The Best American Mystery Stories 2002

by James Ellroy

Book Overview

Since its inception in 1915, the Best American series has become the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction. For each volume, a series editor reads pieces from hundreds of periodicals, then selects between fifty and a hundred outstanding works. That selection is pared down to the twenty or so very best pieces by a guest editor who is widely recognized as a leading writer in his or her field. This unique system...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0618124934
• ISBN13: 9780618124930
• Release Date: October 2002
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
• Length: 432 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Return of an Annual Classic

"Best American Mystery Stories 2002" is the latest volume in what has become a very fine and enjoyable series. Given that it is so difficult to find magazines featuring short stories these days, it's nice to have the best culled out and placed in one volume. James Ellroy of "American Tabloid" and "L.A. Confidential" fame is the guest editor this year, which may explain why this year's model is a touch more hard-boiled that the 2001 edition. Additionally, it should be noted that the 2002 collection also contains several boxing and baseball stories because series editor Otto Penzler put together theme anthologies for both sports in the last year.That said, the stories in the 2002 collection run the gamut from literary to whodunnits? to crime stories. How you like each one will probably depend on your tastes as a reader. All are expertly written by the best mystery writers working in the genre today. My personal favorites are Thomas J. Cook's boxing story "The Fix," Clark Howard's grim caper story "The Cobalt Blues," and Stuart M. Kaminisky's gritty crime saga "Sometimes Something Goes Wrong." Some of the stories didn't work for me, particularly the literary stories, but that's mostly a matter of personal taste. The short story, particularly the mystery short story, is a disappearing art form. "Best American Mystery Stories 2002" is doing its part to keep it alive and well.