Detective Stories: Everyman's Pocket Classics    edited by Peter Washington Order:  USA  Can Knopf, 2009 (2009) Hardcover Read an Excerpt      Reviewed by Tim Davis Here is an exquisite volume of great detective fiction from the world's most accomplished authors. Editor Peter Washington has selected superb contributions from great storytellers from the past - Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, G. K. Chesterton, Arthur Conan Doyle, Edgar Allan Poe, and others - and more modern masters - Sara Paretsky, Ian Rankin, Ruth Rendell, Jorge Luis Borges, H. R. F. Keating, and others. The result is a sumptuous smorgasbord of fiendishly criminal treats. Join a detective who seeks clues into the disappearance of a wealthy businessman's daughter; the police may be baffled, but the P.I. is always one step ahead of the cops and the culprits. In another complicated tale, a beautiful young woman waits patiently in a hotel for her ex-con lover, but murder has a way of interrupting a passionate reunion. Go downstairs in an apartment building, and follow a neighborly sleuth who turns the tables on some very clever board-game players who mixed espionage with homicide. Hit the streets in Ireland, and learn how a street-smart cop discovers that an inept burglar can become indispensable to stopping some vicious drug dealers. Travel to exotic India where the baffled police detective hopes for a miracle during the Christmas season when tensions between religious communities boil over. Meet up with the French police detective who learns that an attractive young dressmaker may be less innocent than she would first appear. Well, I could go on with more hors d'oeuvres from the collection of stories, but all you really need to know is this: it would be a crime for any fan of detective fiction to miss out on this book. Once you have sampled from the buffet's tasty morsels in Detective Stories, you'll be famished for more from the sixteen storytellers. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews