Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to preview this book. Some good stories, but others weren't as strong. Recommended if you like short mysteries.

This book is full of short stories by some of the best mystery writers. I was fond of the stories by Marica Muller and Doug Allyn. This is a good way to make yourself familiar with authors that you haven't read before. You can read one daily.

Princess Fuzzypants here: Anyone who has read my reviews knows I have a fondness for anthologies. Short stories lend themselves to intermittent reading. You can sit down with a limited amount of time and read through the entire story or a couple of stories. The format lends itself to dipping in and out of the book.

That makes the fact that I sat down and read this book cover to cover so unusual. I enjoyed the various stories so much, I just had to keep going. It is filled with a great selection of tales of important moments being recognized as milestones. Some of the events could be called millstones instead, which leads to some very interesting anniversaries. Whilst we are not focused solely on anniversaries of a matrimonial nature, there are quite a few of them that have unusual twists. Then there are the ones that are liberating; there are others that demand retribution. All are great fun to read with stories from masters of the mystery trade.

Five purrs and two paws up.

Mystery | Adult


Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini have been staples of my murder mystery reading list for most of my adult life, some 30+ years now. Along with their own strong backlist of private eye novels (featuring Sharon McCone by Muller, and the Nameless Detective by Pronzini), they have written stand-alones and collaborated on several anthologies like this one. Oh, and they are married too. Honestly, I would cheerfully read their shopping list! So kudos to the Mystery Writers of America for choosing this highly respected pair to edit a collection of 19 new short stories in honor of the association’s 75th anniversary in 2020, featuring some the best of the genre’s writers – Max Allan Collins, Laurie R. King, Peter Robinson, Laura Lippman, Peter Lovesey, among others, and of course delicious contributions by both editors. This is a great way to enjoy favourite writers and discover some new ones. Each of the stories centres around an anniversary of some kind – and nearly all of them resulting in a death, often a murder. There are many delights to be found here, but among my favourites is Carolyn Hart’s “Case Open,” a gathering of those who were present at a party a year prior when the host fell, jumped, or was pushed off a cliff into the sea. Hubris rears its proud head here, and the ending was such a surprise! And that’s just one of the many stories gathered here into a deliciously deadly bunch. A great way to mark the anniversary of an organization whose motto is Crime Doesn’t Pay – Enough. My thanks to Harlequin’s Hanover Square Press for the digital reading copy provided through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
More discussion and reviews of this anthology at https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45731463.

Deadly Anniversaries edited by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini is a collection of short stories written by award-winning members of the Mystery Writers of America. As per the title, each story is about some type of anniversary. There are historical stories and contemporary mysteries and detective procedurals and scary stories. There is something here for everyone and this may be an opportunity to read a story by an author you have been meaning to sample. The list of authors contains the following: Sue Grafton, Laurie R. King, Lee Child, Margaret Maron, S.J. Rozan, Max Allan Collins, Wendy Hornsby, Jeffery Deaver, Bill Pronzini, Carolyn Hart, Peter Lovesey, Meg Gardiner, Marcia Muller, Julie Smith, William Kent Krueger, Peter Robinson, Naomi Hirahara, Doug Allyn, Alison Gaylin and Laura Lippman. This is a collection worth reading by mystery buffs. Highly recommended. Thank you to Hanover Square Press and NetGalley for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great collection of stories based around different anniversaries. Some I loved and a few were just okay, but there weren't any that made me want to jump ahead.

This title is a book of short stories that were collected to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America.  Each author has written a tale that has to do with a special date.  The authors who contributed to this book are a "who's who" of excellent crafters of mysteries.  Some of the contributors are Petr Robinson, Marcia Muller, Margaret Maron, Peter Lovesey, Carolyn Hart, Sue Grafton and many more. 


This is an outstanding collection and I recommend it highly.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

Deadly Anniversaries is an excellent crime fiction short story collection. There are stories from some of the best mystery writers around that all revolve around some sort of anniversary of a particular day. The stories will keep readers guessing. And there really is something for everyone if you're a mystery fan. Highly recommended!

Anthologies are my favorite way to find new authors and read short stories by my favorites. Written in honor of the MMA's 75th anniversary, Deadly Anniversaries features nineteen (19) stories written by grandmasters.

The range of styles is vast and the locales vary. What doesn't vary is the quality of each story.

I read this book in the evenings and enjoyed each one. However, there were some favorites - Sue Grafton, Margaret Maron, and Lee Child.

Highly recommended for all mystery fans!

This is a really good anthology of stories from a group of the well known and widely read mystery writers. It was well done and fun to read a story here and there. I enjoyed many of the stories but I think my personal favorites from this amazing line-up were by Sue Grafton, William Kent Krueger and Laura Lippman. I knew I enjoyed the latter two authors but I had never read anything by Grafton before and I really liked her story.
So, if a collection of mystery short stories is for you, then this is a great choice. I recommend it.
#DeadAnniversaries #Netgalley #HanoverSquarePress

I loved it! This collection of short stories is written by some of the best mystery writers out there. Most are award winning authors. It's perfect to pick up and read a story or two then put down for later. Flipping the page after one story and seeing a recipe made me laugh so hard! I made a list of the authors I haven't read before so I can check out some of their full novels. Great compilation!

When I was a kid, my favorite thing each month was the new Alfred Hitchcock magazine (kind of weird for a kid, huh?) This anthology brought back memories of that excitement. This is a wonderful collection of short stories with delicious mysteries. What fun!!!

It’s the Mystery Writers of America’s seventy-fifth anniversary! To celebrate they are throwing a party and we’re all invited. Luckily, we readers get the present—an anthology of nineteen short stories by the best mystery writers around. All the stories have an anniversary theme. In fact, they are all Deadly Anniversaries.

This book is like the best Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine ever. None of the stories are filler. My favorite part was seeing the different styles and approaches each author took. The stories contain anniversaries of murders, mayhem, crime, and convictions. There is even one celebrating the survivors of Hiroshima. (Note that I have lived in LA my entire life and never heard of the Hiroshima Peace Flame—but it really exists in LA’s Little Tokyo District.)

If you like mystery short stories, you can’t go wrong with this book. It would also be an excellent learning tool for aspiring mystery writers. 5 stars!

Thanks to Hanover Square Press, Harlequin Books, and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a compilation of stories from some of the top names in crime fiction. The premise of this book was unique and compelling. Each author gave their own perspective on what it meant to recognize a specific day of the year. It could be for an anniversary or a birthday, but they each spun a tale of what it means to celebrate or just recognize a particular day. The twist:: these are dark stories. I thought this book was simply a treat, however, I enjoy my books with a side of darkness. So if you do too.. than please pick this one up!

This excellent anthology of mystery short stories celebrating 75 years of the Mystery Writers of America is edited by the married Grand Masters Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini. They have rounded up a slew of some of the best names in the business and it shows; there is not a single dud amongst the stories, all of which revolve around some sort of anniversary.

It was lots of fun reading this book. The writers are all professionals at the top of their game, and the varied approaches they took regarding the theme were all enjoyable. That said, of course some stories will appeal more to each individual reader than others. I especially liked the stories by Lee Child (not Reacher, whom I adore), S J Rozan, Meg Gardiner, Doug Allyn, and Alison Gaylin and Laura Lippmann. I don’t expect anyone else’s list to be exactly like mine.

If you like mysteries, or short stories, or both, this book will just hit the spot.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC, the opinions are my own

This is a collection of nineteen stories all with an anniversary theme in honor of the Mystery Writers of America's 75th anniversary. The list of contributing authors reads like a "Who's Who" in mystery writing, including Lee Child, Laura Lippman, Jeffrey Deaver, and Margaret Maron. I was familiar, if not already a fan, of most of the authors. The stories cover a wide range of settings, eras, and types of anniversaries. Some authors like Marcia Muller feature the character for which they are best known in their stories and I enjoyed seeing PI Sharon McCone investigating a cold case. Others, like Peter Robinson, don't have the same characters as in their full-length novels. Although I knew most of the authors, I wasn't familiar with Alison Gaylin who co-wrote one of the stories with Laura Lippman, but I will be checking out Alison's other work after reading their contribution to the collection.

Like any anthology, readers will have some stories they like more than others. I didn't dislike any of the stories, but of course have my favorites. The late Sue Grafton's story features a woman celebrating her 25th anniversary in an unusual way, and the story includes a very unique murder weapon. S.J. Rozan's contribution has PI Lydia Chin's mother solving a case on her own and then telling her late husband all about it at his gravesite on their wedding anniversary. I really enjoyed Meg Gardiner's story which turns the table on the well-known "grandson in trouble" scam and reminded me how much I liked her Evan Delaney series. I was also happy to read a story featuring Naomi Hirahara's retired gardener Mas Arai since I am a fan of her books.

Overall, there is a wide variety of excellent, well-written stories in this collection and there will be something for every mystery fan to enjoy. Therefore, I didn't hesitate to give this book 5 stars.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Hanover Square Press. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

First class writers and a series of great short stories. You can pick up and put down and read a complete story. It is a wonderful read, with the different styles of each author. As murder mystery readers, we accept that all of these stories are based in some terrible loss.

It's fun to read the different styles, some familiar and some not as much, This was a very enjoyable read- I recommend.

I LOVE anthologies! They let me read unique stories by some of my favorite authors plus try stories from authors I may have not considered before. I keep an anthology with me all the time. They are perfect to read anywhere at anytime. These stories all center around a special date, celebrated in many, many different ways.

Opening up "Deadly Anniversaries" is like going to the All-Star Game. Every writer recruited for this anthology is well-known and well-respected in the mystery field. The result therefore is an unsurprising success. The topic here is anniversaries in celebration of the diamond jubilee of the Mystery Writers of America organization. As to be expected, we get many stories about marital bliss, or more to the point, marital unbliss. And the resolution is of course cold-blooded murder, often told with more than a little touch of gallows humor or irony. Other writers seized on the theme and spun off in another direction, finding anniversaries that crooks and lowlifes and swindlers might hold dear. Some dates just stick in the memory, never to be forgotten. An excellent collection, hitting the mark far more than you would expect.

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review.

I love anthologies. You can enjoy a fully formed story whenever you have a few spare minutes & it’s such a great way to find new-to-you authors. This volume is in honour of the MWA’s 75th anniversary so it’s only appropriate that all 19 entries have some kind of anniversary to be celebrated. Or not. Because these are crime & mystery writers so don’t go in expecting tales full of roses, cake & karaoke.

The first thing you’ll notice is the stellar line-up of authors. It’s a veritable who’s who of the genre including Lee Child, Sue Grafton, Jeffrey Deaver, Meg Gardiner, William Kent Krueger, Laura Lippman & S.J. Rozan to name a few. The wide range of style, location & time period guarantees something for everyone. As usual, readers will have different personal favourites & I’ll just mention the ones that stood out for me.


If You Want Something Done Right - by the late, great Sue Grafton. ‘Nuff said.

Ten Years On - a shortie by Laurie R. King featuring Mary Russell & Sherlock Holmes. I’ve read & loved this series for years so it’s always a pleasure.

Chin Yong-Yun Sets the Date - S.J. Rozan writes the popular Lydia Chin/Bill Smith series but every now & then pens a short story featuring Lydia’s mother, a woman I find frightening & hilarious.

Ten Years, Two Days, Six Hours - the take away message for me was do NOT piss off a woman the day she buries her husband. I’m ashamed to say Wendy Hornsby is a new author for me, something I plan to rectify after reading this.

30 and Out - by Doug Allyn, another author I haven’t read (must crawl out of my cave more often…). A gritty procedural that delivers a gripping & complete story in few pages. And there’s a police dog!

Those were my faves but there’s really not a dud in the bunch. Bring on the next one.