cover image The Deadly Bride and 21 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories

The Deadly Bride and 21 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories

, . . Carroll & Graf, $16.95 (553pp) ISBN 978-0-78671-917-4

Covering both 2005 and 2006, the latest "finest" anthology from Gorman and Greenberg (after 2005's The Adventure of the Missing Detective ) gathers 22 largely mainstream crime and mystery stories. In addition, Jon Breen presents a useful roundup of significant publications and awards; Edward D. Hoch's necrology reminds us of the loss of many fine authors in the past two years; and Sarah Weinman continues to track developments in online publishing. Highlights include Wendy Hornsby's "Dust Up," about a bike-riding birdwatcher who takes on a car full of robbers; Simon Brett's "Cain Was Innocent," a humorous take on man's first murder; and Jeremiah Healy's "A Matter of Honor," in which John Francis Cuddy gets a lesson from a Finnish beauty. Other notable contributions to this entertaining compendium come from James W. Hall, J.A. Jance, Anne Perry and Jeffery Deaver. (Jan.)