Dark crimes Book

"Dark Crimes" is an outstanding anthology of fiction, and something of an exception among anthologies. Although I enjoy reading fiction anthologies, I have discovered that, almost invariably, the range of quality between the stories is bewilderingly large. Most anthologies include at least several gripping, professional, and interesting stories, but these are usually buried under flat, trivial, amateur stories devoid of character, plot, and wit.

"Dark Crimes" is a notable exception to this trend, since the 16 short stories and 2 novels collected herein are almost all of a superior quality. I rate stories on a five-point scale - "1s" are unreadable, "5s" outstanding- and average the stories' scores within an anthology. "Dark Crimes" as a whole scores a 4.1, the highest score I've yet encountered. Here are my favorites:

"While She Was Out" - by Edward Bryant - Gripping, suspenseful, and crackling with energy.

"Souls Burning" by Bill Pronzini - An economical and literate examination of the emotions of despair.

"The Crooked Way" by Loren Estleman - An intricate plot, first-rate dialogue, and excellent pacing.

"Tony" by William Relling - One of the most frightening stories I've encountered - this in six pages!

"Taking the Night Train" by Thomas Monteleone - this story has the intensity of a nightmare; one of the more fantasy-oriented stories.