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In today's society, there is an anthology for just about every publishing genre -- romance, cats, dogs, inspirational and children's anthologies to name a few. The mystery field of course has its own share as well. There are the Sisters in Crime anthologies, as well as holiday murder, cozy and just about any other type imaginable. Some of these are well-written and others can be less than satisfying to a discriminating reader. While there have been anthologies of British mysteries before, THE BEST BRITISH MYSTERIES is truly one of the best collections of modern British authors. It is a remarkable collection of short stories and includes a least one mystery that will appeal to everyone. It contains historical mysteries, cozy mysteries, police procedurals, and then even one or two stories that are not truly mysteries; yet, do demonstrate the multifaceted talent of mystery authors. Admittedly there are a couple of stories that are slightly disappointing and simply not as well-written as the others; yet, almost every anthology contains one or two such stories. THE BEST BRITISH MYSTERIES feature short stories by well-known authors such as Ian Rankin, Simon Brett, Anne Perry, Peter Robinson, Peter Lovesey and John Harvey. But the book also includes lesser-known authors who are just as talented such as Edward Marston and Bill James. This list of authors alone demonstrates the vast genres included within this book. Some of the authors stick with characters that are familiar from their series, while others spread their wings and try different situations, characters and genres. The book is a valuable guide to anyone trying to learn more about British mysteries. Any reader could sit down with this book and find at least one author they were interested in perusing. For me, this book made me want to retry Ian Rankin. Although the one book I had previously read by him was a disappointment, his short story showed that he has real talent.
Reviewed by Sarah Dudley, February 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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