The Best American Mystery Stories 2005 (The Best American Series)

The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind. The Best American Mystery Stories 2005 includes Scott Turow • Edward P. Jones • Louise Erdrich • Dennis Lehane • Daniel Handler • Laura Lippman • George V. Higgins • David Means • Richard Burgin • Scott Wolven • Stuart M. Kaminsky • and others Joyce Carol Oates, guest editor, is a highly respected novelist, critic, playwright, poet, and short story writer. She is the author of numerous books, including the National Book Award winner Them and most recently the novel The Falls.

The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind.

The Best American Mystery Stories 2005 includes

Scott Turow • Edward P. Jones • Louise Erdrich • Dennis Lehane • Daniel Handler • Laura Lippman • George V. Higgins • David Means • Richard Burgin • Scott Wolven • Stuart M. Kaminsky • and others

Joyce Carol Oates, guest editor, is a highly respected novelist, critic, playwright, poet, and short story writer. She is the author of numerous books, including the National Book Award winner Them and most recently the novel The Falls.

Publishers Weekly

Says series editor Otto Penzler, It's about finding the best stories, by whoever happens to have written them, in his foreword to this outstanding mystery annual. He chose Joyce Carol Oates as this year's guest editor, and Oates almost immediately put her brand on the book-not waiting for Penzler to send her the top 50 choices from which she would winnow the 20 final entries, but branching out on her own, finding some of the volume's best stories by beginning writers in small circulation magazines as well as in collections from relatively unknown publishers. There's also much star power, made even more impressive by the editors' resistance to famous names getting in on reputation alone. Dennis Lehane's Until Gwen, Laura Lippman's The Shoeshine Man's Regrets, Louise Erdrich's Disaster Stamps of Pluto and Scott Turow's Loyalty are as good as any full-length novels these writers have produced recently. And what a great pleasure it is to have the remarkable talents of the late George V. Higgins displayed in all their glory in Jack Duggan's Law. Agent, Warren Frazier at the John Hawkins Agency. (Oct.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

The Best American series has been the premier annual showcase for the country's finest short fiction and nonfiction since 1915. Each volume's series editor selects notable works from hundreds of periodicals. A special guest editor, a leading writer in the field, then chooses the very best twenty or so pieces to publish. This unique system has made the Best American series the most respected--and most popular--of its kind. The identity club / Richard Burgin -- Disaster stamps of Pluto / Louise Erdrich -- Delmonico / Daniel Handler -- Jack Duggan's law / George V. Higgins -- Old boys, old girls / Edward P. Jones -- The shooting of John Roy Worth / Stuart M. Kaminsky -- Until Gwen / Dennis Lehane -- The shoeshine man's regrets / Laura Lippman -- When all this was Bay Ridge / Tim McLoughlin -- Case closed / Lou Manfredo -- Sault Ste. Marie / David Means -- Public trouble / Kent Nelson -- Officers weep / Daniel Orozco -- The last man I killed / David Rachel -- One Mississippi / Joseph Raiche -- Cruisers / John Sayles -- Reconstruction / Sam Shaw -- The love of a strong man / Oz Spies -- Loyalty / Scott Turow -- Barracuda / Scott Wolven -- Contributors' notes -- Other distinguished mystery stories of 2004 Presents a collection of twenty mystery stories, originally published in 2004 and selected by editor Joyce Carol Oates, including work by writers such as Scott Turow, Dennis Lehane, David Means, George V. Higgins, and more. This volume brings together the genre's finest from the past year. With stories from mystery veterans and newly discovered talents, this thrilling collection is sure to appeal to crime fiction fans of all tastes