Sara Paretsky selects the twenty best mystery short stories of the year, including tales by Michael Connelly, Jo Nesbo, Joyce Carol Oates, Colson Whitehead, and 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 and MWA Grandmaster Sara Paretsky has selected the twenty most puzzling, most thrilling, and most mysterious short stories from the past year, collected now in one entertaining volume

Foreword /

Otto Penzler --

Introduction /

Sara Paretsky -- Kiss of life / Doug Allyn -- A shooting in Rathreedane / Colin Barrett -- White chocolate / Jerome Charyn -- Avalon / Michael Connelly -- Better Austens / Susan Frith -- El cuerpo en el barril / Tom Larsen -- October in Kauai / Sean Marciniak -- Gun running on vacation / Stefon Mears -- Sleigh bells for the Hayride / Keith Lee Morris -- Violent devotion / Gwen Mullins -- Black knight / Jo Nesbo -- Detour / Joyce Carol Oates -- Little city blues / Annie Reed -- Grief spam / Kristine Kathryn Rusch -- A heaven or a hell / Anna Scotti -- Bang on the money / Ginny Swart -- Influencer / Ellen Tremiti -- Give or take a quarter inch / Joseph S. Walker -- Theresa job / Colson Whitehead -- Where there's love / Michael Wiley --

Bonus story.

A jury of her peers / Susan Glaspell