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CRIME WAVES I by H.R.F. Keating

CRIME WAVES I

edited by H.R.F. Keating

Pub Date: April 1st, 1992
ISBN: 0-575-05171-X
Publisher: Gollancz/Trafalgar

Retiring after a 25-year stewardship as editor of the annual Crime Writers Association anthology, Herbert Harris is replaced, this year, by critic/mystery writer Keating, who includes three original stories (Catherine Aird's slight car-mishap; Mike Ripley's droll plot against Shakespeare; and Michael A. Lewin's hilarious spin on Dan Quayle as an accidental detective), six EQMM reprints (his own paean to ``The Speckled Band''; David Williams's clever customs comeuppance; Robert Barnard's truly malicious tale of seasonal giving; Julian Symons's elegantly written suburban nightmare; Reginald Hill's melodramatic horror story; and Susan Moody's twist on the writer's experience with crime), plus eight stories unfamiliar to American readers from such as Antonia Fraser (Jemima Shore in jeopardy), Michael Gilbert (a keen look at business improprieties), Liza Cody (hooliganism at a theme park), and Simon Brett (a long, drawn-out bit of fatherly advice). Also on hand: Paula Gosling, Margaret Yorke, Peter Lovesey, and former editor Harris. Low-key and diverting, though lacking a standout.