Vengeance: Mystery Writers of America Presents
By Lee Child
4/5
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About this ebook
Edited and with an introduction by Lee Child, a new collection of stories which reveals the shocking consequences when men and women take the law into their own hands.
Vengeance features new stories by bestselling crime writers including Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, and Karin Slaughter, as well as some of today's brightest rising talents.
The heroes in these stories include a cop who's seen too much, a woman who has been pushed too far, or just an ordinary person doing what the law will not. Some call them vigilantes, others claim they are just another brand of criminal...
Lee Child
Lee Child is one of the world’s leading thriller writers. He was born in Coventry, raised in Birmingham, and now lives in New York. It is said one of his novels featuring his hero Jack Reacher is sold somewhere in the world every nine seconds. His books consistently achieve the number-one slot on bestseller lists around the world, and have sold over one hundred million copies. Two blockbusting Jack Reacher movies have been made so far. www.LeeChild.com
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Reviews for Vengeance
45 ratings12 reviews
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5Not a fan of short story collections. The only advantage is that a reader can commence and finish reading 'a story' in a few minutes. Not very satisfying, though.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exploring the theme of vengeance, this anthology is a very readable collection offering variety in character, setting and interpretation of the theme. While I read it easily in one setting, the format also allows the reader to dip in and out on a casual basis, most of the stories are less than ten pages in length so they are ideal to provide entertainment during a short commute or lunch break.In his introduction editor Lee Child, who also contributes an original story, explains how he chose ten best selling authors including Karin Slaughter, Dennis Lehane, Alafair Burke and Michael Connelly, to complement the ten winning submissions of the Mystery Writers of America competition.Of the 21 stories in Vengeance none really stood out for me but overall it is a solidly entertaining collection.Unusually men of the cloth are a common protagonist in this collection, with In Persona Christi by Orest Stelmach, C.E. Lawrence’s Silent Justice and Zoe Sharp’s Lost and Found taking matters of justice into their own hands.I enjoyed the story of Rukshana’s revenge on her boss in The Hotline by Dreda Say Mitchell and cheered for Beth in The Final Ballot by Brendan DuBois.Blood and Sunshine by Adam Meyer gave me chills as did the Unremarkable Heart by Karin Slaughter.Michel Connelly’s Harry Bosch makes an appearance in A Fine Mist of Blood, catching a vigilante lawyer who had escaped detection for almost a decade.Though it is quite a bleak expose of human nature, fans of crime, mystery and suspense should enjoy Vengeance, as I did, for its concise storytelling and murderous twists.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This was an Early Reviewer copy.One sometimes wonders what mystery authors dream of at night after they’ve put their pencils down, or powered off their laptops. Perhaps there are visions of puppies frolicking in backyards chasing multi-colored butterflies, their literary protagonist donning a cape and saving the city in Batman-like fashion, or possibly they lie awake counting sheep hoping for sleep to come? Somewhere in the darkest throes of night their subconscious asks that little question what if. What if the protagonist is pushed too far and retaliates? A common theme, vengeance, but what if – you could get away with it? This is the theme that is explored in twenty short stories and presented by Mystery Writers of America. Some very common names including Lee Child, Zoe Sharp, Karin Slaughter, Alafair Burke, Dennis Lehane, and Michael Connelly, along with some lesser publicized authors that are just as talented.I don’t normally seek out short story anthologies, as I prefer submersing myself into something longer and usually more satisfying, but I have to admit, most of these packed a good wallop. Based on the premise of the theme you see the ending coming, but find yourself caught in the rush of rapids that pulls you along thanks to some great storytellers. I don’t mind telling you I had to pick my jaw up off the floor after reading Zoe Sharp’s Lost and Found, brilliant! If you’re looking for highly satisfying, compact storytelling this is a terrific anthology.
- Rating: 2 out of 5 stars2/5This book of short stories about revenge and vengeance was a little disappointing to me. I read this to find some new authors that I hadn't read before and to be honest I have come away not finding what I was looking for. A few good stories but some real disappointing ones also.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I only requested this book because of Lee Child's name, so I was a little disappointed with some of the stories that made it into the book. Like other reviewers remarked there is only so much sadness one can take. Some of the stories I really enjoyed we're by authors' Karin Slaughter, Anne Swardson, and Michael Connelly. A few of the stories were very boring and I did not bother to finish.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mystery Writers of America Presents - Vengeance, was less satisfying than I had hoped for..My personal opinion is that Lee Child is a better author than he is an editor of short story anthologies. I have been slightly disappointed by him before in this regard.Vengeance, it seems to me, is a difficult vice for an author to make seem attractive.. except possibly to the lowest common denominators among we readers. Most of the entries here, even those by the more celebrated authors, were rather pedestrian. One of the joys for me, in reading these anthologies, is finding a previously unknown (to me) author that really intrigues me with their style and their ability to tell a story. Even in this collection I found such an author.. Brendan Dubois. His story, The Final Ballot, is the only one of these twenty one entries, where I recall the protagonist being a sympathetic character.. a person and a situation where we could smile, secretly, and say YES!, when she got her vengeance! I look forward to checking out all of Mr. Dubois' books, with special anticipation to his 'Lewis Cole' series.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed the book though it did leave me feeling somewhat out of sorts. A couple of the stories were outstanding but a couple kind of bummed me temporarily. All in all though it was very well written even if slightly disturbing at times.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is a collection of short stories all focused on the theme of Vengeance. Twenty one original authors (including the editor, Lee Child) wrote stories for this anthology and filled it with original short stories that really grab you and give you a reason to read. I am really envious of authors that can give you a gift of story in such short form and still include every nuance necessary to answer all the questions that might come up about the justification for the actions in the story. The form is a miracle in thrift! Another miracle is that Lee Child was able to persuade this great stable of authors to contribute to this book. I was amazed by the range of possibilities for revenge that were explored by these authors. It is also amazing that a stable of stories based on a single theme would cover such a wide variety of plots and actions looking for emotional satisfaction. I was further impressed that "ALL" of these stories were universally engaging and so well written and original that they easily maintained my interest to the point that I would read two or three stories at a single sitting instead of just picking and choosing the few with interesting titles. Not a single entry disappointed me! Easily one of the best short story anthologies of resent history. Kudo's to Mr. Child and his cooperating authors!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5As you can see by the cover, this is a collection of short stories centered around the theme of vengeance. Half of the authors were invited by Lee Child to write a story, the other tales were winners of a blinded Mystery Writers of America competition. Some stories worked better than others (there was one I didn't even read, I was so bored by the first two pages), but overall this is an entertaining collection. Some of my favorite authors are here (Slaughter, Lehane, Connelly) and their stories didn't disappoint, especially "The Unremarkable Heart" by Karin Slaughter. I also found a couple of new authors that I plan on seeking out based on their work here, particularly Alafair Burke. I'm glad I won this copy.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The short stories were great. well some more than others. but all in all i highly recommend this book.really great editing job Lee Child
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This is a collection of short stories by various writers. It is edited by Lee Child and he also has a short story in the book. I am not really a fan of the short story so my view may be biased. Each story told contained the theme of someone having to take matters into their own hands to deal get the justice they craved. So i have mixed emotions on my final thought of this book, it was a quick, easy read and great for summer reading.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Great volume of short stories, edited by Lee Child. The central theme of the volume was vengeance. Every tale has a point to make from The Fourteeth Juror to The Consumers to The Hollywood I Remember. An excellent volume of tales.