A Merry Band of Murderers edited by Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns

Started: 7/10/06
Finished: 7/12/06
Pages: 311
Year: 2006
Genre: Mystery/Short Stories
Grade: B+
Reason for reading: review for MyShelf.com
Blurb (from back cover): "A Merry Band of Murderers is more than a compilation of short mystery stories from some of the genre's finest writers. It is also an exploration of music. Conceived by Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns, the collection is staged in two acts: the first is a non-fiction discussion of short stories, mysteries and music; and the second is a compilation of musical short mysteries.
"Act I opens with an essay by Bishop explaining the role of the short story in mystery writing and a separate essay by Burns discussing writers who play, sing, and compose.
"Act II is more whimsical. There are 13 music-centered stories from authors Rhys Bowen, Tom Corcoran, Jeffrey Deaver, Mary Anna Evans, Jim Fusilli, Rupert Holmes, John Lescroart, Val McDermid, Bill Moody, Peter Robinson, Nathan Walpole and, of course, the editors themselves. Each story is accompanied by a short introduction, song lyrics, and an interview with the writer."
Opinion: Great concept and a lot of fun to read. This was an advanced reader copy so I didn't get the pleasure of listening to the CD that will be accompanying this when it is released in September. For a more complete review, be sure to check out My Shelf next month.