Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 100 Malicious Little Mysteries | 1981 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 2 | Alfred Hitchcock’s A Choice of Evils | 1983 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 3 | Mean Streets | 1986 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 4 | Tales of Terror | 1986 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 5 | An Eye for Justice | 1988 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 6 | Deadly Allies | 1992 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 7 | Dark Crimes 2 | 1993 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 8 | Canine Crimes | 1993 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 9 | Feline and Famous | 1994 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 10 | Deadly Allies II | 1994 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 11 | Vampire Detectives | 1995 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 12 | First Cases, Volume 1 | 1996 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 13 | Guilty as Charged | 1996 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 14 | Murder to Music | 1997 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 15 | Once Upon a Crime | 1998 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 16 | Murder on Route 66 | 1998 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 17 | The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes | 1999 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 18 | Unholy Orders | 2000 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 19 | The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 2 | 2000 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 20 | The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 4 | 2003 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 21 | Show Business is Murder | 2004 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 22 | The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories 5 | 2004 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 23 | At the Scene of the Crime | 2008 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 24 | Florida Heat Wave | 2010 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 25 | The Shamus Winners | 2010 | John Lutz | Buy |
| 26 | First Thrills: Volume 4 | 2011 | John Lutz | Buy |
John Lutz’s anthology appearances stretch across three decades and cover a wide range of crime fiction themes. From 100 Malicious Little Mysteries (1981) to First Thrills: Volume 4 (2011), his stories appeared in collections organized around everything from Sherlock Holmes pastiches to animal-themed crimes to music-related murders.
The breadth of Lutz’s anthology work reflects both his productivity and his flexibility as a writer. He could produce stories for themed collections like Murder on Route 66, Feline and Famous, and Florida Heat Wave while also placing work in more prestigious anthologies like The World’s Finest Mystery and Crime Stories. For editors assembling crime fiction collections, Lutz was clearly someone who could be counted on for solid, professional work.