A collection of the yearâs best mystery and suspense short fiction selected by New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger and series editor Steph Cha.
âThis form has a special kind of magic, the ability to transport you quickly, intensely, to capture character, time, place, and story with immediacy,â writes guest editor Lisa Unger in her introduction. The transporting stories in this yearâs The Best American Mystery and Suspense are populated by those who exist on the fringe of our society and want more than what life has dealt them: A haunted veteran turned career criminal is on the run. An injured fighter turned bouncer seeks vengeance for his lost love. An assassin on his last job finds himself questioning his life choices and breaks all the rules to understand his final victim. By turns thrilling and enlightening, each story, according to Unger, âwill have you holding your breath, flipping the pages, will leave you thinking about people and why they do the dark, dangerous, frightening things that they do.â
The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023 includes Ashley-Ruth M. Bernier âą William Boyle âą S. A. Cosby âą Jacqueline Freimor âą James A. Hearn âą Ladee Hubbard âą A. J. Jacono âą Adam Meyer âą Silvia Moreno-Garcia âą Walter Mosley âą Leigh Newman âą Joyce Carol Oates âą Margaret Randall âą Annie Reed âą Anthony Neil Smith âą Faye Snowden âą Jervey Tervalon âą Joseph S. Walker âą Thaai Walker âą Jess Walter