Doug AllynLawrence BlockJeffery DeaverLoren D. EstlemanJ.A. JanceEd McBainMarcia MullerAnne PerryBill PronziniIan RankinJerry SykesDonald E. Westlakeand many others.Table of Contents:HeroesRio Grande gothicThe hanged manSpookedShow me the bonesA flash of chrysanthemumThe man in the white hat'53 BuickCrackPaleta manSnowThe canasta clubUnchained melodySomething simpleThe circle of inkThe death cat of Hester St.Dark timesThose that trespassBlitzed.

The World's Finest Mystery & Crime StoriesIt’s not easy to collect, in a single volume, the finest mystery and suspense fiction the world has to offer, but The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection rises to that challenge, inviting you to discover what Kirkus Reviews dubs “ . . . the year’s anthology of choice.”In his Second Annual collection, Ed Gorman once again brings together the year’s most powerful fiction by such outstanding authors as Lawrence Block, Stuart M. Kaminsky, Ed McBain, Joyce Carol Oates, Ian Rankin, and Donald E. Westlake. The volume also abounds with fresh new stories by newer authors, from U. S. publications, and also from sources on other shores, including England, Germany, and the Netherlands.Ed Gorman set benchmark for great mystery and suspense fiction with the First Annual Collection. Overflowing with award-winning authors and terrific stories, The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection also promises to be a treasure for anyone who loves a mystery.More than 200,000 words of superlative mystery and suspense fiction from around the world.Contents:THE YEAR IN MYSTERY AND CRIME FICTION: 2000 Jon L. BreenA 2000 YEARBOOK OF CRIME AND MYSTERY Edward D. HochWORLD MYSTERY REPORT: GREAT BRITAIN Maxim JakubowskiWORLD MYSTERY REPORT: AUSTRALIA David Honeybone and Lucy SussexWORLD MYSTERY REPORT: CANADA Edo van BelkomWORLD MYSTERY REPORT: GERMANY Thomas WoertcheTHE 2000 SHORT STORY EDGAR AWARDS Camille MinichinoTHE YEAR 2000 IN MYSTERY FANDOM George A. EasterSPINNING Kristine Kathryn RuschTHE SUMMER PEOPLE Brendan DuBoisAFRAID OF THE DARK Nancy PickardFOR ALL THE SAINTS Gillian LinscottLET'S GET LOST Lawrence BlockUNDER SUSPICION Clark HowardCHILDHOOD S. J. RozanART & CRAFT Donald E. WestlakeTHE ALLOTMENT Peter CrowtherTWELVE OF THE LITTLE BUGGERS Mat CowardMISSING IN ACTION Peter RobinsonTHE HAGGARD SOCIETY Edward D. HochSCORPION'S KISS Stuart M. KaminskyNOBLE CAUSES Bob MendesTHE SLEEPING DETECTIVE Gary PhillipsA NIGHT IN THE MANCHESTER STORE Stanley CohenWHAT MR. MCGREGOR SAW Dorothy CannellDELTA DOUBLE-DEAL Noreen AyresTHREE NIL Mat CowardTHE MAN IN THE CIVIL SUIT Jan BurkeBLACK AND WHITE MEMORIES Robert J. RandisiNOTHING TO LOSE Robert BarnardWIDOWER'S WALK Joseph HansenCHARACTER FLAW Christine MatthewsGOLDEN GATE BRIDGE— A VIEW FROM BELOW Jürgen EhlersBOO Richard LaymonVETERANS John LutzTHE ABBEY GHOSTS Jan BurkeTHE COUNTRY OF THE BLIND Doug AllynHAPPINESS Joyce Carol OatesTHE CONFESSION Ian RankinTHE PERFECTIONIST Peter LoveseyA WALL TOO HIGH Edward D. HochTHE SILENCE Kristine Kathryn RuschTHE BIG BITE Bill PronziniTHE GATHERING OF THE KLAN Les RobertsWHEN THE BLACK SHADOWS DIE Clark HowardREBIRTH (CAIN AND ABEL) Miguel AgustíHELENA AND THE BABIES Denise MinaOLD SOLDIERS Brendan DuBoisTHE VICTIM Ed McBainTHE POET OF PULP Pete Hamill

Scanned, converted, re-formatted, proofed and eBook creation by Jerry.Unlike volume one, Dark Crimes 2 is a contemporary version of noir. Even John D. MacDonald’s beautifully told tale from the forties, Miranda, has a decidedly contemporary feel.Like most forms of popular fiction, noir has evolved and changed over the past decade and a half.No longer does Bogie stand at his lonely window, staring out at a world he frequently despises. Nor does the conventional private eye take us through his conventional private eye routines; and the conventional femme fatale . . . well, she doesn’t invite us upstairs any more, either.The new noir is as likely to be set in a trailer park as a gambling casino; in a small Texas town more often than New York; and feature not a slick mobster but a child molester as villain.The "gem" of this collection is the stand-out, Triangle , the stunning 1982 short novel by Teri White. This Edgar winner traces the trajectory of a trio of lowlifes: a pair of Vietnam war vets who have become a highly successful underworld assassination squad, and an obsessed cop whose partner they have killed. White displays a brilliant sense of character, an accurate ear for colloquial speech and a sure control of tone in this early work.Several of the featured detectives (and their authors) are familiar--such as Marcia Muller's Sharon McCone, here investigating an apparent suicide, and Loren Estleman's Amos Walker, faced with the murder of clients who wanted to renovate an old saloon. There is a cunning John Lutz tale about an ill-fated Mexican cliff-diver and a wry Lawrence Block inversion of It's a Wonderful Life , in which a man who survives a murder attempt realizes that he has to be nicer.ContentsAcknowledgmentsDedicationIntroduction - Ed GormanThe Dripping - David MorrellAnd Miles to Go Before I Sleep - Lawrence BlockMiranda - John D. MacdonaldDeceptions - Marcia MullerThe Long Silence After - Ed GormanThe Dead Past - Nancy PickardAll the Same - Bill PronziniThe View - Brian GarfieldHector Gomez Provides - John LutzThe Steel Valentine - Joe R. LansdaleThe Triangle - Teri WhiteThe Luckiest Man in the World - Rex MillerThe Party - William F. NolanPredators - Edward BryantIn the Fast Lane - Thomas F. MonteleoneThe Perfect Crime - Max Allan CollinsPaint the Town Green - Robert ColbyJody and Annie on TV - John ShirleySnow Angels - Loren D. EstlemanThe Memorial Hour - Wade MillerPretty Boy - Billie Sue MosimanSecrets - Gary Lovisi

Converted, re-formatted, proofed, layout & design, all internal images, first edition cover restoration and eBook creation by Jerry.Evoking the dark underside of life, this oddly diverse collection of two novellas and 19 short stories in the noir tradition ranges from examples of the highly praised Gold Medal softcovers published by Fawcett in the '50s to contemporary offbeat genre offerings. Gil Brewer's novella The Red Scarf skillfully conveys the despair of a man with a lifelong dream after he succumbs to the temptation provided by a mob fortune. In the second novella, Anatomy of a Killer , Peter Rabe demonstrates how a contract killer's emerging humanity leads to his destruction. The short stories are a mixed lot, with some perhaps more appropriate to a fantasy or horror collection. "While She Was Out" by Edward Bryant follows a dissatisfied housewife as she outwits four joyriding killers who tail her out of a shopping mall. Loren D. Estleman's "The Crooked Way" features a Detroit PI who foils a headline-happy Texas lawman. Lawrence Block's "Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes" tells of a woman who fears being watched by men (and what she does about it), while Thomas Monteleone's "Taking the Night Train" finds myth and prehistory in the New York subway system. Author profiles provide a historical perspective. Contents Introduction - Ed Gorman While She Was Out - Edward Bryant On the Sidewalk Bleeding - Evan Hunter The Seventh Grave - Vann Anson Lister Hot Eyes, Cold Eyes - Lawrence Block Souls Burning - Bill Pronzini A Handgun for Protection -John Lutz The Croooked Way - Loren D. Estleman Exit - Andrew Vachss Deathman - Ed Gorman Introduction to The Red Scarf - Bill Pronzini The Red Scarf - Gil Brewer But You’ll Never Follow Me Again - Karl Edward Wagner The Tunnel of Love - Robert Bloch Tony- William Relling By the Hair of the Head - Joe R. Lansdale Red Light - Max Allan Collins Taking the Night Train - Thomas F. Monteleone Stoner - William F. Nolan Introduction to Anatomy of a Killer - Ed Gorman & Bill Crider Anatomy of a Killer - Peter Rabe Night-Walker - Robert J. Randisi Dust to Dust - Marcia Muller Faces - F. Paul Wilson