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100 Dastardly Little Detective Stories
Match wits with great detectives, devious criminals, and some of the finest minds in the all-time annals of detective literature. From crime-suspense (Tom Curry's "The Sign") to hard-boiled fiction ("A Hand of Pinochle") to modern noir ("Soul's Burning" by Bill Pronzini), the scope of these 100 detective stories is as wide as the tales are short. They're the brainchildren of such top names as James M. Barrie ("The Adventure of the Two Collaborators"), O. Henry ("The Mystery of the Rue de Peychaud"), Charles Dickens ("An Artful Touch"), Bret Harte ("The Stolen Cigar-Case"), Jack London ("The Leopard Man's Story"), R.L. Stevens ("The Carnival Caper"), Stephen Deninger ("Damsel with a Derringer"), Nick Spain ("Duck Behind that Eight-Ball!"), and countless others. There's even one by Abraham Lincoln, "The Trailor Murder Mystery," which appeared in 1843. Prison breakouts, grand larceny, trying to solve these tricky cases will be a treat for all mystery fans.
576 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1993
13 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Martin H. Greenberg
910 books162 followersMartin Harry Greenberg was an American academic and speculative fiction anthologist. In all, he compiled 1,298 anthologies and commissioned over 8,200 original short stories. He founded Tekno Books, a packager of more than 2000 published books. In addition, he was a co-founder of the Sci-Fi Channel.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
For the 1950s anthologist and publisher of Gnome Press, see Martin Greenberg.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 28, 2020
Couldn't finish this one. The stories were as short as one page, the authors were unknown, the stories were as if they had formerly been a few paragraphs from a larger story, etc. Not for me.
October 30, 2020
There are so many stories in this book I do not know if I read them all. It was fun to just pick up and read for ten or fifteen minutes a story, sit back and think about what happened in it, and read the next one. The pause to think is important because the stories are so good you want to savor the situation, the conclusion, the characters, etc. Some of the stories were a bit confusing, but not so much that you had to reread them to understand what happened, but just enough to make you ponder the story more to make sure you got it right.
I would comment on all the stories, but the number makes that unmanageable. The quality of the stories is superb. Every story has you rooting for the hero and you, sort of, know that the hero will really win through, either killing the bad guys or finding the killer or robber. The oddest author is Abraham Lincoln. The oddest placement is “Anchor the Stiff,” page 27, which is way before the story “A Friend of Davy Jones,'” page 218. The arrangement of stories is alphabetical (Anchor is before Friend), but these two stories the second, in the character's time line, should be first. Of course, there a numerous Sherlock Holmes stories or knock offs (Shamrock Jones, Thinlock Bones, etc.). The oddest, and one of the confusing stories I mentioned, is “The Stolen Cigar-Case” by Bret Harte(!!?? did he not write westerns), with Hemlock Jones of Brooks Street, as the detective. It makes some fun of the power of deduction and what not that is Sherlock Holmes' peculiar penchant, but in the end you realize that it was all true and you have to stop to reread the ending to realize Mr. Jones was right in his deductions.
There were times when I would pick a story out to read and realize that I had read it once or even twice before, but that was okay, because they were really interesting and worth reading again to find the killer and they are not long stories to read.
I would comment on all the stories, but the number makes that unmanageable. The quality of the stories is superb. Every story has you rooting for the hero and you, sort of, know that the hero will really win through, either killing the bad guys or finding the killer or robber. The oddest author is Abraham Lincoln. The oddest placement is “Anchor the Stiff,” page 27, which is way before the story “A Friend of Davy Jones,'” page 218. The arrangement of stories is alphabetical (Anchor is before Friend), but these two stories the second, in the character's time line, should be first. Of course, there a numerous Sherlock Holmes stories or knock offs (Shamrock Jones, Thinlock Bones, etc.). The oddest, and one of the confusing stories I mentioned, is “The Stolen Cigar-Case” by Bret Harte(!!?? did he not write westerns), with Hemlock Jones of Brooks Street, as the detective. It makes some fun of the power of deduction and what not that is Sherlock Holmes' peculiar penchant, but in the end you realize that it was all true and you have to stop to reread the ending to realize Mr. Jones was right in his deductions.
There were times when I would pick a story out to read and realize that I had read it once or even twice before, but that was okay, because they were really interesting and worth reading again to find the killer and they are not long stories to read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 21, 2016
A collection of short--often very short--stories by a variety of authors, all on the detective theme. Many of the stories were originally published in newsstand detective publications: Ellery Queen, Mike Shayne, Alfred Hitchcock and others, though some come from other sources.The quality ranges from very good to How Did This Get Published?
Several well-known writers are included in this collection: Charles Dickens, Bret Harte, O'Henry, JM Barrie, and even Abraham Lincoln. Keep in mind that none of the above became famous for their detective fiction. There are several Sherlock Holmes spoofs, one of them by Barrie and dedicated to his friend Arthur Conan Doyle. The short story by Lincoln is of historical interest. It is a summary of a case which he tried during his career as a lawyer. Apparently it was not altogether uncommon for practicing attorneys in that era to publish slightly fictionalized versions of their own cases, sometimes to make some extra money, sometimes to paint themselves in a favorable light. Lincoln's story is an interesting and straightforward account of a missing man and a suspicion of a murder plot which almost led to the wrongful sentencing of an innocent man. Lincoln himself does not appear as a character in the story, but it's fascinating to see our future President choosing a story which defends the underdog.
The collection was a good source of late-night insomnia reading, and I can recommend it in that role, but not as an absorbing book that you won't be able to put down.
Several well-known writers are included in this collection: Charles Dickens, Bret Harte, O'Henry, JM Barrie, and even Abraham Lincoln. Keep in mind that none of the above became famous for their detective fiction. There are several Sherlock Holmes spoofs, one of them by Barrie and dedicated to his friend Arthur Conan Doyle. The short story by Lincoln is of historical interest. It is a summary of a case which he tried during his career as a lawyer. Apparently it was not altogether uncommon for practicing attorneys in that era to publish slightly fictionalized versions of their own cases, sometimes to make some extra money, sometimes to paint themselves in a favorable light. Lincoln's story is an interesting and straightforward account of a missing man and a suspicion of a murder plot which almost led to the wrongful sentencing of an innocent man. Lincoln himself does not appear as a character in the story, but it's fascinating to see our future President choosing a story which defends the underdog.
The collection was a good source of late-night insomnia reading, and I can recommend it in that role, but not as an absorbing book that you won't be able to put down.
November 4, 2020
Words like dastardly and scalawag can only spell trouble, albeit of the Daffy Duck and Dick Dastardly brand of mischief, which borders on the endearing. Which is what attracted me to this book, it foretells of shenanigans by Sam Spades-on-steroids; 100 Little Detective Stories wouldn't have cut it. Unfortunately, endearing is what this book would have been to me, had there been less stories to sift through. I feel shortchanged--it took me over two weeks to finish this book, but out of a hundred contributions, I only enjoyed some 9 or 10 stories. And none of them were even O. Henry's*, who happens to be one of my favorite short story writers.
* That includes The Clarion Call, which Mama and I watched on YouTube, part of a 5-story piece of O. Henry's, titled Full House. That was a serendipitous find, and I recall exclaiming "hey--I just read that!" when story number two's title flashed on the screen, together with a portion of the story's first paragraph.
* That includes The Clarion Call, which Mama and I watched on YouTube, part of a 5-story piece of O. Henry's, titled Full House. That was a serendipitous find, and I recall exclaiming "hey--I just read that!" when story number two's title flashed on the screen, together with a portion of the story's first paragraph.
February 16, 2020
An eclectic mix of stories. You never know if you are reading American noir or something from the Golden Age. There are perhaps too many Sherlock Holmes spoofs that aren’t particularly funny, but generally this is a pretty entertaining collection. Bedtime reading, a couple of stories at a time.
February 10, 2020
Interest read. Some stories are more enjoyable to read then others
June 14, 2021
Interesting read for some of the stories but not all. Pick and choose it’s a cover to cover read.
May 28, 2024
100 Dastardly Little Detective Tales compiled by Robert H. Weinberg and Stefan R. Dziemianowicz has been on my bookshelf for a very long time. A very VERY long time. Finishing this book was a huge accomplishment towards reading all my books.
100 detective tales of varying degrees of clever, interesting, gruesome, and intruige by dozens of different writers, including Abraham Lincoln. A couple were just weird.
Also, editor definately messed up a little by displaying 2 stories by the same author, but they were definitely out of order and it threw me for a loop.
100 detective tales of varying degrees of clever, interesting, gruesome, and intruige by dozens of different writers, including Abraham Lincoln. A couple were just weird.
Also, editor definately messed up a little by displaying 2 stories by the same author, but they were definitely out of order and it threw me for a loop.
September 29, 2013
Robert Weinberg is the author of more than twenty-five books, many of them dealing with science and pop culture, and Stefan Dziemianowicz is an independent scholar and writer and expert on pulp fiction. Together they teamed up with the late Martin H. Greenberg to edit 100 Dastardly Little Detective Stories, part of the "100" series published by Barnes and Noble in the 1990s and reprinted about ten years later.
The stories selected for this anthology run the gamut from the classics, by O. Henry ("The Mystery of the Rue de Peychaud"), Charles Dickens ("An Artful Touch"), Bret Harte ("The Stolen Cigar-Case"), and Jack London ("The Leopard Man's Story") to more modern practitioners such Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini. Writing styles cover most of the bases, from hard-boiled to the more Sherlockian-thoughtful detectives.
As with most anthologies, there are a few hits and a few misses, but this particular grouping is interesting due to the inclusion of those classic authors who aren't always associated with detective writing, as well as many unknowns. There's also a contribution from none other than Abraham Lincoln, "The Trailor Murder Mystery," which first appeared on the front page of the Quincy Whig in 1843. Coming in at 576 pages, this anthology isn't exactly "light" reading in weight, but there are plenty of gems that will make for an entertaining, quick, read.
The stories selected for this anthology run the gamut from the classics, by O. Henry ("The Mystery of the Rue de Peychaud"), Charles Dickens ("An Artful Touch"), Bret Harte ("The Stolen Cigar-Case"), and Jack London ("The Leopard Man's Story") to more modern practitioners such Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini. Writing styles cover most of the bases, from hard-boiled to the more Sherlockian-thoughtful detectives.
As with most anthologies, there are a few hits and a few misses, but this particular grouping is interesting due to the inclusion of those classic authors who aren't always associated with detective writing, as well as many unknowns. There's also a contribution from none other than Abraham Lincoln, "The Trailor Murder Mystery," which first appeared on the front page of the Quincy Whig in 1843. Coming in at 576 pages, this anthology isn't exactly "light" reading in weight, but there are plenty of gems that will make for an entertaining, quick, read.
August 30, 2011
This book is great for those that want to try the "detective/mystery" genre without having to commit to anything right away. Broken up in chunks, it's not bad, but some stories are a little "long winded" so gems are every other story, but please don't let that stop you from reading this book. Great to read for those "lazy" Saturday afternoons.
November 20, 2011
I read these a few stories at a time, in between other books. Each was a fun break before starting the next long read.
I always enjoy collections. They give me something from my stand-by favorites and introduce me to new or previously unknown (by me) talent.
Thus my To-Read shelf is bowing in the middle!!!
I always enjoy collections. They give me something from my stand-by favorites and introduce me to new or previously unknown (by me) talent.
Thus my To-Read shelf is bowing in the middle!!!
April 10, 2013
an excellent collection of many good stories
June 9, 2013
Some stories were good, some were confusing, and others I just didn't like.
October 17, 2013
A bunch of short stories, variety of ratings per story but overall deserving an average 3 stars. There were several good stories, a handful of exemplary ones as well as duds.
July 16, 2014
as usual with short detective stories ... some are good and some are not
June 12, 2017
I enjoyed the mixture of these stories. Many by well- known authors. A great book to dip into if you have a quiet moment.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews