Unusual Suspects: A New Anthology of Crime Stories from Black Lizard - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0679767886 ISBN 13: 9780679767886

Publisher: Vintage, 1996

Synopsis

In Unusual Suspects, America's most acclaimed crime writers, along with some authors rarely associated with the genre, contribute fifteen new stories and two rediscovered classics to this riveting anthology.

James Lee Burke, author of the bestselling Dave Robicheaux mysteries, gives us a feverishly atmospheric tale of racism and moral courage on the Louisiana bayou. From the files of Jim Thompson, the godfather of American noir, comes the story of a murder with a victim so nasty we defy anyone to shed a tear far him. And Joyce Carol Oates shows us how a sudden brush with violence can turn a public servant into a public enemy. The result is a deliriously pulse-pounding collection that proves that although crime doesn't pay, it can help a good cause.

All the stories in this collection of crime fiction have been donated to benefit Share Our Strength, a Washington, D. C.-based nonprofit organization that combats hunger, poverty, and illiteracy.

About this title

From the Back Cover

sual Suspects, America's most acclaimed crime writers, along with some authors rarely associated with the genre, contribute fifteen new stories and two rediscovered classics to this riveting anthology.

James Lee Burke, author of the bestselling Dave Robicheaux mysteries, gives us a feverishly atmospheric tale of racism and moral courage on the Louisiana bayou. From the files of Jim Thompson, the godfather of American noir, comes the story of a murder with a victim so nasty we defy anyone to shed a tear far him. And Joyce Carol Oates shows us how a sudden brush with violence can turn a public servant into a public enemy. The result is a deliriously pulse-pounding collection that proves that although crime doesn't pay, it can help a good cause.

All the stories in this collection of crime fiction have been donated to benefit Share Our Strength, a Washington, D. C.-based nonprofit organization that combats hunger, poverty, and illiteracy.

Reviews

The suspects here aren't really so "unusual"; it's a fairly standard mix of vengeful women, jealous men, convicts and kooks (with some surprises thrown in). That doesn't spoil the fun in this often gripping collection of crime fiction. John Weisman's story of the downfall of a CIA operative evokes a horror that is impossible to banish. Jessica Auerbach's account of a man's obsession with his wife's death rings tragically true in every psychological nuance. James Lee Burke's contribution stands out due to its extraordinarily vivid atmosphere and detail ("heat thunder [rolled]... like a hard apple rattling in the bottom of a barrel"). And John Lutz offers a short, twisting ride of a tale with moments of dynamite deadpan humor. Andrew Vachss's entry, in contrast, seems little more than a sketch, and a fairly predictable one at that. But most of the stories that disappoint do so primarily in comparison with the more exceptional entries. The collection is largely a success, showcasing a wide variety of imaginative approaches to the genre of crime fiction. The authors assembled here include award-winners and other notable names in this genre; among the works is a previously "lost" short story by Jim Thompson, donated by his estate. (May) FYI: All the stories in this collection have been donated to benefit Share Our Strength, a Washington, D.C.
based nonprofit organization that combats hunger, poverty and illiteracy.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Unusual suspects is right. First, because the 17 contributors to this mostly new collection (there's a stellar reprint by James Lee Burke and a collector's item by Jim Thompson) include the unlikely likes of Jan Adkins, David Corn, Art Monterastelli, and John Weisman. And, second, because most of the authors, knowing that the profits from the volume are earmarked for Share Our Strength, the D.C.based hunger-battling organization, are spurred on to memorably nasty heights (or depths). Jessica Auerbach and Mark Olshaker serve up efficient nightmares in documentary frames; Joyce Carol Oates and Julie Smith provide incisive takes on the well-worn themes of stalking and switching murders; and the whodunits by John Lutz, Jeremiah Healy, and Benjamin F. Schutz are terse and ingenious. A satisfyingly grim harvest that's well worth your time and money, even if you don't care about fighting world hunger. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Noir aficionados--and the librarians who select for them--shouldn't be fooled by this collection of stories from Vintage/Black Lizard. Crime, in all its diversity, is central to each of the 22 stories, but pure noir, to the extent that anyone can circumscribe that dark worldview, is represented primarily by a Jim Thompson story that does no credit to the subgenre's patron saint. That's not to say, however, that libraries shouldn't buy this book. All crime-fiction fans will find something here to enjoy. There are solid stories by genre favorites such as James Lee Burke, Jeremiah Healy, John Lutz, and Andrew Vachss. There are also unlikely contributors, such as Joyce Carol Oates and the versatile and protean author/illustrator Jan Adkins, and there are riveting stories by relatively little known writers such as George Pelecanos and Benjamin M. Schutz. "Christmas in Dodge City," Schutz's tale of the very mean streets of our nation's capital, is alone worth the price of the book. A fine collection if a slightly deceptive one. Thomas Gaughan

Edition details

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 1996
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0679767886
• ISBN 13: 9780679767886
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 337
• Editor: James Grady