Golden Age Detective Stories (An American Mystery Classic)

Was a gift for my husband. He liked the mystery short stories. All stories based on "book" environments which is unique. Came new as ordered. Would buy from seller again.

I liked the wide variety of authors from the early 1900s. Great short stories for fun reading.

I wish to thank NetGalley, WW. Norton and special thanks to Otto Penzler for compiling this great anthology of detective stories. This was a nostalgic journey into the past. I was familiar with most of the authors and I read and enjoyed their puzzles decades ago. There are biographies for each author added before their short story with mention of their major works and any resulting movie adaptations. These stories make us realize how much detective work and the world has changed since these crime stories were written. There was no DNA evidence available, no computers with databases on crimes and criminals. The lack of cell phones had the detectives scrambling and looking for payphones, and waiting for crime photos to be developed. There were no surveillance cameras to capture the criminal acts. These crimes were solved through the detective's intuitive reasoning, intelligence, finding clues, and interviewing suspects and witnesses. Women seemed to be readily accepted in their role of investigators, at least in these stories. In the time before TV, living rooms were centered around a huge radio where the family listened to popular detective programs. I was delighted to find a short story that included sleuths, Mr. and Mrs. North. My baby sister was actually named Pamela after Pamela North from the weekly radio show. Many of my favourite authors of the era have been included in this anthology: among them, Erle Stanley Gardner, Ellery Queen, Mignon Eberhart, Charlotte Armstrong, and Patrick Quentin. There was a short story by John Dickson Carr listed, but unfortunately, it was missing from my ebook version. Also, it was necessary to read the stories in the order they were presented. With no index, it was impossible to skip around and read the stories out of order. This would not be a problem in the printed book. I hope this great collection from the Golden Age of mystery writing will inspire readers to seek out some past works by these groundbreaking authors of detective and crime fiction.

I am a fan of Classic mysteries. This anthology is composed of stories by some well known authors, but some authors who I did not know at all. Everyone wrote during the period between the two world wars – the Golden Period for mystery.There is suspense. Each of the stories present the reader with an idea and some interesting characters. That is normal for short stories.But, the plots are anything but normal. There are devious villains as well as very clever people to solve mysteries. These are exceptional stories.Otto Penzler, the editor and the person who chose the stories has done a magnificent job. He has provided readers with introductions to authors who are masters of the mystery.I not only enjoyed the stories themselves, but I was fascinated by the information regarding the authors.All in all, if a reader is in love with mysteries, this book will make your heart beat faster.I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley and I am voluntarily writing this review. All opinions are completely my own

Or at least, President of my mystery-laden bookshelf. Otto Penzler is one of the most trusted names in mystery fiction, and this fine collection is worth any classic mystery lover’s time. Penzler writes a great and informative introduction to each story, which is the icing on the cake of this great read. For me, the gem of the collection was the Cornell Woolrich tale that finishes the collection. Penzler’s introduction and background on Woolrich is also excellent. I really enjoyed this thoughtful curation of stories and the informative background on each one from one of our greatest living mystery experts. I’d love to see another book of stories to make this a series.With thanks to Penzler Press, Otto Penzler, and NetGalley for this high-quality ARC.

I love these compilations of golden age detective stories, many of the authors of this era are, these days hard to discover. This book and many like it introduces us to the writer of this era with wonderful short stories to enjoy and maybe find another new favorite.Otto Penzler has put together an anthology of some great stories- many I have not read before and all I enjoyed very much. His short bio are really interesting and make the writer and story come to life. These books are all by authors of the" American Golden Age" era, there is even an early Perry Mason. absolutely a great read.

Otto Penzler is the best person to select some of the most enjoyable entries from amongst all those 'Golden Age' stories. This anthology proves that once again.The book contains fourteen works, several of which are of novella length. Collectively they establish the traits of 'Golden Age' detection, making a sharp contrast with the hardboiled genre as well as the British style.My favourites were~1. Anthony Boucher's "The Stripper";2. Clayton Rawson's "From Another World";3. Craig Rice's "Good-bye, Good-bye!"Overall, this is a solid collection that makes those time and crimes come alive.Recommended.

Thanks to Otto Penzler for republishing these gems from the masters of the Golden Age. His knowledge and proven expertise in mystery literature makes this collection simply marvellous. All stories are interesting, intriguing and rarely seen before in print.Couldn't stop reading...!

A nice change to read very good stories ( some quite long) from across the Atlantic. These selections are always a mix of the excellent..the very good and ...why did they choose that ?.For me Charlotte Armstrong/Erle Stanley Gardner/Baynard Kendrick ( really outstanding)/Patrick Quentin/Craig Rice and Cornell Woolrich all really grabbed me and had that certain energy and drive so essential for a shortish story.I have never been a fan of Ellery Queen ( sorry ) ...much overrated and I found a real effort wading through the pompous and rather silly prose on offer here. Wooden spoon though to the really dire H F Heard .The introductions were all fascinating and overall a really good buy. Not cheap by normal standards BUT it was a big book . A very good read for all GAdetection fans.

For anyone who likes good detective stories this book will fit the bill.