The Best American Mystery Stories of the Century is an anthology edited by Tony Hillerman and Otto Penzler and published in 2000. The anthology contains 46 short stories, and is 813 pages long. This is my husband's book, which he purchased in 2025 at the Planned Parenthood book sale which we attend every September.
In addition to the short stories, the book has a Foreward by Penzler, an Introduction by Hillerman, and Biographical Notes for each author at the end.
I haven't read any of the stories in this book, but I have read several of the stories from other sources. All the stories listed below were good reads.
- I read "A Jury of Her Peers" by Susan Glaspell, published in 1917, from an anthology of short stories selected by Elizabeth George, A Moment on the Edge.
- I read "The Possibility of Evil" by Shirley Jackson online. I think it was the first short story I read by her, except for "The Lottery." It was published posthumously, in 1965.
- Two of the stories I have read were published in 1996. I read "Red Clay" from Red Clay, Blue Cadillac by Michael Malone.
- The other story from 1996 was "The Dark Snow" by Brendan DuBois. My notes indicate that it was very well done, a great read, but the ending so very dark that it turned me off.
As with most anthologies of short stories, there are mixed reactions to this volume and the stories chosen. For anyone interested in comparing how the styles of the mystery short story changed over the years, this book would probably be very useful.
I am including a list of the stories in the book below. The list is in chronological order.
- A Retrieved Reformation / O. Henry
- Paul's Case / Willa Cather
- The Problem of Cell 13 / Jacques Futrelle
- Blind man's Buff / Frederick Irving Anderson
- Naboth's Vineyard / Melville Davisson Post
- A Jury of Her Peers / Susan Glaspell
- The Gutting of Couffignal / Dashiell Hammett
- Haircut / Ring Lardner
- Blue Murder / Wilbur Daniel Steele
- The Perfect Crime / Ben Ray Redman
- The Baby in the Icebox / James M. Cain
- The Murder / John Steinbeck
- Sense of Humor / Damon Runyan
- Ransom / Pearl S. Buck
- Red Wind / Raymond Chandler
- The Catbird Seat / James Thurber
- The Rear Window / Cornell Woolrich
- An Error in Chemistry / William Faulkner
- The Nine Mile Walk / Harry Kemelman
- The Adventure of the President's Half Disme / Ellery Queen
- The Homesick Buick / John D. MacDonald
- Gone Girl / Ross Macdonald
- The Moment of Decision / Stanley Ellin
- First Offense / Evan Hunter
- The Couple Next Door / Margaret Millar
- The Day of the Execution / Henry Slesar
- The Terrapin / Patricia Highsmith
- The Possibility of Evil / Shirley Jackson
- The Comforts of Home / Flannery O'Connor
- Good Man, Bad Man / Jerome Weidman
- Goodbye, Pops / Joe Gores
- The Whimper of Whipped Dogs / Harlan Ellison
- The Wager / Robert L. Fish
- Do With Me What You Will / Joyce Carol Oates
- Quitters, Inc. / Stephen King
- The Absence of Emily / Jack Ritchie
- By the Dawn's Early Light / Lawrence Block
- Iris / Stephen Greenleaf
- Three-Dot Po / Sara Paretsky
- The Parker Shotgun / Sue Grafton
- Too Many Crooks / Donald E. Westlake
- Hot Springs / James Crumley
- The Dark Snow / Brendan DuBois
- Red Clay / Michael Malone
- Poachers / Tom Franklin
- Running Out of Dog / Dennis Lehane
16 comments:
I read this book several years ago, Tracy, and liked it, even though I tend to find the use of the word "Best" book titles to be disingenuous. So many great authors and stories here, and so many unjustly forgotten ones. Does anybody even read Melville Davisson Post's fabulous stories about Uncle Abner anymore?
A Jury o f her Peers is also included in The Best American Stories of the Century, edited by John Updike
I read THE BEST AMERICAN MYSTERY STORIES OF THE CENTURY years ago and enjoyed it. Perfect Summer Reading!
It's an interesting collection that had me going down my own rabbit hole looking up various short stories/novellas. "Best" is just a starting point because we all have our favorites!
Wow, Tracy, this looks like a very comprehensive book! And I suppose, given how big it is, there'd be some stories better than others. But it does sound like an excellent resource for someone who wants to look into crime fiction in depth.
The collection has some really good writers ... and has several stories I'd like to read including the Shirley Jackson story ... the Dennis Lehane one ... and perhaps the Patricia Highsmith story too. I have not read these but they seem good. I hope you enjoy more of the collection and let us know.
Jerry, I agree with what you are saying about the use of "best" stories in a title. In most cases of this type of book, only one or two people are involved in making the decisions. However, this list of short stories does seem to include a lot of authors whose short stories I would like to read, so it is interesting anyway. I did not start reading mystery short stories on a regular basis until around 2015, so I do not have that much background in that area.
Patty, I have not been able to get that John Updike anthology on Kindle, but if I ever run into at a reasonable price elsewhere I would get it.
George, it did not occur to me until I read your comments and Jerry's that I would not have even been interested in mystery short stories at the time this book came out. So I am glad Glen found it and got a copy.
Kelly, there are a few older authors in this list that I have read a good number of novels by, but have not read their short fiction. So I will be trying some of those soon. (I hope).
Margot, I tend to prefer short stories by more contemporary mystery authors because they focus more on character than puzzle plots. So I plan to try out a variety of the authors to see if that is still true, and make comparisons.
Susan, I have access to more Shirley Jackson stories, but I have not read short stories by either Patricia Highsmith or Dennis Lehane. Dennis Lehane's novels are too dark and edgy for me, but I am interested in checking out his short fiction.
Among the stories I first read in youth (I'm not sure I picked up this volume when it came out, but probably did) that made a lasting impression were the Gores "Goodbye, Pops" (which I read in one of Harold Masur's ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS: volumes) and Highsmith's "The Terrapin" (which I might've read in Highsmith collection or an anthology), both grim even by the standards of crime fiction. I "liked" them, but they were disturbing in the degree of misery they portrayed. Those do stick out among early exposure.
Todd, thanks for those recommendations, Todd. I will definitely seek out those stories.
I hope things are going well with you and Alice.
This sounds like a really fine collection A Jury of Her Peers jumped out at me. Its an excellent short story, a classic, that as I understand is taught in law schools. I have read it a few times. I just wish Susan Glaspell had written more.
Kathy, I look foward to when I can read some of these short stories. I have not been in the mood for short stories recently, but I am sure that will change soon.
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