WHAT'S NEW IN MARCH 2009?
THE MINERVA CLUB, by Victor Canning
Victor Canning (1911-1986) may have been most famous as the author of THE RAINBOW PATTERN (Heinmann, 1972), which Alfred Hitchcock filmed as "Family Plot" in 1976, but he wrote about 60 novels, juvenile books, historical romances, television scripts and short stories. He had two collections of short stories: YOUNG MAN ON A BICYCLE AND OTHER STORIES (Hodder and Stoughton, 1958); and DELAY ON TURTLE AND OTHER STORIES (New English Library, 1962). His third collection is MINERVA CLUB, THE DEPARTMENT OF PATTERS AND OTHERS (Crippen & Landru, 2009), with 24 stories as follows:
The Minerva Club Stories:
"The Trojan Crate," first published in the March 16, 1963 issue of Today as "Escape for a Lucky Dog," and reprinted in the May 1964 issue of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine (EQMM) as "The Trojan Crate"
"Flint's Diamonds," first published in the January 5, 1963 issue of Today as "Too Little with Love," and reprinted in the August 1963 issue of EQMM as "Flint's Diamonds"
"The Ransom of Angelo," first published in the November 1961 issue of Argosy as "Twinkle, Twinkle", and reprinted in the July 1963 issue of EQMM as "The Ransom of Angelo"
"A Stroke of Genius," first published in the February 1965 issue of EQMM
"Three Heads Are Better Than One," first published in the April 6, 1963 issue of Today as "With Love from the Boys," and reprinted in the January 1964 issue of EQMM as "Three Heads Are Better Than One"
The Department of Patterns:
"The Doomsday Pattern," first published in the January 1961 issue of Suspense
"Nine Little Fishermen," first published in the April 1961 issue of Suspense as "The Nigger Boy Pattern," and reprinted in the February 1962 issue of EQMM as "The Sunday Fishing Club, and in the May 1971 issue of Argosy as "Nine Littel Fishermen"
"Tattoo Pattern," first published in the May 1961 issue of Argosy, and reprinted in the April 1962 issue of EQMM as "The Three Musketeers"
"Carnation Pattern," first published in the June 1961 issue of Argosy, and reprinted in the January 1963 issue of EQMM as "The Carnation Anniversary"
"The Chicken Breast Pattern," first published in the July 1961 issue of Argosy, and in the June 1962 issue of EQMM as "The Missing Tins of Chicken Breast"
"The Botany Pattern," first published in the April 1965 issue of EQMM
"Baskets of Apples and Roses," first published in the October 1965 issue of EQMM
The Dramatic Deaths of Dr. Kang
"Death in China," first published in the February 20, 1956 issue of Evening Standard as "The Six Deaths of Dr. Kang," and reprinted in the August 1957 issue of EQMM
"Shadow in the Dark," first published in the February 21, 1956 of Evening Standard, and reprinted in the August 1957 issue of EQMM as "Death in Australia"
"Stranger Who Called at Room 12," first published in the February 22, 1956 issue of Evening Standard, and reprinted in the April 1958 issue of EQMM as "Death in Morocco"
"Voyage of Fear," first published in the February 23, 1956 issue of Evening Standard, and reprinted in the June 1958 issue of EQMM as "Death in Italy"
"A Toast to Treachery," first published in the February 24, 1956 issue of Evening Standard, and reprinted in the March 1959 issue of EQMM as "Death in France"
"A Voice from the Past," first published in the February 25, 1956 issue of Evening Standard
"Murder at the Sixth Green," first published in the December 17, 1956 issue of Glasgow Evening Citizen
"A Question of Tailoring," first published in the December 18, 1956 issue of Glasgow Evening Citizen
"The Slasher Slips Up,"first published in the December 19, 1956 issue of Glasgow Evening Citizen
"The Prisoner in the Embassy,"first published in the December 20, 1956 issue of Glasgow Evening Citizen
"Lady in Distress,"first published in the December 21, 1956 issue of Glasgow Evening Citizen
"Find My Son,"first published in the December 28, 1956 issue of Glasgow Evening Citizen
The Minerva Club is a London club which consists of convicted non-violent criminals. The fictional Department of Patterns is a branch of the French Surete, which studies unsolved cases and look for patterns under the guidance of Papa Grand except in "The Doomsday Pattern." Dr. Kang, a graduate from Peking University in 1910, finds troubles and mysteries while traveling around the world. "Introduction" by editro John Higgins, who also matintains the Victor Canning Website, is most informative.
This is the 27th in the Crippen & Landru "Lost Classics" series. There are two editions of this book: clothbound ($29) and trade softcover ($19). Order from Crippen & Landru by e-mailing to info@crippenlandru.com, or by sending a letter to Crippen & Landru, Dept. G, P. O. Box 9315, Norfolk, Virginia 23505, USA. They honor Visa, MasterCard and Amex.
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SAN FRANCISCO NOIR 2, edited by Peter Maravelis
Peter Maravelis edited SAN FRANCISCO NOIR (Akashic Books) in 2005, and now he has edited its "sequel," SAN FRANCISCO NOIR 2 (Akashic Books, 2009). This time the 17 stories included here are mostly reprints as follows:
PART I: BARBAROUS COAST
"A Watcher by the Dead," by Ambrose Bierce, originally published in the December 29, 1889 issue of The San Francisco Examiner
"The Third Circle," by Frank Norris, originally published in the August 28, 1897 issue of The San Francisco Wave
"The Black Hole of San Francisco," by Mark Twain, originally published in the December 29, 1865 issue of Virginia City (Nevada) Territorial Enterprise
"South of the Slot," by Jack London, originally published in the May 22, 1909 issue of The Saturday Evening Post
PART II: SHADOWS IN THE FOG
"The Scroched Face," by Dashiell Hammett, featuring the Continental Op, originally published in the May 1925 issue of Black Mask
"The Collector Comes After Payday," by Fletcher Flora, originally published in the August 1953 issue of Manhunt
"Souls Burning," by Bill Pronzini, featuring the Nameless Detective, originally published in DARK CRIMES (Carroll & Graf, 1991; edited by Ed Gorman)
"The Second Coming," by Joe Gores, originally published in the August 1966 issue of Adam
"Knives in the Dark," by Don Herron, originally published in MEASURES OF POISON (Dennis McMillan, 2002; edited by Dennis McMillan)
PART III: ISLE OF BROKEN DREAMS
"Christ Walked down Market Street," by Ernest J. Gaines, originally published in the Fall 2005 issue of Callaloo, and included in MOZART AND LEADBELLY (Knopf, 2005; edited by Marcia Gauder & Reggie Young)
"Deception," by Marcia Muller, featuring Sharon McCone, originally published in Issue One of A Matter of Crime (1987)
"The King Butcher of Bristol Bay," by Oscar Penaranda, originally published in SEASON BY THE BAY (T'Boli Publishing, 2004)
"Invisible Time," by Janet Dawson, originally published in ONCE UPON A CRIME (Berkley Prime Crime; edited by Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg)
PART IV: DESOLATION ANGELS
"Street Court," by Seth Morgan, originally published in HOMEBOY (Random House, 1990)
"The Numbers Game," by Craig Clevenger, probably an original story
"The Woman Who Laughed," by William T. Vollmann, originally published in THE RAINBOW STORIES (Atheneum, 1989)
"Ashe," by John Shirley, originally published in DEAD END: CITY LIMITS (St. Martin's, 1991; edited by Paul F. Olson & David B. Silva)
I am sure that I read the stories by Hammett, Pronzini, Gores, and Muller a long time ago. So I have a lot of stories to read. The next Noir anthologies from Akashic Books are SEATTLE NOIR, edited by Curt Colbert, and PORTLAND NOIR, edited Kevin sampsell, both out in June.
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