“This form has a special kind of magic, the ability to transport you quickly, intensely, to capture character, time, place, and story with immediacy,” writes guest editor Lisa Unger in her introduction. The transporting stories in this year’s The Best American Mystery and Suspense are populated by those who exist on the fringe of our society and want more than what life has dealt them: A haunted veteran turned career criminal is on the run. An injured fighter turned bouncer seeks vengeance for his lost love. An assassin on his last job finds himself questioning his life choices and breaks all the rules to understand his final victim. By turns thrilling and enlightening, each story, according to Unger, “will have you holding your breath, flipping the pages, will leave you thinking about people and why they do the dark, dangerous, frightening things that they do.”
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023 includes Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier • William Boyle • S. A. Cosby • Jacqueline Freimor • James A. Hearn • Ladee Hubbard • A. J. Jacono • Adam Meyer • Silvia Moreno-Garcia • Walter Mosley • Leigh Newman • Joyce Carol Oates • Margaret Randall • Annie Reed • Anthony Neil Smith • Faye Snowden • Jervey Tervalon • Joseph S. Walker • Thaai Walker • Jess Walter
Release Date: Oct 17, 2023
Publisher: HarperCollins
Imprint: Mariner Books
Price: $11.99
This volume is described as a collection of the year’s best mystery and suspense short fiction. Twenty mystery and suspense stories were selected by the editors to represent some of the best stories of the year. The stories cover a variety of topics and have settings ranging from Brooklyn to the Virgin Islands. Most of the authors were unfamiliar to me before I read these stories, but most mystery and suspense fans will be familiar with editor Lisa Unger’s work.
I really enjoy reading short stories and collections like this are a great way to discover new authors. This collection had a couple gems but many were too dark, depressing, or slow-paced for my taste. Although I didn’t enjoy all of them, most are well-written and feature some popular authors such as S.A. Cosby, Walter Mosley, and Joyce Carol Oates.
The stories I liked the most are by authors I hadn’t heard of before. Ripen by Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier is a relatable story about a food reporter who helps solve a mystery in the Virgin Islands. I would like to read more by this author.
The Invitation by Margaret Randall tells a story about a college student who has to choose between an internship at a newspaper and a trip to Europe with an ex-boyfriend in a unique way.
Crime Scene by Joseph S. Walker is an interesting take on a hired hit. The collection wraps up with another story I enjoyed, Love Interest, about a digital forensics expert who uses his skills to help his client in an unexpected way. I’m glad I was able to read these few stories that I really enjoyed, but overall I was disappointed by the grim tone of most of the stories. However, collections like this usually have something for everyone so others may like the stories that just weren’t the kind I prefer.
~ Christine
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