Murder...and All That Jazz

by Robert J. Randisi

Including new stories from New York Timesbestselling and Edgar(r) Award-winning authors, this collection is moody, menacing, and as unpredictable as the jazz music it celebrates. With stories by Michael Connelly, Peter Robinson, Robert Ferrigno, Laura Lippman, Max Allan Collins, Julie Smith, Craig Holden, John Lutz, John Harvey, Billy Moody, Ed Gorman, Martin Meyers, Les Roberts, and Christine Matthews.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0451213335
• ISBN13: 9780451213334
• Release Date: November 2004
• Publisher: Signet Book
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.0" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

Great Collection of Short Mysteries With A Jazz Flavor

My greatest fear when reading collections is that they will be uneven. Not here. These are all very good. They all keep the readers attention and move quickly. Time settings were from the the late 1920's till the not too distant past. I really enjoyed this and am going to purchase books by the authors I was not previously familiar with.

Murder and All That Jazz quite copacetic

The mystery anthology seemed to be dying a slow death in the '90s with the onset of the fast-food, summer beach, cats-and-recipe detective novel and the reluctance of bestselling authors to waste their sweat on the short story form. But the anthology's now coming back with a vengeance. Penzler's sports mystery anths. and McBain's knockout new collection Transgressions come to mind. But this one came out of nowhere: A straight-to-paperback, little-trumpeted (pun intended) theme anthology that features a new Harry Bosch tale (Connelly's the one true modern heir to Chandler and a great break from the armies of Top 10 hacks out there). I'd have paid the book's price for this one alone: A police procedural with a clever mystery, a hearteningly Chandleresque Christmas moral, and a glimpse into Bosch's troubled past and affection for jazz. Connelly demonstrates here that you can write short and still deliver the goods. There's also a rare Milan Jacovich story (Les Roberts deserves more of that fame we seem to ladle on burgermeisters like Grisham, Cornwell, and Robin Cook), and additional P.I. treats by Julie Smith and Laura Lippman. That ain't enough for you, we got original Lutz, Randisi, Gorman, and Max Allan Collins. $6.99 for a feast like this? I'm glad I skipped my double-Thickburger lunch that day. You should enjoy!

Magnificent collection of writers in the key of jazz.

Most authors express the belief that the short story is the most difficult format to execute. Developing characters and advancing plot(s) in the space limitations can tax the most gifted of writers. Leave it to Robert Randisi to assemble a collection of fascinating short mysteries with a jazz theme that belie the conventional wisdom. His "Murder and All That Jazz" boasts a roster filled with Edgar, Shamus and Agatha winners. The baker's dozen tales all sparkle...my particular favorites were penned by Laura Lippman, Les Roberts, Michael Connelly, Julie Smith and Mr. Randisi. A pleasure from start to finish. Enjoy this one and get an introduction to some writers you may not have known.