The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories
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Book Overview
With its roots in the American private-detective fiction of the 1920s but traceable back as far as Sherlock Holmes, the private-eye story remains as popular as ever. Here are thirty of the finest... This description may be from another edition of this product.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0786713712
ISBN13:9780786713714
Release Date:April 2004
Publisher:Running Press Book Publishers
Length:600 Pages
Weight:0.98 lbs.
Dimensions:1.4" x 5.2" x 7.8"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
Best Overall Selection
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 15 years ago
I have read several collections of mysteries/action stories and this tops them all. Any Mammoth book is a great buy in topics that interest you. Private Eye Stories benefits from several superb efforts including editor Bill Pronzini. Originally published in 1988, this was re-released in 2004. Strong efforts from the golden age 1950s from Ross Macdonald, Ed McBain, Henry Kane, Richard Prather and Howard Browne. This is a book that begs to be read more than once. The tepid ratings here puzzle me, if one enjoys mysteries this is a must buy.
25-50-25
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
After reading this collection, I would say that 25% of the stories were great, 50% were entertaining enough, and 25% could be skipped and I wouldn't feel like I missed anything. I guess that is sort of to be expected when reading a collection. Anyway, the nice thing about this book is that it has something for everyone. There's a lot of variety here. I gave the book a 4, but it is more like a 3.5. There were A LOT of grammatical errors, and for ME to spot them it must be bad. I'm certainly no grammar Nazi, but I spotted at least 20. That's pretty bad considering that there were 2 editors (And, Pronzini and his wife are both featured writers in the book!). Totally sloppy editing. Lay off the scotch guys. But, overall, the book is worth the money. My advice: Read those stories which compel you to turn the page...there are a few stinkers which you can definitely skip.
Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Enjoyed these stories immensely, some of the best PI writers in the business especially Block, Grafton, Pronzini and Muller. Only a couple of clunkers which do not mar this excellent collection
Must have anthology
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Any book labeled The Mammoth Book of... risks sounding like a fifth grade primer. But if you love the distinctively American tradition of the private eye, this is it -- THE must-have volume. My copy is growing dogeared -- these is truly an amazing collection. My personal favorite is A Reason To Die, a Dan Fortune story so potent and poetic it drove me to write the late Michael Collins, who responded with some friendly insights about the story's origins. If Reason isn't enough, well, reason, you've got Philip Marlowe, Lew Archer, Amos Walker, Joe Puma, Kinsey Millhone, Sharon McCone, Matt Scudder -- it goes on and on. If any book can be called definitive about a genre, it's this one. Love to see someone, someday, do a second volume or a revised edition bringing things up-to-date with the top '90s and 21st Century eyes.
Very entertaining!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
This collection of detective-stories provides a great overview. The stories cover decades of fiction-writing, from the classic "Wrong Pigeon" by Raymond Chandler to modern writers of the private eye genre. There are sad and funny stories and all of them contain a lot of suspense. The real jewel in this collection is Joseph Hansen's "Surf", featuring investigator Dave Brandstetter, hero of Hansen's "Brandstetter"-series. If you like crime- and detective-stories you'll enjoy this book. Recommended!
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