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The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021 by [Lee Child, Otto Penzler]

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Lee Child

Joseph S. Walker

The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021 Kindle Edition

by Lee Child (Editor), Otto Penzler (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition

504 ratings

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A Wall Street Journal holiday 2021 pick

A Suspense Magazine Best Book of the Year

Lee Child selects the twenty best mystery short stories of the year, including tales by Stephen King, Sara Paretsky, and many more.

Under the auspices of New York City's legendary mystery fiction specialty bookstore, The Mysterious Bookshop, and aided by Edgar Award-winning anthologist Otto Penzler, international bestseller Lee Child has selected the twenty most suspenseful, most confounding, and most mysterious short stories from the past year, collected now in one entertaining volume.

Includes stories by:

Alison Gaylin

David Morrell

James Lee Burke

Joyce Carol Oates

Martin Edwards

Sara Paretsky

Stephen King

Sue Grafton (with a new, posthumously-published work!)

And many more!

Print length

451 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Mysterious Press
Publication date

September 14, 2021
File size

1142 KB
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From the Publisher

Review

"The 20 entries in this superior anthology exhibit the storytelling gifts of authors both familiar and not [...] This volume is a must for mystery aficionados."
― Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

"20 gems […] Child’s selections seem especially appropriate for 2021, a year that promises change on so many fronts."
― Kirkus STARRED REVIEW

"There is such a wide variety here, in terms of literary style and subject matter, that it’s hard to imagine a genre fan who would not find something to treasure. The book belongs on the shelf next to such essential anthologies as the Best American Mystery Stories series and Akashic Books’ voluminous Noir series."
― Booklist

"A delicious mix of style and subgenre―there isn’t a weak link in the bunch."
― Library Journal

"It’s no stretch to say these were some of the best short stories from 2020, and the collection is sure to have something for everyone―from those who like traditional mysteries to those who like thrillers or noir stories."
― Reviewing the Evidence --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Lee Child is the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Jack Reacher thrillers. All his novels have been optioned for major motion pictures, and foreign rights in the Reacher series have sold in one hundred territories. He lives in New York City.

Otto Penzler, the creator of American Mystery Classics, is also the founder of the Mysterious Press (1975); Mysterious Press.com (2011), an electronic-book publishing company; and New York City’s Mysterious Bookshop (1979). He has won a Raven, the Ellery Queen Award, two Edgars (for the Encyclopedia of Mystery and Detection, 1977, and The Lineup, 2010), and lifetime achievement awards from Noircon and The Strand Magazine. He has edited more than 70 anthologies and written extensively about mystery fiction. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08W8QRLG3
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mysterious Press (September 14, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2021
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1142 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 451 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #23,761 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #77 in Mystery Anthologies (Books)
- #115 in Mystery Anthologies (Kindle Store)
- #278 in Amateur Sleuth Mysteries (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
504 ratings

Customer reviews

5 star		52%
4 star		29%
3 star		13%
2 star		4%
1 star		2%

How are ratings calculated?

Top reviews from the United States

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Jack G Hardy

A MUST read!

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2021

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Here’s a great collection of short story mysteries…I couldn’t wait. And it was no mystery that I was finding a treasure trove of superbly authored short stories. Enjoy!

15 people found this helpful

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Book Bag Lady

Five Stars Plus

Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

Otto Penzler and Lee Child have teamed up to create a series opener that is outstanding. All twenty stories deserve their own star. I loved the characters in "Biloxi Bound" who run a small diner and the plot kept me guessing to the end. "The Sixth Decoy" introduced me to private eye Sox who is on quest to find a valuable carving. I've never read Stephen King but I was impressed with his story about a retiree who comes in contact with a stranger on a bench in Central Park. Sherlock Holmes makes an appearance and who wouldn't love "Heatwave", an old-fashioned L.A. noir. The only way I'd be able to pick a favorite is if someone put a gun to my head. The selections are all that good.

10 people found this helpful

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Reading in Georgia

One of the best yearly anthology’s

Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2021

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I love the great new style, the short author bios preceding and insight passages following the story.
I have read this version and best mystery and suspense by a new series editor (Otto’s prior undertaking)…this one is sharper, more witty, true to form.
Overall more enjoyable and better selection…congratulations Otto and Lee Child a home run!

9 people found this helpful

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L H

Terrific Collection of Short Stories

Reviewed in the United States on December 9, 2021

Verified Purchase

The Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021 is a collection of 20 short stories edited by Lee Child with Otto Penzler, the series editor. This book did not disappoint. Not only were there stories written by authors I had previously read, but quite a few by authors new to me. A brief summary of each author's work and awards appears before their short story.

Every one of the stories was well written and uniquely satisfying. It was easy to read a few stories when I had a little free time, such as waiting for an appointment or when traveling. Reading a couple of the stories was the perfect transition between novels. I am already ordering a few mytery collections from previous years.

7 people found this helpful

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Jake

A lot more hits than misses

Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2021

Verified Purchase

These compilations always involve hits and misses, stories that really grab you and some that are meh.
This anthology is good, with at least two thirds of the stories real engaging, and a few at the very top.
I would think a mystery fan would not be disappointed in reading this gathering of short stories.

7 people found this helpful

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Ronaele Whittington

Fascinating stories by talented writers

Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2021

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I prefer a well written narrative of 250 - 400 pages. Therefore, my rating of 4 reflects my wish to know more about each storyline. Because Lee Child's name appeared with this collection, I went ahead to read and enjoy.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

Awesome stories

Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2021

Verified Purchase

Each of these stories was a delight to read. They were varied in both length and diversion. It was quite entertaining.

4 people found this helpful

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R. Moore

EZ reading

Reviewed in the United States on October 16, 2021

Verified Purchase

If you dont always have time for a whole novel this is just the what the Doctor ordered.

4 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Steve E

Penzler and Child Team Up for Great First Offering in New Series

Reviewed in Canada on October 11, 2021

Verified Purchase

I was disappointed when Otto Penzler was replaced as series editor for Best American Mystery Stories. My disappointment was short lived as Penzler soon initiated a new series under the cloak of his book store--The Mysterious Bookshop. Lee Child was an excellent choice as inaugural editor. Excellent selections were made for a new "Best of" series of short stories. Veteran story writers make up the core of this offering and they are at their best. I'm already