Manhattan Mayhem

June 15, 2015
In honor of the Mystery Writers of America's 70th anniversary, MWA Grand Master Clark has assembled an impressive roster of talent for this strong anthology, which features 17 crime stories set in Manhattan. Some are contemporary, while others reach into the island's storied past. Lee Child's series hero, Jack Reacher, finds inaction to be the right choice in "The Picture of the Lonely Diner," set in the Flatiron District. The mother of S.J. Rozan's series character Lydia Chin proves a discreet and effective sleuth in Chinatown in "Chin Yong-Yun Makes a Shiddach." Jeffery Deaver's clever Greenwich Village tale, "The Baker of Bleecker Street," centers on WWII espionage. Persia Walker handles Harlem ("Dizzy and Gillespie"); T. Jefferson Parker does Little Italy ("Me and Mikey"); Angela Zelman exposes Wall Street ("Wall Street Rodeo"); and Julie Hyzy takes a walk in Central Park ("White Rabbit"). Other contributors include Margaret Maron, Nancy Pickard, Brendan DuBois, and Thomas H. Cook. The MWA has once again produced an anthology that's a must for every mystery fan.

November 1, 2015

This collection of mystery and crime stories set in Manhattan delivers some great short fiction by well-known and not-so-well-known authors. While the entries have a genre in common and cover the different boroughs of New York City, that is where the similarities end. They span different time frames and offer a variety of voices and themes, from the creepy and disturbing to the lighthearted and heartwarming. Despite these differences, the stories come together cohesively. Julie Hyzy's "White Rabbit," set in Central Park, is a page-turner that flips expectations; set in Times Square, where the famous picture of a kiss between a sailor and nurse at the end of World War II took place, "The Day After" by Brendan DuBoise will leave readers intrigued; and "Me and Mikey" by T. Jeerson Parker will make for a great booktalk, with its Little Italy setting and focus on the mob. Brilliantly edited by Clark (her own submission is a nice treat), and complemented by black-and-white photos, this collection will attract students who are already fans of some of the authors and will have teens new to these writers eager to read their longer works. VERDICT A first purchase for schools where mysteries or some of these authors are popular.-Jake Pettit, Library Coordinator, Istanbul, Turkey

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