Gregory Mcdonald (ed.): Last Laughs (USA 1986)

From the Publisher:
The publication of a new Mystery Writers of America anthology is an event eagerly awaited by mystery aficionados around the world. This collection is special, even in that special world. Edited by Gregory Mcdonald, the president of MWA and two-time Edgar Award winner, LAST LAUGHS brings together fourteen stories which address the question: How can crime be humorous?

Mcdonald's choices, culled from the best works of some of America's finest mystery writers, are a potpourri of marvelous crime tales which end on unexpected notes: the exploiter exploited, an imposter caught by a plagiarist, revenge from the grave. There are victims and villains needing each other, turnabout for foul play, and society getting what it deserves. What all the stories share, however, is the philosophy that it is vitally important to have The Last Laugh.

Contents:
Gregory Mcdonald: Introduction -- Julie Smith: Grief Counselor -- Stanley Ellin: Kindly Dig Your Grave -- Gregory Mcdonald: The Nine Best Movies -- Henry Slesar: I Do Not Like Thee, Dr. Feldman -- Edward D. Hoch: The Most Dangerous Man -- Jeffrey Bush: The Last Meeting of the Butlers Club -- Charles R. McConnell: Sidney, Seth and S.A.M. -- Fred S. Tobey: You Drive, Dear -- Jeffrey Bush: The Problem of Li T'ang -- Gerald Tomlinson: Hizzoner's Water Supply -- Henry Slesar: Light Fingers -- Tonita S. Gardner: It's All a Matter of Luck -- Thelma C. Sokoloff: Providence Will Provide -- Frank Sisk: Dogbane.

Gregory Mcdonald (ed.): Last Laughs. The 1986 Mystery Writers of America Anthology. Mysterious Press, ISBN: 0892962461 (June, 1986), 196 p., $16.95.