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Type of bind: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.087208
EAN num: 9780312374709
ISBN number: 0312374704
Label: St. Martin's Minotaur
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Minotaur
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 304
Printing Date: January 22, 2008
Publishing house: St. Martin's Minotaur
Release Date: January 22, 2008
Sale Popularity Level: 383590
Studio: St. Martin's Minotaur
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Product Description:
Killer Year is a group of 13 debut crime/mystery/suspense authors whose books will be published in 2007. The graduating class includes such rising stars as Robert Gregory Browne, Toni McGee Causey, Marcus Sakey, Derek Nikitas, Marc Lecard, JT Ellison, Brett Battles, Jason Pinter, Bill Cameron, Sean Chercover, Patry Francis, Gregg Olsen, and David White. Each of the short stories displaying their talents are introduced by their Killer Year mentors, some of which include bestselling authors Lee Child, Tess Gerritsen and Jeffrey Deaver, with additional stories by Ken Bruen, Allison Brennan and Duane Swierczynski. Bestselling authors Laura Lippman and MJ Rose contribute insightful essays. Inside you'll read about a small time crook in over his head, a story told backwards with a heroine not to be messed with, a tale of boys and the trouble they will get into over a girl, and many more stories of the highest caliber in murder, mayhem, and sheer entertainment. This amazing anthology, edited by the grandmaster Lee Child, is sure to garner lots of attention and keep readers coming back for more.
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Rated by buyers 
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Hyped up and with each story introduced by some great writers, I had high hopes for this. I was drawn in by a mis-leading cover which promotes lots of big names, but it is not until you look at the details that you discover that the actual stories are by new writers, most of which you will never have heard of.
In order to carry this off, the stories would have had to be very good, but sadly they weren't, they do range from the 'not bad' to the 'okay' but there was not one outstanding story that would have had me seeking more work from the author concerned.
Given the cost and the cover hype, this felt like a bit of an unsatisfying rip-off. It will be in the bargain bins within a few months so don't invest any money on it now.
Rated by buyers -
There's nothing wrong with short story collections. If it weren't for "Thriller," an anthology put together by James Patterson, I would've never gotten to like Lee Child as an author. I would've never guessed that Gayle Lynds would be at the top of those stories in my favorites. So when Lee Child put together a collection of short stories by some new thrilling crime authors, I was pumped!! Jason Pinter was already familiar to me. I'd read "The Mark," and boy was I impressed! He kept my attention with "The Guilty." So I was highly anticipating a list that I could choose from. With "Thriller" I liked about half the authors, and I STILL have to check out some of the authors from that list.
Realistically, no. You don't go into a short story collection and come out liking EVERY author. That's usually just not possible, unless you are impressed easily. Too many people are satisfied way too easily, and as a result, everything to them is WONDERFUL! Like everything represented to them in life is what a gourmet meal should be every time, nothing's bad. Everything should be WONDERFUL! I didn't think this was WONDERFUL by any means. If you go into a sandwich shop that advertises all types of sandwiches, but you only have 3-4 sandwiches that actually sell, opposed to the rest that don't get that much attention, that's a problem. For me, for the most part, this was a problem! With maybe 3 to 4 writers, including Jason Pinter, that I can walk away saying I want to give even the smallest chance.
All of these newcomers had mentors, such as Gayle Lynds, David Morrell, James Rollins, and of course, Lee Child. That's a great thing. To have a mentor is an awesome thing. So if they all become bestselling authors, that's great. But I don't have to like them. What's disappointing is that there were a few authors in this that I couldn't WAIT to read, and after reading them I wondered what I was thinking. That shouldn't be happening, but it did.
Now to the good news, since this has so far been a bad news laced review. Here are the authors I DID like. Jason Pinter was already a favorite coming into this, but fortunately there were others when I finished the whole thing. I really enjoyed Bill Cameron, Sean Chercover and Dave White the best. Those were my favorites. And I can't wait to read what they put out! The only other authors I'll even consider giving a shot in the future might be the likes of Allison Brennan, and J T Ellison.
In the end, there was NO WAY I was going to even consider giving this 3 stars, but it did get 2, and for a couple of reasons. The very first was because this was almost a waste of my time, and I value my time! But it wasn't a complete waste, so there's one star. The only reason "Killer Year" gets a second star from me is because I came out liking a selected few. And I wanted to finish this collection liking a lot of these authors! In my opinion, that's a bunch of horse crap.
Not a complete lost cause, but I certainly expected a lot better.
Rated by buyers 
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We need to thank the International Thriller Writers, and the editor, Lee Child, for putting this collection together. There are a total of 16 stories, 13 by relatively new writers. It is a good way to sample writers. Like most short story collections, the stories vary in length and writing style. Some will appeal to an individual reaker more than others. I liked three of the short stories well enough to order copies of novels written by the authors.
"Teardown," by Marc Lecard, is a fun read with a humorous slant. The main character LoDuco, is a likeable sort that will probably appeal to Evanovich fans. He would fit right in. The author's novel is "Vinnie's Head." The author is originally from Long Island.
"One Serving of Bad Luck," by Sean Chercover, is about private investigator Ray Dudgeon. This is another character you will like, and one I would hope to see more of. He has a knack for making the best out of a bad situation. The author's novel is "Big City, Bad Blood." The author has an interesting background. Like Dashiel Hammett, he started out working as a PI, and has held a number of other jobs during his career. He splits his time between Chicago and Toronto.
The leadoff story, "Perfect Gentleman, by Brett Battles, is about Wade Norris, an American expatriot working as the papasan in a strip club in Angeles City in the Philippines. He looks after the young women working there, and has his own ideas about justice. I like the author's writing style. He novel is "The Cleaner." The author is from California, but has traveled extensively.
There were a number of other stories that I particularly liked, including "Bottom Deal," by Robert Gregory Browne. The main character, Jennings, is an entertainer, card sharp, and addicted gambler (always looking for a game) in Las Vegas, and sometimes may be involved in a little B&E with his friend Scully. He is escaping from tragedy in his past, and has his own way of dealing out some justice.
Readers will find an assortment of stories that they will enjoy.
Rated by buyers -
Better than average anthology. I made a list and finished with four I want to read more. That's not bad.
Rated by buyers -
This book gave me a chance to sample some writers that I had never heard of. I have purchased books by 2 of the writers since reading their short stories.
Best Regards and Kudos to all.
David
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