The Best British Mysteries

Rating:
Summary: First Story Too Trashy for Me!
Review: I bought this book because I enjoyed the Best American Short Stories, but I was sorely disappointed. The first story was so trashy in its use of gutter-level sexual language, I pitched into the trash can where it belongs! If you don't like stories that contain sordid gutter talk, forget this one.

Rating:
Summary: The Best British Mysteries
Review: I was appalled to find this book a collection of vulgar and mostly boring short stories - not at all what I expected. Some of the authors have other good mysteries, but I found none here. I kept reading thinking surely it would improve, but I was disappointed.

I loaned the book to a friend - a very avid reader of several of these authors - and she was likewise disgusted and returned it to me the next day.

The book is so revolting, I cannot even donate it to a library and I certainly don't want it in my collection, so I am pitching in the trash today.

Rating:
Summary: Does not even meet the definition of 'mystery'
Review: I was disgusted with this book. For one thing, the title is deceptive because the stories do not meet what I had always considered the definition of mystery stories. They are short stories and admittedly well-written as far as content and structure are concerned, but they are not mystery stories in the tradition of Agatha Christie and Arthur Conan Doyle. Furthermore each story was depressing and most were filled with enough vulgarity to make me sick to my stomach. I would be embarrassed for anyone to see this book in my collection. I returned it to the bookstore for store credit, but if they had not taken it back I would have thrown it in the trash.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent Sampler!!!!!
Review: If you love mysteries or are new to the field and want to discover some of the best writers in the business, than this is the book for you! Wonderful stories from names many will recognize as regulars on the best-seller lists here in the States, and from others who are best sellers in Britain. This book is a must read for anyone who loves good writing let alone a good mystery!!

Rating:
Summary: For dedicated mystery story enthusiasts
Review: Imaginatively compiled and deftly edited by Maxim Jakubowksi, The Best British Mysteries is an impressive and rivetingly entertaining anthology of chilling mystery and suspense tales drawn from the very cream of British crime writers. An often dark, sometimes demented, but always enthralling compilation of delectably selected tales of mystery and suspense, The Best British Mysteries is a "must read" compendium for dedicated mystery story enthusiasts.

Rating:
Summary: outstanding work
Review: Some of the best and brightest in the genre are reprsented here. Wonderful short stories that are a very good look at today's British writers. These aren't traditional mysteries like Agatha Christie, but that's not whats being written today and it's not representative of todays world.

In particular I loved the fact that all the stories are a bit different from one another. You definitly can not judge the whole collection by one story.