20 stories, almost 23 hrs of suspense and mystery. Good narrations. My favorite is “God Bless America” starts slow but is most charming. Some have profanity others not. All are interesting, some more n others. Worthwhile reading. ( )

Best Mystery & Suspense Shorts 2022
Review of the HarperCollins Mariner Books paperback (November 1, 2022)

[Average 4 rating with nothing under 3, bumped to 5 because of the Introduction and Contributor's Notes.]
The selection here was outstanding and the Introduction by the 2022 guest editor Jess Walter even provides a detailed account of what most captured him in each of the 20 final selections as narrowed down from the 50 initially selected by the series overall editor Steph Cha. An extensive Contributor's Notes section provides short bios on each of the authors and includes their own backgrounds on what inspired each of the stories. A further addendum provides the authors, titles and publication sources of the 30 additional stories which were not included as “Honourable Mentions.”

The following provides story setups only, so shouldn't be considered spoilers.
1. La Chingona **** by Hector Acosta. First published in the themed collection The Eviction of Hope (2021). A woman is facing eviction and is trying to raise money by assuming the identity of a Mexican wrestler on her streaming channel. Trivia La Chingona from Spanish translates as “Bad Ass Woman.”

2. Lucky Thirteen *** by Tracy Clark. First published in the themed collection Midnight Hour: A chilling anthology of crime fiction from 20 acclaimed authors of color (2021). A home invader makes a very bad choice when he selects the house of an apparently frail old man to steal from. Trivia I recently enjoyed Tracy Clark's first book in her new Detective Harriet Foster series: Hide (2022).

3. An Ache So Divine **** by S.A. Cosby. First published in the themed collection Jukes & Tonks: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music in the Dark and Suspect Choices (2021). Trouble is stirred up in The Sweet Spot honky-tonk when the singer/guitarist of a visiting band picks the wrong woman from the crowd to mess around with. Trivia I enjoyed S.A. Cosby's last novel Razorblade Tears (2021).

4. Detainment *** by Alex Espinoza. First published in the themed collection Speculative Los Angeles (2021). A child returned to his mother after detainment at the US Border is not the same as he once was.

5. Here’s to New Friends *** by Jacqueline Freimor. First published in thee themed collection When a Stranger Comes to Town (2021). An observer notices a predator zeroing in on a woman traveling alone on a train.

6. A Career Spent Disappointing People *** by Tod Goldberg. First published in the themed collection Palm Springs Noir (2021). One partner from a heist duo is on the run and meets up with a shady lawyer and a clown.

7. The Very Last Time **** by Juliet Grames. First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. A woman who has lost her husband while they were time travelling is suspected of his murder. I wasn’t sure if this was meant as a science fiction tale or whether the woman was delusional.

8. The Wind ***** by Lauren Goff. First published in The New Yorker magazine. Memoir-like story told as if from a granddaughter’s point of view of her grandmother and her kids (which include the mother of the fictional writer) attempting to escape her abusive husband. This one is available to read online (if you have remaining free reads or are a subscriber) at The New Yorker January 25, 2021.

9. No Man’s Land **** by James D.F. Hannah. First published in the themed collection Only the Good Die Young: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Songs of Billy Joel (2021). Historical fiction going back to the Clinton/Gore years. Two real estate agents on Long Island become entangled with a mob family.

10. Return to Sender **** by Gar Anthony Haywood. First published in the themed collection Jukes & Tonks: Crime Fiction Inspired by Music in the Dark and Suspect Choices (2021). A criminal brother duo hijack a jukebox from a bar and hold it for ransom but also decide to get it fixed after accidentally dropping it during the heist. Trivia This story includes the return of repairman Errol 'Handy' White from the author's earlier novel Cemetery Road (2009).

11. Harriet Point **** by Leslie Jones. First published in The Southern Review (Winter 2021). A married couple start a grow-op inside their own house in Alaska (before legalisation), little knowing the structural damage and smell issues that it will create.

12. Stingers **** by LaToya Jovena (author is not yet listed on Goodreads). First published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. Nicely done story from a debut author which is told in reverse chronological order. A woman takes revenge for an assault.

13. God Bless America **** by Elaine Kagan. First published in the themed collectionbCollectibles (2021). The crime element isn’t clear until very late in this story which is more of an observance about the knick-knacks collected by families over the years. It also had a little subplot about jazz musicians.

14. A Bostonian (in Cambridge) ***** by Dennis Lehane. First published in the themed collection Collectibles. A rare book dealer and letters antiquarian is offered a letter from his own past for a hefty price. Trivia The title of the story refers to the protagonist being rumoured to own one of the few surviving copies of Edgar Allan Poe’s first book Tamerlane and Other Poems (1827) originally published in an edition of only 50 copies under the alias “A Bostonian”.
See book cover at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/df/TamerlaneAndOtherPoems.jpg
The cover of the rare first edition of Tamerlane and Other Poems. Image sourced from Wikipedia.

15. Remediation **** by Kristen Lepionka. First published in the themed collection This Time For Sure: Bouchercon Anthology 2021 (2021). A recovering addict gets a job delivering advertising flyers door to door and ends up in the middle of a murder for hire scheme.

16. Long Live the Girl Detective *** by Megan Pillow. First published in Electric Literature. A comedic tribute to Nancy Drew with a cameo by the Hardy Boys, all of them under aliases though. This one is available to read online at Electric Literature.

17. Mata Hambre *** by Raquel V. Reyes. First published in the themed collection Midnight Hour: A chilling anthology of crime fiction from 20 acclaimed authors of color (2021). Two cousins attend a food contest with local celebrities as contestants, one of whom is an ex and a still sometime love interest. A fight ensues with a woman who is also “dating” the same contestant.

18. Turning Heart *** by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. First published in the themed collection This Time For Sure: Bouchercon Anthology 2021. Virgil Wounded Horse, a vigilante enforcer who is trying to make a career change, sets out to repossess a minivan taken by the ex of the sister of an old friend. Trivia Virgil is also the lead character in Weiden’s novel Winter Counts (2020).

19. Lycia *** by Brendan Williams-Childs. First published in the journal The Colorado Review Fall/Winter 2021. (The story is not among the free selections but I did link to the online journal issue.) A daughter travels back to Turkey when her brother has died in a war only to discover that her ex-diplomat father has stolen the body from the morgue and has disappeared with it. Trivia This story was inspired by a photograph of the Lycian Cave Tombs in Turkey.
See photograph at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/21/Rock_tombs_%2810918510...
Photograph of the Lycian Cave Tombs. Image sourced from Wikipedia.

20. Thank You for Your Service **** by Matthew Wilson. First published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. An Iraq War veteran needs a scheme to raise money and decides to start a YouTube channel to track down fraudulent veterans in order to expose them on camera. ( )

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022 anthology edited by Jess Walter, is not an easy book to review. While all the tales in the book are good ones, some of the short stories are very dark and grim. For this reader, some of the tales were very intense and disturbing as they connected to things in my childhood. If I was not reading for review, I would have quickly skipped those tales and moved on.

After a foreword by series editor Steph Cha that includes the procedure to be considered for the 2033 anthology (deadline 12/3/2022), and an intro by Jess Walter, it is on to the stories. The stories are presented in alphabetical order by author name. Each tale has a listing of where it originally appeared. Unfortunately, when a magazine is listed, it does not include the month.

Hector Acosta leads off with “La Chingona.” Developers have been buying up blocks of Spokane and they have gotten their hands on Hope Apartments. Eviction is coming. Veronica’s only hope is to raise funds via a web cam deal she is doing. Who would have thought wearing a certain mask of a Mexican wrestler would make things so complicated?

62-year-old Henry Pearse is doing okay for a man of his age in “Lucky Thirteen” by Tracy Clark. It is New Year’s Eve, the streets and sidewalks are icy, and he is about to have a guest. A guest that will be very interested in attending Henry’s celebration of the new year.

Hattie Mae wants out of her Daddy’s bar. She wants a certain musician. She wants something else, something she can’t actually quantify, in the powerful tale, An Ache So Divine by S. A. Cosby.

Mercedes Larza is sure that the boy given her by border patrol is not her son. He looks and talks like him. He has the same birthmark and mole cluster. But, she is sure he isn’t her son in “Detainment” by Alex Espinoza.

As predicted, the man made his move once the train rolled out of the station. How long will the voyeur wait to intercede in “Here’s to New Friends” by Jacqueline Freimor is the question.

Todd Goldberg’s “A Career Spent Disappointing People” comes next where it is July and Shane has a problem. Actually, more than one. Not only is it too damn hot as he has to get gone from California, the Honda he was driving has broken down. His swollen foot is a mess thanks to the damage by the bullet. Nothing has been going right lately and things are getting worse now by the minute.

Francis had been gone five days when the police first arrive at the house in “The Very Last Time” by Juliet Grames. Mrs. Hatcher knows what happened. If she explains, they will never believe her. That is the first of several problems she has in this tale.

“The Wind” by Lauren Groff comes next in a very hard to read story. A mother is determined to do everything she can to save her children and get out of a horrible situation.

Barry is asleep when the guys get him in “No Man’s Land” by James D. F. Hannah. Being the “Real Estate King of Long Island” has had its perks, but winding up on a living room floor and getting kicked everywhere including where no man ever wants to be kicked, is not one of them. The real estate agent is in a world of trouble and not for what you might think considering his occupation.

Lewis Binny’s classic juke box has been stolen as “Return to Sender” by Gar Anthony Haywood begins. Obviously, Binny wants it back. He also has an idea who might have stolen the classic machine, but he is not going to tell that to the St. Louis County Sheriff’s deputy who is taking the report.

Audrie McFadden and Abe had a plan to supplement their income. Things are changing in Alaska. They have to move fast to cash in on the future in “Harriet Point” by Leslie Jones.

Making a good mixed drink is a chemical process. If you know what you are doing, you can make good ones. She likes to make “Stingers” in this tale of the same name by LaToya Jovena.

Joe is enraged and justifiably so in “God Bless America” by Elaine Kagan. Somebody keyed their cars. The cars were outside on the street instead of in the full garage. Connie is too busy cooking food for the holiday and thinking about the past which is stored in the garage.

Nathaniel buys letters in “A Bostonian (in Cambridge)” by Dennis Lehane. He buys letters of rejection as the proprietor of the Larchmont Antique Bookshop near Harvard. The reason he does is tied to his childhood and gradually explained in this complicated story.

Carter got a job handing out flyers in “Remediation” by Kristen Lepionka. In so doing, she saw a few things. She met new people. One of whom changed her life forever.

The Girl Detective is dead. At least that is what is posted on twitter. She does not feel dead. She has a lot to do. But, as she looks, she notices that she can see right through her hand. She needs to know in “Long Live the Girl Detective” by Megan Pillow.

Pugi likes to go on the hunt for men in “Mata Hambre” by Raquel V. Reyes. She likes to go hunting with the narrator. Her target this night is an old flame who is a famous tv guy now in the local area. He is a competitor in a cooking contest that is about to get very interesting for entrants and spectators alike.

Stolen valor is a subject that occasionally pops up in the media. It is the central theme of “Thank You for Your Service” by Mathew Wilson. Kyle came home from serving the country and is having a hard time of it. He comes up with a plan to document the fake vets he sees everywhere and make some money by exposing them via social media.

Janeen Turning Heart needs Virgil’s help. He is the reservation’s enforcer and she has a job for him in “Turning Heart” by David Heska Wanbli Weiden. It is a job he does not want, but it is a job he needs to do for a number of reasons.

For the longest time, father has been the Turkish ambassador to the Russian Federation. His duty to country over family had consequences. As he is apparently having some cognitive issues based on his behavior, secrets and disharmony in the family come to the forefront in “Lycia” by Brendan Williams-Childs.

“Contributors’ Notes” comes next with author bios and an explanation regarding each story from each of the authors. Those explanations cover the author’s intent in the tale, the writing process, and more in an explanation that is often longer than the bio. Those explanations are very interesting and also reflect the obvious diversity in the read.

The book concludes with “Other Distinguished Mystery and Suspense Stories of 2021.” There are thirty authors and their tales are listed along with the markets that published them.

Diversity is prevalent in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022 and not just in terms of race and gender, though those two are most obvious at a quick glance. Also at work here is diversity in terms of storytelling styles, themes, imagery, and more. The book is a complicated read full of solidly good tales.

It is also a very hard read at times. If you are a certain age and come from a time when nobody intervened when things happened behind closed doors and you carried those signs in public the next day, some of the tales here will land far too close to home.

The tales are about those situations, the choices that are made by and for folks, and as one of the authors eloquently put it how “hurt people hurt people.” That idea pretty much applies to every tale in the book, one way or another. These are tales that make the reader think and not always in a happy way. The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022 is a complicated anthology and one well worth your time.

My reading copy came from the publisher as a NetGalley ARC.

Kevin R. Tipple ©2022 ( )

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2022, edited by Jess Walter, gives the reader a nice cross-section of stories, all of which are well-written.

Like any collection of stories, whether single or multiple authors, there will be some that appeal to the reader more than others. That variance is minimized here in two ways. First is that these have been chosen as (among) the best of the year, so there is a certain quality standard that is met. What I think helps a lot in this anthology is Walter's Introduction. He preps the reader for each story by offering a look at what "snapped" for him in each one, without spoiling any of the stories.

If mystery and suspense are your favorite, or at least well-liked, genres then you will enjoy this collection. I won't bother giving my favorites, that is entirely subjective and does nothing to let you know whether you will like them. I will say that while I had my favorites, I enjoyed each of the stories. I use books like this to fill in those moments when I want to read but don't have the time or the desire to dive back into one of the longer reads I might be into, whether fiction or nonfiction. This volume served that function beautifully.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )