"Davis is the ultimate prose stylist and this collection of short fiction proved addictive on many a late night. Her narrators are quirky, self-conscious, and sometimes humorously obsessive. Many of the stories are only a page or two long. But within those pages are observations that reveal the precise tics and nuances that make us indelibly who we are."

"My all-time personal favorite. I love this book, all of it: the plot, the characters, the dialogue, much of which was lifted verbatim by John Huston for his screenplay for the beloved movie of the same name. The single best monologue in fiction appears toward the end, when Sam Spade tells Brigid O’Shaughnessy why he’s giving her to the police."

"I heard a smart person say once that short stories were the ideal form to receive and integrate information. Whether it’s completely true or not, the idea has stayed with me, and if you were trying to argue the point, “I Knew You’d Be Lovely,” could be held up as Exhibit A. Emotionally, no work(s) of fiction ever moved me more thoroughly."

"Yes, he’s my son and, yes, that reeks of nepotism, but please bear in mind that the novel was just nominated for an Edgar Allan Poe Award for best mystery novel by an American author. What makes it special, in my opinion, is a hefty dose of something that’s been largely missing from crime fiction since Donald Westlake passed away: rib-splitting humor."

"I read one of Borges’ short stories in a science-fiction magazine when I was 20, and I immediately fell in love with his style and his universe. Later on, I discovered that the short story, ‘The Babel Library,’ was part of this collection of short stories. Borges is the only South American writer all of whose books I have read and reread."

"One of many great films noirs in the collection. There are a few things that make this movie unique, including a MacGuffin that introduces an unexpected element of science fiction into a hard-boiled detective story, and Ralph Meeker's great portrayal of private eye Mike Hammer (best name ever). Even by film noir antihero standards, the guy is a monster."