Top Suspense

Great collection!!!

Overall this was a really good collection. Usually with compilations like this I get bored or feel the need to break it up with a novel after a few stories. With this one I read it all the way through and could have read more. The stories were in a good order, I think, and were all well writing and interesting. They are thrillers but were very much in the spirit of noir in my opinion.

Stories in the order they appear:

-Unreasonable Doubt by Max Allan Collins
This is a story about a detective who is hired to follow an important woman in his life. It's by one of my favorite authors and has a very surprise ending.

-Death's Brother by Bill Crider
What would you do for a woman you loved? What about just a really hot chick? This is a great story in a classic noir fashion...with a twist.

-Poisoned by Stephen Gallagher
A very creepy childhood story...

-Remaindered by Lee Goldberg
By far my favorite story. There is dialog in this one that I will probably always remember and even though it was a thriller, it was also laugh out loud funny.
This is about a man who was once on the bestseller list and as his career tanks he ends up on the remaindered table and doing book signings in K-Mart. However, he does still have a fan...

-Fire in the Sky by Joel Goldman
A great story about a small town, with a twist, of course.

-The Baby Store by Ed Gorman
This is such a great tale about genetically engineered babies being the norm. The ending is disturbing in the way it really holds up a mirror to humanity and what we are all capable of.

-The Jade Elephant by Libby Fischer Hellmann
A story about two burglars and a pawn shop...need I say more?

-The Big O by Vicki Hendricks
Wow, this is a story about one horny gal who is trailer park trash looking out for her baby, and definitely herself. The writing is sharp and the main character is well developed, even though the author only has the length of the short story to do so.

-The Chirashi Covenant by Naomi Hirahara
A not so typical Japanese woman wanting something more from life.

-El Valiente en el Infierno by Paul Levine
This story was fast paced and kept me on edge. In the end I actually found it to be touching and nicely done. It's about border crossers and the vigilante's they encounter.

-A Handful of Dust by Harry Shannon
An amazing story about a contract killer.

-The Canary by Dave Zeltserman
Sometimes a painting is worth more than its street value...

-The Chase by Top Suspense Group
This one was done in a round robin manner and as expected, it came out quite differently than the others. I liked that it had a high level of sexual tension and yet was the first story to include a crime boss.

4 out of 5 people found this review helpful.

Terrific anthology of crime and suspense

This is a fast paced and wickedly clever read from a group of experienced professionals working together for the first time. I had some personal favorites but with authors like these you really can't go wrong and the price is certainly right.

4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Top Suspense: 13 Classic Stories by 12 Masters of the Genre Book Review

An Engrossing, Heart-pounding Suspense that had enough twist to leave me wanting more from each author! Top Suspense is an anthology of Master story tellers that have delivered an unforgettable book! Max Allan Collins, Bill Crider, Stephen Gallagher, Joel Goldman, Libby Fischer Hellmann, Naomi Hirahara, Vicki Hendricks, Paul Levine, Harry Shannon, Dave Zeltserman, and Lee Goldberg did an amazing job with each placement of story along with a fun round robin tale entitled, "The Chase". This was written where each member wrote 250 words and passed it on to the next, with no planning and no changing. Top Suspense will more than satisfy all crime, thriller, noir genre devoted fans, Furthermore, for those like myself who are reading these authors for the first time, there can be no better introduction to the the very best in suspense fiction. Poisoned by Stephen Gallagher was so witty and amazing! I have to admit that As soon as I finished this story, I downloaded 4 other novels by him! Remaindered also gave me quite a surprise since I have never read any of the Monk books or have saw the TV show! After reading this tale, one will be more reluctant to get or even ask an author for an autograph! It was one of those story, you did not put down from start to finish! The Baby Store by Ed Gorman was very thought provoking. A mesmerizing tale that questions the actions we choose, the moral questions we might ask ourselves, and above all, the deeply personal answers we seek for a happy ending. It has the reader stop and examine the importance of the perfect vs. the average child! This was another personal favorite in the anthology! Gorman, you are profoundly wise! El Valiente En El Infierno was another favorite! Paul Levine is like Texas Salsa! Levine is not only brilliant, he has created three-dimensional characters that drive you to the very last sentence. The Big O by Vicki Hendricks was like a modern age twilight zone with all the excitement of female drama! Thankyou Bill Crider for raising my blood pressure with Death's Brother and for several new kindle reads that I purchased! Joel Goldman's tale was not only stunning but I wish he had a TV series that he wrote for! I could easily see a future movie in the making by him! Harry Shannon surprised me in A Handful of Dust with a classic desert tale about Pike. It was not only descriptive but had lots of adrenaline! Finally, Naomi Hirahara and Dave Zeltserman, both blew me away! The twist and the thrill keeps the reader on their toes. I highly recommend Top Suspense: 13 Classic Stories by 12 Masters of the Genre. This novel generates plenty of excitement and is completely satisfying!

3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

LOVED IT!!

There was only one story I thought was so-so. Really good read and great for the price.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Pretty good

Most of these stories were tight little bundles of suspense. The neo-noir stuff especially so. The last story, a round robin piece, was particularly clunky. Like most vanity efforts this one should have been cut.

Not Good

I don't understand the great reviews this book received! I couldn't wait for it to be over ... a total waste of time.

TOP SUSPENSE

IF THESE ARE THE BEST, WE'RE DOOMED.

0 out of 4 people found this review helpful.

Not that bad, yet not that good.

I was sort of disappointed in this collection. These are suppose to be suspense stories by 12 of the best, and yet I've read better from high school students in a creative writing class. However, if you're looking for a quick read, without lots of plot, this isn't bad for the price.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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