The Detection Collection

by The Detection Club, Simon Brett (Editor), Colin Dexter

Ten years since it was first published in hardback, and now for the first time as an eBook, this volume of short stories by the cream of British crime writing talent celebrates 75 years of the quintessential Detection Club.

The Detection Club represents the cream of British crime writing talent. Founded on the cusp of the 1930s, the Club’s first President was G.K. Chesterton, and since then the mantle of Presidency has passed to some of the most significant names inthe history of crime fiction, including Agatha Christie, Dorothy L. Sayers and Julian Symons. The Club meets three times a year – to dine, to plot, and to exchange ideas.

This anthology includes eleven new stories by the Best of Robert Barnard, Lyndsey Davis, Colin Dexter, Clare Francis, Robert Goddard, John Harvey, Reginald Hill, P.D. James, H.R.F. Keating, Michael Ridpath and Margaret Yorke, and has been edited by the Club’s President, Simon Brett. Among the authors are a number of bestsellers, as well as winners of both Diamond and Gold Daggers.

This outstanding collection is a must for crime lovers everywhere.

P.D. James • The Part-Time JobMichael Ridpath • Partnership TrackH.R.F. Keating • A ToothbrushJohn Harvey • The Sun, the Moon and the StarsLindsey Davis • ‘Going Anywhere Nice?’Colin Dexter • Between the LinesRobert Barnard • The Life-lieMargaret Yorke • The Woman from MarlowRobert Goddard • Toupee for a Bald TyreClare Francis • The HolidayReginald Hill • Fool of Myself

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Crime, Fiction, Detective

234 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 31, 2005

About the author

Formed c. 1930, the Detection Club is a group of (mostly British) mystery writers who occasionally write collaborative works.

Presidents:
G.K. Chesterton (1930–1936)
E. C. Bentley (1936–1949)
Dorothy L. Sayers (1949–1957)
Agatha Christie (1957–1976)
Lord Gorell (1957–1963)
Julian Symons (1976–1985)
H. R. F. Keating (1985–2000)
Simon Brett (2000–2015)
Martin Edwards (2015–)

Past members include: Anthony Berkeley, G.D.H. Cole, Margaret Cole, Freeman Wills Croft, Clemence Dane , Edgar Jepson, Milward Kennedy, Ronald Knox, John Rhode, Henry Wade, Victor L. Whitechurch, Gladys Mitchell, E.C.R. Lorac and Helen de Guerry Simpson

Reviews

[Ellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A mixed bag of short stories from member of the Detection Club. Given some of the class crime authors involved, I expected this to be much better than it was; there are one or two good stories but most fall a little flat, starting off well but rounding off with a weak ending, as of the author ran out of his allotted word-count - Lindsey Davis’ Going Anywhere Nice? and Clare Francis’ The Holiday seeming to fit this bill.. Best by far in my opinion, is Reginald Hill’s contribution, a rare outing for Dalziel without Pascoe.

[Renita D'Silva · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this one

[David Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the stories were really good and engaging- I liked the first two ("Part Time Job" and "Partnership Track") the best. However, I thought some of the others had very little plot, or in a couple of cases, had a decent story but the ending stunk. I did find a few authors that I will look up after reading their short stories, but overall, I would only give this book a mediocre rating, as the number of mediocre to bad stories trumped the few exceptional ones.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection by British authors who are members of the detection club. With some it helps to have read the novels featuring the writer's usual protagonist. I borrowed this from the library for the Reginald Hill story, which was fun, and enjoyed most of the others. Some were less entertaining, but that's normal for anthologies. Simon Brett's history of the club is fun too.

[Kenneth McMahon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first story "The Part Time Job" by P.D. James is excellent and definitely worth seeking out. But the rest of the stories range from 'interesting enough, but nothing special' to 'downright awful' ("A Toothbrush" by H.R.F. Keating being a prime example of the latter)

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of stories from a number of writers, all members of the Detection Club (and some interesting background on the Detection Club itself). I enjoyed moving between different writers, styles and settings. All the stories were good and gripping in different ways.

[Sashankh Kale · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable collection!

[Abbey]

***INCOMPLETE REVIEW***
THE DETECTION COLLECTION, edited by Simon Brett
2005, Detection Club commemorating their (circa) 75th anniversary
[short story anthology - very good]

http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

Tasty compilation of modern members’ short stories plus a neat history of The Detection Club, started in the late 1920s or early 1930s by Chesterton, Sayers, et al. Current crop includes P.D. James, Michael Ridpath, H.R.F. Keating, John Harvey, Lindsey Davis, Colin Dexter, Robert Barnard, Margaret Yorke, Robert Goddard, Claire Francis, Reginald Hill.


mJThe part-time job P.D. James
—

Partnership track / Michael Ridpath
— solid, frightening look at corporate culture

A toothbrush , H.R.F. Keating
—

The sun, the moon, and the stars , John Harvey
—

'Going anywhere nice? , Lindsey Davis
— funny, dark odd PI

Between the lines , Colin Dexter
— classic scary guy

The life-lie , Robert Barnard
—

The woman from Marlow , Margaret Yorke
— nifty female con job

Toupee for a bald tyre , Robert Goddard
—
The holiday , Claire Francis
— creepy relationships a.la Highsmith

Fool of myself , Reginald Hill
—


2006 09 &

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume of short stories by the cream of British crime writing talent celebrates 75 years of the quintessential Detection Club.
Contains
The Part-Time Job, P.D. James
Partnership Track, Michael Ridpath
A Toothbrush, H.R.F Keating
The Sun, the Moon, the Stars, John Harvey
'Going Anywhere Nice'?, Lindsey Davis
Between the Lines, Colin Dexter
The Life-lie, Robert Barnard
The Woman from Marlow, Margaret Yorke
Toupee for Bald Tyre, Robert Goddard
The Holiday, Clare Francis
Fool of Myself, Reginald Hill

Most of these short stories are quick reads, about 20 pages long, and among the authors are a number of bestsellers, as well as winners of both Diamond and Gold Daggers. The stories appear to have all been written for the occasion, and are previously un-published.

I think the best were The Part-Time Job, by P.D. James and Between the Lines, by Colin Dexter

[Rog Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

First published in 2005 this is a collection of eleven short stories by members of the Detection Club. The 2014 edition also includes a brief introduction to this collection and also a brief history of the club by Simon Brett. Although this collection features some of my favourite authors I did not find many of the stories to be that great. Possibly my favourite was by Reginald Hill. I think John Harvey developed his story into a novel later on.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

An unusual and interesting collection of short stories. The characters are rather odd, but the book is an interesting and very fast read. I enjoyed the quick trip through the brain of each author.

I have just learned of The Detection Club and am enjoying this rather lunatic association.

[Chriss Corkscrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don’t know if it was me, but most of these stories just seemed… lacklustre with some verging on incomprehensible.

The only one I really enjoyed was the opening story - The Part-Time Job by P. D. James.

[Richard Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

As with any anthology this is a mixed bag. The stories by Colin Dexter and - especially - Reginald Hill are the standouts to my mind. The final chapter concerning the history of The Detection Club is interesting.

[Rebecca Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories by PD James and Reginald Hill were excellent but rest were a mixed bag

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like other reviews that I have read, I was expecting something more. Some stories were better than others. I hope to find earlier books by The Detection Club to try, i.e. The Floating Admiral.

[Jhmtan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun read

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's rare for me to read anthology in its entirety. However, I found each story capturing me attention.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars. A mixture of interesting stories, and some rambling and forgettable.

[Ninamarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointingly weak collection.

[Bethany]

The Part-time Job - P.D. James - 5 stars
Very interesting and was gripped all the way through.

Partnership Track - Michael Ridpath - 4 stars
Another gripping tale that kept you guessing.

The Toothbrush - H.R.F. Keating - 1 star
I really don't know what I just read or the meaning of any of it, it doesn't make sense.

[Bill · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun collection of stories. Not a bad one in the bunch. I particularly enjoyed "Between the Lines" by Colin Dexter, "Fool of Myself" by Reginald Hill, and "Toupee for a Bald Tyre" by Robert Goddard, three authors I have enjoyed for years. And I discovered Margaret Yorke with "The Woman from Marlow" which I enjoyed enough to look for other books of hers to read.

[Hitessh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two three Stories were so yuck .. But some were really good .. the best ones are "THE PART-TIME JOB" - James, "Between the Lines"-Colin Dexter And " FOOL OF MYSELF" - Reginald Hill. Worth a read , if you overlook some stories.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a set of eleven short stories and although a few aren't that great there are enough decent ones to make it worth buying. I read it when I had the flu and couldn't face heavy reading -it cheered me up.

[Chris]

Detection Collection~Simon (ed) Brett by Simon (ed) Brett (2005)

[Lynn Fueser]

love the English language written by English authors

[Marcus Richter]

I didn't like most of the short stories. I am disappointed.

[Cowcatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good! My only complaint is that the print is very small and hard to read.

[Jameson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hit or miss. Worth reading IMO: The Part-time Job, Partnership Track, and Between the Lines.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short stories by top-notch mystery writers.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories from the best detective novel writers around. What's not to like?