This is the essential one-volume companion for all lovers of mystery and suspense fiction. Here you'll find the leading storytellers of our time including Tony Hillerman, Ed McBain, Sara Paretsky, Charlotte MacLeod and many others. This handsome, comprehensive book represents crime fiction at its absolute best. With a knowledgeable introduction by Jon L. Breen and head notes for each story by mystery novelist and editor Ed Gorman, the collection traces the development of contemporary fiction from a seminal period late in the 1960s, when such stories as Joe Gores' "The Second Coming" foreshadowed the social changes that would become subject matter for crime fiction and Margaret Millar's "The People Across the Canyon" exemplified the school of psychological suspense that would be the province of women writers. The anthology also includes an extensive recommended reading list that will have great appeal to readers who want to expand or deepen their mystery reading. Ideal as a gift, perfect for every library, A Modern Treasury of Great Detective and Murder Mysteries is the finest mystery and crime collection available.

Contents:

• Introduction by Jon L. Breen
• The People Across the Canyon by Margaret Millar
• Bodyguards Shoot Second [Amos Walker] by Loren D. Estleman
• Chee’s Witch [Jim Chee] by Tony Hillerman
• Water’s Edge by Robert Bloch
• A Predatory Woman by Sharyn McCrumb
• Lucky Penny by Linda Barnes
• Second Chance by Edward D. Hoch
• Last Rites by Linda Grant
• A Blow for Freedom by Lawrence Block
• Nine Sons by Wendy Hornsby
• Incident in a Neighborhood Tavern [Nameless private eye] by Bill Pronzini
• The Broken Men [Sharon McCone] by Marcia Muller
• Ghost Station by Carolyn Wheat
• More Like Martine [“Mine to Love”] by Charlotte MacLeod
• Skin Deep [V.I. Warshawski] by Sara Paretsky
• Dead on Arrival by Joan Hess
• Malibu Dog by Faye Kellerman
• Lieutenant Harald and the Impossible Gun [Lt. Sigrid Harald] by Margaret B. Maron
• Death Flight by Ed McBain
• The Second Coming by Joe Gores
• While She Was Out by Edward Bryant
• Horn Man by Clark Howard
• Faces by F. Paul Wilson
• Ride the Lightning [Al Nudger] by John Lutz
• Afraid All the Time by Nancy Pickard
• Recommended Reading