Helpful Score: 7
As with any anthology, there are some weak stories in here and some real gems. One of the short stories in this book introduced me to the work of Laurie R. King, and that was worth the price of the book.
Helpful Score: 1
I find that reading anthologies that include short stories by different authorss an excellent way to test out new (to me) authors as well renew acquaintances with familiar authors. With historical story anthology, I can also explore historical eras with which I am not familiar and perhaps see unique points of view of characters living in eras in which I am familiar. Of course, reading short stories can be satisfying once in a while because one story can be completed start to finish without having to invest hours or days of time. Also, I can skip stories that fail to grab my interest.
However, for me, it is extremely hard to judge short story anthologies. There are always many stories that I enjoy, many I hate, and some that may be well written, but whose solutions don't make sense to me. The collection. though, included many of my favorite historical myster authors as well as other authors whose books I am familiar and have enjoyed.
Miriam Grace Monfredo and Anne Perry, two of my favoriet historical authors, both submitted excellent stories.
Monfredo showed her versitility once again by writing a classic mystery in first-person perspective of a teenager/young adult woman living with her father during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Because she dared to be well-read, with her studies sometimes coupling with frightening visions, she dared to speak out against the witch hunt.
Perry also wrote about a young woman who dared to go against her greedy family, and won.
Carola Dunn also contributed a classical mystery written with her usual warmth about a battered waitress who dared to eleminate her abuser.
In Laurie King's story, Sherlock Holmes's housekeeper Mrs. Hudson dares to solve her own mystery and help a few people, all without the Great Detective's awareness or approval.
The anthology also included an interesting story involving game fixing of baseball in the 1890's
On the bad side, although the last story in this collection was wonderfully written, (it was told from the point of view of an elderly man dying in the present remembering an event during the fall of Berlin at the end of WWII). and although it include almost poetic imagry that drew me into the emotion and scenes both past and present, still the ending was confusing and frustratingto me, leaving me to guess who was the victum.
Of the three "Crime Through Time" anthologies, I find that this third book offered the strongest mix of interesting (to me) stories overall. The first book in the series had the second best mix. The second book was the weakest.
However, for me, it is extremely hard to judge short story anthologies. There are always many stories that I enjoy, many I hate, and some that may be well written, but whose solutions don't make sense to me. The collection. though, included many of my favorite historical myster authors as well as other authors whose books I am familiar and have enjoyed.
Miriam Grace Monfredo and Anne Perry, two of my favoriet historical authors, both submitted excellent stories.
Monfredo showed her versitility once again by writing a classic mystery in first-person perspective of a teenager/young adult woman living with her father during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Because she dared to be well-read, with her studies sometimes coupling with frightening visions, she dared to speak out against the witch hunt.
Perry also wrote about a young woman who dared to go against her greedy family, and won.
Carola Dunn also contributed a classical mystery written with her usual warmth about a battered waitress who dared to eleminate her abuser.
In Laurie King's story, Sherlock Holmes's housekeeper Mrs. Hudson dares to solve her own mystery and help a few people, all without the Great Detective's awareness or approval.
The anthology also included an interesting story involving game fixing of baseball in the 1890's
On the bad side, although the last story in this collection was wonderfully written, (it was told from the point of view of an elderly man dying in the present remembering an event during the fall of Berlin at the end of WWII). and although it include almost poetic imagry that drew me into the emotion and scenes both past and present, still the ending was confusing and frustratingto me, leaving me to guess who was the victum.
Of the three "Crime Through Time" anthologies, I find that this third book offered the strongest mix of interesting (to me) stories overall. The first book in the series had the second best mix. The second book was the weakest.
From back cover: Today's best American and British mystery authors are featured in this outstanding collection of original historical mysteries. The stories in Crime Through Time span thousands of years-from Steven Saylor's ancient Rome to Anne Perry's Victorian England-and feature an amazing variety of detectives-from Peter Lovesey's Prince Albert to Maan Meyers's Charles Dickens to Laurie King's Mrs. Hudson, housekeeper to Sherlock Holmes and a star sleuth in her own right.
These 21 historical whodunits were written specifically for this volume and are appearing for the first time in print.
These 21 historical whodunits were written specifically for this volume and are appearing for the first time in print.
Excellent selection of 21 short stories written especially for this book by the leading mystery writers of the twentieth cenyury.
Today's best American and British authors are featured in this outstanding collection of original historical mysteries. Specifically written for this volume, these 21 historical whodunits span thousands of years--from Steven Saylor's ancient Rome to Anne Perry's Victorian England. This one-of-a-kind anthology will appeal to history buffs, mystery buffs and anyone who loves a good story.
As many of the reviewers of this book state, anthologies usually have a mix of excellent, good and so-so stories. I can agree with that. My favorite here might be "Anything in the Dark" by Edward Hoch, as it "finally explains" the death of Captain Meriweather Lewis.
My least favorite was "The Soldier and His Dead Companion" by Nicholas DiChario, as it seemed to have no purpose here or even in the story itself.
Two others which I classify as "So-So" were "Bertie and the Boat Race" by Peter Lovesey. His "Peter Diamond" series is masterful and I cringe when I realize I have only a few of those books left to read. But his short series on the Prince of Wales wasn't, and this short story is related to that series. As with the "Bertie" novels, this story seems to spend more time with "Bertie" figuring out how to take sexual advantage of a young lady than solving a mystery. The other was "The Mamur Zapt and the Kodaker's Eye" by Micheal Pearce. That story left me in confusion about the ending, as well as part of the investigation.
Aside from the three I was disappointed in, the other 18 stories were very entertaining. And the first in the book, "Death of a Place-Seeker" by Lynda Robinson had me digging through my TBR stacks to find the first novel in her series which this story is related to.
My least favorite was "The Soldier and His Dead Companion" by Nicholas DiChario, as it seemed to have no purpose here or even in the story itself.
Two others which I classify as "So-So" were "Bertie and the Boat Race" by Peter Lovesey. His "Peter Diamond" series is masterful and I cringe when I realize I have only a few of those books left to read. But his short series on the Prince of Wales wasn't, and this short story is related to that series. As with the "Bertie" novels, this story seems to spend more time with "Bertie" figuring out how to take sexual advantage of a young lady than solving a mystery. The other was "The Mamur Zapt and the Kodaker's Eye" by Micheal Pearce. That story left me in confusion about the ending, as well as part of the investigation.
Aside from the three I was disappointed in, the other 18 stories were very entertaining. And the first in the book, "Death of a Place-Seeker" by Lynda Robinson had me digging through my TBR stacks to find the first novel in her series which this story is related to.
