Transgressions

Transgressions #1-10 omnibus

by Ed McBain (Editor), Donald E. Westlake (Contributor), Lawrence Block (Contributor)

Walking around money / by Donald Westlake
Hostages / by Anne Perry
The corn maiden / by Joyce Carol Oates
Archibald lawless, anarchist at large / by Walter Mosley
The resurrection man / by Sharyn McCrumb
Merely hate / by Ed McBain
The things they left behind / by Stephen King
The Ransome women / by John Farris
Forever / by Jeffery Deaver
Keller's adjustment / by Lawrence Block.

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

783 pages, Hardcover

First published May 1, 2005

About the author

"Ed McBain" is one of the pen names of American author and screenwriter Salvatore Albert Lombino (1926-2005), who legally adopted the name Evan Hunter in 1952.

While successful and well known as Evan Hunter, he was even better known as Ed McBain, a name he used for most of his crime fiction, beginning in 1956.

He also used the pen names John Abbott, Curt Cannon, Hunt Collins, Ezra Hannon, Dean Hudson, Evan Hunter, and Richard Marsten.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are 10 novellas included in this book. I will review them each separately:

"Walking Around Money" by Donald E. Westlake--funny and entertaining
"Hostages" by Anne Perry--tragic story involving the IRA, good
"The Corn Maiden" by Joyce Carol Oates--very good, disturbing
"Archibald Lawless, Anarchist At Large" by Walter Mosely--hated it
"The Resurrection Man" by Sharyn McCrumb--black man digging up the dead for doctors to disect, good
"Merely Hate" by Ed McBain(also editor of the collection)--terrorism in the US, okay
"The Things They Left Behind" by Stephen King--excellent, also the reason I purchased the book to begin with
"The Ransome Women" by John Farris--another story about a wacked out artist, okay
"Forever" by Jeffery Deaver--too long, but not bad at all
"Keller's Adjustment" by Lawrence Block--okay

[Mrs. Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

First a bitter complaint about GR: finding this book among GR’s selections took nearly an hour. Entering the one-word title “Transgressions” produces more than one hundred pages listing mostly books which don’t even have that word in their title. Trying to find the book by editor was complicated by GR’s choice to identify that person as Block, while Libby (library search/borrow app) and a half-dozen libraries credit the book to McBain. But that ultimately did not matter, since each name produced dozens of pages of lists. Fury proved to be a powerful motivator and I finally tracked it down, reminded again that Amazon doesn’t care how clunky the GR site is as long as it continues to collect monetizable data on what [kind of] books serious people are reading, and what they “want to read” in future.
Okay, on to Transgressions, edited by Robert Block and/or Ed McBain: among the novelettes in this compilation there are only a couple duds - Deaver’s contribution was as expected (I’m not a fan) and I thought Mosely’s was awful! The best comparison would be to a “Superman”-type comic book starring Lenin and missing the pictures. On the other hand, the Westlake, McBain, King and Block stories were all good and I found Anne Perry’s “Hostages” absolutely first-rate, possibly as good a fictional portrayal of a conflict between between expressive and instrumental behavior and the cost of changing a long-held publicly-known position as I’ve read. Highly recommended for thinking readers, “mystery” fans or not.

[Art the Turtle of Amazing Girth · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.7

Some of these novellas were great, some were good, some were ok

Varied settings, and decent main characters

extremely easy reading, I even added a few authors to my read more list

[Waven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Each novella in this collection has "a loose adherence to mystery, crime, or suspense" but few deliver an entertaining story. Much more common are flat characters and predictable plotlines. All in all, I think it's a satisfactory gathering of stories - especially for a few dull weekends or long, tedious trips - but not one I would want to pay full retail price for. My best advice is to check it out from the library, read the novellas of Stephen King and Jeffery Deaver, and consider yourself ahead of the game.

The first novella proves fairly entertaining and humorous - Donald E. Westlake's Walking Around Money, featuring a small group of criminals trying to clear a big payday at a printing plant that - what could be better - prints money. Alone, I would give it three-and-a-half stars, which is above average for this collection. Other high points include Sharyn McCrumb's The Resurrection Man, a somewhat thoughtful look at a slave grave-robbing with special purpose; Stephen King's The Things They Left Behind, both touching and creepy (sometimes chilling) with its glance back at the 9/11 tragedy, centering on items from a former World Trade Center office appearing inexplicably in a man's apartment; and Jeffery Deaver's Forever, which offers the best mystery and crime elements in the collection, juggling a statistician playing detective with writing that is subtly smart and, on several occasions, also funny.

For the less inspiring of the collection we can begin with Anne Perry's Hostages, which tries to illuminate family and gender roles mixed with (sometimes pitted against) moral and religious tensions, with little real insight by the conclusion. Joyce Carol Oates's The Corn Maiden: A Love Story tries to explore certain relationships and an embrace of psychopathy but also concludes with little real insight and limited sincerity. In Walter Mosley's Archibald Lawless, Anarchist At Large: Walking the Line, an intricate web of misdeeds, deaths, and stolen property that begins with real potential resolves in a somewhat lackluster manner. Ed McBain's Merely Hate offers a decent portrayal of religious tension and manipulation without breaking away from staid predictability. The Ransome Women of John Ferris also begins with a bit of intrigue and even builds some nice suspense before beginning to undermine itself about halfway through and then blowing the end. And perhaps the least enjoyable of the lot, Lawrence Block's Keller's Adjustment, offers little besides a vapid murderer-for-hire and terrible golfing joke (Block's only defense is that the character was continuing on from a previous series, so a backstory would be redundant for fans and possibly quite convoluted for newcomers; it is still not defense enough).

So check it out from the library to peruse first. If you love it, you can always buy a copy later.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Discovered some new (to me) talents, some unread work of old favorites, and some authors I will know to avoid!

[James S. · Rating 1 out of 5]

10 novellas, only 1 I would recommend. Even for an anthology of original stories, this is a bad ratio.

1. "Walking Around Money", a Dortmunder story by Donald Westlake - 2/5. I love the Parker novels but hate the Dortmunder series. I gave this one an honest try but found it dull.

2. "Hostages" by Anne Perry - 2/5. Banal and repetitive writing. I found it interesting that McBain, the editor, neglected to mention in his intro to this story that the author was convicted of murder herself.

3. "The Corn Maiden" by Joyce Carol Oates - 1/5. I've never read a story by this author that I liked. This one is particularly bad.

4. "Archibald Lawless" by Walter Mosley - 2/5. Too quirky and fantastic for my taste. Doesn't seem to fit with the tone of this anthology.

5. "The Resurrection Man" by Sharyn McCrumb - 2/5. Historical fiction written by a white woman about a black man. Leaving that aside, I found it overwritten.

6. "Merely Hate" by Ed McBain - 3.5/5. More readable than almost all the entries here, this one is nevertheless too long, probably a function of this anthology's focus on the novella. I'm not a fan of this awkward form: it has neither the force of the short story nor the range of the novel.

7. "The Things They Left Behind" by Stephen King - 2/5. Poorly written.

8. "The Ransome Women" by John Farris - 2/5. Poorly written.

9. "Forever" by Jeffery Deaver - 1/5. Really poorly written.

10. "Keller's Adjustment" by Lawrence Block - 5/5. The only entry in this book that I enjoyed. Somehow the author manages to make the midlife crises of a hitman relatable and interesting.

So the final story is good, but I'm not sure it's worth the price of admission. Overall, this project seems more like McBain throwing some old friends a favor rather than him finding novellas that are actually well-written and interesting. Not recommended.

[Matthew Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, new stuff at least when it was published. I am a big Donald Westlake fan and that's how I came across this book. I was not familiar with most of the other authors and a lot of them were excellent so I really liked being exposed to the authors.

Here my opinions of the various stories, listed by author:
Westlake: typical Dortmunder caper, not his best nor his worst, but enjoyable stuff
Perry: I had never heard of her and found her to be an excellent writer, story was about family discord and the IRA, really compelling story I will read more of her
Oats: I didn't care for her prose style and ended up skipping the story.
Mosley: Creative, about an assistant to an eccentric justice warrior, can't say I loved it but well done, and I would consider reading more
McCrumb: Historical fiction about the reconstruction, excellent writing, macabre, would consider reading more
McBain: topical raced based story, very well done, will read more of his stuff
King: Found it hard to read, disorganized, like the author was on drugs, skipped
Farris: A very interesting, but disturbing story about artists. The only issue I had is the main female character was not sympathetic and I'm not sure I found the relationship with the fiancé believable.
Deaver: Method mystery, a tad cheesy and some convenient stuff added towards the end, seems like something that could be made into a TV series, pretty good stuff
Block: from his Keller series about an assassin, Block writes well but I prefer his Rhodenbarr stories , I can't relate to the main character at all

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Westlake - Walking Around Money ***
Perry - Hostages ***** - Ireland, IRA, family, politics
Oates - C0rn Maiden - 0
Mosley - Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large -****
McCrumb - Resurrection Man - ***** - slavery, research, education, lots of others
McBain - Merely Hate - ***
King - Things They Left Behind - ***** - Twin Towers, NY
Farris - Ransom Women - ***
Deaver - Forever - ***** - police, logic
Black - Keller's Adjustment - *** - killer, logic

[Robert Frecer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of thriller novellas (short stories, if you're dedicated enough and read fast). I particularly liked Stephen King's, Joyce Carol Oates's, but the closing story by Lawrence Block was absolutely fantastic. Just the right amount of thought, amusement and Americana I was expecting from this collection.

[Steve Virgin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten novellas by ten great mystery/thriller writers. It goes without saying that there is not a bad story amongst them and that thee quality of the writing is out standing. Personal favourites are:-
"The Ransom Women" by John Farris
"Forever" by Jeffrey Deaver
"Merely Hate" by Ed McBain
"The Things They Left Behind" by Stephen King

An excellent collection

[Charlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok.
Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large, Walter Mosley
Love Mosley. Loved this quirky story. Laughed out loud!

The Corn Maiden, JCO
Love JCO
Story unbelievable.
But scary.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall Rating: 3.3/5

The formatting of this book sucks on the Kindle. It's distracting and frustrating. Having said that,

Walking Around Money, by Donald E. Westlake: a caper with potential throughout, until the author seems to tire of his tale, putting the brakes on until he ends it with a rather pathetic punch line. That pissed me off, and earned the author a single star.

Hostages, by Anne Perry: an Irish-Protestant family tragedy brought on by political inflexibility, power, and selfish resolve. A page turner! Three stars!

The Corn Maiden, by Joyce Carol Oates: I enjoyed this one. This is a twisted crime story best described by the following passage - "But even Jude seemed surprised, kind of. That you could make the wildest truth your own and every asshole would rush to believe." Analogous to American popular media outlets and politics (to name two), and the sheeple who blindly follow behind, no? Three stars!

Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large, by Walter Mosley: This is the most engaging story so far. The characters are well-defined, the story truly interesting. I really want more of this one! Four stars!

The Resurrection Man, by Sharyn McCrumb: Poignant story of a smart, well-spoken slave in the deep South who uses those qualities to choose a more 'privileged' role for himself and family (if I can even use such a word to describe a slave's life), performing macabre but necessary work. Three stars!

Merely Hate, by Ed McBain: Reminded me of the prototypical serial detective novels of old. I enjoyed it, but the author certainly panders to the politically correct of a post-9/11 world. Bit of a downer, actually, but still a three star effort.

Have I mentioned, that the formatting of this book for KIndle absolutely SUCKS?!?

The Things They Left Behind, by Stephen King: What a great tribute to everyone personally affected by the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Superb effort by King! 4 stars!

The Ransome Women, by John Farris: Best novella of the bunch so far. Fantastic characters; thought provoking, frantic, a real thriller that leaves a little something behind for the possibility of more. 5 stars!

Forever, by Jeffery Deaver: Ok, this one surprised me, pleasantly. As well crafted, and among the best novellas in this collection. Entertaining and interesting who dunnit that I found a real page turner! 4 stars!

Keller's Adjustment, by Lawrence Block: Enjoyed this one as well. A hired killer coming to terms with the end of his "career" reflects on his behavior, his psychology, his life, and his retirement. 3 stars!

Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this particular genre and the concept of novellas in general.

[Donald · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collection of authors gathered to write novellas for this tome is impressive. I think I've read something from each of them over the years, but having them all back to back like this is pretty cool.

The way Ed put this together with his own introduction and then an individual intro before each story was nice. Each of these stories need the room afforded a novella. They aren't short enough to be considered a short story, yet there isn't enough meat to stretch them out to novel length. The size suits each of these stories.

Westlake ends his 'Walking Around Money' with a set of conditions from his character, Dortmunder, which I didn't see coming. It seemed the story would be an average tale until that twist at the end.

Joyce Carol Oates really went off the deep end in her 'The Corn Maiden'. I love the mantra, "It will only hurt at first, you assholes."

The quirky Holmesian 'Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large' supplied by Walter Mosley seemed a bit rushed at the end, but how to end that one?

Stephen King put together a surrealist tale in 'The Things They Left Behind.' He really can put a spin on an idea.

'Forever' by Jeffery Deaver had me pondering beyond what he wrote. What if, you know? Makes me want to explore with my own tale...

I really just love the novella sized tale. I wish there was more interest in this size story because a lot of what's out there would look better trimmed down. The middle of some novels just drag like so much fluffery.

[Debbi Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the foreword to TRANSGRESSIONS, Ed McBain says it was a bit of a challenge finding 10 authors to contribute to a collection of crime novellas. I mean, who even writes novellas anymore? Yet somehow, McBain (or Evan Hunter, to use his birth name) was able to do it.

The result is a lengthy--783 pages, to be exact--and ambitious work that will probably stand as one of a kind, perhaps forever, since I doubt anyone else will undertake such a project in the future.

I had originally checked this out of the library because I wanted to read the contribution by Walter Mosley called "Archibald Lawless, Anarchist at Large: Walking the Line." Despite my more limited original intention, I decided instead to start with the first story to see if it agreed with me. It was a humorous crime story by Donald Westlake, who I'd read before and hadn't particularly cottoned to--but this time, I liked him better. Maybe I just like Westlake in smaller doses. Maybe the novella form forced him to get to the point faster, so the plot moved more quickly, engaged me faster. Whatever it was, it convinced me to try the next one, too.

Each story, I'm happy to report, is excellent in its own way.

You can read the rest of this review at The Book Grrl.

[Cat. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten novellas by several of today's best mystery and horror novelists, including Stephen King, Lawrence Block and Anne Perry. They are generally great, although I wasn't thrilled will Jeffery Deaver's. It seemed to be kind of a one-trick-pony that was sort of phoned in. The rest rate 9s or 10s though. They are all based on, as the introduction says, "a loose adherence to crime, mystery or suspense." I didn't want to finish the book, I really drew this book out, which clearly means it was good.

My favorites?

"The Ransome Women" by John Farris: about a woman chosen to model for an hermit of a portrait artist. The model's fiancee checks out all the former models for this artist, and finds they are no longer (ahem) model-worthy.

"Hostages" by Anne Perry: about The Troubles in Ireland and how intransigent each side has become, and what happens when one person tries to move toward compromise.

"The Resurrection Man" by Sharyn McCrumb: about a black man hired in 1852 in the South to procure dead bodies for on which medical students practice dissection.

Worth reading again, for the most part.

[Taco Banana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quality crime roundup that soars to some fantastic highs, but never sinks low. Meaning, no duds and some absolute gems.
Favorites,
3. Keller's Adjustment by Lawrence Block: The personable banter and odd humanity sold this story. I'd never read a story written by Lawrence Block and I do believe I shall be dipping into that well in the future. Strangely reasonable, surprising and a few good laughs.
2. Walking Around Money by Donald E. Westlake: Beginning to end fun and, often, funny. The story moves as with limited thrills, but has the crime and it has a semi-unexpected unveiling. Down and outers staving off a repeated visit to the pen. Great.
1. The Corn Maiden by Joyce Carol Oates: This story is miles above all others when it comes to tensity and thrills. The writing itself is smooth and enveloping. All along it feels like watching a horse-drawn carriage full of recently claimed orphans on a collision course with a Freightliner. Incredible.
Start to finish, at minimum this collection is good and in some instances, it's great.

[J.R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hopefully Ed McBain’s effort in convincing a stellar cast of fellow writers to contribute the novellas that comprise “Transgressions” will convince publishers to encourage more of the same.
Don’t get me wrong, I love long novels. But, in these days when we all seem to have less time than we’d like, the novella is the perfect form to consume in a short period. And the novella is a deserving and time-honored part of literature. Nabokov and Simenon, to name two among many, excelled in the form.
McBain, who contributed an interesting tale of his own, deserves kudos for the roster of superstars who joined him in this venture. The 10 stories provide a good introduction for those not familiar with the work of some of these writers.

[Tony Gleeson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a terrific sampling of a spectrum of contemporary mystery writers, not all to my taste, but that's part of what a smorgasbord is all about, isn't it? The late McBain (i.e., Evan Hunter)reportedly convinced nine authors to contribute a novella-length tale and included an 87th Precinct novella for an even ten. There's a Westlake Dortmunder, a Lawrence Block original that later found its way into "Hit Parade," and works by Anne Perry, Walter Mosley, Sharyn McCrumb, Jeffrey Deaver, John Farris, Stephen King, and even Joyce Carol Oates. Think of it as a kind of literary Whitman's Sampler. I enjoyed this collection and it got me interested in a couple of writers-- notably Mosley, and surprisingly Deaver-- that I might not have discovered as readily.

[Joshua]

I bought this book on a whim. It was in the clearance aisle at Borders and I couldn't pass it up. The basic premise is crime but it is a collection of novellas. Which I found out means a little longer than a short story and a little shorter than a novel. Anyway, this guy got a bunch of really good writers together and had them write these novellas, then incorporated them into a single binding. The stories are short and interesting and the change in voice from one to the other, while in the same genre, makes it a very interesting read. I would keep this in the bathroom and knock out a novella every couple of days!

[Lori Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book, with the exception of one novella (the one about Northern Island and the nasty father who pretty much deserved what he got). I love the novella versus the short story -- more "meat" to it and more to get involved with.

I picked up the book on the way to the checkout (it was in the bargain aisle) and am so glad I grabbed it on impulse.

A must read for anyone who loves mysteries and thrillers.

Lori Anderson

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[Leah · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, let me say that I love novellas. A difficult format for the author, but a joy for me. Novellas are like...well, like dim sum or tapas; I get to consume multiple delights and in the end I am happily sated, not overstuffed like some meals or starved like some nouvelle cuisine plates.
10 selections-all from different genres, viewpoints; 8 I enjoyed thoroughly, 2 ('The Ransome Women' and 'Forever' from John Farris and Jeffery Deaver respectively)were adequate. A worthwhile acquisition, it would be a good travel, holiday or beach read.

[Regan · Rating 1 out of 5]

My review? It cost me $3.99 at Borders. This book was the literary equivalent of buying a Chuck Norris movie at CVS. That being said, it was probably worth 3.99, but it still was a pretty bad book. The comedic novellas weren't funny, and frankly I'm starting to think that a novella is just a short story that's gone on way too long.

It truly deserves 1.5-2 stars instead of 1, but I'm choosing to round down.

[Juliette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice anthology of mystery/crime novellas.

The one by Walter Mosley makes me want to search out other books he's written.

I could list all the stories and the authors plus a little snippet of each, but really I'm sure someone else has already done it and I could just copy and paste, so I'll skip it and just say I enjoyed a story between books these past few months. Most of them finished in a day.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would recommend this - the stories are short enough that you can read one, put the book down and pick it up again in a few weeks and read another story. These stories are so engrossing that once you read one you'll want to finish it and that's a much easier thing to do when you only have 50 pages to read versus 650. Plus you'll get introduced to some great authors and have even more of an idea of a good book to choose next time you're in the book store or library.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

2005 compilation of suspense fiction edited by Evan Hunter as Ed McBain.

808.83 "Ten brand new novellas" by top names in suspense: Lawrence Block (hitman Keller), Jeffery Deaver (Statistician/Detective Tal Simms), John Farris, Stephen King (9/11 aftermath), Ed McBain (87th Precinct), Sharyn McCrumb (Civil War era grave robber), Walter Mosley, Joyce Carol Oates, Anne Perry (IRA abduction), and Donald E. Westlake (Dortmunder).

[Mark]

10 novellas, not read in any particular sequence:

Keller's adjustmant by Lawrence Block - Life of a killer for hire after 9/11. A very insightfull story about change.

Walking around money by Donald E. Westlake - Another day and another heist for John Dortmunder, a seemingly victimless crime does have its consequences. An amusing tale

[Softwear · Rating 2 out of 5]

Only three of these novellas were worth reading - the three that were written by women, incidentally.

I was very disappointed in the Stephen King offering.

Joyce Carol Oates did not disappoint. Entertaining and absorbing, the novella hints at many more dark things beyond the borders of the story.

[Micha · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favourite novella was entitled "Archibald Lawless: Anarchist at Large." When I was fifteen I read a lot about anarchy, both in its theoretical/political form and in the exaggerated strawman-anarchy form. From what I remember of this novella, it leans more towards the former than the latter in its representation of anarchy, which I quite respected.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good collection for the most part. I likeed just over half of the short stories and Jeffery Deaver's was my favorite. The others were just ok with predictable endings and others were just dry reads.