ed Donald Westlake

It is unexpected, but very good, to see a major UK publisher getting behind a hefty new short story collection and my only small complaint is that I would be even happier if this anthology, which weighs in at almost 500 pages, featured the Best of British. In fact, the book is devoted to 20 stories which have been culled from a variety of publications appearing in 1999: so it is really just 'the best' of that particular year.
The authors include two heavyweights, Dennis Lehane and Jeffrey Deaver (a splendid writer of short stories as well as a best-selling thriller novelist), together with the late Shel Silverstein, better known as a cartoonist and songwriter. Other contributors include sound performers such as Doug Allyn and Barbara D'Amato, who are at present much better known in the States than in the UK. One hopes that this collection will bring their work to the attention of a broader audience and the same goes for the other writers, most of whose names were unfamiliar to me. 'Jumping with Jim', for instance, is the first published work of Geary Danihy. It is good to see new writers published alongside the stars. All in all, this is an enjoyable and worthy collection. Let's hope that it sets a trend.