Christmas at the Mysterious Bookshop: 'Tis the Season to Be Deadly; Stories of Mistletoe and Mayhem from 17 Masters of Suspense

Even readers who have never visited either location of Penzler's legendary Manhattan bookstore should enjoy these 17 short stories, each of which was originally published as a stand-alone pamphlet and given to faithful Mysterious Bookshop customers. The anthology's best tale, Lawrence Block's "As Dark as Christmas Gets," features the author's hilarious versions of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin, eccentric rare fish collector Leo Haig and his leg man, Chip Harrison, who look into the disappearance of an unpublished Cornell Woolrich manuscript. While the many inside jokes will go over the heads of some, all will appreciate such tongue-in-cheek touches as a customer in Ed McBain's "I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus" needing reassurance that Janet Evanovich is not yet another Evan Hunter pseudonym. Other contributors include Donald E. Westlake, Mary Higgins Clark, Anne Perry, Thomas H. Cook, and S.J. Rozan. (Oct.)