A New Omnibus of Crime »

Tony Hillerman's experience as a journalist and a lover of Native American culture lent an unmistakable authenticity to his mysteries. In addition to his popular series starring Navajo Tribal Police detectives Chee and Leaphorn, he wrote standalone novels, essays about the Southwest, and a warmly reviewed autobiography (Seldom Disappointed) that revealed not only his talent, but his bravery as a soldier in World War II. He died in 2008 at the age of 83.

In 1929, Dorothy L. Sayers published her landmark anthology, The Omnibus of Crime. More recently, Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert decided it was time to produce a definitive new anthology representing the best of the genre since then-the critically acclaimed A New Omnibus of Crime. This extraordinary collection emphasizes the most exciting styles and voices in each genre, rather than taking a typical decade-by-decade approach. As a result, A New Omnibus of Crime boasts a broad range of engaging, page-turning, and spine-tingling selections from the past eight decades. Stories in this collection include Patricia Highsmith's "Woodrow Wilson's Necktie," Sue Grafton's "A Poison That Leaves No Trace," Alexander McCall Smith's "He Loved to Go for Drives with His Father," and many more. A New Omnibus of Crime is a marvelous achievement that brings together some of the greatest crime and mystery short fiction ever collected.

Publishers Weekly

A New Omnibus of Crime, edited by Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert, is a worthy successor to Dorothy L. Sayers's classic Omnibus of Crime (1929). Primarily a reprint anthology, it includes three original tales by Catherine Aird, Jeffrey Deaver and Alexander McCall Smith. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Introduction 1

The Man Who Knew How Dorothy L. Sayers 7

The Girl with the Silver Eyes Dashiell Hammett 18

The Wench Is Dead Frederic Brown 54

Gone Girl Ross Macdonald 75

The Couple Next Door Margaret Millar 101

By the Scruff of the Soul Dorothy Salisbury Davis 115

Flowers That Bloom in the Spring Julian Symons 129

Woodrow Wilson's Necktie Patricia Highsmith 144

Loopy Ruth Rendell 156

Great Aunt Allie's Fly Papers P. D. James 166

First Lead Gasser Tony Hillerman 183

Chee's Witch Tony Hillerman 193

Breathe Deep Donald E. Westlake 202

Rumpole and the Bubble Reputation John Mortimer 207

A Poison That Leaves No Trace Sue Grafton 232

Photo Finish Sara Paretsky 244

The Crime of Miss Oyster Brown Peter Lovesey 262

Red Clay Michael Malone 275

Barking at Butterflies Ed McBain 290

Running Out of Dog Dennis Lehane 296

Hostages James Crumley 322

When the Women Come Out to Dance Elmore Leonard 328

The Hanged Man Ian Rankin 339

The Holly and the Poison Ivy Catherine Aird 347

Copycat Jeffery Deaver 357

He Loved to Go for Drives with His Father Alexander McCall Smith 380

Credits 391

Index 392