
On the morning of the merger, fog shrouds the offices of Jupiter Steel. On the twenty-first floor, the board of directors gathers to follow the commands of Billy Calm, an unequaled titan of finance. But a few minutes before the meeting, Calm jumps out a window. The chief of security rushes to the street, but where there should be a body, he sees only slush; Billy Calm has vanished into the fog. “The Long Way Down” is a classic Edward D. Hoch story—elegantly baffling, with prose that will please even the most hard-boiled fans. But this collection contains much more than puzzles. Here are the odds and ends of Hoch’s early work, covering espionage, boxing, and every shade of noir—as beautiful as the fog, and as chilling as the first step off the ledge.
Author
Edward D. Hoch is one of the most honored mystery writers of all time. * 1968 Edgar Allan Poe Award (Mystery Writers of America): "The Oblong Room", The Saint Mystery Magazine, July 1967 * 1998 Anthony Award (Bouchercon World Mystery Convention): "One Bag of Coconuts", EQMM, November 1997 * 2001 Anthony Award (Bouchercon): "The Problem of the Potting Shed", EQMM, July 2000 * 2007 Ellery Queen Readers Choice Award (awarded 2008): "The Theft of the Ostracized Ostrich", EQMM, June 2007 * Lifetime Achievement Award (Private Eye Writers of America), 2000 * Grand Master (Mystery Writers of America), 2001 * Lifetime Achievement Award (Bouchercon), 2001