The Big Book of Rogues and Villains by Otto Penzler

Otto Penzler always does a wonderful job of picking out stories for his anthologies.  He has it done again with these stories.  There are 72 stories and it's 928 pages long.  Took me almost three days to read this one but it was worth it.

Vintage Crime/Black Lizard and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this books (thank you).  It will be published October 24th.

With body snatchers, Dracula, the Cisco Kid and more starring in these stories, it holds your attention.  The early stories had more shock value.  The ones that always appeal to me are the ironic endings.  I'm not looking for perfect endings, I just enjoy justice winning once in a while.

Here's a list of the stories that seemed special to me as I read them:

The Unpublished Memoirs by ASW Rosenbach.
The Gray Seal by Frank L. Packard
A Retrieved Reformation by O. Henry -- excellent read!
The Burglar by John Russell
After Dinner Story by William Irish
The Cat Woman by Erle Stanley Gardner
The Theft from an Empty Room by Edward D. Hoch
Quarry's Luck by Max Allen Collins
Keller on the Spot by Lawrence Block

Many of those authors are old friends that I've been reading for years.  It's always fun to read stories you know will enjoy.  Give it a read and see which stories talk to you!