Witt
233 - "Georgia in the Wind" by William Frank
250 - "From Four Till Late: A Nick Travers Story" by Ace Atkins
267 - "Bite Out of Crime" by Allison Brennan
297 - "Songbird Blues" by Stephen Ross
317 - "Security" by Jeffery Deaver
351 - Credits

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent collection of short stories - these were great! There are 19 short stories in this anthology by mystery writers and in each story there are "partners" who work together - some are partners you would never expect. It was interesting for me as I was reading to pick out the partners in each story. I really enjoyed the stories that involved animals like "The Wagatha Labsy Secret Dogtective Alliance: A Dog Noir Story", "The Nature of the Beast", "Bite Out of Crime" and "Hector's Bees". My least favorite story was "Songbird", though it was definitely unique and wins my vote for the strangest partners. There were a couple of stories involving older people and forgetfulness which I thought were very good. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes crime stories. Short stories are not usually my favorite, but this is a winner.

Thanks to Ballentine Books through Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jeanette · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not for me. Many of these stories were either a literary type of social or politico bent lecturing or just plain duds. I find it supremely ironic that the editor of this book has a terrible and horrific crime in her past and now in age tends to the preachy "know better" in her particular likes and affinity to profligate. But I just thought the majority of these stories were poor on top of it. Do not recommend.

I especially disliked William Kent Krueger's lecture. Another wonderful and talented author who has tended immensely now to fall down the rabbit hole of politico "green" as he preaches his new religion delusion in the last 5 years. Similar but not as quirky in his hate as Stephen King, but close. Total stereotypes never, ever core a good short story regardless, IMHO. They never have and they never will. Not since Aesop's Fables anyway.

For the names of inclusion listed, this is poor. Short stories are a hard row to hoe. This needs a plow.

[Judy Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology featuring 19 short stories from leading mystery writers and edited by Anne Perry was sure to offer a lot of reading pleasure for me. And I certainly wasn't disappointed. The premise was that each story would feature odd partners paired up to solve a crime, commit a crime or just offer an explanation for an unusual happening. There are surprising stories; like the Jacqueline Winspear offering, "The Wagatha Labsy Secret Dogtective Alliance: A Dog Noir Story", which is like nothing I've ever read by her but which turned out to be one of the stories I enjoyed most. My favorite author team of Charles Todd contributed "Blood Money: An Inspector Rutledge Story" that conveyed the essence of the Inspector Rutledge series characters in a short amount of space. My vote for most unusual story would definitely have to be "Songbird Blues" by Stephen Ross featuring "partners" of a man's right and left hand. Just think about that for a moment.

I found many stories I enjoyed in this anthology with all 19 eliciting a level of satisfaction that I don't usually find in a collection from authors with such different styles of stories. The Mystery Writers of America have come up with a winner in this volume ranging all the way from a cat with his own Facebook page to Puritan witches. Lots of good reading for fans of the genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Ballantine for the e-Galley of this collection.

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Odd Partners is a very well-done anthology that comprises of very short stories by 19 prominent authors. This read was edited by Anne Perry. The list of authors were culled from the Mystery Writers of America. Listed in alphabetical order, they are:

Ace Atkins • Allison Brennan • Shelley Costa • Jeffery Deaver • Robert Dugoni • William Frank • Georgia Jeffries • Lou Kemp • William Kent Krueger • Joe R. Lansdale • Lisa Morton • Claire Ortalda • Anne Perry • Adele Polomski • Stephen Ross • Mark Thielman • Charles Todd • Jacqueline Winspear • Amanda Witt.

I thoroughly enjoyed the stories. It took only a moment to accept the quick revolution of each one as it was told. Having only read Anne Perry previously, although some of the other names are certainly well-known, it was a wonderful way to be introduced to authors that I definitely want to put on my TBR.

As the description shows, each of these titles are new. One title that was quite intriguing to me was Robert Dugoni’s The Last Game, about a man who was an airplane passenger getting help from his fellow passengers. It was done with precise accuracy and definitely grabbed my interest. Then the was the short story, Oglethorpe’s Camera, by Claire Ortalda. This was about a woman and her cat, but, it was far, far more. There were a couple of very touching stories and then a rather odd story. This review would indeed be very long if I were to recount other favorites, never mind each entry.

Many thanks to Ballantine Books and to NetGalley for this ARC to review in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Carolyn F. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anthology. Average rating is 3.92. There were a lot of 5 star ratings. This book is definitely worth a read.

1. - "Reconciliation" by Anne Perry. A really sad story about three young men during WWI. 5 stars.
2. - "The Nature of the Beast" by William Kent Krueger. A man and a wolf have a common goal. I liked it. 5 stars
3. - "Sad onions: a Hap and Leonard Story" by Joe R. Lansdale. I wonder whether the 2 guys called the cops. 5 stars
4. - "The Wagatha Labsy Secret Dogtective Alliance" by Jacqueline Winspear. I think this story is geared more toward the younger reader. It's cute, different. 3-1/2 stars.
5. - "Glock, Paper, Scissors" by Shelley Costa. Was she Jewish to begin with? A story of revenge among family. Sad. 5 stars.
6. - "Blood Money: an Inspector Rutledge story" by Charles Todd. As stupid as it sounds, I felt the most sorry for the kitten. 3-1/2 stars.
7. - "The Violins Played Before Junshan" by Lou Kemp. Sibling rivalry to the extreme. 5 stars.
8. - "Whatever Happened to Lorna Winters?" by Lisa Morton. I thought at first it was about a snuff film but it ended up with a HEA - really. I'm glad the fictional daughter would see her dad as a good guy for once. 5 stars.
9. - "Oglethorpe's Camera" by Claire Ortalda. With friends like these, who needs enemies. 5 stars.
10. - "The Last Game" by Robert Dugoni. Oh my gosh, what a freaking sweet, sad story. I'm trying not to cry. 5 stars.
11. - "NO 11 SQUATTER" by Adele Polomski. Another great story. A forgetful woman and her assistant stop a baddie. 5 stars.
12. - "A Cold Spell" by Mark Thielman. A lot happens in this small amount of pages. Almost too much. 3 stars.
13. - "What Would Nora Do?" by Georgia Jeffries. This was such a strange story told from the POV of a woman having a psychotic episode or actually becoming psychotic. 3 stars.
14. - "Hector's Bees" by Amanda Witt. Really good story about a woman who lost a love and figured out what happened. 5 stars.
15. - "Georgia in the Wind" by William Frank. I hadn't made up my mind about this story until the FBI agent didn't follow-up on who was the thief and the protagonist called her "toots". This is supposed to be modern day. 2 stars.
16. - "From Four Till Late: A Nick Travers Story" by Ace Atkins. I started out worried and ended up worried for a different reason. 3 stars.
17. - "Bite Out of Crime" by Allison Brennan. Well first off I'm giving it a star for no reason other than it takes place in Sacramento, where I work. Second, the story itself is good, a little too good to be true, but still good. 3-1/2 stars.
18. - "Songbird Blues" by Stephen Ross. Are "they" good guys or bad guys? 3 stars.
19. - "Security" by Jeffery Deaver. Okay, this story's ending was a complete surprise. I had not guessed it at all. 5 stars

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

Closer to 3.5 stars. Interesting short mysteries from a plethora of authors. Most were clever and I did enjoy them but the one on the Dogtective Agency was too silly but I persisted. I couldn't even finish "Songbird Blues."

[Charlene · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nice to read this over a month's time . . . dipping into one or two short stories between other books. But none of the stories were memorable, a couple were duds.

[Jim Teggelaar · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this one for four stars, but then editor Perry ended it with a preposterous tale by Jeffery Deaver. You have to end a book of shorts on a high note. And there were plenty of good ones here, including winners by Amanda Witt, Allison Brennan, Adele Polomski and of course Anne Perry. 3.5 stars. Thanks K!

[Melissa Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of short stories by established writers (although mostly new to me) has a few stories that tread well-worn (but still pleasing) paths, and a few surprises.

Anne Perry, Charles Todd and John Leonard add short stories from their familiar time periods and settings. Don’t expect Maisie Dodds from Jacqueline Winspear, though. Her contribution is quite a ways outside her familiar zone!

The premise, bringing together an unusual partnering to solve or commit a crime, resulted in some entertaining story concepts, and I will be looking for longer length works from several of the authors.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a 2019 entry in the series of anthologies published under the aegis of the Mystery Writers of America.

What are "partners"? To me, that connotes people joining in some venture. To Anne Perry, editor of Odd Partners: An Anthology, the definition would be much broader:

More importantly, there was no restriction on the nature of the awkwardness or the differences between the two people. Or that they had to be two people! Why not an animal?...

Naturally there can be other kinds of odd partners as well. If you can have a ghost or a wolf, why not a diary that tells you things you didn't know, and perhaps didn't want to know - but now you do, you have to deal with it, and it leads you to the solutions of old crimes and new ones. The same could be true of a bundle of old letters or even a portrait painted by a particularly perceptive artist.

[The missing question mark that should be after "new ones" is far from the only error in the book.]

I think that the concept of papers or paintings being partners with people is rather silly, but out of the nineteen stories here, no more than eight have partners who are living human beings known to each other. In five of the stories, the partners are animals. In others, the partners are ghosts, figments of the imagination, or different parts of one person's body.

In one story, there really is no partner, just a mention in a few brief phrases obviously included so that the story would fit into this book. In the very good story "What Ever Happened to Lorna Winters? " by Lisa Morton, the narrator had always wanted a career in film and finally got one - "working for a place that converted old home movies into DVDs." One of the films he processes shows Lorna Winters, an actress who had been known for her work in noir films, who had vanished in 1960. This piece of film appears to show what happened to her. As the narrator repeatedly watches that film, he says, "What are you trying to tell me?... You're hiding something from me. C'mon, partners don't keep secrets from each other..." In no real way is Winters (or the film itself) the partner of the narrator. This story was selected for inclusion in The Best American Mystery Stories 2020.

Some of the animal partner stories are fine, others are not. In "The Wagatha Labsy Secret Dogtective Alliance: A Dog Noir Story" by the generally reliable Jacqueline Winspear, a group of dogs have banded together. They can communicate perfectly with each other as well as with other animals; they can also communicate with some humans. The human couple who live with one of the dogs have disappeared; they may have been kidnapped. I have never read a tale of this type that I liked, and this is not an exception.

The partner is a cat in "Oglethorpe's Camera." The narrator, who seems none too bright, has a cat, Oglethorpe, that constantly drags things home to her from his jaunts around the neighborhood. Some of the items that the cat drags in make the police think that the narrator might have committed a murder.

In "Hector's Bees" by Amanda Witt, a woman believes that her husband's recent death was a murder rather than, as the police believe, the result of an accident. Then she is almost murdered herself, in a way that might also look like an accident. There are two people outside her house at the time. The woman keeps bees, and the bees indicate which of the two was a killer. I thought that the way this develops was unlikely, but Wikipedia says that this really does happen.

A teenage girl has become an expert burglar, stealing enough to keep herself and her substance-abusing mother alive in "Bite Out of Crime" by Allison Brennan. On the way home from a burglary, the girl comes across an injured dog that she brings home with her. The next day, the girl finds out that the dog's owner had been murdered, and that she has information that might help identify the murderer, but that would involve telling the police about her thefts. As one of the police officers says, the girl and the dog "make a great team"; they also make a good story.

The remaining animal partner appears in "The Nature of the Beast" by William Kent Krueger. The narrator is a man who enjoys spending time fishing in the Wisconsin woods. He usually releases the fish he catches, but one day he sees a gaunt wolf that appears to be injured. He throws it a fish. He keeps bringing food to the wolf as the wolf heals and gains strength. Then a rich man, who appears to have no love for nature, buys the whole area that contains the woods, and says that he will not allow entrance to the folks who live nearby. This is one of the best stories in this collection.

In "Songbird Blues" by Stephen Ross the narrator is the left hand of a jazz pianist; its partner is, of course, the pianist's right hand. This feels like a 1940s story by Fredric Brown combined with a horror movie from the same period - a violent, unpleasant tale. The reader would need to decide whether or not this has a happy ending.

One of the partners in Georgia Jeffries' "What Would Nora Do?" is a woman with a history of mental illness and violence. Her partner is a voice that she hears, which she comes to think is that of the late author Nora Ephron. The story mentions Ephron's career as a comic writer. The voice's advice is not comic.

Robert Dugoni's "The Last Game" is another unusual story, but a much sweeter and more gentle one. An elderly man awakens on an airplane. He can not at first recall where he is headed. His immediate thoughts are of regret about decisions he had made about his life with his late wife. Then he thinks that he is going to the funeral of his grammar school baseball coach, who brought the man to a lasting love of the game. He starts to talk to a little boy seated nearby, and then has a conversation with a young man who also loves baseball. This does not seem to me to be a mystery, but it is a pleasant story anyway.

"Charles Todd" is the name used by the writing team of Caroline and Charles Todd. One of Todd's mystery series features Inspector Ian Rutledge, a police officer in London in the period following World War I. Rutledge also hears a voice, that of Hamish MacLeod, a man under his command during the war whom he had had executed. I have found this not believable in other stories in this series and I have stopped reading the novels in the series. In "Blood Money: An Inspector Rutledge Story," Rutledge finds a body in an apartment that has obviously been ransacked. The clues he finds lead him to believe that this murder is also in some way connected to the war.

In "The Violins Played Before Junshan" by Lou Kemp, set in 1859, Celwyn, a magician with extraordinary powers, must decide which of two ancient mechanical men sailing on a ship with him, who look convincingly human, is actually evil. This has my favorite typo in the book: "artificers made automats for wealthy kings and princes for their wars, and amusement." I would hope that the automats also supplied pie and coffee. (In the rest of the story, the word is given properly as "automatons.")

In the rest of the stories, all of the partners are human. "Security" by Jeffery Deaver is one of the two stories in this anthology which were later chosen to appear in The Best American Mystery Stories 2020. Someone might attempt to assassinate a candidate for the presidency. Deaver is known for the trickiness of many of his stories. I did anticipate part of the ending in this one, but I still enjoyed the story. One thing that I did not anticipate was the last second addition to who the "odd partners" were in this story.

"A Cold Spell" by Mark Thielman is set in Puritan New England. A man is murdered. Another is accused not only of that murder but of witchcraft as well. One upright man, widower Samuel, and Sanaa, a woman from Barbados, uncover the truth. This is a good story, but I think that the motive for the killing is quite unlikely. It is surmised that metal shaved off the edges of coins has been used to make counterfeit coins, with no regard for the intricacies of shaping the metal into coinage.

Some of the problems of aging and memory loss are dealt with in Adele Polomski's "NO 11 SQUATTER." Minnie is an aging woman with considerable memory impairment and difficulty with urinary incontinence who is helped by Grace, a woman hired to assist her. Together they face a criminal who has broken into their home

Anne Perry, who edited this book, also has a story in it, "Reconciliation." This is set, as much of Perry's work has been, in World War I. A British officer serving in the trenches is worried about a young soldier taunted by other soldiers because he has let them see that he is frightened. The officer finds out that the young soldier has stolen a canister of poison gas and has gone into the system of tunnels. The officer believes that the younger man intends to prove his courage by releasing the gas among the tunnels used by the Germans, but the officer knows that due to the nature of the gas, it will also infiltrate their own tunnels. As he goes through the tunnels looking for the soldier with the gas, he encounters a German soldier. He explains the situation and the German helps him look for the young man.

I have read about Joe R. Lansdale's characters Leonard and Hap, but "Sad Onions: A Hap and Leonard Story" is the first entry in the series that I have actually read. Hap and Leonard are perfect exemplars of odd partners. Hap, who narrates this story, is straight, white, married, and has a daughter. Leonard is a gay black man. They are driving home from a fishing trip and they come across a woman on the highway, who tells them that she has just been in an automobile accident. Her husband is still in the car down a hill by the side of the road. The husband is dead. Some of the situation seems phony to Leonard and Hap. They tell the police about their suspicions, but the police are strangely dismissive of their opinion. This is a good, complicated action tale. I can see why Lansdale's series is well-regarded.

The partners in William Frank's story "Georgia in the Wind" are a private investigator who specializes in stolen works of art and his client, a man who recently helped steal a painting. He assisted his cousin in the theft. Now there seem to be problems and the cousin is missing. When he's found, there are even more problems; the cousin is dead, with a bullet hole through his head. This is another good story, combining detective work and action. Two minor faults: first, when the thief describes the painting as "a picture of some flowers with an animal skull next to them," I think that the private investigator, an expert on art who lives in Santa Fe, should have immediately thought of the artist Georgia O'Keeffe. Secondly, late in the story the detective says, "The boss didn't kill your brother for nine months," but this should have been "cousin" rather than brother.

The shortest story in the collection, "Glock, Paper, Scissors" by Shelley Costa, is also one of the best. The story begins and ends in New York City; the center of the story takes place in Paris in 1942. The narrator was then a poor twelve year old girl, whose seventeen year old friend is an expert in cutting out silhouettes. They decide that they will be partners; the older girl will make the silhouettes, the younger one will sell them. The older girl is Jewish. Her family is well to do, and planning to leave Paris. A terrible thing happens, which forever changes lives. This is, in my opinion, the most moving story in this book.

A seventeen year old girl is missing in New Orleans in Ace Atkins' story "From Four till Late: A Nick Travers Story." She is from a wealthy Mississippi family. The hotel in which the girl and her parents are staying contacts Nick Travers, whose job is "Stir up shit. Find folks." The girl's father has passed out from drinking. Her mother and Nick Travers join together in searching for the missing girl. This is a smart, cynical story.

I have on more than one occasion been disappointed in a Mystery Writers of America anthology. I do not much care for over half of these stories. The ones that I like most are "From Four till Late: A Nick Travers Story" by Ace Atkins, "Bite Out of Crime" by Allison Brennan, "Glock, Paper, Scissors" by Shelley Costa, "Security" by Jeffery Deaver, "The Nature of the Beast" by William Kent Krueger, "Sad Onions: A Hap and Leonard Story" by Joe R. Lansdale, and "What Ever Happened to Lorna Winters?" by Lisa Morton.

[Monica Willyard Moen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t often give books 5 star ratings. This one richly deserves it. This anthology is focused around the theme of partners and crime, though the partners may be trying to solve a crime, commit a crime, or observe a crime. Most of the stories are top notch, but there are several that are so good that I have to mention them by name. “A Cold Spell” and “Hectors Bees” are two excellent stories that have a delightful plot twist. Two additional stories are so wonderful that I know I will remember them in years to come. They have written on my heart and soul, changing some of my ideas about life and people. I want to talk about them here, but that would be a spoiler for you. So make sure to check out”No 11 Squatter” and “The Last Game.” Other stories in this collection are laugh out loud funny. In short, Anne Perry has skillfully edited this collection, shaping it into something that is truly special. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this anthology and hope it will have a sequel.

[Bookreporter.com Mystery & Thriller · Rating 5 out of 5]

ODD PARTNERS, as with its several predecessors in anthology projects commissioned by the Mystery Writers of America (MWA), has an intriguing concept. This one, as might be discerned by the title, concerns original stories featuring the pairing of disparate entities who become teammates, reluctantly or otherwise, in pursuit of a common goal. I will admit to some preliminary unease when I learned of the premise, but that dissipated quickly enough when I found out that Anne Perry would be at the project’s helm. Perry is a household name among mystery readers of all stripes, and neither she nor the first-rate cast of authors she has assembled here disappoints.

Before we go any further, keep in mind that the underlying motivation of the MWA anthologies is to highlight, and thus expose readers to, the width and breadth of the multifaceted mystery genre. For myself, stories featuring mysteries solved by what I call “smart animals” are usually no-go zones. I say this even as I prefer cats and dogs to people. I also am not a huge fan of historical mysteries. ODD PARTNERS includes both types of stories, and all are extraordinarily well done.

“The Violins Played Before Junshan” by Lou Kemp falls into the historical mystery camp and is as dazzling and imaginative as anything I’ve read recently. The primary reason is that it features a protagonist named Celwyn, who presents himself as a magician but is a heck of a lot more than that, in a tale full of treachery, deception and double-dealing. “Reconciliation,” which is Perry’s contribution, is set in the trenches of a World War I battlefield where misguided courage suddenly creates a situation where common interest trumps cause and country. Charles Todd’s Inspector Ian Rutledge and Hamish MacLeod, the ghostly companion of Rutledge's conscience and subconscious, also fit quite well into ODD PARTNERS. Your reaction may differ, but I found “Blood Money” to be one of Todd’s best efforts to date, as the Inspector rescues a cat that leads to his discovery of a murder victim and --- with Hamish and the feline in for an assist --- solving more than one crime.

As for animal detectives, Jacqueline Winspear contributes “The Wagatha Labsy Secret Dogtective Alliance: A Dog Noir Story.” Two confessions: 1) I almost skipped this story, and 2) I am glad I didn’t, as it is extremely well done. Here, a group of neighborhood canines track the disappearance of the biped owners of one of them, utilizing the assistance of a veterinarian who communicates very well with them. Animals also play a part, if a secondary role, in a number of other tales. One of the best entries employing the latter is “Hector’s Bees” by Amanda Witt. Though perhaps better known for her dystopian fiction, Witt is an author of exemplary mysteries as well, and displays her talent in this haunting story of a drift of bees that, along with their human protector, quite plausibly solve a murder and catch a killer.

A human being and a wild beast also pair up to great effect in “The Nature of the Beast” by William Kent Krueger. You might see the ending coming, but the trip there, as with all of Krueger’s work, provides a great deal of enjoyment. There is also a soft spot in my reading heart for Allison Brennan’s “Bite Out of Crime.” Jamie Blair, the 15-year-old protagonist, becomes a kindred soul for most of us within the first few sentences of this short murder mystery involving a suddenly orphaned dog and larcenous-by-necessity high school student in a bad situation. I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Jamie down the reading road.

When one thinks of “odd partners,” the names “Hap” and “Leonard” come to mind almost immediately. And indeed, Joe R. Lansdale’s unlikely friends are front and center in “Sad Onions: A Hap and Leonard Story.” It is less than 20 pages, but Lansdale can paint just as well on a small canvas as he can on a large one. He demonstrates this conclusively by bringing together a late night, a country road, a beautiful woman and a dead body, throwing in a couple of twists and a double-cross or three for even measure. It’s a fitting story for Lansdale’s perfectly mismatched pair of best buds who function as the private investigators of the downtrodden. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you much about Jeffery Deaver’s “Security” without giving the game away. Just as carefully and exquisitely planned out and executed as his longer work, it involves an attempted political assassination in which the alliances are, shall we say, somewhat fluid.

“The Last Game” by Robert Dugoni is a tale about a chance encounter between an elderly man on an airplane who is on his way to a funeral and a couple of young men who guide him along to an unexpected destination. One of the book’s bigger surprises is “From Four till Late: A Nick Travers Story” by Ace Atkins. Yes, Nick Travers is back, and the short story format works very well for him as he spends a New Orleans night helping a mother locate her 15-year-old wild-child daughter. You’ll love it, particularly the ending.

There are more stories --- 19 in all --- but please don’t think that my omission of their descriptions reflects on their quality in any way. Each and all have something to recommend them, even if you haven’t read a mystery in your life. Go for it.

Reviewed by Joe Hartlaub

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this anthology because the jacket art and title both led me to believe the tales were about different animal species partnering. That is one of my favorite interests. A couple of them were but I fail to see what the rest had in common. The quality of the stories was really uneven and it took me 5 months to get through the book. It was just OK

[Keisha Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun audiobook to listen to as a walked or while working. Each short story was entertaining in it own way, from dog detectives to art thrives partnering with detectives, I was laughing or waiting in suspense to see what happens next through each.

[Marianne Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the concept of unusual partners....great short stories!

[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audio Contents:
Introduction by Anne Perry, read by Anne Perry

1* “Reconciliation” by Anne Perry, read by Simon Prebble
• I remember why I stopped reading Anne Perry. All of her characters are given to WAY too much rumination, and not enough action takes place. I was completely bored by this story.
• About 45 minutes

4**** “The Nature of the Beast” by William Kent Krueger, read by Ray Porter
• About 35 minutes

4**** “Sad Onions: A Hap and Leonard Story” by Joe R. Lansdale, read by Christopher Ryan Grant
• About 42 minutes

5***** “The Wagatha Labsy Secret Dogtective Alliance: A Dog Noir Story” by Jacqueline Winspear, read by Macleod Andrews
• Very humorous story and the narration was perfect!
• About 59 minutes

2** “Glock, Paper, Scissors” by Shelley Costa, read by Lorna Raver
• About 23 minutes

2** “Blood Money: An Inspector Rutledge Story” by Charles Todd, read by Simon Prebble
• About 34 minutes

1* “The Violins Played Before Junshan” by Lou Kemp, read by Edoardo Ballerini
• About 40 minutes

3*** “What Ever Happened to Lorna Winters?” by Lisa Morton, read by Macleod Andrews
• About 42 minutes

1* “Oglethorpe's Camera” by Claire Ortalda, read by Amy Landon
• Even the excellent narration could not save this ridiculously implausible story. I don’t think any protagonist could be any more stupid than this one.
• About 40 minutes

4**** “The Last Game” by Robert Dugoni, read by Edoardo Ballerini
• A sweet story
• About 31 minutes

4**** “NO 11 SQUATER” by Adele Polomski, read by Lorna Raver
• Another sweet story that was very similar to the preceding story. Who’s (bad) decision was it to put these 2 stories back-to-back?
• About 31 minutes

1* “A Cold Spell” by Mark Thielman, read by Janina Edwards
• This was beyond boring. It just became noise in my ear.
• About 44 minutes

DNF “What Would Nora Do?” by Georgia Jeffries, read by Amy Landon
• I had to keep rewinding because nothing was penetrating my brain. I decided it was not worth it.
• About 30 minutes

2** “Hector's Bees” by Amanda Witt, read by Janina Edwards
• About 44 minutes

DNF “Georgia in the Wind” by William Frank, read by Ray Porter
• About 39 minutes

DNF “From Four till Late: A Nick Travers Story” by Ace Atkins, read by Macleod Andrews
• About 36 minutes

3*** “Bite out of Crime” by Allison Brennan, read by Amy Landon
• It lost 1* because of the weak ending.
• About 63 minutes

1* “Songbird Blues” by Stephen Ross, read by Edoardo Ballerini
• I hated everything about this story, so much that I will never read anything else by this author. I only finished it because I could not get to my phone to fast forward through it.
• About 36 minutes

“Security” by Jeffery Deaver, read by Ray Porter
• I knew after 2 minutes that I was not going to be able to listen to this.
• About 71 minutes

Audiobook
13 hours 6 minutes

[JZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thankfully, I've finally learned my lesson, and I no longer read anthologies all in one sitting, or even one week.
This book took me a long time to finish, partly because each story was so different from one another, and each had its charms.
Even though I was pretty sure of the 'sniper' in the last story, it was written beautifully, so it's a nice way to finish a stellar collection.
Short stories aren't given as much attention as they deserve. So many books should have remained a short story. Can you imaging how "The Lottery" would be if it were dragged out over 400 pages? ugh
Well done, Ms. Perry.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best part of this book was the opportunity to read works by some mystery writers I was unfamiliar with. There were 18 stories, 18 different writers. I did wind up skipping two stories that just didn't interest me after a few pages but, on the other hand, there were a few stories that made me want to read more by that author. Quite a variety of stories and eras. A surprise to me was that Jacquelyn Windspear's entry was one I wound up not reading. I love her Maisie Dobbs series.

[Bonnie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not so much finished as quit. I read the first five stories and there was not much suspense or amusement to be had. If your taste is to dark and depressing this may be for you.

[Kay · Rating 2 out of 5]

So disappointing--in spite of a number of my favorite authors, only two stories were "good enough" to finish … very odd book!

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of short stories edited by Anne Perry has the theme of "odd partners" working together to solve a crime. There are some really good stories in the book and some very unlikely and interesting partnerships. Some stories are set in the past and some in the present day in a variety of locations from New York to New Mexico in the U.S. and a few different locations in Europe.

Some of my favorites are by authors I already enjoy, such as the story by Anne Perry and the story by Allison Brennan featuring a teenaged thief and a stray dog. There are also some great stories by authors who are new to me, such as the story a PI and an art thief working together in a story by William Frank, Adele Polomski's story of an elderly woman and her caretaker, and Lisa Morton's take of an aspiring filmmaker and the unique home movie he discovers. However, several of the stories both by familiar and unfamiliar authors didn't appeal to me. That's what great about a short story collection, though. There is usually something for everyone. There are some five star stories within the book, but overall I would rate the collection 3.5 stars.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Ballantine Books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie Pieck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this anthology because of "Blood Money," the Ian Rutledge story included in it. Apparently, the editor, Anne Perry, approached Charles Todd first when asking people to write for the collection. After all, Ian Rutledge has an "odd partner": the voice of a dead man he's carried home from World War I who now challenges, accuses, and assists him as he tries to solve cases as an inspector at Scotland Yard.
Anne Perry's World War I story that oepns the anthology is also excellent. Other standouts include "Glock, Paper, Scissors," and "Hector's Bees". The longest story in the group features the unlikely partnership between a 15-year-old girl thief and a dog. Also excellent was "Songbird Blues," featuring a jazz pianist in 1950s New York City.
It was fun to hear other authorial voices and see how writers approached the simple premise set by Perry: tell a story featuring an unlikely partnership. Girls and dogs; girls and cats; even men and ghosts might be somewhat common now. But the ways in which the authors took these formulas and created fresh perspectives was well worth the price of admission.

[Ann Dixon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked some of the stories a lot. A couple of them were terrific. A Dog Noir Story was the worst.

Favorites included:

"The Nature of the Beast" by William Kent Krueger, read by Ray Porter

"What Ever Happened to Lorna Winters?" by Lisa Morton, read by Macleod Andrews

"The Last Game" by Robert Dugoni, read by Edoardo Ballerini

The last one brought me to find the anthology as I looked for other writings of Robert Dugoni and he didn’t disappoint.

I enjoyed listening to Anne Perry discuss how she put the anthology together and how she thought about Odd Partners. It was a nice thread flowing through the stories. And it was fun to think about animals in the partnership.

Enjoyable quotes from the book:
Anne’ a words From the intro: “The heart of a story is the journey towards the understanding of others and most of all, of yourself.”

From Reconciliation by Anne Perry: “Mining country. Miners were hard men. They had to be. Hard men with soft hearts. Funny how so many of them could sing so gloriously. You didn’t know music until you heard a Welsh male voice choir. Break your heart, it would.”

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this anthology of short stories as part of a library reading challenge. I was hoping to discover a new author with an intriguing story that would interest me in seeking out their full books. A couple came close. "Security" by Jeffrey Deavers, "Bite Out of Crime" by Allison Brennan, and "Songbird Blues" by Stephen Ross were all good. Maybe good enough that I would look up those authors to see how they handle a full-length book. I think writing a good short story can actually be more difficult than writing a novel because the author has less time to develop their characters and sometimes they have to resort to "deus ex machina" to resolve the plot. The three stories I listed had pretty good characters, and the methods they used to resolve the plot didn't seem overly contrived. The other stories in the collection were okay, but might spark more with a different reader.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Odd Partners" is a collection of mystery stories. Compiled by Anne Perry, the book includes 19 short but entertaining reads for fans of suspense.
My favorite stories were "The Nature of the Beast" by William Kent Krueger, "Sad Onions" by Joe R. Lansdale and "Glock, Paper, Scissors" by Shelley Costa.
In general, I enjoyed the stories and the twists they included. Several contain violent situations, adult language and sexual content that I did not appreciate.
Even though I only really liked a few of the stories, they all are well written and cover a variety of topics. I also appreciate the exposure to different writers whom I haven't read before. I would definitely recommend this book to mystery and suspense fans.

[meheadhurts · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 round up to 3.

most of the stories were a 2 for me, 1 DNF (Wagatha the dog detective...perhaps I'll revisit it at some point).
I would give 3 to a few of them. some good narrators, Simon Prebble helped elevate the Anne Perry selection. Not sure I can pick out a favorite of the bunch?
I purchased this in a recent Audible 2for1 sale, thinking it would be a good book to put on when I am having a hard time falling asleep. I use audiobooks set at 75-85% speed, usually helps me fall right asleep. So of course this quote stood out to me (from Sad Onions by Joe R. Lansdale)

"I lay there thinking, which can be pretty painful on most occasions, but at that time of night when I should have been sleeping, it was akin to an injury. I eventually slept."

[Barb Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This anthology of mystery stories is built around the theme, "odd partners." Yep. Some of our partnerships truly are odd. One story is narrated by a left hand (Yes. You read that correctly. The hand narrates the story). Another mystery is solved by a bunch of dogs. One partnership features a former WWI officer and the voice in his head of a fellow soldier he had shot for cowardice.

In a mix this diverse, you're going to have stories that work and others that don't work quite as well. Personal taste, no doubt, also will play into how well readers enjoy each story.

For me, this was an enjoyable read.

[Denice Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a rare treat for the readers who love these characters. I've often wondered how many of my favorites would react should they receive help from a character in another of my favorite series. I've read stories where the an author will combine several of their own characters to reach a entertaining combinations of quirks. Now we've been given the gift of discovery. How many of these characters are on your follow list? At least three quarters of them are on mine. To have them combine their skills in each of the short stories was truly a treat to savor. We'd like some more please!

[Mary Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perry's short story was well done and gripping. It is about a run-away soldier who has taken a canister of gas which he plans on using on the German's. His sergeant finds out and goes after him and while searching, finds a German soldier who ironically decides to help him find the boy. This was an excellent story.

Jaqueline Windpear's story was lackluster and confusing. Too many dogs running around trying to execute a plan.

Some of the other authors were equally boring or didn't rise to the ocassion of an "Odd Partner" in my opinion. Perhaps I didn't spend enough time with this book as I didn't complete it. It was work for me rather than pleasure and time is a hallowed commodity.