The Edge Of The Chair edited by Joan Kahn

 

This is an older anthology of suspense stories from 1967.  It is an interesting mix with both fiction and nonfiction entries.  Authors include classic authors such as Alexander Pushkin, Ambrose Bierce, Harold Pinter, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Graham Greene,Jack London, Ray Bradbury, Agatha Christie, Rudyard Kipling. Arthur Conan Doyle, William Faulkner, John Buchan. G.K. Chesterton, Guy de Maupassant and Dorothy Sayers.   

I had not heard of any of the true crime cases gathered here.  One in particular was of the story of an imposter claiming to be an escaped John Wilkes Booth.  The story he gave out was that he had escaped and come out West where he lived out his days.  There were many who believed in this story and only his death finally revealed the truth.

The Christie story, The Adventure Of The Clapham Cook, was another I had not read.  An undiscovered story by the grand dame of mystery is always an occasion to be savored.  Overall, although an older book, this was an anthology I enjoyed reading with its unique mix of fiction and nonfiction as well as the interesting and renowned mystery authors found here.  This book is recommended for short story mystery readers.