Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

 

From the Introduction: Miss Jane Marple, literature's preeminent amateur detective and one of Agatha Christie's finest creations, first appeared in print in December 1927 in a short story called "The Tuesday Night Club."

 

For the first time in forty-five years, one of the best sleuths in all of crime fiction returns to investigate twelve new cases in Marple. Twelve authors put their own personal spin on beloved elderly spinster Jane Marple, making this quite enjoyable to read.

 

Readers get to revisit the vicarage, Gossington Hall, and other places in England, but they also get to see Jane solve crimes on Broadway in New York City, on Cape Cod, in Hong Kong, and on the Amalfi Coast in Italy-- mostly thanks to her nephew the novelist. 

All the stories are winners, and I have to admit that I do like how Miss Marple was "updated" by showing her help a young Chinese woman and an interracial couple. Even faces familiar to Marple fans are seen in a different light.

It was obvious to me that all the authors had fun writing their stories, but some seemed to have a bit more fun than others, and their stories really shone. Which ones? Val McDermid with her "The Second Murder at the Vicarage"; Elly Griffiths' "Murder at the Villa Rosa"; Karen M. McManus' "The Murdering Sort"; and Leigh Berdugo's "The Disappearance". These were my particular favorites although-- as I said-- all the stories are good.

 

This anthology breathes some life into Miss Jane Marple. Her deductive capabilities shine, and the authors made me laugh several times, especially when one mentioned the fact that all of Miss Marple's relatives could be assured of receiving one of her knitted blankets at one time or another. 

Fans of Miss Marple should enjoy this anthology, and I wouldn't be surprised if she gains new devotees who experience her talents for the first time.

Marple: Twelve New Mysteries

by Lucy Foley, Val McDermid, Alyssa Cole, Natalie Haynes,Ruth Ware, Naomi Alderman, Jean Kwok, Dreda Say Mitchell, Elly Griffiths, Karen M. McManus, Kate Mosse & Leigh Bardugo

ISBN: 9780063136052

William Morrow © 2022

Hardcover, 384 pages

 

Short Story Anthology

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.

Tehran Noir edited by Salar Abdoh

 

From the Introduction: Back in the day, so my mother tells me, on the rare occasions when my father took her along to one of the cabarets of old Tehran, the tough guys-- the lutis-- the bosses, the knife brawlers, and the traditional wrestlers, would lay out their suits and jackets on the floor of the place for my mother to walk on. It was a gesture of supreme respect for one of their own.

This collection of fifteen short stories by Iranian authors may not always be easy to read, but that doesn't matter. What does matter is that Tehran Noir is not only a solid collection of crime stories, but it's also an illuminating depiction of day-to-day life in Iran complete with its religious, political, and racial tensions. 

In Iran, the number thirteen is considered to be so unlucky that if that's your house number, it's shown as 12+1. Political tensions run so high that, if your loved one dies on the wrong side of the border, you can hire a "corpse fixer" to find the body and bring it to you for a proper burial. Afghans and Armenians are Iranians' choice for menial jobs, and the participants in a woman's stoning take photos with their cell phones in between sessions of rock throwing.

The stories also show us a bank robbery and what led to it; Qesas, the brutal "eye for an eye" of Islamic law; two men in love with the same woman; investigative reporters; and what mothers will do to protect their children.

This is a culture that's very different from my comfortable existence here in the United States. I enjoy the Akashic Noir series because I love crime fiction, and there are plenty of solid crime-fueled stories to be found here, but what I've also found to be true is that the series also provides a look into other cultures, other customs, other points of view. This added insight is worth its weight in gold, above and beyond the talent shown in the collected short stories.

Tehran Noir edited by Salar Abdoh

eISBN: 9781617753343

Akashic Books © 2022

eBook, 334 pages

 

Short Story Anthology

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from Amazon.

Phoenix Noir edited by Patrick Millikin

First Line: Phoenix is a young city, even by Arizona standards.

Akashic Books has become known for its series of short story anthologies set in locations around the globe, and since I'm a resident of Phoenix, picking up a copy of Phoenix Noir (from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore where editor Patrick Millikin works no less) was a no-brainer. 

This collection of sixteen stories is a good one. There's only one story that I refused to finish, and that was due more to my mood than the writer's ability. Readers are taken from Phoenix in the 1940s (Jon Talton's Bull) to the here and now with characters from all walks of life.

My favorites in this collection were Lee Child's Public Transportation which had a lovely little twist at the end, Laura Tohe's Tom Snag that tells of a Native American who picks up the wrong woman at the Flying Eagle Bar, Others of My Kind by James Sallis, and Don Winslow's Whiteout on Van Buren which teaches a hitman why no one should visit Phoenix in August.

Diana Gabaldon's Dirty Scottsdale wins the prize for memorable phrases. When explaining why she was delayed in coming to the door, a woman says, "Sorry. I was drowning squirrels in the garage" (!) and then there's a perfect description of the Phoenix heat: "Yeah, it's a dry heat. Meaning that instead of being poached when you walk outside, you're flash-fried."

Phoenix Noir isn't my first Akashic short story anthology, and it won't be my last. It's tough to beat this publisher's one-two punch of prime location and prime storytelling.

 

Phoenix Noir edited by Patrick Millikin

ISBN: 9781933354859

Akashic Books © 2009

Paperback, 304 pages

 

Short Story Anthology

Rating: B+

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen Bookstore.

Christmas Is Murder by Val McDermid

 

If you like a little despair, revenge, justice, and humor along with your Christmas cakes and cookies, pick up a copy of Val McDermid's short story anthology Christmas Is Murder.

McDermid covers a lot of ground in a series of twelve stories. From St. Petersburg to Sarajevo to the highlands of Scotland and beyond, readers meet a variety of people.

From Sherlock Holmes in "Holmes for Christmas" when he and Watson search for the true king of Scotland to a Carol Jordan and Tony Hill story in "Happy Holidays," readers find themselves in many different situations and feeling many differing emotions.

There's not a weak story in the bunch. Among my favorites is the humorous "The Girl Who Killed Santa Claus" when an eight-year-old girl thinks a burglar is stealing her Christmas presents.

There are interesting tidbits to be learned in these stories, too. (I'll have to remember the item about birch trees.) If you're a crime fiction fan who's in the mood to be enlightened and entertained, Christmas Is Murder is a fine way to spend a few hours by a holiday fire.

Christmas Is Murder by Val McDermid

ISBN: 9780751581775

Sphere © 2020

Hardcover, 250 pages

 

Short Story Anthology, Standalone

Rating: A-

Source: Purchased from The Poisoned Pen.