An annual anthology of outstanding mystery and suspense short fiction encompasses works by Ruth Rendell, Donald E. Westlake, Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Lovesey, Benjamin M. Schutz, Max Allan Collins, and other notable masters of the genre. An unusually generous edition of Hoch's venerable anthology, including 14 stories, 8 of them new to hardcover. Best are two longish tales: ``The Model,'' Joyce Carol Oates's haunting account of a teenaged orphan pressed into modeling for a mysterious patron, and ``Candles in the Rain,'' Doug Allyn's story of skullduggery at an abandoned airbase about to be ceded to the local Ojibwa reservation. Standouts among shorter takes include Ed Gorman's grim portrait of a dedicated social worker; Susan B. Kelly's flip anecdote about a shamus too successful for her own good; and Benjamin Schutz's Edgar-winning account of p.i. Leo Haggerty's attempt to break up an impending marriage. Max Allan Collins, Ruth Rendell, and Donald Westlake present stories of rocky marriages--Rendell's a semi-successful novelty, Collins's and Westlake's more predictable. The gathering is rounded out by Jo Bannister, Jacklyn Butler, Peter Lovesey, Nancy Pickard, Steven Saylor, and editor Hoch, who also contributes his essential bibliography and lists of awards and deaths. Not an outstanding crop, but few of the entries will disappoint. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. Used Book in Good Condition