Mammoth Book of Best British Crime 11 Read online

  Maxim Jakubowski is a London-based novelist and editor. He was born in the UK and educated in France. Following a career in book publishing, he opened the world-famous Murder One bookshop in London. He now writes full-time. He has edited many acclaimed crime collections, and over twenty bestselling erotic anthologies and books on erotic photography. His novels include It’s You That I Want to Kiss, Because She Thought She Loved Me and On Tenderness Express, all three collected and reprinted in the USA as Skin in Darkness. Other books include Life in the World of Women, The State of Montana, Kiss Me Sadly, Confessions of a Romantic Pornographer, I Was Waiting for You, Ekaterina and the Night, American Casanova and his collected short stories Fools for Lust. He compiles two annual acclaimed series for the Mammoth list: Best New Erotica and Best British Crime. He is a winner of the Anthony and the Karel Awards, a frequent TV and radio broadcaster, a past crime columnist for the Guardian newspaper and Literary Director of London’s Crime Scene Festival. In recent years, he has authored under a pen-name a series of Sunday Times bestselling erotic romance novels which have sold over two million copies and been sold to 22 countries, and translated the acclaimed French novel Monsieur by Emma Becker.

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  THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF

  Best British Crime 11

  Edited by Maxim Jakubowski

  Constable & Robinson Ltd

  55–56 Russell Square

  London WC1B 4HP

  www.constablerobinson.com

  First published in the UK by Robinson,

  an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2014

  Copyright © Maxim Jakubowski, 2014

  (unless otherwise stated)

  The right of Maxim Jakubowski to be identified as the

  author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance

  with the Copyright, Designs & Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permission from the publisher and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication

  Data is available from the British Library

  UK ISBN: 978-1-47211-186-9 (paperback)

  UK ISBN: 978-1-47211-189-0 (ebook)

  9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

  Printed and bound in the UK

  CONTENTS

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  INTRODUCTION

  Maxim Jakubowski

  THE HOLLYWOOD I REMEMBER

  Lee Child

  ADVENT

  Kevin Wignall

  TEMPUS FUGIT

  Will Carver

  BASED ON A TRUE STORY

  Paul Charles

  DARKLING

  Val McDermid

  THE WORLD’S END

  Paul Johnston

  A TIME TO SEEK

  Alison Bruce

  BILLY MICKLEHURST’S RUN

  Tim Willocks

  VERTIGO

  Maxim Jakubowski

  THE BAKER STREET CIMMERIAN

  Rhys Hughes

  HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE

  Edward Marston

  A GOOD MAN

  N. J. Cooper

  GOOD INTENTIONS

  Michael Z. Lewin

  GOD’S LONELY MAN

  Peter Guttridge

  THE DAY OF THE DEAD

  Mary Hoffman

  FINNBARR’S BELL

  Peter Tremayne

  TWO FLORIDA BLONDES

  Kate Rhodes

  RED ESPERANTO

  Paul D. Brazill

  SHAME

  Ros Asquith

  MURDER UNCORDIAL

  Amy Myers

  MIDWINTER INTERLUDE

  Alexander McCall Smith

  THE TIGER

  Nina Allan

  THE LONG SHADOW

  Peter Turnbull

  FOURTH TIME LUCKY FOR MICKEY LOEW

  Jay Stringer

  NO FLOWERS

  Martin Edwards

  LOST AND FOUND

  Zoë Sharp

  EYES WIDE SHUT

  Col Bury

  SECRET OF THE DEAD

  David Stuart Davies

  NO SHORT CUTS

  Howard Linskey

  LULLABY

  Susan Everett

  ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN

  Christopher Fowler

  THE HOTLINE

  Dreda Say Mitchell

  THE ZATOPEC GAMBIT

  Roger Busby

  FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND

  Simon Kernick

  A THREE PIE PROBLEM

  Peter Lovesey

  DEAD MAN’S SOCKS

  David Hewson

  DAYTRIPPING

  Gerard Brennan

  THE END OF THE ROAD

  Jane Casey

  A NICE CUP OF TEA

  Christopher J. Simmons

  OUT OF BEDLAM

  Stephen Gallagher

  BENTINCK’S AGENT

  John Lawton

  Acknowledgements

  THE HOLLYWOOD I REMEMBER by Lee Child © 2012. First appeared in Vengeance, edited by Lee Child. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agent, Darley Anderson Literary Agency.

  ADVENT by Kevin Wignall © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  TEMPUS FUGIT by Will Carver © 2012. First appeared online at Dead Good. Reprinted by permission of the author’s agent, Samantha Bulos.

  BASED ON A TRUE STORY by Paul Charles © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  DARKLING by Val McDermid © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author and her agent, Gregory & Co.

  THE WORLD’S END by Paul Johnston © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author and his agent, Wade & Doherty Literary Agency.

  A TIME TO SEEK by Alison Bruce © 2012. First appeared in Cambridge News. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  BILLY MICK
LEHURST’S RUN by Tim Willocks © 2012. First appeared in The Big Issue and in book form with Editions Allia. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agent, A. M. Heath Ltd.

  VERTIGO by Maxim Jakubowski © 2012. First appeared in Off the Record 2: At the Movies, edited by Luca Veste and Paul D. Brazill. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  THE BAKER STREET CIMMERIAN by Rhys Hughes © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  HERE, THERE AND EVERYWHERE by Edward Marston © 2012. First appeared in Murder Here, Murder There, edited by R. Barri Flowers and Jan Grape. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  A GOOD MAN by N. J. Cooper © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author and her agent, Gregory & Co.

  GOOD INTENTIONS by Michael Z. Lewin © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  GOD’S LONELY MAN by Peter Guttridge © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  THE DAY OF THE DEAD by Mary Hoffman © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  FINNBARR’S BELL by Peter Tremayne © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agent, A. M. Heath Ltd.

  TWO FLORIDA BLONDES by Kate Rhodes © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  RED ESPERANTO by Paul D. Brazill © 2012. First appeared as an e-book with Lite Editions. Reprinted by permission of the author and Desideria Marchi.

  SHAME by Ros Asquith © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  MURDER UNCORDIAL by Amy Myers © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  MIDWINTER INTERLUDE by Alexander McCall Smith © 2012. First appeared in The Strand Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author’s agent, David Higham Associates Ltd.

  THE TIGER by Nina Allan © 2013. First appeared in Terror Tales of London, edited by Paul Finch. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  THE LONG SHADOW by Peter Turnbull © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  FOURTH TIME LUCKY FOR MICKEY LOEW by Jay Stringer © 2012. First appeared online at Beat to a Pulp. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  NO FLOWERS by Martin Edwards © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  LOST AND FOUND by Zoë Sharp © 2012. First appeared in Vengeance, edited by Lee Child. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  EYES WIDE SHUT by Col Bury © 2012. First appeared in Off the Record 2: At the Movies, edited by Luca Veste and Paul D. Brazill. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  SECRET OF THE DEAD by David Stuart Davies © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  NO SHORT CUTS by Howard Linskey © 2012. First appeared in True Brit Grit, an e-book edited by Paul D. Brazill and Luca Veste. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  LULLABY by Susan Everett © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  ANYTHING CAN HAPPEN by Christopher Fowler © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  THE HOTLINE by Dreda Say Mitchell © 2012. First appeared in Vengeance, edited by Lee Child. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  THE ZATOPEC GAMBIT by Roger Busby © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND by Simon Kernick © 2012. First appeared online at Dead Good. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  A THREE PIE PROBLEM by Peter Lovesey © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agent, Vanessa Holt.

  DEAD MAN’S SOCKS by David Hewson © 2012. First appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  DAYTRIPPING by Gerard Brennan © 2012. First appeared in the author’s e-book collection Other Skies and Nothing But Time. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  THE END OF THE ROAD by Jane Casey © 2014. Original publication by permission of the author.

  A NICE CUP OF TEA by Christopher J. Simmons © 2013. First appeared in Fiction Feast. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  OUT OF BEDLAM by Stephen Gallagher © 2012. First appeared online at Dead Good. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  BENTINCK’S AGENT by John Lawton © 2012. First appeared as a Kindle original e-book. Reprinted by permission of the author and his agent, Aitken Alexander Associates Ltd.

  INTRODUCTION

  Maxim Jakubowski

  We are now well into the second decade of this anthology series in which, over the past years, I have endeavoured to unearth and discover the best criminal short stories of the year from the pens of British and Irish authors (including expatriates living as far afield as Australia and a handful of Yanks who have been resident in the UK for a long time). Few anthology series in the mystery field last this long and I must express my sincere thanks to our publishers past and present for continuing to support the project. Without David Shelley, Susie Dunlop, Peter Duncan and, holding the fort right now, Duncan Proudfoot, these books would not have seen the light of day and many crime writers would not have won a variety of awards by being published in The Mammoth Book of Best British Crime.

  And still, year after year, our writers manage to come up with yet more ingenious crimes and solutions to crimes, together with a veritable landscape of atmosphere, emotions and sometimes chilling insights into the murky world that separates good and evil. But first and foremost, they continue to tell wonderful, gripping stories that have the ability to shock, delight and make you think twice, if not three times.

  The mystery short story is a fertile field where all things go as long as the writer captures our imagination, and our contributors over eleven volumes have never failed to do so in splendid ways. And long may they continue!

  Many regulars are with us again – both big stars from the bestseller lists and lesser known but no less worthy authors – but it’s always a particular pleasure of mine to come across either new names or to be able to include writers who had not joined out little club before. So, a heartfelt welcome – in no particular order – to Will Carver, Christopher J. Simmons, Susan Everett, Tim Willocks (whose presence in the series was well overdue), Dreda Say Mitchell, Kate Rhodes, Rhys Hughes (from the shores of fantastic fiction with a rare step into mysterious pastures), Howard Linskey, Peter Guttridge (a fellow judge of mine for the Crime Writers’ Association John Creasey Dagger and witty author in his own right, included here with a short tale which won the 2013 Graham Greene Festival story award), and two leading popular children’s books authors shifting into a criminal mode, Mary Hoffman and Ros Asquith.

  Sadly, Robert Barnard, a frequent contributor to the series, died just as I was making this year’s final selection, and we salute his memory. He will be sorely missed. Nick Robinson, who started the publishing house that is now Constable & Robinson, also passed away recently. He was both a friend and a wonderfully supportive publisher for me over almost three decades, not just for this series but for many other books too. This volume is dedicated to the two of them.

  So enjoy our tales of devious deeds, puzzles and twists in the tail that prove, once again, that crime indeed does pay!

  The Hollywood I Remember

  Lee Child

  The Hollywood I remember was a cold, hard, desperate place. The sun shone and people got ahead. Who those people were, I have no idea. Real names had been abandoned long ago. Awkward syllables from the shtetls and guttural sounds from the bogs and every name that ended in a vowel had been traded for shiny replacements that could have come from an automobile catalogue. I knew a guy who called himself LaSalle, like the Buick. I knew a Fairlane, like the Ford. I even knew a Coupe de Ville. In fact I knew two Coupe de Villes, but I think the second guy had his tongue in his cheek. In any case, you were always consc
ious that the guy you were talking to was a cipher. You had no idea what he had been and what he had done before.

  Everyone was new and reinvented.

  That worked both ways, of course.

  It was a place where a week’s work could get you what anyone else in the country made in a year. That was true all over town, under the lights or behind them, legitimate or not. But some got more than others. You were either a master or a servant. Like a distorted hourglass: up above, a small glass bubble with a few grains of sand; down below, a big glass bubble with lots of sand. The bottleneck between was tight. The folks on the top could buy anything they wanted, and the folks on the bottom would do whatever it took, no questions asked. Everyone was for sale. Everyone had a price. The city government, the cops, regular folks, all of them. It was a cold, hard, desperate place.

  Everyone knew nothing would last. Smart guys put their early paychecks into solid things, which is what I did. My first night’s work became the down payment on the house I’ve now owned for more than forty years. The rest of the money came with a mortgage from a week-old bank. And mortgages needed to be paid, so I had to keep on working. But work was not hard to find for a man with my skills and for a man happy to do the kind of things I was asked to do. Which involved girls, exclusively. Hollywood hookers were the best in the world, and there were plenty of them. Actresses trapped on the wrong side of the bottleneck still had to eat, and the buses and trains brought more every day. Competition was fierce.

  They were amazingly beautiful. Usually they were better-looking than the actual movie stars. They had to be. Sleeping with an actual movie star was about the only thing money couldn’t buy, so look-alikes and substitutes did good business. They were the biggest game in town. They lasted a year or two. If they couldn’t take it, they were allowed to quit early. There was no coercion. There didn’t need to be. Those buses and trains kept on rolling in.