101 Mystery Stories

Foreword

Variety is the key word for this collection of mystery and suspense stories. The book you are holding is the largest ever compiled in terms of the number of stories included, and is also one of the largest in length. It includes outstanding stories by writers from several countries, as well as from various time periods, ranging from the nineteenth century to the 1980s.

You will find such classic early practitioners of the mystery-writer’s art as Edgar Allan Poe, the father of the modern mystery; Guy de Maupassant; Charles Dickens; O. Henry (William Porter), of the twist ending; the multitalented Jack London; Stephen Crane; and a hard-to-find gem by Frank R. Stockton.

The authors of the “classic” period of the 1920s to the 1940s (some of whom are still active) are also well represented with stories by Georges Simenon of Belgium (now resident in Switzerland); Leslie Charteris; the immortal Ellery Queen (Fred Dannay and his cousin Manfred Lee); the undeservedly forgotten Fletcher Flora; the prolific but excellent Erie Stanley Gardner; and Melville Davisson Post, among many others.

Suspense in the “hard-boiled” tradition made famous by Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler is particularly well represented here by such men as John D. MacDonald (with two of his least known stories); Fredric Brown; Gil Brewer; Cornell Woolrich, the “Poet of the Shadows,” who set a pattern for suspense writing that has been widely imitated but never equaled; William Campbell Gault, still going strong after all these years; the late Jack Ritchie, one of the true masters of the short mystery story; Robert Bloch, famous for writing Psycho, an achievement that has unfortunately overshadowed his other excellent works; and John Jakes, a fine mystery/suspense writer who has moved on to bigger things with his Bicentennial series and such best sellers as Love and War.

We have not forgotten the contemporary scene, which is currently enjoying a burst of wonderful writing. Here you will find Donald E. Westlake; Edward D. Hoch, the most prolific of all mystery short story writers and one of the very best; Brian Garfield; Isaac Asimov, a fine mystery writer better known for his science fiction and science writing; Robert Randisi, he of the fast and good typewriter; Evan Hunter, here found as himself and as “Ed McBain,” the modern master of the police procedural; Lawrence Block; John Lutz; Harry Kemelman of Rabbi Small fame; Joyce Harrington and Marcia Muller, excellent representatives of a large group of outstanding women mystery writers; Michael Gilbert of Great Britain; and dozens of others.

We are also proud to offer fine examples of the work of writers we feel have been neglected and whose work deserves a wider audience, people like Edward Wellen, Arthur Porges, Talmage Powell, and Henry Slesar.

In the following pages you will read almost every type of mystery story ever written — the classic whodunit; the tricky whydunit; stories of police detectives, of private eyes, and of talented and sometimes lucky amateurs; armchair detectives; ethnic detectives; stories of suspense; and puzzle stories that will test your intellect as well as your instincts. We have also included a number of never-before-reprinted stories for your enjoyment.

The sources for these stories are as varied as their types — in addition to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, and Mike Shayne’s Mystery Magazine, thankfully all still going strong, we have chosen stories that first appeared in such publications as the terrific Manhunt (1953–1967), now legendary for its modern hard-boiled tales; and such rare pulps as the Munsey Company’s Double Detective (1931–1943). The mystery field is somewhat unique for naming its magazines after its practitioners and their creations, and in addition to those already mentioned, we are proud to bring you stories from such magazines as The Saint Mystery Magazine (1953–1967); the very rare Ed McBain’s Mystery Book, which existed during 1960–1961 for only three issues; and the equally difficult-to-locate Charlie Chan Mystery Magazine, which had a life of four issues in 1973 and 1974.

And now it’s time for you to enter the world of thieves, spies, murderers, and their pursuers — read on, and enjoy!

Bill Pronzini

Martin H. Greenberg

1985