Saturday, February 16: Mississippi Mud
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
by John M. Floyd
The print media loves lists. Every time you pick up a magazine, you see an article about someone’s top ten movies, best vacation spots, favorite recipes. Such pieces do well because we as readers and consumers love lists too. It’s not only a way to compare our choices with others’, it’s a way to find out about those items we might’ve missed.
In the area of short crime fiction, I always enjoy the annual collection of Best Mystery Short Stories. I never fail to discover a few gems in those books — and now and then I find replacements for the time-proven favorites that I recall every time anyone brings up the subject of “best” short stories.
My list might be a bit offbeat, but I have an excuse for that. My personal preference is for stories that are, above all else, entertaining. My column last week addressed the fact that truly great fiction (short or long) illuminates as well as thrills, and teaches the reader something worthwhile about the human condition — and I think that’s commendable. But my own ratings are usually based on how much I enjoy the ride itself. How much delicious suspense is contained in the pages of a story? If it’s enough, the story goes on my list, regardless of any other literary merit — or lack thereof.
I’m no Rhodes scholar, but I do recognize the quality of films like “The English Patient” and novels like Sophie’s Choice and short stories like “Rappaccini’s Daughter.” I also recognize that that just isn’t my kind of fiction. Give me a Coen Brothers movie any day, or a Harlan Coben novel, or an Ed Hoch short story.
Enough explanations, already. Here, in no particular order, are ten of my all-time favorite mystery short stories:
1. “The Green Heart,” by Jack Ritchie. I think the late Mr. Ritchie was one of the most talented of short-fiction writers. This piece later became the movie “The New Leaf,” starring Walter Matthau and Elaine May.
2. “Man From the South,” by Roald Dahl. A fascinating tale of obsession, greed, and the confidence of youth. It was later adapted into an episode of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents,” with Peter Lorre as the weird gambler and Steve McQueen as the foolish young man.
3. “Voodoo,” by Fredrick Brown. Call me crazy, call me irresponsible, but I love this little story. Compact and clever, it has one of the best twist endings I’ve ever seen.
4. “The Lottery,” by Shirley Jackson. These days it’s hard to find someone who hasn’t read this chiller. Except for a couple of vague clues in the opening paragraphs, a first reader will have little hint of the outcome.
5. “Soft Monkey,” by Harlan Ellison. The ultimate loner-against- overwhelming-odds story. It will have you rooting for the unlikely heroine every step of the way, and will stay on your mind long after you’ve finished it.
6. “Words Do Not a Book Make,” by Bill Pronzini. A good example of Pronzini’s talent for lighthearted short-shorts. No murders here, no deep character development — just a fun, roller-coaster-paced story.
7. “A Retrieved Reformation,” by O. Henry. A delightful yarn by the Master, with not one but several twists to the ending.
8. “Strangers on a Handball Court,” by Lawrence Block. Like Elmore Leonard, Block writes short fiction that’s just as entertaining as his longer work. This tale features some excellent plot reversals.
9. “Poachers,” by Tom Franklin. I think this story’s strongest points are its mood and setting. The first piece I ever read by Franklin, and one I’ve not been able to forget.
10. “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor. One of only two or three “classics” on my list. This story is both disturbing and fascinating, with wonderful characters and a great opening paragraph.
Other favorites (some of them not quite “mysterious” enough to qualify):
“The Last Rung on the Ladder,” Stephen King
“The Kugelmaas Episode,” Woody Allen
“The Gift of the Magi,” O. Henry
“The Tonto Woman,” Elmore Leonard
“The Door was Wide-O,” Elsin Ann Graffam
“A Sound of Thunder,” Ray Bradbury
Alas, too many stories, not enough slots. But putting my “best of” list together was a lot of fun — if you don’t believe it, make a list of your own. And you know what’s the most fun of all?
The knowledge that, tonight or tomorrow or next week, when you read another story, your list of favorites might change . . .
Yay, Jack Ritchie! We Ritchie-heads need a secret handshake, or something. I’m also in your court on Block, Dahl, O’Connor, and Ellison.
“The Lottery” is good, but I think it pales beside Jackson’s “The Possibility of Evil.” One of the great last lines of all time.
Rob, I don’t think I ever read a bad Jack Ritchie story — I thought the man was wonderful, and the sad thing is, so few folks even remember him. And collections of his stories are almost impossible to locate.
As for Jackson, I liked a lot of her work, and I realize “The Lottery” isn’t even truly a mystery or crime story — but I still get goosebumps when I think of it.
THere are three collections of Ritchie stories, all long out of print, and none include the Cardula (vampuire detective stories) or his Edgar winner. Sigh.
There is a new book, “Cinescopes: What Your Favorite Movies Reveal About You,” by Ezra Werb and Risa Williams. I am a major movie buff, so I took the sample test online to see what my favorite choices said about me. The problem with that particular list I made — and the one I’d have said to accompany John’s article today –is that I can never really pare it down to 10 or 20 or probably 100. There are zillions of great short stories out there…some I haven’t read yet and others I read and read again. I think I’m hopeless. But, it also keeps me buying short story collections.
Deborah, I’m not sure I really want to KNOW what my favorite movie choices would “say” about me. Seriously, though, let’s swap lists sometime — I’d be interested to see a fellow movie buff’s picks.
And I know what you mean, about how hard it is to narrow down any list to 10 or 20 or whatever. I have many, many favorites, whether it’s movies or novels or shorts.
I’m pleased that you liked my short story, “Wide-O.” Thank you for listing it.
Elsin Ann Perry