Meurtres à Manhattan

by Mary Higgins Clark

This suspense-filled collection includes Mary Higgins Clark's "Lucky Day," Whitley Strieber's "Vaudeville," Dorothy Salisbury Davis' "Till Death Do Us Part," and Thomas Chastain's "Directed Verdict." 4 cassettes.

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, New York, Mystery Thriller

480 pages, Pocket Book

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

The #1 New York Times bestselling author Mary Higgins Clark has written thirty-eight suspense novels, four collections of short stories, a his­torical novel, a memoir, and two children’s books. With bestselling author Alafair Burke she wrote the Under Suspicion series. With her daughter Carol Higgins Clark, she has coauthored five more suspense novels. Her sister-in-law is the also author Mary Jane Clark.

Clark’s books have sold more than 100 million copies in the United States alone. Her books are beloved around the world and made her an international bestseller many times over.

Reviews

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's been a while since I read this book, I actually didn't finish it. I read the first few stories in the book, and only one was actually good, but the further into the book - the stories became worse. I just couldn't finish the last 2 or 3 stories, they were just strange and hard to read for me.

[Mark Oppenlander · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a high concept book. Sometime in the 1980's a group of eight well-known mystery writers decided (or were convinced) to each write a short story based on a murder in the borough of Manhattan, New York City. The stories were then collected in one themed volume, Murder in Manhattan. I am accepting that all of these writers were well-known; I only recognized one name from the list, that of Mary Higgins Clark.

The stories have no other cohesion than the general location. None of the characters or settings overlap, nor are they even set in the same time period. The tone and style of each story is unique, leading to some rapid shifting of gears as the reader moves from one tale to the next. The first story, "Directed Verdict," plays out in a cold, procedural fashion like a hard-boiled cop show. A later piece, "Bird Brain," feels like a surrealistic psycho-sexual thriller, with a woman drawn into a strange artist's predatory net. In "The Last Dream," a psychotherapist plays detective, while "An Element of Surprise" is told in first person by a hitman playing cat and mouse with his protege. It's an crazy-quilt collection, and the results are extremely uneven. Overall, I found the collection disappointing and a little dull.

Interestingly, the best story here is by the one author whose name I recognized. Clark's "Lucky Day" tells the story of a husband and wife and the down-and-out man whom they have befriended. Clark takes her readers down a clear, but ultimately misleading path, only to be faced with a clever reversal at the end. It's everything I enjoy in a short story - well-drawn characters, suspense,clever plotting, and a twist. If you read one story in this book, make it that one. The rest can be skipped without missing much.

[Miloni (Spaces and Solaces) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written & set in olden times, I say olden times, but I really mean the 80’s, this book is a combination of multiple talented authors combining their love for mystery, murder and mayhem along with the love of New York City to give us this highly unique concept book.
If you love noir murder mysteries like Knives Out this book is for you. There are 8 chapters in all, each written by a different author and each set in a different borough of New York City.
I probably had one of the most interesting experiences reading this book! Every chapter you read has a different voice to it, a different feel and some of those were a hit but some misses too.
The feeling of unexpectedness that flows from the differences in prose & plot is what gripped me rather than the actual mystery.
Actually, I’ll go a step further & say that the mysteries were all rather basic – the atmosphere though was very fitting for a story to be set in that era & solved according to the rules & limitations followed culturally and procedurally.
The main selling point of this book is the fact that it’s written by 8 especially talented mystery writers during the 80’s & it also plays into the drawback of it not being modern, fast, or intense considering the books we have now.

[Vicki Gooding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eight authors, 8 separate mysteries, one a piece from the Manhattan area. Most authors are very good. Two are good but lagged a little. Even then this book is a treasure. Mary Higgins Clark is the author of the 2nd story a Lucky Day, and was my favorite. However; there's a few more that held my attention equally.

[Seema Dubey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okayish. No heart thumping thrills or mind boggling suspense, but interesting premises neverthless. One doesn't mind reading the book that contains 4 novellas by different authors:

1. Mary Higgins Clark's "Lucky Day,"
2. Whitley Strieber's "Vaudeville,"
3. Dorothy Salisbury Davis' "Till Death Do Us Part," and
4. Thomas Chastain's "Directed Verdict."

[Dee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this one. It was short stories, all set in Manhattan, different timeframes. Some were ok, not all of them were my cup of tea.

[et.lis · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was my first time to read a book with short stories. I don't read suspense thriller books so I figured short stories would be a good introduction or trying out phase.

This book has a few different takes on that genre which I appreciated but some stories I couldn't get with.

[Yaël · Rating 1 out of 5]

Je n'ai pas accroché. J'ai eu beaucoup de mal a le finir.

[Jordan Kinsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read the MHC story, which has a shocking twist at the end in the style of O. Henry.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good set of short stories with murder and mystery as main focus.

[Ann Stoudt]

A panel of eight mystery writers presents suspenseful and humorous mysteries set in Manhattan and peopled by a varied cast of homicidal characters

[C-shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was okay, useful for long-term, late-night reading in bed before going to sleep. None of the stories or authors were truly outstanding though.

The only selection I had for this book was the audio cassette edition, but what I have is a hardback book which I have owned for a long time.

[Karo-Lynn Michaud · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un recueil de plusieurs nouvelles, chacune d'un auteur (établi) dont le point commun est que le crime se déroule à Manhattan. J'ai beaucoup aimé même si le niveau varie grandement d'un auteur a l'autre. Un divertissement efficace.

[Flaminia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great exploration of Manhattan and its inhabitants. Some of the stories are extremely vivid and well written, others are not as good. Overall, a good book to read.

[Diana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1986, a collection of murder mysteries by well known mystery writers. The stories take place in various well known sections of the city. An entertaining summer read.

[Léa Colin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recueil de petites histoires, dommage qu’il n’y en ait pas plus !