Golden Age Whodunits
Edited by Otto Penzler.
Short story anthology.
Published by American
Mystery Classics.
Published 2024.
Paperback.
ISBN-10: 1613165420
ISBN-13: 978-1613165423
Description:
Depending on who you
ask, the term "whodunit" was first coined sometime around 1930, but
the literary form predates that name by several decades. Still, it was in the
years between the two World Wars--the so-called "Golden Age" of mystery
fiction--that the style flourished. Short mysteries were published far and wide
by a variety of authors, not just those primarily associated with the genre.
They appeared in The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, and
other high-end periodicals that still exist today. These tales were, in short,
among the most popular diversions in literature and were of the highest
caliber.
Fifteen puzzling tales
from the masters of the mystery genre Depending on who you ask, the term
“whodunit” was first coined sometime around 1930, but the literary form
predates that name by several decades. Still, it was in the years between the
two World Wars – the so-called “Golden Age” of mystery fiction – that the style
flourished. Short mysteries were published far and wide by a variety of
authors, not just those primarily associated with the genre. They appeared in
The Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, and other high-end
periodicals that still exist today. These tales were, in short, among the most
popular diversions in literature and were of the highest caliber.
In this volume, Edgar
Award–winning anthologist Otto Penzler collects some of the finest American
whodunits of the era, including household names and welcome rediscoveries. F.
Scott Fitzgerald, Ellery Queen, and Mary Roberts Rinehart are all included, as
are Ring Lardner, Melville Davisson Post, and Helen Reilly. The result is a
cross section of the whodunit tale in the years that made it a staple in
mystery fiction.
"Stellar . . .
there’s not a weak link in the bunch. For classic mystery fans, this is a
must." – Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW.
"Guaranteed to make
Americans prouder of their country than any episode in its recent political
history." – Kirkus.
"You simply can’t
go wrong with any anthology that has [Otto Penzler’s] name on it." – Parade
Magazine.
"Penzler’s
depth of knowledge of the genre is in full evidence in this volume . . . This
anthology is sure to contain something to surprise even the most diehard
mystery fan." – Toronto Star.