"Otto Penzler knows more about crime fiction than most people know about anything."-Robert B. Parker
An anthology of challenging riddle mysteries that leave the solution-if there is one-to a different kind of detective: the reader. Uncertain Endings collects the most para-doxical puzzle stories ever written and guarantees to baffle even the most astute aficionado.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Otto Penzler is the proprietor of the Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. He was the founder of The Mysterious Press; the Edgar-winning The Armchair Detective quarterly; and Otto Penzler Books. He won an Edgar for The Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection, as well as an Ellery Queen Award and a Raven Award for contributions to the publishing field.
Starred Review. Mystery maven Penzler offers a unique anthology of 19 classic mystery and puzzle stories whose appeal, paradoxically, derives from their ambiguous endings. Penzler complements the epitome of the unresolved riddle tale—Frank Stockton's "The Lady, or The Tiger?"—with the author's lesser known but similarly vexing "The Discourager of Hesitancy," a tale of a dangerously arranged marriage. The volume's highlights, however, come from the best known and least known authors—Ray Bradbury and Peter Godfrey. Bradbury's exceptional gifts of subtle suggestion and suspense are on full display in two tales of a serial killer plaguing a quiet Illinois community, "The Whole Town's Sleeping" and its enigmatic sequel, "At Midnight, in the Month of June." Godfrey, an undeservedly obscure South African writer, contributes the superb, psychologically twisted "The Lady and the Dragon," about a photographer overcome by a powerful obsession. Additional compelling conundrums come from such notables as Roald Dahl, Mark Twain, Stanley Ellin and Aldous Huxley. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
As mystery guru and acclaimed anthologist Penzler puts it in the introduction to this short story collection, if you like your mysteries with satisfying endings, all loose ends neatly tied up, this is not the collection for you. Penzler promises ultimate frustration, as each story ends with a cul de sac in which the ending is deliberately withheld. Here are 19 riddles and puzzle mysteries, including such early takes on the theme as Mark Twain's "A Medieval Romance," published in 1870; O. Henry's "Thimble, Thimble," published in 1908; and the most famous of all cliffhangers, Frank Stockton's "The Lady, or The Tiger?" published in 1882. (Also included are Stockton's own continuation of the riddle in "The Discourager of Hesitancy" and Jack Moffitt's "The Lady and the Tiger" from 1948.) Roald Dahl, Ray Bradbury, Aldous Huxley, and Stanley Ellin are among the other masters of frustration on display in this volume. A fine showcase for a rare and difficult form of the mystery story; fun to read and made more fun by Penzler's lively introduction. Connie Fletcher
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
FREE shipping within U.S.A.
Destination, rates & speedsSeller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00080318863
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. 1ST. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 3834109-6
Quantity: 2 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. No Jacket. May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G1933648163I4N00
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less. Seller Inventory # G1933648163I3N10
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Half Price Books Inc., Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_435532939
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: TextbookRush, Grandview Heights, OH, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Expedited orders RECEIVED in 1-5 business days within the United States. Orders ship SAME or NEXT business day. We proudly ship to APO/FPO addresses. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed! Seller Inventory # 45603651
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Chris Korczak, Bookseller, IOBA, Easthampton, MA, U.S.A.
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Signed. First Edition. Signed and inscribed by Penzler. First edition, first printing (full numberline). Very mild shelfwear. First edition. Signed/autographed. I note every flaw I find, so buy with confidence. Seller Inventory # mon0000145091
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Midnight Books, Sioux Falls, SD, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: As New. 1st Edition. First printing,DJ in protective cover signed by Penzler. Signed by Author(s). Seller Inventory # 005581
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: The Book Spot, Sioux Falls, MN, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: New. Seller Inventory # Abebooks524508
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: BennettBooksLtd, San Diego, NV, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: New. In shrink wrap. Looks like an interesting title! Seller Inventory # Q-1933648163
Quantity: 1 available