Joe Gores (1931-2011) and Bill Pronzini (1943- ) had both been active in the mystery field less than a decade or so when Tricks and Treats was published in 1976, but they were already major names. Joe had won two Edgar awards, and Bill had turned out more novels and short stories than many of us (me, for example, born the same year) would accomplish in a lifetime. While Joe is gone, Bill, recipient of the MWA Grand Master Award in 2008, is still going strong and prolific as ever.
The theme of their anthology was McGuffins (more commonly spelled MacGuffins), a term sort of like noir, that has a very specific meaning for purists, but is generally used to mean just about anything you want it to mean. The Hitchcock anecdote in their introduction hints at without spelling out both the narrow and the broad definitions. According to Wikipedia, the MacGuffin is “a plot device in the form of some goal, desired object, or another motivator that the protagonist pursues, often with little or no narrative explanation. The MacGuffin's importance to the plot is not the object itself, but rather its effect on the characters and their motivations.” The Meriam-Webster definition, more inclusive if a bit vaguer: “an object, event, or character in a film or story that serves to set and keep the plot in motion despite usually lacking intrinsic importance.” It’s easiest to think of in terms of an object (sources differ on whether it should be something really important like the formula for world peace or trivial but tantalizing like the meaning of “Rosebud”) that the protagonist and other characters are after. Some examples: the Maltese Falcon, the Ark of the Covenant in the Raiders of the Lost Arc, the NOC list of informants in the first Mission Impossible feature, the Holy Grail, military plans, weapons designs, or other vital papers. Readers of this anthology are invited to consider in each of these stories whether there is really a MacGuffin and if so, what it is.
Mystery Writers of America anthologies have changed since their mid-1940s launch. Early volumes in the series consisted entirely of reprints, all donated by their authors for the good of the organization. Recent volumes have been comprised entirely of new stories, either commissioned by the editor or selected by a panel of judges from anonymous submissions, and now contributors are paid rather well. Tricks and Treats belongs in a transitional period: the stories were still donated, but some originals were included. Both editors of the volume offer new stories, Pronzini in collaboration with Barry N. Malzberg, along with previously unpublished work by Betty Buchanan, William E. Chambers, Elizabeth A. Lynn, and Jean L. Backus. The reprints represent Golden Age old-timers (Ellery Queen, Anthony Boucher, John Dickson Carr), stalwarts of the magazine market (Edward D. Hoch, Henry Slesar, James Holding, Jack Ritchie), novel-writing royalty (John D. MacDonald), and one surprise from the mainstream (Jessamyn West). The introductions to each story by Joe or Bill show that they were conscientious editors. Forty plus years after its first publication, their anthology stands the test of time.
—Jon L. Breen