title: The Adventure of the Missing Detective: And 19 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories! (Year's Finest Crime & Mystery Stories)
author: Edward Gorman
description: The editors of <i>The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories</i> annual have changed the series' name, but continue to gather superior stories augmented by various "state of the mystery" reports. Jon L. Breen provides an overview of 2004's trends and awards. Edward D. Hoch looks at the year's short story collections and anthologies as well as nonfiction works in the field. Sarah Weinman, who surveys the development of mystery blogs, also selected the three entries that were published online. One of them, the chilling "Just Pretend" by Martyn Waites, is the gem of the anthology, which includes such name authors as Robert Barnard, Laura Lippman and Jeffery Deaver. The overall quality isn't as strong as some of its five predecessors, but the volume still offers its share of standouts, among them Val McDermid's wryly humorous "The Consolation Blonde" and Joyce Carol Oates's "The Banshee," which leaves readers hanging till the very end and beyond. <i>(Feb.)</i> <br />Copyright  Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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  _About THE MISSINGS_
  
  
  **_Aspen Falls, Colorado._**
  
  
  **_Secrets._**
  
  
  **_Secrets within a community._**
  
  
  **_Secrets within a family._**
  
  
  Detective Chase Waters finds himself working the most interesting case of his
  career—one that comes closer to home than he could ever imagine.
  
  
  Are the mutilated bodies of young men and women the result of cult… or
  commerce?
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ### _Early Praise for THE MISSINGS_
  
  
  _"A compelling, complex and emotionally connected story! The tension kept
  building and I couldn't stop reading. Well done!"_ — L.J. Sellers, author of
  the bestselling Detective Jackson series.
  
  
  _"No sophomoric slump here after Ms. Brantley's first successful outing—RED
  TIDE….Another 'unputdownable'."_ — Jack Quick, Reviewer
  
  
  ### _**Praise for RED TIDE**_
  
  
  _(You can read the first few chapters of RED TIDE at the end of_
  
  
  _THE MISSINGS)_
  
  
  “ _For fans of the serial killer genre, RED TIDE is an engaging, well plotted
  story with characters you won’t forget._ — L.J. Sell