Book Review: ...And the Dying is Easy

Stars: 4 out of 5
Pros: Many fun short stories
Cons: A few that aren't that good
The Bottom Line:
Summer mysteries
Great vacation collection
Relax and enjoy




Summertime Mystery Collection

...And the Dying is Easy is a collection of mysteries set during the summer or on vacations (or both) from 20 of Signet's mystery writers. Ranging from well known to new authors, the list includes the following: Jeff Abbott, Lydia Adamson, Ann Campbell, JoAnna Carl, Edie Claire, Max Allan Collins, Selma Eichler, Hazel Holt, Peter King, John Lantigua, Sam McCarver, Tamar Myers, Dana Stabenow, Andy Straka, Denise Swanson, Peter Trenayne, Judith Van Gieson, k.j.a. Wishnia, Matt Witten, and Wayne Worcester. Most of the authors write stories using their series sleuths, but a few take the opportunity to introduce a new character from a new series.

With a few exceptions, the stories seem to stick to the lighter side of the mystery genre. Most of the authors write cozy series. Most of the stories have a contemporary setting, but a few are historical mysteries, including Wane Worcester's, which features Sherlock Holmes. Those that deal with professional investigators don't throw in much of the harder stuff so any mystery fan should be comfortable reading the stories collected here.

Having said that, there is one exception. Lydia Adamson's story, "A Case of Feline Psychopathology" was surprisingly sexual and stood out from the rest of the stories. It features her series character Alice Nestleton who is asked to solve the murder of a shrink. While I didn't enjoy this story, it was the exception to the rule.

As I said, most of the author's took their series sleuth and gave them a summer time case to solve. Tamar Myers actually sends Mennonite innkeeper Magdalena Yoder on vacation to South Carolina where she must solve the murder of her tour guide. Max Allan Collins tells a story featuring his series hero Nathan Heller set in 1947. Nathan takes a trip to Los Angeles and gets involved in a real double murder case.

This book launched three different series. JoAnna Carl introduced her Chocoholic Series with "The Chocolate Kidnapping Clue." I loved the story so much, I bought the first book and have been reading them ever since. This story revolves around a teenaged Lee investigating a kidnapping while working for her uncle and aunt one summer at their chocolate shop in Michigan. Peter King also used this to introduce his second series starring Jack London, who solves "The Body in the Bay." The collection starts out with Jeff Abbott introducing Whit Mosley in "Salt on the Rim." This story, set in a small Texas town, is one of the darker stories in the book and features a murder at a bar.

One reason I initially read this book was because it contained several authors I had read but wasn't super impressed with the first time around. Edie Claire proved she is a good storyteller in "Never Neck at Niagara," and I wound up buying the rest of her series. Likewise, I gave Denise Swanson another chance after reading "Not a Monster of a Chance." The story concerns her sleuth, Skye, attempting to solve the mystery of a monster in the local swimming lagoon. It was very entertaining and I found Skye more likeable then I did in her debut.

Unfortunately, that didn't carry over to other authors. Selma Eichler has a funny main character who I really enjoy, but her plots are ridiculously easy. I couldn't believe that Desiree Shapiro missed the clue in "Murder Can Hurt Your Ears." Likewise, TV produce Matt Witten created a great character in freelance writer and father Jacob Burns, but his characters' mouths are way too foul for my tastes.

This is a great way to get a feel for many different authors without too big a time commitment. Unfortunately, ...And the Dying is Easy is now out of print, so it could be hard to track down. If you can find it, you'll find it's perfect for a day on the beach.