Murder Is My Racquet    edited by Otto Penzler Order:  USA  Can Mysterious Press, 2005 (2005) Hardcover, Softcover, Audio Read an Excerpt     Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Is tennis your passion? How about mystery stories? Have I got a book for you. Murder Is My Racquet is a superb combination of the two, with fourteen short stories by some of today's best mystery writers: Lawrence Block, Kinky Friedman, Ridley Pearson, Lisa Scottoline, Peter Lovesey, to name only five. Doesn't that just whet the appetite for love, tennis and death? Each and every story revolves around the game of tennis and crime. From blackmail to jealousy to the halls of academe, the short tennis stories are gems to read. It's not hard finishing one, knowing another is right behind. Any short story is harder to write than novels. I think mysteries are even more difficult but are immensely satisfying to write. A lot of plot, characterization and place has to be written into few words and still present a whole story from the introduction to the crime and then to the climax. Each and every presentation from the fourteen highly talented authors is just such a work. Intriguing and exciting and full of finely developed characters. The plots have taken the full rein of the writers' imaginations. And they all came up with winners. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews