I found the primary difference in the approach to story. Unlike other genre magazines in which a body hits the floor on the first page, stories in this collection are much more leisurely, spending sometimes several pages nailing down the character, in such an intriguing way that I often found myself not caring that the plot had yet to commence. The writing on some of the stories was sumptuous, the type that one might find in more literary journals. This was most notably true in Stephen Hargadon's Nurse and Linda Mannheim's Incendiary.
The downside to such stories for those who demand a strong crime plot line to propel the story forward is that many of the stories are quite nuanced, with quiet and subtle crimes that do more for fulfilling the fate of the main character than surprising the reader.
For me, it's not a question about which style story I like; I enjoy both the breathless pace of an exciting potboiler and the careful exploration of how an individual is changed by the environment of crime. For the latter, this collection would be highly recommended.
