In his introduction, guest editor James Patterson observes, “I often hear people lamenting the state of Hollywood . . . If that’s the case, I’ve got one thing to say: read these short stories. You can thank me later.” Patterson has collected a batch of stories that have the sharp tension, drama, and visceral emotion of an Oscar-worthy Hollywood production. Spanning the extremes of human behavior, The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 features characters that must make desperate choices: an imaginative bank-robbing couple, a vengeful high school shooter, a lovesick heiress who will do anything for her man, and many others in “these imaginative, rich, complex tales” worthy of big-screen treatment.
The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 includes
Tomiko M. Breland, Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Jeffery Deaver, Brendan DuBois,
Janette Turner Hospital, Dennis Lehane, Theresa E. Lehr, Joyce Carol Oates,
and others **
Review
"The 20 entries in series editor Otto Penzler’s 19th annual best-of mystery compilation share a fine sense of character along with solid plotting and minimal violence. Classism, racism, and revenge all figure in Doug Allyn’s “Snow Angel,” about the death of a logger’s daughter. Tomiko M. Breland’s lean prose powerfully illustrates the past, present, and future of five girls and a teacher involved in a devastating school tragedy in “Rosalee Carrasco.” Michael Connelly’s Harry Bosch and Dennis Lehane’s Patrick Kenzie join forces in “Red Eye,” ensuring an instant fan favorite. A never-robbed bank practically invites criminals in John M. Floyd’s amusing heist yarn, “Molly’s Plan.” Sly wit shows in Jeffery Deaver’s “The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman,” in which a loner emulates Sherlock Holmes. A kidnapping’s aftermath haunts a family—and others—in Janette Turner Hospital’s creepy “Afterlife of a Stolen Child.” Guest editor Patterson has assembled a superb anthology that never disappoints."--Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
"These short stories lean more toward horror than whodunits, casting long shadows despite their brevity. Editor Patterson singles out stories that have cinematic scope. Jeffery Deaver's "The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman" gives a tip of the deerstalker to Sherlock Holmes through a protagonist who uses his deductive genius for more sinister ends. In "Molly's Plan," John M. Floyd maps out a nearly impossible bank robbery with a twist ending so ingenious it's tempting to root for the bad guys. The specter of war figures into several tales: a sniper questions his ability to continue in the field; a vet now working in elder care carries out a vendetta; and a woman deranged by war is herself as volatile as an IED. Children are in peril in numerous stories, from abductors, teachers, truly vicious nuns, and sometimes each other. Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane team up in "Red Eye," sending Harry Bosch to Boston, where he and Patrick Kenzie try to find a missing girl whose abductor keeps to a tight schedule. "The Home at Craigmillnar" is Joyce Carol Oates' chilling take on the abuse scandals in Catholic children's homes, serving up rough justice to Mother Superior decades after her reign of terror. Stories set in Haiti and off the Australian coast brighten up the noir, albeit largely in shades of red. Of particular interest for would-be mystery writers: notes at the end of the book feature brief descriptions of each story's inspiration and development, an illuminating peek into the creative process. Richard Lange's "Apocrypha," a bank heist tale primarily set in a tenement hotel, was rescued from a novel the author couldn't develop, and it's a gritty jewel. These edgy tales strike hard and fast but leave vivid memories behind."--Kirkus Reviews
From the Inside Flap
In his introduction, guest editor James Patterson observes, �I often hear people lamenting the state of Hollywood . . . If that�s the case, I�ve got one thing to say: read these short stories. You can thank me later.� Patterson has collected a batch of stories that have the sharp tension, drama, and visceral emotion of a Hollywood production.
Spanning all the extremes of human behavior, The Best American Mystery Stories2015 features characters that must make desperate choices: an imaginative bank-robbing couple, a vengeful high school shooter, a lovesick heiress who will do anything for her man, and many others in �these imaginative, rich, complex tales� worthy of big-screen treatment.
As series editor Otto Penzler writes, �This is a wonderful collection of original fiction about extremes of human behavior caused by despair, hate, greed, fear, envy, insanity, or love�sometimes in combination.�
From the Back Cover
DOUG ALLYN
ANDREW BOURELLE
TOMIKO M. BRELAND
LEE CHILD
MICHAEL CONNELLY and DENNIS LEHANE
JOSEPH D�AGNESE
JEFFERY DEAVER
BRENDAN DuBOIS
JOHN M. FLOYD
SCOTT GRAND
STEVEN HEIGHTON
JANETTE TURNER HOSPITAL
RICHARD LANGE
THERESA E. LEHR
LEE MARTIN
JAMES MATHEWS
THOMAS McGUANE
KYLE MINOR
JOYCE CAROL OATES
ERIC RUTTER
About the Author
JAMES PATTERSON is the world’s bestselling author, best known for his many enduring fictional characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, Maximum Ride, Middle School, I Funny, and Jacky Ha-Ha. Patterson’s writing career is characterized by a single mission: to prove to everyone, from children to adults, that there is no such thing as a person who “doesn’t like to read,” only people who haven’t found the right book. He’s given over a million books to schoolkids and over forty million dollars to support education, and endowed over five thousand college scholarships for teachers. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family. Learn more at jamespatterson.com.
OTTO PENZLER is a renowned mystery editor, publisher, columnist, and owner of New York’s The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest and largest bookstore solely dedicated to mystery fiction. He has edited more than fifty crime-fiction anthologies. He lives in New York.