On a Raven's Wing

November 3, 2008
The Mystery Writers of America also presents an anthology of 20 new short stories, ranging from the uninterestingly derivative to the truly memorable. Fortunately, the volume boasts more hits than misses, most impressively Dorothy Salisbury Davis's chilling “Emily's Time,” the tale of an intellectual's descent into isolation and madness with an appropriately ambiguous ending. The always reliable Peter Lovesey easily blends the real-life questions surrounding Poe's early death into “The Deadliest Tale of All.” Daniel Stashower, who's written the definitive study of the Mary Rogers murder case (The Beautiful Cigar Girl
) that inspired one of Poe's detective tales, creatively reinterprets the master in “Challenger,” a coming-of-age story set in Ohio. Other notable contributors include Thomas H. Cook, S.J. Rozan and the late Edward D. Hoch.

January 15, 2009
The bicentennial of the birth of the father of modern mysteryon January 19, 2009is bound to be observed by writers of the genre. The Mystery Writers of America (whose award of excellence is the Edgar) presents these two publications simultaneously, with identical introductory articles about the author and the organization. "In the Shadow of the Master" features 13 of Poe's best-known tales, poems "The Raven" and "The Bells," and an excerpt from his sole novel, "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket", followed by essays about these works from contemporary mystery authors. Most speak either generally in appreciation of the master of horror or about the effects of his work on them personally. P.J. Parrish details what writers can learn from Poe, S.J. Rozan praises his language, and King observes that Poe "foresaw the darkness of generations far beyond his own." Varied in length and quality, these afterwords serve to add a dimension to Poe's work. While libraries may own ample Poe collections intended largely for students, this volume would be useful to refresh current holdings.

The 20 new tales in honor of Poe in "On a Raven's Wing" act as riffs on the original works. Some echo the themes of Poe's tales (e.g., Mary Higgins Clark's "The Tell-Tale Purr" and P.J. Parrish's updated "The Tell-Tale Pacemaker"), while others focus on the horror of confinement (e.g., Brendan DuBois's "The Cask of Castle Ireland"). There are also stories involving scams centering on Poe's work or artifacts; in others, Poe's work helps to unite characters (e.g., Thomas H. Cook's "Nevermore" and Don Winslow's "Poe, Jo, and I"). Among the most frightening tales are James W. Hall's "Bells" and Stuart M. Kaminsky's "Rattle, Rattle, Rattle"; both ratchet up an atmosphere of suspense and madness in the manner of the master. Full appreciation of these tales requires a familiarity with Poe, but the collection is entertaining on its own.Michele Leber, Arlington, VA

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2008
Think of this Mystery Writers of Americasponsored anthology as the equivalent of the bottle of cognac and roses placed on Poes headstone every year on the anniversary of his death. Edgar winner and MWA Grand Master Kaminsky asked 19 other mystery writers to pen original stories, on the condition that the central part of each story had to be about Poe or his work. The resulting collection of 20 short stories (Kaminsky contributed one) includes works by some of todays leading mystery writers: Jon L. Breen, Dorothy Salisbury Davis, Mary Higgins Clark, and John Lutz. They represent several unreliable narrator turns (Breens William Allan Wilson has a shivery reversal at the very end); revenge plots (see Clarks The Tell-Tale Purr and Brendan DuBois retelling of The Cask of Amontillado, with two South Boston drug dealers); and Gothic horror (Davis and Kaminsky both enter marvelously creepy examples). Bound to charm the midnight dreary.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2008, American Library Association.)