Best of American Crime Writing, 2002

These posts have marched backwards in time, now all the way to the first year of The Best American Crime Writing series, 2002. Previous entries have provided links to the stories from the editions from 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004, and 2003. I will post links to the stories in the two most recent anthologies, 2010 and 2009, next week.


2002. Edited by Otto Penzler and Thomas B. Cook. Introduction by Nicholas Pileggi.

The Cheerleaders: E. Jean Carroll, Spin
The seemingly idyllic town of Dryden, New York is plagued by untimely deaths.
Should Johnny Paul Penry Die? Alex Prud'homme, Talk
Should the mentally retarded be executed?
The Outcast: Pat Jordan, New Yorker
O.J. Simpson lives the life of an outcast.
Flesh and Blood: Peter Richmond
The crimes of football star Rae Carruth
Bad Cops: Peter J. Boyer, The New Yorker
The testimony of the cop who blew wide open the Rampart scandal is called into question.
The Crash of Egyptair 990: William Langewiesche, The Atlantic Monthly
Politics makes it difficult to assess what happened to a downed airliner.
Judgment Day: Doug Most, Boston Magazine
A quarter century after the crime, a murderer faces judgment.
The Killing of Alydar: Skip Hollandsworth, Texas Monthly
A million-dollar horse is said to have been shot for breaking its leg. But was it murder?
X Files: Julian Rubinstein, Details
The life and downfall of the king of ecstasy.
The Day of the Attack: Nancy Gibbs, Time
The eleventh of September, 2001, broken down.
Anatomy of a Verdict: D. Graham Burnett, The New York Times Magazine
A reporter is a jury member, sequestered for 66 hours.

As with each year, some are not available on-line from legitimate sources or are only available with a subscription.

Our Man in Mexico: Charles Bowden, GQ
A DEA agent crosses the line.

Fatal Bondage: David McClintick, Vanity Fair
A killer lures in women with the promise of S & M.

A Prayer for Tina Marie: Robert Draper, GQ.
A woman kills her children while on a drug binge.

The Chicken Warriors: Mark Singer, The New Yorker
Cockfighting in Oklahoma. Available for subscribers only.

The Chicago Crime Commission: Robert Kurson, Esquire
The last crusader continues to work for a legendary group that once fought Capone.

Under Suspicion: Atul Gawande, The New Yorker
The problems with eye-witness identification and line-ups. Available for subscribers only.

 Martin Hill Ortiz, also writing under the name, Martin Hill, is the author of A Predatory Mind. His latest mystery, Never Kill A Friend, is available from Ransom Note Press. His epic poem, Two Mistakes, recently won second place in the Margaret Reid/Tom Howard Poetry Competition. He can be contacted at mdhillortiz@gmail.com.