Mystery Book Reviews

Book Review: Murder in the Rough: Edited by Otto Penzler

By Sandy Amazeen Jun 19, 2006, 1:26 GMT

This anthology of murder and assorted mayhem features some outstanding authors of the genre including Ian Rankin, Stephen Collins and Bradford Morrow. Frequently told with droll humor these short stories make for delightful summer reading while pursuing a golf theme in Penzler’s fourth in a series of sports crime books.

Simon Brett creates a cheapskate, two-timing husband who gets his just deserts in “The Man Who Couldn’t Play Golf.” A young woman poised to enter the pro league isn’t about to be sidetracked from her goal and may even be able to serve up a dose of delayed justice in “Lucy Had a List” by John Sandford. “Welcome to the Real World” exposes a retired widower, comfortable in his weekly routine who is becoming frustrated with the ongoing interruptions of an old office bully. He might just have to show the blowhard what being in the real world really means in Lawrence Block’s contribution. Overall this is an amusing collection where sometimes the underdogs come out on top and the pros are seldom what they appear to be.