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This page lists the annual crime fiction anthologies published by Forge Books / Carroll & Graf in the World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories series between 2000 and 2008.

The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: First Annual Collection

Editor: Ed Gorman

2000

"The very best crime and mystery short fiction of 1999 from around the globe features works by such bestselling authors as Jeffrey Deaver, Elizabeth George, Faye Kellerman, Jonathan Kellerman, Ed McBain, Anne Perry, and Ruth Rendell."

• Heroes (Anne Perry)
• Rio Grande Gothic (David Morrell)
• The Hanged Man (Ian Rankin)
• Spooked (Carolyn G. Hart)
• Show Me The Bones (Carolyn Wheat)
• A Flash Of Chrysanthemum (J.A. Jance)
• The Man In The White Hat (Loren D. Estleman)
• '53 Buick (Gary Phillips)
• Crack (James W. Hall)
• Paleta Man (Laurie R. King)
• Snow (Stuart M. Kaminsky)
• The Canasta Club (Eleanor Taylor Bland)
• Unchained Melody (Doug Allyn)
• Something Simple (Rob Kantner)
• The Circle Of Ink (Edward D. Hoch)
• The Death Cat Of Hester Street (Carol Gorman)
• Dark Times (Peter Crowther)
• Those That Trespass (Peter Tremayne)
• Blitzed (Phil Lovesey)
• For Services Rendered (Jeffery Deaver)
• The Tinder Box (Minette Walters)
• Symptoms Of Loss (Jerry Sykes)
• Taking Care Of Frank (Antony Mann)
• Styx And Bones (Edward Bryant)
• Not Long Now (Carol Ann Davis)
• The Shortest Distance (Mat Coward)
• I Love Everything About You (Marthayn Pelegrimas And Robert J. Randisi)
• The Case Of The Headless Witness (Lloyd Biggle, Jr.)
• The Mummy Case (Carole Nelson Douglas)
• Recycle (Marcia Muller)
• Now What? (Donald E. Westlake)
• Barking At Butterflies (Ed Mcbain)
• The Dark Prince (Joyce Carol Oates)
• Rappin' Dog (Dick Lochte)
• Dream Lawyer (Lia Matera)
• Flood (Bill Pronzini)
• The Ice Shelf (Clark Howard)
• In For A Penny (Lawrence Block)

The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Second Annual Collection

Editor: Ed Gorman

2001

"In his Second Annual collection, Ed Gorman once again brings together the year's most powerful fiction by such outstanding authors as Lawrence Block, Stuart M. Kaminsky, Ed McBain, Joyce Carol Oates, Ian Rankin, and Donald E. Westlake."

• Spinning (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
• The Summer People (Brendan Dubois)
• Afraid Of The Dark (Nancy Pickard)
• For All The Saints (Gillian Linscott)
• Let's Get Lost (Lawrence Block)
• Under Suspicion (Clark Howard)
• Childhood (S.J. Rozan)
• Art & Craft (Donald E. Westlake)
• The Allotment (Peter Crowther)
• Twelve Of The Little Buggers (Mat Coward)
• Missing In Action (Peter Robinson)
• The Haggard Society (Edward D. Hoch)
• Scorpion's Kiss (Stuart M. Kaminsky)
• Noble Causes (Bob Mendes)
• The Sleeping Detective (Gary Phillips)
• A Night In The Manchester Store (Stanley Cohen)
• What Mr. Mcgregor Saw (Dorothy Cannell)
• Delta Double-Deal (Noreen Ayres)
• Three Nil (Mat Coward)
• The Man In The Civil Suit (Jan Burke)
• Black And White Memories (Robert J. Randisi)
• Nothing To Lose (Robert Barnard)
• Widower's Walk (Joseph Hansen)
• Character Flaw (Christine Matthews)
• Golden Gate Bridge - A View From Below (Jurrgen Ehlers)
• Boo (Richard Laymon)
• Veterans (John Lutz)
• The Abbey Ghosts (Jan Burke)
• The Country Of The Blind (Doug Allyn)
• Happiness (Joyce Carol Oates)
• The Confession (Ian Rankin)
• The Perfectionist (Peter Lovesey)
• A Wall Too High (Edward D. Hoch)
• The Silence (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
• The Big Bite (Bill Pronzini)
• The Gathering Of The Klan (Les Roberts)
• When The Black Shadows Die (Clark Howard)
• Rebirth (Cain And Abel) (Miguel Agustin)
• Helena And The Babies (Denise Mina)
• Old Soldiers (Brendan Dubois)
• The Victim (Ed Mcbain)
• The Poet Of Pulp (Pete Hamill)

The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Third Annual Collection

Editor: Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg

2002

"In this third volume of their series they have included stories from Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom as well as, of course, a number of fine stories from the U.S.A. Among these tales are winners of the Edgar Award, the Silver Dagger Award of the British Crime Writers, and other major awards in the field."

• The Year In Mystery And Crime Fiction: 2001 (Jon L. Breen)
• A 2001 Yearbook Of Crime And Mystery (Edward D. Hoch)
• World Mystery Report: Great Britain (Maxim Jakubowski)
• World Mystery Report: Australia (David Honeybone)
• World Mystery Report: Canada (Edo Van Belkom)
• World Mystery Report: Germany (Thomas Woertche)
• Year 2001 In Mystery Fandom (George A. Easter)
• Double-Crossing Delancey (S.J. Rozan)
• Activity In The Flood Plain (Ed Mcbain)
• The Only Good Judge (Carolyn Wheat)
• Speaking Of Greed (Lawrence Block)
• The California Contact (Clark Howard)
• Tell Me You Forgive Me? (Joyce Carol Oates)
• Beautiful (Jeffery Deaver)
• Unreasonable Doubt (Max Allan Collins)
• Lucky Devil (Nancy Pickard)
• The Star Thief (Brendan Dubois)
• Chip (Bill Pronzini)
• Come Again? (Donald E. Westlake)
• Dark Mirror (Lauren Henderson)
• The Adventure Of The Cheshire Cheese (Jon L. Breen)
• Dry Whiskey (David B. Silva)
• Countdown (Wolfgang Burger)
• Old Dog, New Tricks (Robert Barnard)
• The Wink (Ruth Rendell)
• Fire Works (Paul Lascaux)
• Juggernaut (Nancy Springer)
• Star Struck (Peter Lovesey)
• Known Unto God (Jac. Toes)
• The Eye Of The Beholder (Lillian Stewart Carl)
• Blind Alley (Mary Jane Maffini)
• Canon (John Vermeulen)
• A Well-Respected Man (Margaret Coel)
• The Girl Who Killed Santa Claus (Val Mcdermid)
• The Trebuchet Murder (Susanna Gregory)
• Turnaround (Carolyn Hart)
• Out Like A Lion (Bill Crider)
• The Perfect Man (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
• Conscience (Stephan Rykena)
• Living Next Door To Malice (Billie Rubin)
• The Good Old German Way (Tatjana Kruse)
• The Case Of The Bloodless Sock (Anne Perry)
• Blood, Snow, And Classic Cars (Joseph Hansen)
• The Impostor (Marcia Muller)
• The Problem Of The Yellow Wallpaper (Edward D. Hoch)
• In The City Of Angels (Dick Lochte)
• Honorable Mentions (Angela Zeman)

The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Fourth Annual Collection

Editor: Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg

2003

"Each year the editors cast their net far and wide, across the seas, throughout the world to catch the best-the most suspenseful, most original, intriguing, confounding, downright entertaining stories of crime and mystery. Edgar winners from the U.S., Silver Dagger winners from the U.K., and stories from elsewhere as well come together here in a bountiful crop of great stories by the best in the business."

• To Live And Die In Midland, Texas (Clark Howard)
• Rules Of The Game (Kate Wilhelm)
• The Wagon Mound (Val McDermid)
• Ghost Writer (Janice Law)
• My Cousin Rachel's Uncle Murray (Susan Isaacs)
• Top Of The World (Bill Crider)
• Ere I Killed Thee (Anne Perry)
• The Panama Hen (Gesine Schulz)
• Gracious Silence (Gillian Linscott)
• Cold-Blooded (Stephan Rykena)
• Lead ... Follow (Jac. Toes)
• Two Sisters (Frauke Schuster)
• Barefoot (Chris Rippen)
• Those Are Pearls That Were His Eyes (Carole Nelson Douglas)
• A Mimicry Of Mockingbirds (Lillian Stewart Carl)
• The Twin (Brad Reynolds)
• The Vampire Theme (Edward D. Hoch)
• The Devil That Walks At Noonday (Ralph Mcinerny)
• The Murder Ballads (Doug Allyn)
• The Vale Of The White Horse (Sharyn McCrumb)
• A Girl Named Charlie (Stanley Cohen)
• The Adventure Of Mooning Sentry (Jon L. Breen)
• Second Story Sunlight (John Lutz)
• A Moment Of Wrong Thinking (Lawrence Block)
• Too Many Cooks (Marcia Talley)
• The Path To The Shroud (Robert Barnard)
• Closer To The Flame (Jerry Sykes)
• Chalele (John Vermeulen)
• Wrong Place, Wrong Time (Bill Pronzini)
• Fleeting Fashion (Bob Mendes)
• Flying Fast (Piet Teigeler)
• The Best Time For Planting (Ina Coelen)
• The Money To Feed Them (Martin Speilberg)
• Mexican Gatsby (Raymond Steiber)
• Three Killings And A Favor (Joan Waites)
• War Can Be Murder (Mike Doogan)
• The Adventure Of The Agitated Actress (Daniel Stashower)
• Two In The Same Boat (Anke Gebert)
• Aftermath (Jeremiah Healy)
• Whispers Of The Dead (Petery Tremayne)
• An Empire's Reach (Brendan Dubois)
• Surveillance (Jeffrey Deaver)

The World's Finest Mystery and Crime Stories: Fifth Annual Collection

Editor: Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg

2004

"This is the anthology of choice for every fan of suspense fiction whether they love cozies, hardboiled, or any shade in between."

• Cowboy Grace (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
• Palace In The Pines (Doug Allyn)
• Offenders (Mat Coward)
• Bet On Red (Jeff Abbott)
• Doctor's Orders (Judith Cutler)
• Esther Gordon Framlingham (Antony Mann)
• Nighthawks (John Lutz)
• Low Tide (Dick Lochte)
• Starting Over (Carol Anne Davis)
• Dreams Of Jeannie (Catherine Dain)
• The Face Of Ali Baba (Edward D. Hoch)
• Take My Word For It And You Don't Have To Answer (Robert S. Levinson)
• The Maids (G. Miki Hayden)
• Black Heart And Cabin Girl (Shelley Costa)
• Dollface (Marion Arnott)
• Doppelganger (Rhys Bowen)
• No Man's Land (Elizabeth Foxwell)
• Safety First (Marcia Talley)
• Red Meat (Elaine Viets)
• Sex And Bingo (Elaine Viets)
• Aces & Eights (David Edgerly Gates)
• Proportionate Response (Jeremiah Healy)
• The Hunter (Joyce Carol Oates)
• The Cherub Affair (Peter Robinson)
• The Corpse That Lost Its Head (John Vermeulen)
• The Best (Chris Rippen)
• The Rival (Helga Anderle)
• African Christmas (Frauke Schuster)
• The Gallows Necklace (Sharyn McCrumb)
• One Shot Difference (Brendan Dubois)
• Woke Up This Morning (Liza Cody)
• The Leper Colony (Clark Howard)
• The Year 2003 In Mystery Fandom (George A. Easter)
• World Mystery Report : Germany (Thomas Wortche)
• World Mystery Report : Canada (Edo Van Belkom)
• World Mystery Report : Great Britain (Maxim Jakubowski)
• A 2003 Yearbook Of Crime And Mystery (Edward D. Hoch)
• The Year In Mystery And Crime Fiction : 2003 (Jon L. Breen)

The Adventure of the Missing Detective: And 19 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Story

Editor: Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg

2005

" In this stunning collection of the year's best offerings in the genre, armchair detectives, suspense addicts, and crime solvers alike can thrill to new stories by Edward D. Hoch, Carolyn Wheat, Jeffrey Deaver, Stuart Kaminsky, Val McDermid, Laura Lippman, Joyce Carol Oates, and Max Allen Collins, in the unique way only mystery fiction can provide."

• The Year In Mystery And Crime Fiction: 2004 (Jon L. Breen)
• A 2004 Yearbook Of Crime And Mystery (Edward D. Hoch)
• The Mystery In Great Britain)
• Maxim Jakubowski)
• The Newest Four-Letter Word In Mystery (Sarah Weinman)
• The Adventure Of The Missing Detective (Gary Lovisi)
• The Westphalian Ring (Jeffery Deaver)
• The Hit (Robert S. Levinson)
• The Last Case Of Hilly Palmer (Duane Swierczynski)
• Everybody's Girl (Robert Barnard)
• Imitate The Sun (Luke Sholer)
• Father Diodorus (Charlie Stella)
• A Nightcap Of Hemlock (Francis M. Nevins)
• The Best In Online Mystery Fiction In 2004 (Sarah Weinman)
• Just Pretend (Martyn Waites)
• Geoffrey Says (Aliya Whiteley)
• God's Dice (David White)
• The Consolation Blond (Val Mcdermid)
• The Shoeshine Man's Regrets (Laura Lippman)
• For Benefit Of Mr. Means (Christine Matthews)
• East Side, West Side (Max Allan Collins And Matthew V. Clemens)
• The Promotion (Larry D. Sewazy)
• Me And Mitch (Bill Pronzini And Barry N. Malzberg)
• The Necromancer's Apprentice (Lillian Stewart Carl)
• The Banshee (Joyce Carol Oates)
• Sounds Of Silence (Dennis Richard Murphy)

The Deadly Bride and 19 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories

Editor: Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg

2006

The contents are:

• The Mystery In 2005 And 2006 (Jon L. Breen)
• A 2005 Yearbook Of Crime And Mystery (Edward D. Hoch)
• Online Mystery Fiction In 2005 And 2006 (Sarah Weinman)
• The Catch (James W. Hall)
• There Is No Crime On Easter Island (Nancy Pickard)
• Born Bad (Jeffery Deaver)
• The Deadly Bride (Sharan Newman)
• Highest, Best Use (J.A. Jance)
• Interlude At Duane's (F. Paul Wilson)
• The Abelard Sanction (David Morrell)
• Lightening Rider (Rick Mofina)
• Driven To Distraction (Marcia Talley)
• Little Sins (Mike Maclean)
• Dust Up (Wendy Hornsby)
• Why'd You Bring Me Here? (Stanley Cohen)
• Chapter 82: Myrna Lloyd Is Missing (Robert S. Levinson)
• Down And Out In Brentwood (Neal Marks)
• Cain Was Innocent (Simon Brett)
• A Temporary Crown (Sue Pike)
• Sanctuary! (Peter Tremayne)
• A Matter Of Honor (Jeremiah Healy)
• Low Drama (Kim Harrington)
• Jury Duty (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
• The Last Interview (Craig Mcdonald)
• Lost Causes (Anne Perry)

Wolf Woman Bay and 9 More of the Finest Crime and Mystery Novellas of the Year

Editor: Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg

2007

The contents are:

• Honor Code (Joyce Carol Oates)
• Junior Partner In Crime (Carole Nelson Douglas)
• Grieving Las Vegas (Jeremiah Healy)
• Resurrection Man (Sharyn Mccrumb)
• Temptation Of King David (Brendan Dubois)
• Gustav Amlingmeyer, Holmes Of The Range (Steve Hockensmith)
• Wolf Woman Bay (Doug Allyn)
• Merely Hate (Ed Mcbain)
• Diamond Dog (Dick Lochte)
• Arizona Heat (Clark Howard)

A Prisoner of Memory: And 24 of the Year's Finest Crime and Mystery Stories

Editor: Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg

2008

The contents are:

• Mystery In 2007 (Jon L. Breen)
• Obituaries In 2007 (Edward D. Hoch)
• Mulholland Dive (Michael Connelly)
• Everybody Loves Somebody (Sandra Scoppettone)
• Making Amends (Jeffery Deaver)
• Vision In White (Lawrence Block)
• Pony Girl (Laura Lippman)
• Prayers For The Dying (Jeremiah Healy)
• Devil Dog (Dick Lochte)
• Prisoner Of Memory (Robert S. Levinson)
• Saving Grace /Rpatricia Abbott)
• Cadaver Dog (Bryon Quertermous)
• Anniversary (Hilary Davidson)
• Something Out Of The Ordinary (Kerry Ashwin)
• Dead As A Dog (Doug Allyn)
• Dies Irae (Dorothy Salisbury Davis)
• Blues In The Kabul Night (Clark Howard)
• Profane Angel (Loren D. Estleman)
• Bereavement (Tom Piccirilli)
• Country Manners (Brendan Dubois)
• Then She Was Gone (Christine Matthews)
• Guardians (Jim Fusilli)
• I Killed (Nancy Pickard)
• Substitutions (Kristine Kathryn Rusch)
• Pickpocket (Marcia Muller)
• Winning Ticket (Bill Pronzini)
• Valentine, July Heat Wave (Joyce Carol Oates)
• Online Mystery Fiction In 2007 (Sarah Weinman)