Introduction / by Lee Child -- The class of co-opetition / by M. J. Rose -- Perfect gentleman / by Brett Battles ; introduction by James Rollins -- Killing justice / by Allison Brennan -- Bottom deal / by Robert Gregory Brown ; introduction by Gayle Lynds -- Time of the green / by Ken Bruen -- Slice of pie / by Bill Cameron ; introduction by Anne Frasier -- A failure to communicate / by Toni McGee Causey ; introduction by Harley Jane Kozak -- One serving of bad luck / by Sean Chercover ; introduction by Ken Bruen -- Prodigal me / by J. T. Ellison ; introduction by Lee Child -- The only word I know in Spanish / by Patry Francis ; introcution by Tess Gerritsen -- Teardown / by Marc Lecard ; introduction by Joe R. Lansdale -- Runaway / by Derek Nikitas ; introduction by Douglas Clegg -- The crime of my life / by Gregg Olsen ; introduction by Allison Brennan -- The point guard / by Jason Pinter ; introduction by Jeffrey Deaver -- Gravity and need / by Marcus Sakey ; introduction by David Morrell -- Death runs faster / by Duane Swierczynski -- Righteous son / by Dave White ; introduction by Duane Swierczynski -- Coda / by Laura Lippman.

For this impressive crime anthology, bestseller Child (One Shot) has gathered 13 stories by newcomers and three by veterans. Such established writers as David Morrell, James Rollins, Gayle Lynds, Ken Bruen and Allison Brennan introduce tales by such rising stars as Marcus Sakey, Brett Battles, Robert Gregory Browne, Sean Chercover and Gregg Olsen. Some selections, like Olsen's The Crime of My Life, hit like a hard swung sap. Battles's Perfect Gentleman is more like a knife that slides in easily, then twists in the gut. Browne's Bottom Deal features a PI that would be at home in a lineup with Spade and Marlowe. Sakey's Gravity and Need lets the reader bleed out slowly, while Chercover's One Serving of Bad Luck earns a rueful smile. Not every entry is a winner, but the disturbingly good new talent showcased in this volume bodes well for the future of the genre.