The Mammoth Book of Best British Mysteries
The Mammoth Book of
MYSTERIES
Also available
The Mammoth Book of 20th Century Science Fiction
The Mammoth Book of Awesome Comic Fantasy
The Mammoth Book of Best New Erotica 7
The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 14
The Mammoth Book of Best New Science Fiction 16
The Mammoth Book of British Kings & Queens
The Mammoth Book of Celtic Myths and Legends
The Mammoth Book of Fighter Pilots
The Mammoth Book of Future Cops
The Mammoth Book of Great Detective Stories
The Mammoth Book of Great Inventions
The Mammoth Book of Hearts of Oak
The Mammoth Book of Heroes
The Mammoth Book of Historical Whodunnits
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: America
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Ancient Egypt
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Ancient Rome
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Battles
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: In Britain
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Everest
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: Naval Battles
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: WWI
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: World War II
The Mammoth Book of International Erotica
The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper
The Mammoth Book of Maneaters
The Mammoth Book of Mountain Disasters
The Mammoth Book of Native Americans
The Mammoth Book of New Terror
The Mammoth Book of Private Eye Stories
The Mammoth Book of Prophecies
The Mammoth Book of Pulp Action
The Mammoth Book of Roaring Twenties Whodunnits
The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits
The Mammoth Book of SAS & Elite Forces
The Mammoth Book of Science Fiction Century Volume I
The Mammoth Book of Seriously Comic Fantasy
The Mammoth Book of Sex, Drugs & Rock ‘n’ Roll
The Mammoth Book of Sorcerers’ Tales
The Mammoth Book of Space Exploration and Disasters
The Mammoth Book of Special Forces
The Mammoth Book of Storms & Sea Disasters
The Mammoth Book of Short Erotic Novels
The Mammoth Book of Sword and Honour
The Mammoth Book of The Edge
The Mammoth Book of Travel in Dangerous Places
The Mammoth Book of True War Stories
The Mammoth Book of UFOs
The Mammoth Book of Vampires
The Mammoth Book of War Correspondents
The Mammoth Book of Women Who Kill
The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Extraterrestrial Encounters
The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Modern Crime Fiction
The Mammoth Encyclopedia of Unsolved Mysteries
BEST BRITISH
MYSTERIES
EDITED BY MAXIM JAKUBOWSKI
ROBINSON
London
Constable & Robinson Ltd
3 The Lanchesters
162 Fulham Palace Road
London W6 9ER
www.constablerobinson.com
First published in the UK by Robinson,
an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd 2008
Collection and editorial material copyright
© Maxim Jakubowski 2008
All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any
form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available from the British Library.
ISBN 978-1-84529-711-4
eISBN 978-1-78033-281-9
Printed and bound in the EU
1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2
INTRODUCTION
Maxim Jakubowski
THE .50 SOLUTION
Lee Child
THE DEBT
Simon Kernick
THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS QUORUM
Colin Dexter
THE BOOKBINDER’S APPRENTICE
Martin Edwards
TROUBLE IS A LONESOME TOWN
Cathi Unsworth
GREEN TARTS
Deryn Lake
DAPHNE McANDREWS AND THE SMACK-HEAD JUNKIES
Stuart McBride
ONCE UPON A TIME
Peter Turnbull
THAT’S THE WAY HE DID IT
Amy Myers
THE LONG BLACK VEIL
Val McDermid
THE CURIOUS CONTENTS OF A COFFIN
Susanna Gregory
THE SIXTH MAN
Bill James
PROVENANCE
Robert Barnard
JADE SKIRT
Simon Levack
THE FERRYMAN’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER
Peter Robinson
TELL ME
Zoë Sharp
COLOUR ME BLOOD
Jerry Sykes
PROS AND CONS
Donna Moore
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE
TITANIC
SWINDLE
Len Deighton
LOVE
Martyn Waites
JUST FRIENDS
John Harvey
SAY THAT AGAIN
Peter Lovesey
CONTINUITY ERROR
Nicholas Royle
THE LAST KAYFABE
Ray Banks
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD
Ken Bruen
THE 45 STEPS
Peter Crowther
STEPPING UP
Mark Billingham
TOM OF TEN THOUSAND
Edward Marston
A CASE OF ASYLUM
Michael Jecks
THE DEATH OF JEFFERS
Kevin Wignall
DISTILLING THE TRUTH
Marilyn Todd
WISH
John Rickards
THE BRICK
Natasha Cooper
THE KILLER BESIDE ME
Allan Guthrie
UNCLE HARRY
Reginald Hill
IN SOME COUNTRIES
Jerry Raine
BRYANT AND MAY’S MYSTERY TOUR
Christopher Fowler
THE .50 SOLUTION by Lee Child, © 2006 by Lee Child. First published in BLOODLINES, edited by Jason Starr and Maggie Estep. Reprinted by permission of the author and his
agent, Darley Anderson Literary Agency.
THE DEBT by Simon Kernick, © 2005 by Simon Kernick. First published as a promotional BMW audio story. Reprinted by permission of the author and Transworld Publishers.
THE CASE OF THE CURIOUS QUORUM by Colin Dexter, © 2006 by Colin Dexter. First published in THE VERDICT OF US ALL, edited by Peter Lovesey. Reprinted by permission of the
author.
THE BOOKBINDER’S APPRENTICE by Martin Edwards, © 2006 by Martin Edwards. First published in THE STRAND MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author.
TROUBLE IS A LONESOME TOWN by Cathi Unsworth, © 2006 by Cathi Unsworth. First published in LONDON NOIR, edited by Cathi Unsworth. Reprinted by permission of the author.
GREEN TARTS by Deryn Lake, © 2006 by Deryn Lake. First published in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF JACOBEAN WHODUNNITS, edited by Mike Ashley. Reprinted by permission of the
author.
DAPHNE McANDREWS AND THE SMACK-HEAD JUNKIES by Stuart McBride, © 2006 by Stuart McBride, first published in DAMN NEAR DEAD, edited by Duane Swierczynski. reprinted by
permission of the author.
ONCE UPON A TIME by Peter Turnbull, © 2006 by Peter Turnbull, first published in ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author. THAT’S
THE WAY HE DID IT by Amy Myers, © 2006 by Amy Myers. First published in ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author and her agent, the Dorian Literary
Agency.
THE LONG BLACK VEIL by Val McDermid, © 2006 by Val McDermid. First published in A MERRY BAND OF MURDERERS, edited by Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns. Reprinted by permission
of the author and her agent, Gregory & Co.
THE CURIOUS CONTENTS OF A COFFIN by Susanna Gregory, © 2006 by Susanna Gregory. First published in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF JACOBEAN WHODUNNITS, edited by Mike Ashley. Reprinted
by permission of the author.
THE SIXTH MAN by Bill James, © 2006 by Bill James. First published in THE SIXTH MAN AND OTHER STORIES. Reprinted by permission of the author.
PROVENANCE by Robert Barnard, © 2006 by Robert Barnard. First published in ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agent,
Gregory & Co.
JADE SKIRT by Simon Levack, © 2006 by Simon Levack. First published in ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agent, Gregory
& Co.
THE FERRYMAN’S BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER by Peter Robinson, © 2006 by Peter Robinson. First published in A MERRY BAND OF MURDERERS, edited by Claudia Bishop and Don Bruns.
Reprinted by permission of the author.
TELL ME by Zoë Sharp, © 2006 by Zoë Sharp. First published in I.D., edited by Martin Edwards. Reprinted by permission of the author.
COLOUR ME BLOOD by Jerry Sykes, © 2006 by Jerry Sykes. First published in ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author.
PROS AND CONS by Donna Moore, © 2006 by Donna Moore. First published in DAMN NEAR DEAD, edited by Duane Swierczynski. Reprinted by permission of the author.
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE
TITANIC
SWINDLE by Len Deighton, © 2006 by Len Deighton. First published in THE VERDICT OF US ALL, edited by Peter Lovesey. Reprinted by
permission of the author’s agent, Jonathan Clowes Ltd.
LOVE by Martyn Waites, © 2006 by Martyn Waites. First published in LONDON NOIR, edited by Cathi Unsworth. Reprinted by permission of the author.
JUST FRIENDS by John Harvey, © 2006 by John Harvey. First published in DAMN NEAR DEAD, edited by Duane Swierczynski. Reprinted by permission of the author.
SAY THAT AGAIN by Peter Lovesey, © 2006 by Peter Lovesey. First published in THE IDEAS EXPERIMENT, edited by Michael Z. Lewin. Reprinted by permission of the author.
CONTINUITY ERROR by Nicholas Royle, © 2006 by Nicholas Royle. First published in LONDON:CITY OF DISAPPEARANCES, edited by lain Sinclair. Reprinted by permission of the
author.
THE LAST KAYFABE by Ray Banks, © 2006 by Ray Banks. First published in THE MISSISSIPPI REVIEW. Reprinted by permission of the author.
TO HAVE AND TO HOLD by Ken Bruen, © 2006 by Ken Bruen. First published in HARDLUCK STORIES. Reprinted by permission of the author.
THE 45 STEPS by Peter Crowther, © 2006 by Peter Crowther. First published in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF PERFECT CRIMES AND IMPOSSIBLE MYSTERIES, edited by Mike Ashley. Reprinted
by permission of the author.
STEPPING UP by Mark Billingham, © 2006 by Mark Billingham. First published in DAMN NEAR DEAD, edited by Duane Swierczynski. Reprinted by permission of the author.
TOM OF TEN THOUSAND by Edward Marston, © 2006 by Edward Marston. First published in THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF JACOBEAN WHODUNNITS, edited by Mike Ashley. Reprinted by permission
of the author. A CASE OF ASYLUM by Michael Jecks, © 2006 by Michael Jecks. First published in I.D., edited by Martin Edwards. Reprinted by permission of the author.
THE DEATH OF JEFFERS by Kevin Wignall, © 2006 by Kevin Wignall. First published in DUBLIN NOIR, edited by Ken Bruen. Reprinted by permission of the author.
DISTILLING THE TRUTH by Marilyn Todd, © 2006 by Marilyn Todd. First published in ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author.
WISH by John Rickards, © 2006 by John Rickards. First published in DUBLIN NOIR, edited by Ken Bruen. Reprinted by permission of the author.
THE BRICK by Natasha Cooper, © 2006 by Natasha Cooper. First published in ELLERY QUEEN’S MYSTERY MAGAZINE. Reprinted by permission of the author and her agent,
Gregory & Co.
THE KILLER BESIDE ME by Allan Guthrie, © 2006 by Allan Guthrie. First published in DAMN NEAR DEAD, edited by Duane Swierczynski. Reprinted by permission of the author.
UNCLE HARRY by Reginald Hill, © 2006 by Reginald Hill. First published in THE VERDICT OF US ALL, edited by Peter Lovesey. Reprinted by permission of the author.
IN SOME COUNTRIES by Jerry Raine, © 2006 by Jerry Raine. First published in HARDLUCK STORIES. Reprinted by permission of the author.
BRYANT AND MAY’S MYSTERY TOUR by Christopher Fowler, © 2006 by Christopher Fowler. First published in THE INDEPENDENT. Reprinted by permission of the author.
Welcome to a new beginning, or should that be a new life of crime?
Six years ago, slightly peeved that various best of the year anthologies published in America deliberately restricted themselves to publishing only stories by US authors, I made a proposal to a
London publishing house for a similar series but this time exclusively devoted to British crime and mystery authors. Not only did I believe there was enough good material out there in magazine,
anthology, radio and Internet territories to fill a respectable annual volume, but was also aware that many of these stories were, for market reasons, only available in the USA and thus unknown to
a specifically British readership. Talk about not being a prophet in your own country!
The initial volume, titled BEST BRITISH MYSTERIES, was a runaway success and was even advertised on TV come that Christmas and earned deserved plaudits for both the book’s concept and many
of its illustrious contributors. The series has gone from strength to strength since then, adding first the number of the year from which the stories came from and, later, just a series number to
distinguish the respective volumes. Rewardingly, many of the stories, albeit by British authors, had only appeared previously in the USA and thus became eligible for the Crime Writers’
Association best short story Dagger award, and have since dominated a large proportion of the annual shortlist.