This collection of short stories in the crime genre is presented by Mystery Writers of America. It consists of 19 stories that focus on police and the criminal cases on which they work -- cases which in turn work on the cops themselves. Veteran crime writer Michael Connelly wrote the introduction and contributed one of the stories. How the stories were gathered is not stated; all bear 2008 copywrite dates, and presumably they were solicited from the various authors by the MWA itself.

As with any such collection, the stories vary in nature and quality, and opinions naturally will vary. In my view, the stand-out stories were Greg Rucka’s “Contact and Cover,” Bev Vincent’s “Rule Number One,” Polly Nelson’s “Burying Mr. Henry”, and Peter Robinson’s “The Price of Love”.

Below is a list of the short stories included (with my rankings, on a scale of 1 to 5*):

2* Skinhead Central, by T. Jefferson Parker
1* Sack o' Woe, by John Harvey
3.5* The Drought, by James O. Born
3* Divine Droplets, by Paula L. Woods
2* Serial Killer, by Jon L. Breen
3* A Certain Recollection, by John Buentello
3.5* A Change in His Heart, by Jack Fredrickson
1.5* The Herald, by Leslie Glass
3* Such a Lucky, Pretty Girl, by Persia Walker
2* Friday Night Luck, by Edward D. Hoch
3* The Fool, by Laurie R. King
4* Burying Mr. Henry, by Polly Nelson
1* Oaths, Ohana, and Everything, by Diane Hansen-Young
4* The Price of Love, by Peter Robinson
5* Contact and Cover, by Greg Rucka
4* Rule Number One, by Bev Vincent
2* What a Wonderful World, by Paul Guyot
3* Winning, by Alafair Burke
3.5* Father's Day, by Michael Connelly ( )

I thought this was an ok collection of short stories, all themed around police men and women.

My favourites were 'Father's Day' by Michael Connelly and 'A Certain Recollection' by John Buentello, but I found them all to be fairly entertaining.
( )

Jefferson Parker entry disappointing especially as I recognised the name and hadn't read anything previously - was expecting something more substantial. Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch story probably the pick of the bunch but there again I'm a fan of Connelly's Harry Bosch series and the presence of this story was the reason I purchased the book. Other commended entries include John Harvey, Jon Breen, John Buentello, Jack Fredrickson & Bev Vinvent - all authors that are new to me.
p.s. 7th May - I understand that T Jefferson Parker has just picked up an Edgar for "Skinhead Central" which I just can't understand as I still consider the story too slight and non-consequential. ( )

Not everyone likes short stories but they are popular with very busy people and slow readers: Blue Religion is an anthology of brief tales by American thriller writers, edited by the redoubtable Michael Connelly who, as a bonus, is also a contributor.

This collection is a mixed bag, featuring best sellers like T. Jefferson Parker, Peter Robinson and Edward D. Hoch to name a few, as well as others, some of whom are justifiably obscure.

However, the short stories are of a generally high standard and most really are short – the longest, The Fool by Laurie King of ‘Mary Russell’ renown – being a mere 33 pages, making the book an excellent holiday season accessory. ( )

http://www.nightsandweekends.com/articles/08/NW0800174.php ( )