Deadly Anniversaries: A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors

by Marcia Muller, Bill Pronzini

Overview

A Best Book of 2020 from Suspense Magazine

Deadly Anniversaries celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America with a collection of stories from some of the top names in crime fiction.

An anniversary can honor many things: a birth, a wedding and sometimes even a death. In Deadly Anniversaries, editors Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini present new stories from some of the best contemporary authors to honor the diamond jubilee of the Mystery Writers of America, an organization founded on the principle that “Crime Doesn’t Pay—Enough.”

Each author puts their own unique spin on what it means to recognize a certain day or event each year. These nineteen stories travel across a wide range of historical and contemporary settings and remind readers of how broad the mystery writing tradition can be, encompassing detective tales, domestic intrigue, psychological suspense, black humor and thrilling action.

By the time this group of bestsellers and award-winners is through, none of us will ever look at anniversaries the same way again. Deadly Anniversaries is sure to shock, scare and delight mystery and suspense fans of all kinds, featuring the following contributors:

Sue Grafton

Laurie R. King

Lee Child

Margaret Maron

S.J. Rozan

Max Allan Collins

Wendy Hornsby

Jeffery Deaver

Bill Pronzini

Carolyn Hart

Peter Lovesey

Meg Gardiner

Marcia Muller

Julie Smith

William Kent Krueger

Peter Robinson

Naomi Hirahara

Doug Allyn

Alison Gaylin

Laura Lippman

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781335044945
Publisher:	Hanover Square Press
Publication date:	04/21/2020
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.30(d)

About the Author

A former journalist, American author Marcia Muller is perhaps best known for her mystery series featuring San Francisco private detective Sharon McCone. She is the author of over 35 novels (three in collaboration with her husband, mystery author Bill Pronzini), as well as seven short story collections. She won the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 2005.

Table of Contents

Introduction 11

If You Want Something Done Right… Sue Grafton 15

Ten Years On Laurie R. King 41

Normal in Every Way Lee Child 75

The Replacement Margaret Maron 85

Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date S. J. Rozan 101

Amazing Grace Max Allan Collins 121

Ten Years, Two Days, Six Hours Wendy Hornsby 137

The Anniversary Gift Jeffery Deaver 153

The Last Dive Bar Bill Pronzini 175

Case Open Carolyn Hart 189

The Bitter Truth Peter Lovesey 211

Unknown Caller Meg Gardiner 227

April 13 Marcia Muller 249

Whodat Heist Julie Smith 271

Blue Moon William Kent Krueger 293

Aqua Vita Peter Robinson 305

The Last Hibakusha Naomi Hirahara 327

30 and Out Doug Allyn 343

The Fixer Alison Gaylin Laura Lippman 369

About the Authors 393

Acknowledgment 399

Editorial Reviews

03/02/2020

Anniversaries of all kinds are the source of mayhem for the 19 stories in this entertaining all-original anthology from MWA grand masters Muller and Pronzini (the Sabrina Carpenter series). Wedding anniversaries feature prominently, as in Max Allan Collins’s diverting “Amazing Grace,” in which a 50th anniversary cake becomes the catalyst for murder. Historical anniversaries, meanwhile, are central to Lee Child’s clever “Normal in Every Way,” in which knowledge of key dates from WWII enables a police file clerk to target a serial killer in 1950s San Francisco. Series characters also appear, notably the mother of S.J. Rozan’s Lydia Chin in “Chin Yong-Sun Sets the Date,” in which the mother foils an attempt to sabotage one wedding engagement and smooths the way for another. On a lighter note, a pair of redneck thieves in Julie Smith’s “Whodat Heist” pull off a big score on Superbowl Sunday only to be once again outmatched by their female partner. Other contributors include Jeffery Deaver, Laurie R. King, Peter Lovesey, and Margaret Maron. This is a must for mystery fans. (May)

Publishers Weekly

Chilling… these authors have delightfully diabolical minds.” -New York Journal of Books


“This is an anthology well worthy of a diamond jubilee… Whatever your taste in mystery, there's a marquee author here... to deliver the goods.” –Booklist


“This is a must for mystery fans.” –Publishers Weekly


“Amazing. The entire collection of mystery short stories in Deadly Anniversaries is rather amazing… It is one of the best anthologies I've read to date.” –Gumshoe Review


"Authentically outstanding." -Toronto Star

“With creativity of concept, devotion to genre diversification and perceptive recruitment of contributors, Muller and Pronzini compile a potpourri of plots certain to delight those who turn to crime for pleasure.” –Free Lance-Star

From the Publisher