A Merry Band of Murders
An
Original Mystery Anthology of Songs and Stories
Claudia
Bishop and Don
Bruns, editors
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover)
ISBN-10: 1-59058-301-9 (1590583019)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-301-2 (9781590583012)
Publication Date: August 2006
List Price: $24.95
Synopsis (from
the publisher): A Merry Band of
Murderers is more than a compilation of short mystery stories
from some of the genre’s finest writers. It is also an
exploration of music. Conceived by Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns, the
collection is staged in two acts: first, a non-fiction discussion of
short stories, mysteries, and music; and second, a compilation of
musical short mysteries.
The first act opens with an essay by Bishop explaining the role of the
short story in mystery writing and another essay by Bruns discussing
writers who play, sing, and compose.
The second act is more whimsical. There are thirteen music-centered
stories from authors Mary Anna Evans, Jim Fusilli, Bill Moody, Rupert
Holmes, Rhys Bowen, John Lescroart, Nathan Walpole, Peter Robinson,
Jeffery Deaver, Tom Corcoran, Val McDermid, and, of course, the editors
themselves. Each story is accompanied by a short introduction, song
lyrics, and an interview with the writer.
The book is packaged with a music CD with recordings by the authors. A
one-of-a-kind collection.
Review:
Publishers take a risk with anthologies in that they rarely appeal to a
broad range of readers. Poisoned Pen Press has mitigated this risk in
two ways with A Merry Band of
Murderers: by assembling a collection of short story mysteries
that are similar in style (not a vampire, cozy cat, or Prada shoe in
sight) and have a common theme (music). The success of this book is
likely to be based on two factors: how many of the 13 stories are
"good" and how many of these stories seamlessly integrate the author's
original musical compositions into the plot.
With respect to the first criterion, A
Merry Band of Murderers is a winner. Eight of the thirteen
mystery stories are competently written, have carefully constructed
plots, and include interesting, well-defined characters. Three are
particularly noteworthy: Mary Anna Evans' Land of the Flowers, Jeffery
Deaver's The Fan, and Val McDermid's Long Black Veil. (Two to skip:
Rupert Holmes' Shuffle which is decidedly creepy, and not in a good
way; and Courage, the dreadful story by Don Bruns, the only rational
reason being for its inclusion in this anthology is that Bruns is an
editor.)
A Merry Band of Murderers
is less successful when measured against the second criterion. Only
three, maybe four, stories have a musical element that forms an
integral part of the plot. In some, music plays no role whatsoever.
Each story ends with an overview of the author's musical composition
and an interview along the lines of Inside the Actors Studio with James
Lipton.
On balance, A Merry Band of Murderers
is an admirable anthology of short stories by a skilled company of
mystery authors. The fact that the authors are also accomplished
musicians seems more coincidental than intentional.
Special thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an ARC of A Merry Band of Murders for this review.
Review Copyright © 2006 — Hidden Staircase Mystery Books — All Rights Reserved
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Anthologies in this series ...
A Merry Band of Murders
Poisoned Pen Press (Hardcover), August 2006
ISBN-10: 1-59058-301-9 (1590583019)
ISBN-13: 978-1-59058-301-2 (9781590583012)
Omnimystery keywords for A Merry Band of Murders ...
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