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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
"The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021", edited by Steph Cha and Alafair Burke, is an exceptional group of short stories. Sometimes collections can be a hard read, having to shift gears just after getting used to the voice and tempo of the previous tale. Here there are many highlights and not a bad detour can be taken. One or two may have seemed like partials, the beginning of a fuller story, but the quality was universally high.
A few of my very favorites: "Everything is Going to Be Okay" by Gabino Iglesias poses an age-old dilemma: is there anything you would not do to save the life of one you loved? In this case it is in the age of COVID-19 and a murder to afford medical treatment. "90 Miles" by Alex Segura shows the life and death risk a desperate immigrant father takes to save his family. "Slow Burner" by Laura Lippman is a clever plot to give a cheating husband his comeuppance. "One Bullet, One Vote" by Faye Snowden takes us back to 1964 and breathes life into the struggle people had to make way back in the days when some would deny people the right to vote just based on the color of their skin. (Yes... way back when it was conceivable that people were capable of such a thing)
5 stars as a collection. Even with my backlog of books I will be rereading these stories soon. Thank you to Steph Cha, Alafair Burke, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for providing the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheBestAmericanMysteryandSuspense2021 #NetGalley
"The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021" is to be published on October 12, 2021 and this review will be posted on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookBub, Facebook and Twitter on that day.
A few of my very favorites: "Everything is Going to Be Okay" by Gabino Iglesias poses an age-old dilemma: is there anything you would not do to save the life of one you loved? In this case it is in the age of COVID-19 and a murder to afford medical treatment. "90 Miles" by Alex Segura shows the life and death risk a desperate immigrant father takes to save his family. "Slow Burner" by Laura Lippman is a clever plot to give a cheating husband his comeuppance. "One Bullet, One Vote" by Faye Snowden takes us back to 1964 and breathes life into the struggle people had to make way back in the days when some would deny people the right to vote just based on the color of their skin. (Yes... way back when it was conceivable that people were capable of such a thing)
5 stars as a collection. Even with my backlog of books I will be rereading these stories soon. Thank you to Steph Cha, Alafair Burke, Mariner Books, and NetGalley for providing the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheBestAmericanMysteryandSuspense2021 #NetGalley
"The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021" is to be published on October 12, 2021 and this review will be posted on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, BookBub, Facebook and Twitter on that day.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Read several stories, none of which felt very mysterious or suspenseful. Moving on
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021 is a well curated annual collection of new short mystery & suspense fiction edited by Alafair Burke & Steph Cha. Released 12th Oct 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on their Mariner imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
There are 20 stories by my count and they're from authors both familiar and new to me. The stories are varied, there were (as always) some which didn't grab me personally, but all were well written and competently plotted. They were mostly in the 4 star range(ish) with a a fair smattering of really standout stories. This is a well done anthology of stories in the 3-5 star range.
One reason I like collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away.
Four stars on average. It's a diverting read.
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2021 is a well curated annual collection of new short mystery & suspense fiction edited by Alafair Burke & Steph Cha. Released 12th Oct 2021 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on their Mariner imprint, it's 320 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats.
There are 20 stories by my count and they're from authors both familiar and new to me. The stories are varied, there were (as always) some which didn't grab me personally, but all were well written and competently plotted. They were mostly in the 4 star range(ish) with a a fair smattering of really standout stories. This is a well done anthology of stories in the 3-5 star range.
One reason I like collections and anthologies is that short fiction is really challenging. It's spare and the author doesn't have a wealth of wordage to develop characters or the plotting. Well written short fiction is a delight. I also love collections because if one story doesn't really grab me, there's another story just a few pages away.
Four stars on average. It's a diverting read.
My favorite in this collection is Neighbors (audio track #6) by Nikki Dolson.
I loved being able to listen to the story & be transported. I never knew what was going to happen next!
I loved being able to listen to the story & be transported. I never knew what was going to happen next!
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
some of these stories were good and some were pretty bad. i think there was thinly veiled JAWS fanfiction in it. was a fun thing to read, though. broadened my mind.
I love all types of mysteries and suspense stories and I had high hopes for this anthology. All collections like this are going to have stories that are more likable than others. However, for a book that is supposed to have some of the best stories of the year, I was disappointed. Several of the stories have great premises, but then ultimately turn out to be either extremely grim or too bland without much mystery or suspense.
There are some high points, though. My favorite is Laura Lippman's Slow Burner that I had actually already read before. It's a quick, entertaining story about love and revenge with a great twist. Another favorite is Let Her Be by Lisa Unger, a dark, creepy, and ambiguous story that was very compelling. I also liked Where I Belong by Alison Gaylin and Neighbors by Nikki Dolson, an author I was previously unfamiliar with. There are some well-written stories, but most of them just weren't for me.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.
There are some high points, though. My favorite is Laura Lippman's Slow Burner that I had actually already read before. It's a quick, entertaining story about love and revenge with a great twist. Another favorite is Let Her Be by Lisa Unger, a dark, creepy, and ambiguous story that was very compelling. I also liked Where I Belong by Alison Gaylin and Neighbors by Nikki Dolson, an author I was previously unfamiliar with. There are some well-written stories, but most of them just weren't for me.
I received this ebook from NetGalley through the courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. An advance copy was provided to me at no cost, but my review is voluntary and unbiased.