The Best American
Mystery Stories 2011
Edited by Harlan Coben
As series editor Otto Penzler
repeatedly says in his introductions to the annual Best American Mystery Stories volumes, the modern mystery genre is
hardly limited to Homes-esque detective stories, matter-of-fact police
procedurals, and noir. While it is
somewhat disappointing that so few of these stories do appear in the 2011 offering,
its examples, Loren D. Estelman's "Sometimes a Hyena" and Max Allan Collins's "A Long Time
Dead," the latter a continuation of Mickey Spillane's notes for an
unfinished Max Hammer story, are well-chosen and exemplify the strengths of the
sub-genre. Readers need not be familiar with the story's pre-existing central
characters to appreciate the plot twists and hard-nosed protagonists. Despite the
skill behind these tales and S. J. Rozan's "Chin Yong-Yun Takes a Case,"
a similar story of detection, the bulk of these stories take a different tack,
often focusing on the criminals rather than those who catch them. Among these
are some of the best stories among an impressively strong and varied group,
each with a unique take on crime and criminality that contributes to a holistic
understanding of the genre and, perhaps, a more nuanced look at human nature.
These stories range from the sympathetic to the damning as readers take an
exhilarating peek behind a hitman's shoulder ("The Hitter," Chris F.
Holm), learn why a serial rapist-and-murderer is driven to such deeds ("Clean
Slate," Lawrence Block), and watch a complex terrorist plot come together
("Destiny City," James Grady).
These are just a few of the most
instantly memorable works from a collection that, impossibly, has no duds. As
expected, some stories linger longer than others, but the remarkable variation
from story-to-story will leave readers hooked, and the collection functions as
an introduction to modern mystery fiction as well as an essential grouping for
longtime fans. Far from focusing on traditional plot-driven procedurals (not
that there's anything wrong with that), guest editor Harlan Coben has pieced
together a group of stories that would, for the most part, fit right alongside any
"literary fiction" gems the year should produce (though, shamefully,
none appear in the book's litfic counterpart). Genre fiction is misunderstood
and, quite frankly, goes places that straightforward fiction cannot and often
isn't willing to. By carefully examining some of humanity's deepest and darkest
impulses, the authors represented in this collection create compelling and relatable
stories that should not be ignored by the mainstream. I am far from a connoisseur
of mysteries traditional or new, but this collection had me absolutely hooked
from the first line (despite Coben's terrific failure of an introduction, in
which intended self-effacing comes off as intolerable smugness) to the final gunshot.
I am unqualified to say whether The Best
American Mystery Stories 2011 collects the year's most admirable works in
the genre, but I feel perfectly comfortable recommending each and every one of
these stories for readers of all kinds; the collection is simply fantastic, and
there is a lot more variety herein than one might presuppose.
No comments:
Post a Comment