Otto Penzler is one of the mainstays of mystery fiction, so it’s always good to see his editorial hand in action, at work here on MURDER IN THE ROUGH, an anthology of 15 mystery short stories concerning the world of golf.

Anthologies are always a mixed bag. You’ll find a few top shelf stories, maybe one or two efforts from writers unfamiliar to you, and then there’s always a clunker. And this book is no exception. But overall, the good far outweighs the bad.

One of the good bits – indeed, one of the best bits – is Lawrence Block’s “Welcome to the Real World,” a description of one man’s introduction to the world of golf as we see him on his very first round. It’s horrible. Truly. And it quickly morphs into something else. This is all done in Block’s normal, everyday language written with a relentless, build layer-upon-layer style that leaves you breathless at the end. Block is one of our modern mystery masters, and he’s a great choice to lead off the book (even if Penzler prefers to organize these things alphabetically).

Other highlights include Christopher Coake’s “The Mission,” the longest piece in the book, a deeply felt emotional exploration of his characters and their stories, and Laura Lippmann’s “A Good **** Spoiled”. The title here is a clue to the tale’s darkly humorous style, and it’s well-crafted and of perfect length to boot. These two writers were unknown to me, but I’ll look for them in the future.

More famous mystery writers in the book include the great Jonathan Gash. If you’ve never read Gash’s THE VATICAN RIP or THE GONDOLA SCAM, buy them and settle in for a treat. Gash created the character of Lovejoy, the shady British antiques dealer played to perfection by Ian McShane (now starring as Al Swearengen in HBO’s DEADWOOD). Here, “Death by Golf” centers on golfiana, one of the hottest markets in collectibles and antiques. It displays Gash’s careful attention to plot and fascinating facts, but the endgame seems a little implausible and confused.

William G. Tapply makes an appearance with “Unplayable Lies,” a predictable but thoroughly enjoyable story of a round of golf between made men with cheating caddies. There’s H.R.F. Keating with an old-style English cozy story featuring his series character Miss Unwin, and even a tale from 7TH HEAVEN actor Stephen Collins that focuses on the Ladies’ Tour and how the media sometimes seem to conspire against their stars.

One other story to note is Bradford Morrow’s “The Hoarder.” While it owes perhaps a bit too much to John Fowles’ THE COLLECTOR, it focuses on the magic of a miniature golf course, and there should have been lots of material in that subject. While the ending seems a bit telegraphed, Morrow might be a name to put on your watch list.

The book closes with a seven-page bibliography of golfing-related mysteries which will give the collector new titles to search for. Unfortunately, it’s not anywhere near complete (Robert Girardi’s THE WRONG DOYLE, another mini-golf mystery, is missing for one). So what’s the verdict? Well, it’s very much like a round of golf: a few birdies (Block, Gash, Lippmann), a couple of bogies (no individual story introductions, bibliography is not annotated) and overall, a lovely walk around the course. But why didn’t Penzler pencil in 18 stories, one for each hole? –Mark Rose

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OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF THESE AUTHORS:
• THE GIRL WITH THE LONG GREEN HEART by Lawrence Block
• MURDER AT THE FOUL LINE edited by Otto Penzler