ELLERY QUEEN'S BAD SCENES: STORIES FROM ELLERY QUEEN'S MYSTERY MAGAZINE

A collection of 25 stories in which something unpleasant happens to someone, and next time, maybe to you

YA-- This collection of 25 stories demonstrates the American slang definition of the term "bad scene"--an unpleasant experience--in that the characters presented here all experience the absurd, the horrible, the criminal. "The Shop That Exchanged Evils" provides an amusing tale about a shop in Paris where customers come to trade phobias and other "evils" of their lives, with unpredictable consequences. "Who's the Blonde?" adheres more closely to the mystery genre, but with an unusual twist. "The Old Barn on the Pond" offers a mystery in which the protagonist, certain of success, is tricked into admitting defeat. "The Question" is a thought-provoking story that takes a look at capital punishment from the perspective of the executioner. Also, the original "Rear Window" story that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's classic film is included. Mystery lovers, students of short story techniques, and those in search of a quick read will appreciate these thrillers. --Dorcas Hand, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, TX
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Sullivan, editor of Murder on Cue , here presents 25 short stories in which characters experience "bad scenes. " Such occasions are here defined as unpleasant situations, for example, being "taken for a ride" by vengeful Irish Provos (Pete Hamill's "The Men in Black Raincoats" ) ; falling into the many painful, razored traps your own mother has set for police trying to evict her (David Morrell's "The Good Times Always End"); receiving, individually, by anonymous post, all of the gifts that your husband, the husband you murdered, gave you (Mary Barrett's "Deja Vu"); visiting a garrulous neighbor with a complaint--and listening to the tale of the demise of a previous neighbor with a similar quarrel (David Ely's "A Question of Neigborliness"). Cornell Woolrich's familiar, yet appropriate "Rear Window" is another treat. Though many of the stories are satisfying, several tepid entries render the collection as a whole a mixed bag.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.