This is a gob-smacking reference collection of shorter fiction stories which were adapted into some of the most iconic crime films in history. The stories are collected roughly thematically with sections for love (to death), real life horror, suspense, classic detectives and more. The author list reads like a literal who's who of crime fiction: Christie, Ian Fleming, Maugham, Bloch, RL Stevenson, Hammett, O. Henry, Huxley, Sinclair Lewis, Conan Doyle and many more, both modern and classic.
This anthology would be well worth the cost of admission -just- for the stories alone of course, but what made this a personal library keeper (even bought my own copy) is the erudite and meticulous historical notes and cast notes for each and every one of the included stories and the films they inspired. Mr. Penzler has a dizzying command of crime fiction history (or possibly a stable of librarians stashed in his basement) and his comments are worth reading in their own right.
Five stars. The other books in the series from the same publisher are also well worth seeking out.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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