A terrific collection of mystery stories, gathered by Otto Penzler and with an introduction by Lee Child. Stories by authors such as Sue Grafton (an unpublished short story found post mortem), Sara Paretsky and others. Well worth the read if you enjoy this genre. ( )

The 20 stories (plus one reprint by Ambrose Bierce from 1888) in this anthology were all published in 2020; each is preceded by a short introduction to the author and is followed by a brief note by the author concerning the genesis of the story. As with any such anthology, one reader’s favourites will be another’s most-hated; that said, my favourite stories in this collection include Michael Bracken’s “Blest Be the Tie That Binds,” about a Mob attempt to launder money through church tithings; “The Locked Cabin” by Martin Edwards, which takes place in the 1930s aboard the Queen Mary; Sue Grafton’s “If You Want Something Done Right…” which slyly illustrates that saying; the poignant “The Truth About Lucy,” by Dennis McFadden, showing how the past affects future generations; Joyce Carol Oates’ lovely imaging of how a member of the Manson Family might prepare for a “Parole Hearing, California Institution for Women, Chino, California”; Stephen King’s take on one of the famous steps of AA, “The Fifth Step”; and Andrew Welsh-Huggins’ “The Path I Took,” in which a student of languages travels to Gaelic Ireland in 1983, where his studies are disrupted by The Troubles. There is also a list of honorable mentions at the end of the book, for the reader who wants to find more stories in this genre. My one quibble with this anthology (which I believe is the first in a projected series overseen by Otto Penzler of the Mysterious Bookshop) is the choice to present the stories alphabetically by the author’s last name; that just seems like a rather daft way to go about it. In any event, a good compilation of recent mystery short stories; recommended. ( )

I don't read many short stories but when I saw that this book of 2021 had some of my favorite authors, I decided to give it a try. It was a fantastic group of mystery stories with many more hits than misses. Not only was I able to read stories by some of my favorites but I found a few new authors to follow. My favorite stories in this anthology were by Sue Grafton, Stephen King and Joyce Carol Oates.

Sue Grafton is the author that brought us Kinsey Millhone in the alphabet series. She died before she could write the last story in the series. Her short story is called If You Want to do Something Right. Lucy and Bert have been married for years. Bert is a lawyer, an alcoholic and consistently unfaithful to her. She kept a secret notebook on how to kill him and when she got angry she added to it. It was her own little stress reliever but when her purse was returned after being stolen and the notebook was missing, she realized that she may end up in trouble. She was contacted by an unscrupulous man who threatened to take the notebook to the police. After he threatened her, her life began to change but she still wanted her husband dead and to enjoy the rest of her life.

Stephen King needs no introduction. His books have been popular since he started writing over four decades ago. In The Fifth Step we get a fantastic story based on the fifth step of AA - to admit their wrongs to another person. Harold, a retired engineer is sitting on a park bench in Central Park when he is joined by Jack. He didn't know Jack and was reluctant to share his space but when Jack started talking he reluctantly listened to Jack's story about the mistakes that he'd made in his life due to alcohol. What happens after that is a real roller coaster.

Joyce Carol Oates is an award winning novelist and her short story in this book is called Parole hearing, California Hearing for Women, Chino, CA. It's told by a women who has been a prisoner for 51 years and is the oldest woman in the prison. She has been turned down for parole fifteen times and explains why she should be paroled this time. It is quickly evident that her reasoning is very skewed.

Find the time to pick up this book to read these three stories along with short stories from 17 other authors.
It's an enjoyable collection and you might find new authors to enjoy when you read their short stories.

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own. ( )

Several notables offfer great stories. Although with a new imprint The collection continues a great tradition one not to be missed. ( )