Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors

Mary Russell and Sherlock Holmes #12.5 - "Ten Years On"

by Marcia Muller, Bill Pronzini

A Best Book of 2020 from Suspense Magazine

Deadly Anniversaries celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America with a collection of stories from some of the top names in crime fiction.

An anniversary can honor many things: a birth, a wedding and sometimes even a death. In Deadly Anniversaries , editors Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini present new stories from some of the best contemporary authors to honor the diamond jubilee of the Mystery Writers of America, an organization founded on the principle that “Crime Doesn’t Pay—Enough.”

Each author puts their own unique spin on what it means to recognize a certain day or event each year. These nineteen stories travel across a wide range of historical and contemporary settings and remind readers of how broad the mystery writing tradition can be, encompassing detective tales, domestic intrigue, psychological suspense, black humor and thrilling action.

By the time this group of bestsellers and award-winners is through, none of us will ever look at anniversaries the same way again. Deadly Anniversaries is sure to shock, scare and delight mystery and suspense fans of all kinds, featuring the following contributors:

Sue Grafton

Laurie R. King

Lee Child

Margaret Maron

S.J. Rozan

Max Allan Collins

Wendy Hornsby

Jeffery Deaver

Bill Pronzini

Carolyn Hart

Peter Lovesey

Meg Gardiner

Marcia Muller

Julie Smith

William Kent Krueger

Peter Robinson

Naomi Hirahara

Doug Allyn

Alison Gaylin

Laura Lippman

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Anthologies, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Short Story Collection, Historical Fiction

400 pages, Hardcover

First published April 21, 2020

About the author

Marcia Muller is an American author of mystery and thriller novels.
Muller has written many novels featuring her Sharon McCone female private detective character. Vanishing Point won the Shamus Award for Best P.I. Novel. Muller had been nominated for the Shamus Award four times previously.
In 2005, Muller was awarded the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master award.
She was born in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Birmingham, Michigan, and graduated in English from the University of Michigan and worked as a journalist at Sunset magazine. She is married to detective fiction author Bill Pronzini with whom she has collaborated on several novels.

Reviews

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love anthologies. You can enjoy a fully formed story whenever you have a few spare minutes & It’s such a great way to find new-to-you authors. This volume is in honour of the MWA’s 75th anniversary so it’s only appropriate that all 19 entries have some kind of anniversary to be celebrated. Or not. Because these are crime & mystery writers so don’t go in expecting tales full of roses, cake & karaoke.

The first thing you’ll notice is the stellar line-up of authors. It’s veritable who’s who of the genre including Lee Child, Sue Grafton, Jeffrey Deaver, Meg Gardiner, William Kent Krueger, Laura Lippman & S.J. Rozan to name a few. The wide range of style, location & time period guarantees something for everyone. As usual, readers will have different personal favourites & I’ll just mention the ones that stood out for me.


If You Want Something Done Right - by the late, great Sue Grafton. ‘Nuff said.

Ten Years On - a shortie by Laurie R. King featuring Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes. I’ve read & loved this series for years so it’s always a pleasure.

Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date - S.J. Rozan writes the popular Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series but every now & then pens a short story featuring Lydia’s mother, a woman I find frightening & hilarious.

Ten Years, Two Days, Six Hours - the take away message for me was do NOT piss off a woman the day she buries her husband. I’m ashamed to say Wendy Hornsby is a new author for me, something I plan to rectify after reading this.

30 and Out - by Doug Allyn, another author I haven’t read (must crawl out of my cave more often…). A gritty procedural that delivers a gripping & complete story in few pages. And there’s a police dog!

Those were my faves but there’s really not a dud in the bunch. Bring on the next one.

[Carole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deadly Anniversaries edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini is a collection of short stories written by award-winning members of the Mystery Writers of America. As per the title, each story is about some type of anniversary. There are historical stories and contemporary mysteries and detective procedurals and scary stories. There is something here for everyone and this may be an opportunity to read a story by an author you have been meaning to sample. The list of authors contains the following: Sue Grafton, Laurie R. King, Lee Child, Margaret Maron, S.J. Rozan, Max Allan Collins, Wendy Hornsby, Jeffery Deaver, Bill Pronzini, Carolyn Hart, Peter Lovesey, Meg Gardiner, Marcia Muller, Julie Smith, William Kent Krueger, Peter Robinson, Naomi Hirahara, Doug Allyn, Alison Gaylin and Laura Lippman. This is a collection worth reading by mystery buffs. Highly recommended. Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening up "Deadly Anniversaries" is like going to the All-Star Game. Every writer recruited for this anthology is well-known and well-respected in the mystery field. The result therefore is an unsurprising success. The topic here is anniversaries in celebration of the diamond jubilee of the Mystery Writers of America organization. As to be expected, we get many stories about marital bliss, or more to the point, marital unbliss. And the resolution is of course cold-blooded murder, often told with more than a little touch of gallows humor or irony. Other writers seized on the theme and spun off in another direction, finding anniversaries that crooks and lowlifes and swindlers might hold dear. Some dates just stick in the memory, never to be forgotten. An excellent collection, hitting the mark far more than you would expect.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

[Helen Power · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an entertaining collection of short stories, all following the theme of “anniversaries”. Some of the stories are engaging and have good twists, but I have to say that a lot of the stories were disappointing, especially considering the big name authors who’d written them. There are maybe 2-3 gems in total. Also, a few of the stories were barely about “anniversaries”, and one or two felt like the “anniversary” theme was crammed in during a final edit. Meh.
That said, these snack-size mysteries are perfect for someone who’s busy but still wants to fit a little reading into their day.

[Elaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of Deadly Anniversaries.

I was excited when my request was approved.

I love mysteries and recognized nearly all of the authors in this collection.

Still, I was a little apprehensive; a collection of stories is like a box of chocolates. I don't like caramel or coconut so I end up only enjoying a few pieces.

But, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of stories here; most of them were good, some were just average, but overall, the stories were enjoyable, the writing shines through, and all the authors are respected and well regarded authors in the mystery/thriller genre.

I'm pleased to see there are about an equal number of stories by female and male authors, a fact seriously lacking in many story collections.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I started to write a bit about each story, but it was too difficult to do without spoilers. I'll just say they were good, one of the better collections, & the narrators were all very good. This celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America, so it's pretty close to perfect. Muller & Pronzini did a great job. Highly recommended.

A standout story was "The Anniversary Gift" by Jeffery Deaver. Not that it was much better than the others, but I generally don't care for his style & I really liked this one. Ditto for the Lee Child story since he didn't try to describe guns, their use, nor any injuries. (These are subjects he's apparently researched only in comic books.) He stuck to people & managed a good, thoughtful one. "Case Open" by Carolyn Hart was the story I liked the least. The setup wasn't bad, but the end fizzled unlike the other stories which had good twists.

Table of Contents
Introduction

"If You Want Something Done Right. . ." by Sue Grafton
"Ten Years On" by Laurie R. King
"Normal in Every Way" by Lee Child
"The Replacement" by Margaret Maron
"Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date" by S. J. Rozan
"Amazing Grace" by Max Allan Collins

"Recipe: Lemon Layer Cake" I guess this is Grace's recipe from the story above.

"Ten Years, Two Days, Six Hours" by Wendy Hornsby
"The Anniversary Gift" by Jeffery Deaver
"The Last Dive Bar" by Bill Pronzini
"Case Open" by Carolyn Hart
"The Bitter Truth" by Peter Lovesey
"Unknown Caller" by Meg Gardiner
"April 13" by Marcia Muller
"Whodat Heist" by Julie Smith
"Blue Moon" by William Kent Krueger
"Aqua Vita" by Peter Robinson
"The Last Hibakusha" by Naomi Hirahara
"30 and Out" by Doug Allyn
"The Fixer" by Alison Gaylin and Laura Lippman

[HollyLovesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really good anthology of stories from a group of the well known and widely read mystery writers. It was well done and fun to read a story here and there. I enjoyed many of the stories but I think my personal favorites from this amazing line-up were by Sue Grafton, William Kent Krueger and Laura Lippman. I knew I enjoyed the latter two authors but I had never read anything by Grafton before and I really liked her story.
So, if a collection of mystery short stories is for you, then this is a great choice. I recommend it.
#DeadAnniversaries #Netgalley #HanoverSquarePress

[Betsy · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great anthology! Well-respected & credentialed authors writing crime stories centered around some kind of anniversary! Thoroughly enjoyable, mysterious, fun!

[Bridget Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

* authors I would like to check out

* If you want something done right ... / Sue Grafton --
Ten years on / Laurie R. King -- Still not a fan of this Mary Sue protagonist.
* Normal in every way / Lee Child --
The replacement / Margaret Maron --
Chin Yong-Yun sets the date / S.J. Rozan --
Amazing grace / Max Allan Collins --
Ten years, two days, six hours / Wendy Hornsby --
The anniversary gift / Jeffrey Deaver --
The last dive bar / Bill Pronzini --
Case open / Carolyn Hart --
The bitter truth / Peter Lovesey --
* Unknown caller / Meg Gardiner --
April 13 / Marcia Muller --
Whodat heist / Julie Smith --
Blue moon / William Kent Krueger --
* Aqua vita / Peter Robinson --
* The last Hibakusha / Naomi Hirahara --
* 30 and out / Doug Allyn --
The fixer / Alison Gaylin and Laura Lippman.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Sue
"A Mary Sue is a generic name for any fictional character who is so competent or perfect that this appears absurd, even in the context of the fictional setting. Mary Sues are often an author's self-insertion or wish fulfillment. They may excel at tasks that should not be possible for them, or they may upstage the protagonist of a fictional setting, such as by saving them. They may disregard previously established aspects of the fiction such as characterization and natural laws. Mary Sue is a type of stock character."

[Evan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Anniversaries is an anthology of mystery short stories. This was my first foray into mystery (in a long time, at least) and I have to say I really enjoyed the experience. There wasn't really a bad story in the bunch, and it's awe-inspiring how great authors like these can spin such sophisticated stories in relatively few words.

They were all very solid and I definitely enjoyed the book as a whole. Worth a read and I certainly would like to re-read a few of these.

ARC received through Goodreads.

[Shoshana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This excellent anthology of mystery short stories celebrating 75 years of the Mystery Writers of America is edited by the married Grand Masters Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini. They have rounded up a slew of some of the best names in the business and it shows; there is not a single dud amongst the stories, all of which revolve around some sort of anniversary.

It was lots of fun reading this book. The writers are all professionals at the top of their game, and the varied approaches they took regarding the theme were all enjoyable. That said, of course some stories will appeal more to each individual reader than others. I especially liked the stories by Lee Child (not Reacher, whom I adore), S J Rozan, Meg Gardiner, Doug Allyn, and Alison Gaylin and Laura Lippmann. I don’t expect anyone else’s list to be exactly like mine.

If you like mysteries, or short stories, or both, this book will just hit the spot.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC, the opinions are my own

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of 20 short stories, written by some of America's best mystery writers. It was a quick and easy read. Some of the stories were a little cheesy but most of them were fun, creepy reads.

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mystery Writers of America organization periodically publishes anthologies of stories by their members. There is generally one each year. Earlier volumes in the series were made up principally of reprinted stories; all the stories in the later ones are original to the anthology in which they appear. Most of the books have some kind of general theme.

Deadly Anniversaries is a 2020 anthology. In celebration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the founding of the MWA, all the stories here relate in some way to the topic of anniversaries. There are nineteen stories by a total of twenty authors. The introduction to the book explains that, "This volume commemorating [the MWA's] diamond milestone differs from most previous ones in that all those invited to contribute are Grand Masters, Edgar winners, or have served as MWA presidents." (The designation "Grand Master" is an honor bestowed on some members in recognition of their life's work in the mystery field. "Edgars" are the mystery field's equivalent of the motion picture Academy Awards.)

These twenty renowned authors have for the most part done fine work for this special volume. I think that this is one of the best books in the series. There are only a couple of stories that I do not much like. There are few stories here that I think are truly superb, but almost all of them seem to me to be good, entertaining tales.

I think that Carolyn Hart's story "Case Open" has some serious flaws. The first anniversary of the death of a woman who fell from a height at a party is the occasion for almost all the people who had attended the party to gather together again. It has never been determined whether the woman who died did so by accident, suicide, or murder. Too many characters are involved to make this easy to follow. Also, I think that some of the third person omniscient narration is unfairly misleading.

"Blue Moon" by William Kent Krueger is told in two parts. The first part, set some years in the past, begins with a couple stating how deep their love is; the second part is a modern response. Many of the stories in this collection are cynical, this one especially so. The beginning of the story is quite mannered, deliberately, but, to my mind, unpleasantly.

Several of the stories are parts of series. I know that at least five are; there may be others as well that I am not familiar with. In Naomi Hirahara's "The Last Hibakusha," her ninety year old series character Mas Arai, a survivor of the bombing of Hiroshima who has long lived in the United States, is present at a murder committed at a ceremony commemorating the seventy-fifth anniversary of that bombing. ("Hibakusha," the story explains, means a survivor of the atomic bomb.)

S. J. Rozan has an entry which is an offshoot of her series about New York private investigators Lydia Chin and Bill Smith. Rozan has added some stories about Lydia Chin's mother, Chin Yong-Yun, who shows that her own detective skills are fine. In "Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date," Mrs. Chin looks into allegations that might impede the wedding of a young Chinese American man and his Caucasian fiancée. The detection is quite clever and the story is sweet. And that, to me, is the problem. Throughout the series of novels, Lydia's mother is portrayed as an intolerant racist. In the stories based on her character, she is so different that she does not appear to be the same person. This is fine as a stand-alone story, but not as a part of the total series.

Marcia Muller, co-editor of this anthology, has a story featuring her series character private investigator Sharon McCone. In "April 13," McCone realizes that five years have gone by since she conducted an unsuccessful search for a missing female college student. She decides to try again. This is like the early McCone stories, Sharon working alone on solving a mystery. I was genuinely surprised by the ending of the story.

Meg Gardiner's series character Evan Delaney is still a young woman in "Unknown Caller," in which Delaney's grandmother falls victim to a scam. With the aid of the police and members of her family, Delaney helps to catch the criminals. This also has a good ending, showing just why this anniversary is important.

Sherlock Holmes, created by Arthur Conan Doyle, is, of course, perhaps the most celebrated detective in fiction. His wife, Mary Russell, whom he married later in life in a series by Laurie R. King, is also a detective. In "Ten Years On," set in 1925, Russell is asked to look into the death ten years earlier of a soldier who had been wounded in World War I. He was a Sikh who had been said to be recovering when his family was told that he had died. Now new information has turned up, and the soldier's brother looks for an explanation.

"Whodat Heist" by Julie Smith seems like it might be part of a series, but I don't know if it really is. Two not very successful criminals plan an art theft from a museum in New Orleans on Super Bowl Sunday. They decide to work with a woman who has outsmarted them in the past.

Sue Grafton, who has the lead story here, had died in 2017 well before this book was published. In "If You Want Something Done Right...," a woman who has been idly considering murdering her unfaithful husband is approached by someone offering to help.

Margaret Maron has now died as well, in her case in 2021 after this book appeared. Her story "The Replacement" is narrated by a boy graduating from high school. There was another son in the family, a popular, much admired boy who had been killed by a hit-and-run driver the year he had graduated from high school. The parents deliberately planned that their new son would be a substitute for the one who had died. The younger boy wants to find out who killed the brother that he never knew.

Lee Child has what must be a strong contender for the title "Most Laid Back Police Procedural Story Ever." "Normal in Every Way" begins in 1954 in the San Francisco Police Department. A young rookie officer seems odd to his co-workers. He is assigned to work in a basement file room, where he is perfectly happy to be stationed. But he has unusual abilities that make it possible to be a valuable, albeit unacknowledged, asset to the department.

In "The Bitter Truth" by Peter Lovesey, a reporter interviews a noted toxicologist about a series of murders by poisoning that had gone to trial forty years before. The toxicologist's testimony had been a major factor in the case. But the reporter also wants to delve into details of the toxicologist's personal life; this might be a bad idea.

To me, the term "dive" when describing a bar meant a place that was low-class and seedy. But that definition is out of date, says author Bill Pronzini. Now dive bars are "old-fashioned taverns that have been in business in the same locale for many years, often family owned for generations, where locals regularly congregate and visitors are welcome as long as they respect the rules of the house." The main character in "The Last Dive Bar" is a friendly traveling salesman who loves this kind of bar. He loves talking to the bartenders and the other customers. Well, some of the other customers, that is.

Jeffery Deaver is a master of the surprise twist that suddenly changes an entire story. There is more than one of these in "The Anniversary Gift." A young woman in Chicago in the late 1800s asks an older businessman for help, which he is very willing to give. But in the world of Jeffery Deaver, things are seldom what they seem. The ending of the story is not only a surprise, it is a surprise that I believe is unusual even for Deaver - a surprising surprise.

Authors Alison Gaylin and Laura Lippman collaborated on the story "The Fixer." This is set partly in the present day and partly years earlier. Dawn Darling, a young actress in the earlier sequences, was making a movie when the male star's son died from a gunshot. That ended the movie and largely ended Dawn's career. Corinne was a public relations person working with Dawn in the former time. In the present, Dawn and Corinne are together for the first time in years and they are speaking of that long-ago death, discussing what actually had happened.

The word "anniversary" quite naturally brings weddings to mind and the next three stories are all concerned with wedding anniversaries. In Wendy Hornsby's story, a woman must remain married to her husband for at least ten years in order to inherit his estate. They are, in fact, married for "Ten Years, Two Days, Six Hours" before her husband's demise. But at the funeral, things do not go well.

In Peter Robinson's tale "Aqua Vita," a woman in love goes for a fifth anniversary dinner with her husband. Unfortunately, the husband is not the person with whom the woman is in love. But love, even between illicit couples, does not always last.

Max Allan Collins has one of the best stories in the collection, "Amazing Grace." Grace - wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother - and her husband and all their family are observing the fiftieth wedding anniversary of Grace and Lem. Grace considers announcing at the party that she wants a divorce from her husband, an alcoholic philanderer. But things change.

Doug Allyn is one of my favorite authors of mystery short stories. His work has given me much pleasure through the years. I am particularly dismayed by the copying from another story in his story "30 and Out." The "copying" is from an earlier tale by Allyn himself, however. In "30 and Out," a police officer scheduled to retire after thirty years on the job is working with a new officer, who narrates the tale. The younger officer, Jax LaDart, tells the man close to retirement that he had changed the younger man's life years before following an accident:

"I banged my face up pretty seriously," I said, jerking a thumb toward an old scar on my forehead. " I'm bleeding like a stuck pig, we had no phone. My cousin runs to the nearest house. Nobody's home, but a pickup in the yard had keys in it, so Jimmy piled me in, drove me into Samaritan Hospital, pedal to the metal. You spotted us on the road, chased us the last few miles with lights and sirens. But at the hospital, you took one look at my face, hustled me inside, and got me some help." I shook my head, remembering.

"Thing is, Jimmy and I were only fourteen, neither of us had a license yet, and we'd wrecked a bike and stolen a truck. You could've come down hard on us, but you stood up for us instead. When the pickup's owner came stomping in, yelling he wanted our asses arrested, you took him outside, straightened him out."

"Curly Beauchamp." Charlie nodded slowly. "I remember now. He was half in the bag, all bent out of shape about you two borrowing his piece-of-shit ride. Needed an attitude adjustment, is all. No big thing."

"It was to us."

In Allyn's story "The Fury" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, March-April, 2015), the younger officer, Dylan LaCrosse, also says that he had suffered an injury:

"It was bleeding like a bastard. We ran to the nearest house, but nobody was home. Andre hot-wired their car, drove me into Samaritan Hospital, pedal to the metal. You chased us the last mile with lights and sirens, but at the hospital, you took one look at my face, hustled me inside, and got me some help." I shook my head, remembering.

"Thing is, Dre and I were only fourteen, neither one of us had a license and we'd stolen a car. You could have given us a real hard time, but you stood up for us instead. When the car's owner came stomping in, yelling that he wanted us arrested, you slammed him into the wall, straightened his ass out. "

"Ray Ray Moliere." Cooper nodded slowly. "I remember now. He was buzzed up and bent out of shape about you guys borrowing his piece-of-shit ride. Needed an attitude adjustment, that's all. No big thing."

"It sure was to me."

Is copying from yourself a big deal? I can't speak to the morality of it. I do it myself on this site occasionally, but nobody is paying me for what I write. I doubt that Doug Allyn thought this was improper; the two stories are separated by only five years, and he must have realized that people might recall the earlier one.

This is a fine story, one of the best in the anthology. I just wish that it had been entirely original in this book.

As I stated above, I like almost all the stories in this anthology. My favorites are "The Replacement," "Amazing Grace," "April 13," "30 and Out," and "The Fixer."

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each short story occurs on an event anniversary in this anthology compiled by the Mystery Writers of America and edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini. Few mystery short stories work well for me because authors simply lack time to build an interesting plot. About three worked really well for me, and a couple of others seemed better than average. I tried one author's series in the past and found I hated her short story just as much as her series. One story alternated between the past and the present--an over-used style I hate more and more each time I encounter it. Overall it is an average to slightly above average mystery short story collection.

[Michelle Mallette · Rating 4 out of 5]

See my full review here.
This is a great collection of (mostly) murder mystery short stories, edited by the best of the best, Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini, honouring the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America. A terrific chance to discover highly acclaimed authors that are new to you, and enjoy some delicious deadly stories! I have read work by nearly all the 19 authors, and enjoyed some familiar characters and discovered some new ones, which is fun. Short stories aren't my favourite form, but they are a good way to explore work by authors you don't know. My thanks to Hanover Square Press for the advance reading copy provided digitally through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[Roy Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read. Stories rate from 4 to 5. Great to sample many authors works.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice collection of short stories with some very famous big mystery names and some authors who were new to me.

[Brandon Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy the occasional short story or collection of short stories. Since they read and feel different then a full length novel and this had a good mix of writers I know and have read and ones I have never even heard of so that was fun.

I won't spoil anything but it's a mixed bag. 3 or so stories are really good. Most are enjoyable or clever but not fantastic or bad. There are one are two I have mostly forgotten.

Still a fun fast read and you may find a writer you have not read before so give it a try if your a reader of mystery.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like most short story collections, some of these are better than others (or perhaps it's more honest to say "more to my taste" than others).

[Vjera · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bought it for the Mary Russell short story, which was excellent. Included a wide array of short crime stories. Not as many mysteries as I thought there would be. Several clever stories. A few crude ones.

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of mysteries put together to honor the 75th year from the creation of Mystery Writers of America. All of the authors in this collection were Grand Masters, Edgar award winners or served as president of Mystery Writers of America. So you have a nice spread of writers all writing about some sort of anniversary. You have weddings, birthdays, murders, lovers' deaths, and most any other anniversary you can think of. As with any collection, there are certain stories that appeal t a reader more than others. For me, there is "Ten Years On" by Laurie R. King, "Normal in Every Way" by Lee Child, "Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date" by S. J. Rozan, and "The Fixer" by Alison Gaylin and Laura Lipman. But every reader will find the tale(s) that resonate with them. That is the fun of collections!

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This title is a book of short stories that were collected to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America.  Each author has written a tale that has to do with a special date.  The authors who contributed to this book are a "who's who" of excellent crafters of mysteries.  Some of the contributors are Petr Robinson, Marcia Muller, Margaret Maron, Peter Lovesey, Carolyn Hart, Sue Grafton and many more. 


This is an outstanding collection and I recommend it highly.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection of nineteen stories all with an anniversary theme in honor of the Mystery Writers of America's 75th anniversary. The list of contributing authors reads like a "Who's Who" in mystery writing, including Lee Child, Laura Lippman, Jeffrey Deaver, and Margaret Maron. I was familiar, if not already a fan, of most of the authors. The stories cover a wide range of settings, eras, and types of anniversaries. Some authors like Marcia Muller feature the character for which they are best known in their stories and I enjoyed seeing PI Sharon McCone investigating a cold case. Others, like Peter Robinson, don't have the same characters as in their full-length novels. Although I knew most of the authors, I wasn't familiar with Alison Gaylin who co-wrote one of the stories with Laura Lippman, but I will be checking out Alison's other work after reading their contribution to the collection.

Like any anthology, readers will have some stories they like more than others. I didn't dislike any of the stories, but of course have my favorites. The late Sue Grafton's story features a woman celebrating her 25th anniversary in an unusual way, and the story includes a very unique murder weapon. S.J. Rozan's contribution has PI Lydia Chin's mother solving a case on her own and then telling her late husband all about it at his gravesite on their wedding anniversary. I really enjoyed Meg Gardiner's story which turns the table on the well-known "grandson in trouble" scam and reminded me how much I liked her Evan Delaney series. I was also happy to read a story featuring Naomi Hirahara's retired gardener Mas Arai since I am a fan of her books.

Overall, there is a wide variety of excellent, well-written stories in this collection and there will be something for every mystery fan to enjoy. Therefore, I didn't hesitate to give this book 5 stars.

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

[Mystic Miraflores · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with most short story collections, some contributions are very good while some are just okay. I enjoyed most of the short stories. My favorites were: "If You Want Something Done Right"; "The Replacement"; "Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date"; "The Anniversary Gift"; "The Bitter Truth"; "Unknown Caller"; "Blue Moon"; "Aqua Vita" and "30 and Out".

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors is an anthology of nineteen short stories collected and edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini. This anthology celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America with a collection of stories from some of the top names in crime fiction.

For the most part, I rather like most if not all of these contributions. Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors is an anthology that collected nineteen short stories about crime mystery of all facets from cross/double-cross, vengeance, justifiable homicide, the dangers of turning over rocks to see what’s underneath, the hazards of talking to strangers, and more. As this anthology is an anniversary volume – all the short stories had to do with anniversaries off all sorts both good and ill.

Like most anthologies there are weaker contributions and Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors is no exception. Comparatively speaking, some stories are written better than others, or rather, a couple didn't connect to me as easily as the majority. However, these outliers are still written extremely well and didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the anthology.

All in all, Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors is a wonderful and chilling collection of short stories of crime fiction that would entertain enthusiast anywhere.

[Diane Hernandez · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s the Mystery Writers of America’s seventy-fifth anniversary! To celebrate they are throwing a party and we’re all invited. Luckily, we readers get the present—an anthology of nineteen short stories by the best mystery writers around. All the stories have an anniversary theme. In fact, they are all Deadly Anniversaries.

This book is like the best Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine ever. None of the stories are filler. My favorite part was seeing the different styles and approaches each author took. The stories contain anniversaries of murders, mayhem, crime, and convictions. There is even one celebrating the survivors of Hiroshima. (Note that I have lived in LA my entire life and never heard of the Hiroshima Peace Flame—but it really exists in LA’s Little Tokyo District.)

If you like mystery short stories, you can’t go wrong with this book. It would also be an excellent learning tool for aspiring mystery writers. 5 stars!

Thanks to Hanover Square Press, Harlequin Books, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mystery abounds. These 19 stories hit the mark. They were all entertaining and well thought out and written. Many mysteries in one book and a good fix after my dry lack of James Patterson spell. One I will surely share with others.

[Melody Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful book full of short stories but will full impact of a 300 page book.

[Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a compilation of stories from some of the top names in crime fiction. The premise of this book was unique and compelling. Each author gave their own perspective on what it meant to recognize a specific day of the year. It could be for an anniversary or a birthday, but they each spun a tale of what it means to celebrate or just recognize a particular day. The twist:: these are dark stories. I thought this book was simply a treat, however, I enjoy my books with a side of darkness. So if you do too.. than please pick this one up!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you for this ARC as it turned out to be a perfect choice to read during this pandemic. 19 stories from many revered mystery writers, and I really liked reading stories from novelists I wasn't familiar with. Each story was fresh and unrelated to the others, except for the "anniversary" common denominator. Not usually a fan of anthologies, as I like consistency of characters, plots etc, but this was great, as I'm stuck at home, and could finish one story/do chores/read another/make calls, snack or walk the dog and come back for more.