Martin Edwards has collected a series of short stories in honour of Simon Brett's 80th birthday. The stories have been written by the members of the esteemed Detection Club of London. Brett is the former president of the club, Edwards is the current president.

It's a wonderfully diverse series of stories. Some I like more than others but all worth the read. 4 out of 5 stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC of this delightful complilation.

The Detection Club is a club for mystery writers. The initiation ceremony is very much tongue in cheek. The putative member is asked (remember, this oath was written in 1930 or so):
“Do you promise that your detectives shall well and truly detect the crimes presented to them using those wits which it may please you to bestow upon them and not placing reliance on nor making use of Divine Revelation, Feminine Intuition, Mumbo Jumbo, Jiggery-Pokery, Coincidence or Act of God?”

“Do you as you hope to increase your Sales, swear to observe faithfully all these promises which you have made, so long as you are a Member of the Club?)”

If they solemnly promise to abide by the rules (possibly with one hand upon Eric the Skull), then they are told:
“You are duly elected a Member of the Detection Club, and if you fail to keep your promises may other writers anticipate your plots, may your publishers do you down in your contracts, may total strangers sue you for libel, may your pages swarm with misprints and may your sales continually diminish. Amen.”

The Club has a tradition of producing collections of short stories to honour the eightieth birthdays of distinguished members. Simon Brett, the immediate past-President, reaches that milestone in October 2025 and the current President, Martin Edwards, has edited an anthology by current members as a tribute. Although I write “current”, two of the stories are by David Stuart Davies and Christopher Fowler, who, sadly, didn’t live to see their stories in print.

Members are invited to join the Club because they are deemed to be good writers by their peers and there are 60 members, with only 30 being active members at the moment so, as you would expect, this collection of short stories, Playing Dead, is a set of stories by THE best mystery writers of today. The contributions are by:
Catherine Aird
Simon Brett (yes, he contributed to a volume in honour of himself!)
Francis Brody
Ann Cleeves
Liza Cody
David Stuart Davies
Martin Edwards
Ruth Dudley Edwards
Kate Ellis
Christopher Fowler
Elly Griffiths
John Harvey
Michael Jecks
Alison Joseph
Michael Z Lewin
Peter Lovesey
Abir Mukherjee
Michael Redpath
Andrew Taylor
Aline Templeton
Lynne Truss
L C Tyler

Oh, these stories are good! We have parodies (“Captain Brian Eastbourne called upon his friend Pierre Leroux, the famous French detective…” and we discover that a “strange fictional character called Roger Ackroyd” was among the house party); and we have chilling tales from John Harvey and Francis Brody. Christopher Fowler’s story is set at a luncheon for two women, where one has been sleeping with the other one’s husband. The dishes are listed as they would be on the menu, e.g. Jivara mousse with sake-soused goji berries and orange jelly. There is a (mostly) civilised discussion about the situation but what a superb ending! Martin Edwards has contributed a story where he has huge fun with characters’ names. Some other authors also take the opportunity to have fun, e.g. Lynne Truss’s Inspector Steine saying “[…] he was the writer apparently, quite drably dressed and sort-of starving-looking.”

This is an excellent set of stories and I cannot commend it highly enough – and believe me, I’m fussy! Sure, you might enjoy some stories more than me – and vice versa – for example, this made me laugh out loud but might leave you simply exasperated:

“Have you discovered a motive?”
“Just a very simple one.”
“Good man, Leroux. What is it?”
“The murderer wanted his victim dead.”

However, the stories are ALL of a high calibre, although they might not match your taste. Take your time and don’t rush through it – that way, you’ll appreciate each story. The same instruction might apply to that box of chocolates you’ve just opened…

#PlayingDead #NetGalley

I actually throughly enjoyed this book, there were multiple stories that stuck with me. I feel like the book’s strengths truly lies in the variety. For me personally, it felt like the collection was uneven at times. Some stories excelled for me while others fell short. But overall the highlights of the book made my experience overall worthwhile

A really great selection of vaguely British short stories. I would definitely read more in this series.

For nearly 100 years, The Detection Club has been one of most prestigious groups of mystery writers assembled. Their new short story collection Playing Dead (Severn House) shows that the club is still home to some of the best writers in the business.

This collection features 22 writers paying tribute to past club president Simon Brett in honor of his 80th birthday. While I am not familiar with Brett's work (apart from his own contribution which is the final story in the collection) it was not entirely necessary to know him to enjoy these stories.

Readers can expect a wide variety of mysteries mostly revolving around murder but other mysteries as well. Only a few of the contributors were familiar to me so this was a great way to sample a wide range of writers.

Readers can expect to experience a thoroughly entertaining and clever assortment of stories Editor Martin Edwards (current club president and contributor) has done an excellent job of collecting a wide variety of stories.

The short story (particularly in the mystery genre) is almost a lost art. In the hands of the Detection Club, the form is alive and well. Congratulations to the club members for assembling such a fine volume.

Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the advance copy of the book for review.

Note: some stories in this collection contain strong language and/or sexual content some readers may find offensive.

Raccolta di cosy mysteries gradevole, ma senza alcun racconto memorabile. Assunta in piccole dosi per evitare saturazione fa passare dei momenti gradevoli.
Impressionante il numero di racconti collegati in qualche maniera al teatro: si vede che sono autori inglesi!

A murder mystery short story collection that is well curated and it has something for everyone that loves crime novels. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the free eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Something for everyone here.

A beautifully collated selection of stories edited by the impressive Martin Edwards. This anthology of short stories by members of the Detection Club is in honour of Simon Brett.

There is a knack to writing in this abbreviated form and fashioning an entertaining piece, with elements of crime and mystery. I feel each author included here is a champion of this format and the eclectic cast of successful writers means there is a wide raging approach to this enterprise.

Consequently, it is like opening a tin of sweets at Christmastime.

I, like you, will have favourites, and I could highlight those that have resonated with me, surprised me beyond their name and existing books, while others have remained with me due to their originality and ability to stay in my consciousness.
It would be unfair to unpack the contents of this collection; for some, caramels and orange creams may be the last to be eaten in any assortment.
But there are some stories I will be returning to and re-reading because they were engaging and moved me. Among those I will name are: Just a Minute, The Luncheon and Full Circle. However, there are many more that I could highlight as this is a marvellous book full of delights and fun in this genre.

There is something for everyone here.

My thanks to Severn House Publishers and NetGalley for a copy of “ Playing Dead “ for an honest review.

I’m not a big fan of short stories , as they often seem to be a mixed bag , but for me this was more hit than miss.
Most of the stories were really entertaining, but I must admit a couple didn’t grab my attention.
This was an ideal book to dip in and out of and I’d definitely recommend it to others who enjoy a murder mystery

This is a collection of short stories all involving some sort of murder mystery. Some i really enjoyed, some were ok and others i just didn't get. Overall I enjoyed it and they're quick and easy reads.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

I LOVED this book! It was a bit slow in the beginning but then boom I was hooked!! I finished it in one sitting! My first by this author but will not be my last!!

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House for the eARC.
This was a fun read by a group of wonderful mystery authors. A few were a bit difficult to navigate, but on the whole it's an enjoyable read.

I unfortunately had major problems with this book. Some of the stories were totally confusing. Others were understandable, but not that interesting. Maybe it's me. I rarely read mysteries, wanted to read some more, and short stories seemed like an ideal way to do so. Apparently not, at least not these mysteries. Three stars for a neutral rating since I didn't finish the book. I will be leaving a review of it only here at NetGalley.

A fine collection of crime short stories by very talented writers. I enjoyed most of them, particularly John Harvey's story featuring his detective Charlie Resnick. Crime fiction fans like the mix of tales.

Before I dive into Playing Dead: Short Stories by Members of the Detection Club, I want to mention the cover. This is perfect! The stories in this collection, edited by Martin Edwards, celebrate Simon Brett’s eightieth birthday. As Brett is the author of the mysteries featuring actor Charles Paris, the cover, curtains opening to reveal the contents, is perfect.

This is the latest book produced by members of the Detection Club, a small social network of crime writers. The stories cover a wide range of subjects, but some feature the theater or other tributes to Brett’s writing. He is the author of over 100 books, and does a brief recap of his career at the conclusion of this one, with “The Detection Club: A Personal Memoir” about his forty-five years as a member. It covers memories of Eric the Skull, P.D. James and Margaret Yorke.

If you’re a fan of British crime writers, you might want to pick up this book. Where else will you get a collection featuring so many great ones?

I’m not going to discuss every author and short story. I’ll mention a few of my favorites. L.C. Tyler’s “Crimes Ancient and Modern” is a fun little story with references to Brett’s brother and sister team, Blotto and Twinks. Peter Lovesey offers a short interlude in which he discusses Brett’s career as a radio producer and writer, then follows it with a short story set in that world, “Just a Minute”. Kate Ellis brings in actor Charles Paris in “Lookalike”. In “Criss-Cross”, John Harvey brings back his retired detective, Resnick, in a police procedural.

Readers of British crime writers will recognize the names of Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Elly Griffiths, Catherine Aird, Christopher Fowler, and Ruth Dudley Edwards, just some of the other authors who contributed stories to the book. There’s also a section with biographies of the authors.

Playing Dead is a fine tribute to a deserving author. Short story readers will want to pick up this collection featuring the best of today’s writers.

I really enjoyed this as a mystery anthology, it had that concept that I wanted and enjoyed that it had different types of the genre. Each author was able to tell the story that I was looking for and each book worked overall.