What do you think?
Rate this book
The Best American Mystery Stories 2001
Best-selling author Lawrence Block is one of the mystery genre’s most prolific authors, with more than fifty books to his name, including Hit List, published in 2000. Block’s selections for The Best American Mystery Stories 2001 include stories by such luminaries as Joyce Carol Oates, T. Jefferson Parker, Russell Banks, and Peter Robinson.
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
8 people are currently reading
182 people want to read
About the author
Lawrence Block
757 books3,003 followersLawrence Block has been writing crime, mystery, and suspense fiction for more than half a century. He has published in excess (oh, wretched excess!) of 100 books, and no end of short stories.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Born in Buffalo, N.Y., LB attended Antioch College, but left before completing his studies; school authorities advised him that they felt he’d be happier elsewhere, and he thought this was remarkably perceptive of them.
His earliest work, published pseudonymously in the late 1950s, was mostly in the field of midcentury erotica, an apprenticeship he shared with Donald E. Westlake and Robert Silverberg. The first time Lawrence Block’s name appeared in print was when his short story “You Can’t Lose” was published in the February 1958 issue of Manhunt. The first book published under his own name was Mona (1961); it was reissued several times over the years, once as Sweet Slow Death. In 2005 it became the first offering from Hard Case Crime, and bore for the first time LB’s original title, Grifter’s Game.
LB is best known for his series characters, including cop-turned-private investigator Matthew Scudder, gentleman burglar Bernie Rhodenbarr, globe-trotting insomniac Evan Tanner, and introspective assassin Keller.
Because one name is never enough, LB has also published under pseudonyms including Jill Emerson, John Warren Wells, Lesley Evans, and Anne Campbell Clarke.
LB’s magazine appearances include American Heritage, Redbook, Playboy, Linn’s Stamp News, Cosmopolitan, GQ, and The New York Times. His monthly instructional column ran in Writer’s Digest for 14 years, and led to a string of books for writers, including the classics Telling Lies for Fun & Profit and The Liar’s Bible. He has also written episodic television (Tilt!) and the Wong Kar-wai film, My Blueberry Nights.
Several of LB’s books have been filmed. The latest, A Walk Among the Tombstones, stars Liam Neeson as Matthew Scudder and is scheduled for release in September, 2014.
LB is a Grand Master of Mystery Writers of America, and a past president of MWA and the Private Eye Writers of America. He has won the Edgar and Shamus awards four times each, and the Japanese Maltese Falcon award twice, as well as the Nero Wolfe and Philip Marlowe awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Private Eye Writers of America, and the Diamond Dagger for Life Achievement from the Crime Writers Association (UK). He’s also been honored with the Gumshoe Lifetime Achievement Award from Mystery Ink magazine and the Edward D. Hoch Memorial Golden Derringer for Lifetime Achievement in the short story. In France, he has been proclaimed a Grand Maitre du Roman Noir and has twice been awarded the Societe 813 trophy. He has been a guest of honor at Bouchercon and at book fairs and mystery festivals in France, Germany, Australia, Italy, New Zealand, Spain and Taiwan. As if that were not enough, he was also presented with the key to the city of Muncie, Indiana. (But as soon as he left, they changed the locks.)
LB and his wife Lynne are enthusiastic New Yorkers and relentless world travelers; the two are members of the Travelers Century Club, and have visited around 160 countries.
He is a modest and humble fellow, although you would never guess as much from this biographical note.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
May 16, 2012
The audiobook had less stories than the print version.
There are two really well written good stories in here. These two are also my first tasters of these two authors works, one being the recently passed away great writer William Gay and the other of the female writer Joyce Carol Oates. Definitely worth buying this collection just to read those two. Peter Robinson's' story is also good and a first of his to read. Lawrence block provides a nice introduction and explains that he selected these from a 100 that the editor selected to choose from.
Its a delight to hear a good short snippet of mystery and thriller read out loud by an author.
The Paperhanger by William Gay
"The vanishing of the Doctors wife's child in broad daylight was an event so cataclysmic that it forever divided time into the then and the now, the before and the after."
What an opening and indeed it's a story of a missing young daughter and a Paperhanger that was working in the home during the day. The doctors wife who finds the Paperhanger as scum and trash really is hiding a deeper attraction of opposites. The search for her has declined later on in time he's in aid of helping her to find her daughters body, more shocking truths come to light about the Paperhanger. Outstanding story memorable in many ways. Wonderful prose, words chosen so splendid and descriptive. William Gay an author who probably had some much more stories to write sadly passed away. Talent leaves this earth in hundreds.
An Interview with William Gay: http://litreactor.com/interviews/an-interview-with-william-gay
Interview with: WILLIAM GAY Interview by: KNOWLES Adkisson: http://www.oxfordamerican.org/interviews/2009/nov/04/featured-writer-month/
Celebrating William Gay’s work and life – a 2007 interview By GrIFT Magazine @ Grift magazine website
Also a video interview by The Oxford American Literary Project with William Gay @ more2read
There are two really well written good stories in here. These two are also my first tasters of these two authors works, one being the recently passed away great writer William Gay and the other of the female writer Joyce Carol Oates. Definitely worth buying this collection just to read those two. Peter Robinson's' story is also good and a first of his to read. Lawrence block provides a nice introduction and explains that he selected these from a 100 that the editor selected to choose from.
Its a delight to hear a good short snippet of mystery and thriller read out loud by an author.
The Paperhanger by William Gay
"The vanishing of the Doctors wife's child in broad daylight was an event so cataclysmic that it forever divided time into the then and the now, the before and the after."
What an opening and indeed it's a story of a missing young daughter and a Paperhanger that was working in the home during the day. The doctors wife who finds the Paperhanger as scum and trash really is hiding a deeper attraction of opposites. The search for her has declined later on in time he's in aid of helping her to find her daughters body, more shocking truths come to light about the Paperhanger. Outstanding story memorable in many ways. Wonderful prose, words chosen so splendid and descriptive. William Gay an author who probably had some much more stories to write sadly passed away. Talent leaves this earth in hundreds.
An Interview with William Gay: http://litreactor.com/interviews/an-interview-with-william-gay
Interview with: WILLIAM GAY Interview by: KNOWLES Adkisson: http://www.oxfordamerican.org/interviews/2009/nov/04/featured-writer-month/
Celebrating William Gay’s work and life – a 2007 interview By GrIFT Magazine @ Grift magazine website
Also a video interview by The Oxford American Literary Project with William Gay @ more2read
January 15, 2018
Though I wouldn't consider most of these mysteries, I enjoyed a large percentage of the collection. Of course, a few stand out from the rest but I didn't find myself wanting to skip through any stories, save for one. I'm glad I picked this up, but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for when I started it on Halloween night (probably should've started House of Leaves.
Either way, collections are these are great for discovering new authors to read.
Either way, collections are these are great for discovering new authors to read.
October 28, 2010
A few were good, most were hard for me to see as mysteries.
September 23, 2018
Every bestselling crime novelist must eventually take his or her turn in the hot seat as guest editor of the Best American Mystery Stories series. Lawrence Block did his tour of duty in the 2001 edition.
“Things That Make Your Heart Beat Faster” by Jennifer Anderson – A rookie police officer tries to prove herself in a small rich Napa Valley town while tracking a rapist. This literary story is slow-paced and lacks focus at times, but I enjoyed its strong sense of character and place.
“Carnie” by David Means—A carnival worker attacks a young girl, and her father blames himself. This story was long on introspection but too short on plot and characterization.
“Big Ranch” by John Salter – A young Native American woman is held for many years as a sex save in an old logging camp, until the day one of her johns gets killed. This is a nasty jolt of noir, something Joe R. Lansdale might have written.
“Lobster Night” by Russell Banks – Sexual tension runs high between a waitress and a restaurant owner on the night he shoots a bear in front of his customers. Nuanced character relationships, but I kept getting the feeling the author did not really understand hunting culture.
“Prison Food” by Michael Downs – A prison cook prepares the last meal for a death-row inmate, while pondering whether her angry teenage son might be going down the same path to lawlessness. A surprisingly literary story about how violence can brim just below the surface of everyday life.
“In the Zone” by Leslie Edgerton – An inmate relates two first-hand accounts of stabbings. The first occurred outside prison-- “on the bricks”, he calls it--and involved two women he was dating at the same time. The second was a revenge stabbing in the prison library. The main character was interesting and had an authentic ring to his dialog, but I kept expecting the two stories to relate to each other in some way, and they never did.
“The Paperhanger” by William Gay – A small child vanishes in a houseful of people, and the repercussions reverberate through the years for everyone involved. A dark and masterful story where every detail adds to the atmosphere of this “gothic fairy tale”.
“A Book of Kells” by Jeremiah Healy – A private investigator looks into the disappearance of a valuable book. I found the mystery a little clumsy, and the ending saccharine. The best thing about the story is it got me excited to see the real Book of Kells when I go to Dublin next month.
“Erie’s Last Day” by Steve Hockensmith – A police officer decides to reopen one of his cold cases the day before he retires. A very solid story. I appreciate that Erie did not simply find loose, missed clues lying around. The story makes it clear what circumstances had changed and why the murder could not have been solved earlier.
“Blood Sport” by Thomas Lynch – A funeral home director reflects on a young woman he once fancied and the unfolding tragedy of her life as he prepares her corpse for burial. While this story featured strong writing at times, I got annoyed because the antagonist was (once again) a hunter; the short slide from killing animals to humans seems to be an accepted literary cliché. Also (once again) the author displays little knowledge of hunting culture. For example, I have never met any wild game hunter who shoots to maim before taking a kill shot.
“Under Suspicion” by Clark Howard – A police officer investigates the murder of his partner’s daughter. The characters are compelling, the author nails the requisite gritty cop-noir tone, the narrative is interesting if a bit clichéd. Unfortunately, a twist ending comes out of nowhere and causes the entire tale to hinge upon a contrived coincidence.
“Her Hollywood” by Michael Hyde – After her mother runs off, a 12-year old girl becomes obsessed with reenacting the murder of an older high school girl. This story bothered me, maybe because it oversexualized the pre-teen girl to a degree that felt exploitive.
“Family” by Dan Leone – A man decides to visit his brother whom he has not spoken to in ten years, only to find a very desirable wife alone in the bathtub. This story is funny with dark undercurrents of violence and disloyalty. It kept me guessing until the last paragraph. Well done!
“Push Comes to Shove” by Nathan Walpow – A wrestler whose only job is to lose every fight begins to suspect one of his colleagues is murdering people in the ring. This story has some structural problems—we never learn why Thumper is killing his victims—but this glimpse into the murky, closed-off world of professional wrestling is still entertaining.
“Tides” by Kent Nelson – A plodding story about a drawbridge operator who holes up in his pillbox with a rifle and will let neither cars nor boats pass. Includes an underwhelming backstory to explain his motivations.
“Easy Street” by T. Jefferson Parker—A federal agent on the trail of a bank robber gets entangled in the personal life of his older brother, a police officer with a gambling problem and a free-spirited girlfriend. The author remarkably develops a novel’s worth of emotion and depth in this short story.
“The Big Bite” by Bill Pronzini—An effective noir tale about a private eye whose client is being blackmailed for a crime he committed as a teenager. Part of the author’s Nameless Detective series.
“The Girl with the Blackened Eye” by Joyce Carol Oates –A 15-year old girl is abducted, raped, beaten, and tortured. She is so broken she cannot even attempt to escape, she enables her attacker when he hurts others, and years later she represses memories of what happened. Brutal and relentless.
“The Face-Lift” by Roxana Robinson—In this story, a woman is the target of an attempted kidnapping, related through the viewpoint of her lifelong childhood friend. What makes it interesting is the juxtaposition of the two women, one of whom is a lifelong rule-follower and the other a born rebel.
“Missing in Action” by Peter Robinson – A WWI vet searches for a missing 9-year old boy on the eve of the first London air raids in 1939. This story has a firm sense of place and history, but it is undone by slow writing and several story clichés.
“Things That Make Your Heart Beat Faster” by Jennifer Anderson – A rookie police officer tries to prove herself in a small rich Napa Valley town while tracking a rapist. This literary story is slow-paced and lacks focus at times, but I enjoyed its strong sense of character and place.
“Carnie” by David Means—A carnival worker attacks a young girl, and her father blames himself. This story was long on introspection but too short on plot and characterization.
“Big Ranch” by John Salter – A young Native American woman is held for many years as a sex save in an old logging camp, until the day one of her johns gets killed. This is a nasty jolt of noir, something Joe R. Lansdale might have written.
“Lobster Night” by Russell Banks – Sexual tension runs high between a waitress and a restaurant owner on the night he shoots a bear in front of his customers. Nuanced character relationships, but I kept getting the feeling the author did not really understand hunting culture.
“Prison Food” by Michael Downs – A prison cook prepares the last meal for a death-row inmate, while pondering whether her angry teenage son might be going down the same path to lawlessness. A surprisingly literary story about how violence can brim just below the surface of everyday life.
“In the Zone” by Leslie Edgerton – An inmate relates two first-hand accounts of stabbings. The first occurred outside prison-- “on the bricks”, he calls it--and involved two women he was dating at the same time. The second was a revenge stabbing in the prison library. The main character was interesting and had an authentic ring to his dialog, but I kept expecting the two stories to relate to each other in some way, and they never did.
“The Paperhanger” by William Gay – A small child vanishes in a houseful of people, and the repercussions reverberate through the years for everyone involved. A dark and masterful story where every detail adds to the atmosphere of this “gothic fairy tale”.
“A Book of Kells” by Jeremiah Healy – A private investigator looks into the disappearance of a valuable book. I found the mystery a little clumsy, and the ending saccharine. The best thing about the story is it got me excited to see the real Book of Kells when I go to Dublin next month.
“Erie’s Last Day” by Steve Hockensmith – A police officer decides to reopen one of his cold cases the day before he retires. A very solid story. I appreciate that Erie did not simply find loose, missed clues lying around. The story makes it clear what circumstances had changed and why the murder could not have been solved earlier.
“Blood Sport” by Thomas Lynch – A funeral home director reflects on a young woman he once fancied and the unfolding tragedy of her life as he prepares her corpse for burial. While this story featured strong writing at times, I got annoyed because the antagonist was (once again) a hunter; the short slide from killing animals to humans seems to be an accepted literary cliché. Also (once again) the author displays little knowledge of hunting culture. For example, I have never met any wild game hunter who shoots to maim before taking a kill shot.
“Under Suspicion” by Clark Howard – A police officer investigates the murder of his partner’s daughter. The characters are compelling, the author nails the requisite gritty cop-noir tone, the narrative is interesting if a bit clichéd. Unfortunately, a twist ending comes out of nowhere and causes the entire tale to hinge upon a contrived coincidence.
“Her Hollywood” by Michael Hyde – After her mother runs off, a 12-year old girl becomes obsessed with reenacting the murder of an older high school girl. This story bothered me, maybe because it oversexualized the pre-teen girl to a degree that felt exploitive.
“Family” by Dan Leone – A man decides to visit his brother whom he has not spoken to in ten years, only to find a very desirable wife alone in the bathtub. This story is funny with dark undercurrents of violence and disloyalty. It kept me guessing until the last paragraph. Well done!
“Push Comes to Shove” by Nathan Walpow – A wrestler whose only job is to lose every fight begins to suspect one of his colleagues is murdering people in the ring. This story has some structural problems—we never learn why Thumper is killing his victims—but this glimpse into the murky, closed-off world of professional wrestling is still entertaining.
“Tides” by Kent Nelson – A plodding story about a drawbridge operator who holes up in his pillbox with a rifle and will let neither cars nor boats pass. Includes an underwhelming backstory to explain his motivations.
“Easy Street” by T. Jefferson Parker—A federal agent on the trail of a bank robber gets entangled in the personal life of his older brother, a police officer with a gambling problem and a free-spirited girlfriend. The author remarkably develops a novel’s worth of emotion and depth in this short story.
“The Big Bite” by Bill Pronzini—An effective noir tale about a private eye whose client is being blackmailed for a crime he committed as a teenager. Part of the author’s Nameless Detective series.
“The Girl with the Blackened Eye” by Joyce Carol Oates –A 15-year old girl is abducted, raped, beaten, and tortured. She is so broken she cannot even attempt to escape, she enables her attacker when he hurts others, and years later she represses memories of what happened. Brutal and relentless.
“The Face-Lift” by Roxana Robinson—In this story, a woman is the target of an attempted kidnapping, related through the viewpoint of her lifelong childhood friend. What makes it interesting is the juxtaposition of the two women, one of whom is a lifelong rule-follower and the other a born rebel.
“Missing in Action” by Peter Robinson – A WWI vet searches for a missing 9-year old boy on the eve of the first London air raids in 1939. This story has a firm sense of place and history, but it is undone by slow writing and several story clichés.
January 16, 2019
Similar to other volumes in this series, it's got a few sterling moments. There are also some stories that leave me wondering, "best of...what"? That's not to say that any of the writing isn't credible. It's all technically sound, but there are a few stories that leave me scratching my head.
Best of the volume:
Joyce Carol Oates “The Girl with the Blackened Eye”
This was terribly violent and bound in sadness, but there was this little thread of "it" that ran through the tale. Author really captured what "it" is that allows people to survive a horror like this.
Russel Banks, "Lobster Night"
Pure elegance.
“Erie’s Last Day” by Steve Hockensmith
I liked this as a story about a cop's sense of duty. Something has to elevate the procedural and the fact that it's the main character's last day works for me.
William Gay, "Paper Hanger"
This is the story that will stay with me. There is something so death defying in the characters that it's execution is a little breathless.
Best of the volume:
Joyce Carol Oates “The Girl with the Blackened Eye”
This was terribly violent and bound in sadness, but there was this little thread of "it" that ran through the tale. Author really captured what "it" is that allows people to survive a horror like this.
Russel Banks, "Lobster Night"
Pure elegance.
“Erie’s Last Day” by Steve Hockensmith
I liked this as a story about a cop's sense of duty. Something has to elevate the procedural and the fact that it's the main character's last day works for me.
William Gay, "Paper Hanger"
This is the story that will stay with me. There is something so death defying in the characters that it's execution is a little breathless.
November 5, 2023
A mixed bag, some of these short stories were better than others. Overall, I think the quality of writing was good, some of the endings not so much. Maybe this isn't my genre. I expected to like this better than I did.
August 20, 2025
Like previous reviews, a lot of these stories aren't what id consider mysteries. And while that's pretty much the only genre I read i really enjoyed most of them. "The Paper Hanger" was probably my favorite!
April 25, 2021
About half of the stories in the book are not really "mysteries"... They are dark and intriguing, but there's nothing particularly mysterious about them. Some of them are excellent.
April 19, 2011
A good collection, although "mystery stories" is rather a misnomer. Only a few of these can be considered actual mysteries; most are crime fiction, loosely defined. In fact, the mystery stories are among the weakest in the collection. Standouts for me are by William Gay (a spooky story about a missing child and house that is never finished), Michael Hyde (a psychological exploration of an unhappy teenager who becomes fascinated by a murdered girl), Thomas Lynch (about a mortician recalling the life of a murder victim), Joyce Carol Oates (about a girl abducted by a brutal psychopathic killer who has to live with the memory of what happened to her), John Salter (another creepy story about an abducted woman), and Nathan Walpow (about a professional wrestler at the lower end of the circuit).
January 4, 2008
Come December, I head for Vrooman's and look for the latest installment in the series. Every year's collection is put together by publisher Otto Penzler and new guest editor (Lawrence Block, in this case). Some years are better than others, but none are dogs. These are great books to bring along while traveling — because they're easier to put down.
September 17, 2012
One of a tremendous series that features short mystery fiction from popular magazines and crime selections from the best literary journals, none of the Best American Mysteries stories anthologies have disappointed me. This one is my favorite, though. If you have a chance to look at this book, check out "Her Hollywood" by Michael Hydey. A very powerful story.
March 6, 2017
Short stories are wonderful because they are only a few pages long. I had this book on my bedstead and I would read one story a night before going to bed. The mysteries were always resolved before I turned out the lights.
February 2, 2017
I decided that I missed out on a lot of mysteries in the early 2000's, since I was finishing up college back then. Turns out, it was a perfect time in history not to be reading mysteries, judging by these best mysteries of the year.
April 14, 2011
I think this one might be the best collection I have read to date. I have no plans to read them all but I'm glad I read this one.
May 8, 2012
Some of the stories were good, but I didn't find enough to keep my interest, especially with another 60 or so books waiting to be read.
April 13, 2017
As with any anthology, not every story was a good one for me. These are stories that appeared in various magazines, including Ellory Queen and Joyce Carol Oates collections. There are a few that were extremely well done, several that felt like they needed work and one that was a delicious surprise and shock.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews