The Best American Mystery Stories 2015

by James Patterson (Editor)

This anthology of 20 short stories features some of today’s best mystery authors—from Lee Child to Jeffrey Deaver and Joyce Carol Oates.

For the 2015 edition of The Best American Mystery Stories, 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.

In one standout entry, Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane team up to send legendary detective Harry Bosch after a child abductor. The Best American Mystery Stories, 2015 includes Tomiko M. Breland, Brendan DuBois, Janette Turner Hospital, Theresa E. Lehr, Doug Allyn, Andrew Bourelle, Joseph D’Agnese, Scott Grand, John M. Floyd, Steven Heighton, Richard Lange, Lee Martin, and others.

“These edgy tales strike hard and fast but Leave vivid memories behind.”—Kirkus

Genres: Mystery, Short Stories, Fiction, Anthologies, Crime, Mystery Thriller, Thriller

437 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 6, 2015

About the author

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James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, and Michael Crichton, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[RJ - Slayer of Trolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

20 mystery stories from 2015, in this case selected by guest author James Patterson who is not really my fave. Well at least there are some authors I like (Lee Child, Dennis Lehane, Jeffery Deaver), along with authors who will be new to me.

- Snow Angel by Doug Allyn - 3/5 - interesting setting in Northern Michigan but somewhat slow and formulaic
- Cowboy Justice by Andrew Bourelle - 4/5 - cowboy noir (?) with action and interesting characters
- Rosalee Carrasco by Tomiko Breland - 2/5 - whodunit from multiple teen viewpoints didn't really click
- Wet With Rain Lee Child - 4/5 - this old house with a secret
- Red Eye: Patrick Kenzie vs. Harry Bosch: An Original Short Story by Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane - 4/5 - Bosch and Kenzie together again for the first time
- Harm and Hammer by Joseph D'Agnese - 4/5 - most creative use of an anvil in a mystery short story in 2016
- The Adventures of the Laughing Fisherman by Jeffery Deaver - 4/5 - Deaver's stories always have that great twist
- Crush Depth by Brendan DuBois - 4/5 - The cold war is not dead
- Molly's Plan by John M Floyd - 3/5 - love them heist stories, but this one is a bit implausible
- A Bottle of Scotch and a Sharp Buck Knife by Scott Grand - 4/5 - even when you can predict where this is going it's still entertaining
- Shared Room on Union by Steven Heighton - 2/5 - locked in the trunk of a car with two annoying people
- Afterlife of a Stolen Child by Janette Turner Hospital - 2/5 - interesting concept but the execution is lacking and the author's prose gets in the way
- Apocrypha by Richard Lange - 3/5 - a standard heist set-up with a slightly different ending
- Staircase to the Moon by Teresa Lehr - 3/5 - interesting characters and setting but the plot devolves into standard fare action movie stuff
- A Man Looking for Trouble by Lee Martin - 2/5 - dull and predictable
- Many Dogs Have Died Here by James Matthews - 2/5 kind of like First Blood meets Neighbors, but not as good as either
- Motherlode by Thomas McGuane - 3/5 - there were some good elements but overall it felt rushed and unfinished
- A Kidnapping in Koulev-Ville by Kyle Minor - 4/5 - even though the story is told in a detached, dispassionate tone it remains suspenseful and strikes a chord
- The Home at Craigmillnar by Joyce Carol Oates - 3/5 - JCO is a pro and per the notes this story is somewhat personal to her but it's kind of slow and the twist seemed obvious
- The Shot by Eric Rutter -3/5 - some interesting ideas but doesn't really go anywhere

[Jonathan Peto · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes the reader knows what will happen and it makes you want to read on. Sometimes knowing ruins it. Maybe Stephen King knows what goes right and what goes wrong in either case (James Patterson too, actually), but I’m not going to attempt an explanation. Here though is my attempt at a teaser about each story in this collection:

The Snow Angel by Doug Allyn: The powerful make matters worse. A thoughtful opener.

Cowboy Justice by Andrew Bourelle: Young men seek revenge. Try not to wince.

Rosalee Carrasco by Tomiko M. Breland: More revenge. Very different aftermath and tone than Cowboy Justice.

Wet with Rain by Lee Child: International in scope with more hijinks by the powerful, but the narrative focuses on professionals who do their bidding.

Red Eye by Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane: Harry Bosch and Patrick Kenzie meet.

Harm and Hammer by Joseph D’Agnese: In hiding? Keep one eye open and have a hobby.

The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman by Jeffery Deaver: Genius criminal, but isn’t a snore.

Crush Depth by Brendan Dubois: An old man who worked with his hands and mind sits on a bench. Includes a history lesson and an intriguing Cold War twist in present time.

Molly’s Plan by John M. Floyd: Bank robbers. A couple, not as ostentatious as Bonnie and Clyde.

A Bottle of Scotch and a Sharp Buck Knife by Scott Grand: Told by a child, involves a child. Disturbing.

Shared Room on Union by Steven Heighton: Aftermath is important here. A couple are victims of a crime, but not victims of time or memory, maybe.

Afterlife of a Stolen Child by Janette Turner Hospital: Also disturbing because of a child. And a neighbor.

Apocrypha by Richard Lange: An ex-con who is a loner and a security guard. He must face a personal Alamo.

Staircase to the Moon by Theresa E. Lehr: Find out about Japanese-Australians and the pearl industry. Murder. Beautiful siblings.

A Man Looking for Trouble by Lee Martin: Motives. Told by a boy. About his parents and an uncle.

Many Dogs have Died Here by James Mathews: A new neighbor. You’ll be on the edge of your seat as the narrator almost becomes empathetic.

Motherlode by Thomas McGuane: The narrator is like a bowling ball going down the gutter. You hope for a change in trajectory.

A Kidnapping in Koulev-Ville by Kyle Minor: The prodigal son is a young woman in love.

The Home at Craigmillnar by Joyce Carol Oates: Vulnerability and responsibility, past and present. The unknown and known life of the occupant of a nursing home. An orderly.

The Shot by Eric Rutter: A police sniper moves in with a girl.

There are a lot of great characters here. Though some are reassuringly familiar because of their roles in the genre, they are also unique and interesting. I am not sure why I won’t add a fourth star. None of the stories stank.

[Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my taste, this year's entry has too few genuine mystery stories, and a surfeit of crime writing that doesn't really involve a mystery and is instead focused on exploring the psychology of victims or perpetrators, or striking an authentically pulpy tone. That said, my favorites in this collection include Doug Allyn, 'The Snow Angel', a mystery set on Michigan's North Shore; and Jeffrey Deaver, 'The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman', a totally predictable but pitch-perfect homage to Arthur Conan Doyle. Theresa Lehr, 'Staircase to the Moon' has an interesting voice and offers a great plot and mystery, with a solution I found unbelievable and inconsistent with the characters. Finally, the last piece in the collection, Eric Rutter, 'The Shot', though not a mystery, plays with reader hopes and expectations in a really interesting way.

[Tzu-Mainn Chen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are lots of reasons to try out a book. I had a new one this past Friday, when I realized I was about to spend 90 minutes trapped in a car while my daughter partook in a socially distant private fencing lesson. The situation seemed perfect for an anthology, and at first I thought about finding a volume of “The Best American Short Stories”. However, those stories can require a lot of (deserved) effort while reading, and I wanted something a bit more... direct. Mystery stories seemed ideal.

And in the end, “The Best American Mystery Stories 2015” served its intended purpose admirably! Although there are a few stories that I found a bit clunky, most had strong characters, strong plots, and an excellent sense of action. A couple went beyond, transcending genre and speaking deep and disturbing truths of the human condition. I probably won’t be actively pursuing other volumes in this series, but neither will I regret the boredom that caused me to pick up the book in the first place.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the most testosterone-fueled version of this series I've ever read. Sort of felt like I should read it while riding a motorcycle, but for all that, it was a lot of fun. The one that really stayed with me was by Kyle Minor, but there were a lot of good stories, many by writers that I usually read in novel-length format. Fun to get a shorter sample of their work.

[Amanda Nageleisen · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are some gorgeous stories here, the kind that grip you and slip under your skin. I also loved getting a glimpse at what inspired them in the authors' notes.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Best American Mystery Stories, 2015, edited by James Patterson, crackles with excitement, snaps with intrigue, and pops with entertainment.
I rediscovered what makes short stories great when I read this collection of stories by some of the greatest American authors alive today. The stories have all been previously published in various magazines.They were chosen by famed novelist James Patterson, together with Otto Penzler, who is the regular editor of this series.
Short stories, when as well written as these, have the ability to leave the reader breathless. If they are mysteries, as in The Best American Mystery Stories, 2015, the brevity of the short story structure is a perfect frame for fast paced surprise twists and turns. The authors presented in this book are the masters of their trade.
See what you think of the very first story in the collection, "The Snow Angel" by Doug Allyn. I loved his vivid writing and powerful descriptions of a cop dealing with murder in small town where everyone knows each other. I plan to seek out more of his work. "Red Eye", a collaboration between two authors, Michael Connelly and Dennis LeShane, is a really cool tale of a kidnapping. I could not figure out what was going to happen next, and could not stop reading it.
Many of these stores have very satisfying endings. That is one of the things which is wonderful about mysteries. The resolutions are so great! John M. Floyd's story, "Molly's Plan" is a total gas. What a fast-paced, well told tale of a bank robbery. I loved it! Note that it is one of the stories singled out by James Patterson, in his introduction.
Thomas McGuane has an offering called "Motherlode". His powers of description are both phenomenal and funny.His well fleshed out quirky characters are pure McGuane. His story is set in the West, and reeks of craziness, cows and crime amidst the sagebrush.
Joyce Carol Oates, one of the greatest authors around, is represented here as well.Her story "The Home at Craigmillnar" is harsh and wrenching, but the ending conveys powerful vindication.
Some of these stories can move you strongly. This is not just light reading. It is more than that. This anthology is a beautiful thing if you love to read mysteries in short story form. It goes beyond excellent. It is terrific.
There are twenty stories in The Best American Mystery Stories, 2015. There is a section on the contributors at the end which is wonderful as well.
A five star collection for any mystery lover of any age from 18 on up.

[Julie Ditton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book while hunting for books by James Patterson. I read the because I love mystery stories. I enjoyed several of the stories and discovered many authors whos work I wish to explore. However, I was disappointed that any of the stories were not actually mysteries.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really entertaining. There are some GREAT stories in this volume. Makes me want to check out past volumes, for sure. So many books, too little time!

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Spoiler warning.

The Snow Angel by Doug Allyn. 3 out of 5 stars. A teenage girl freezes to death on the lawn of a wealthy family in a small northern Michigan town. Good commentary on small town politics.

Cowboy Justice by Andrew Bourelle. 3 out of 5 stars. A cowboy from Montana heads to Cleveland with his youngest brother to avenge the death of their middle brother in a drug dispute. The cowboy succeeds in his goal, but success costs a heavy price.

Rosalee Carrasco by Tomiko M Breland. 3 out of 5 stars. Several viewpoints on a shooting at a middle school.

Wet with Rain by Lee Child. 2 out of 5 stars. A rather pointless story about a ploy to get an unexploded nuclear bomb from under a house. The ploy ends up requiring murder. This story lacked a coherent plot.

Red Eye by Michael Connelly. 4 out of 5 stars. My first Harry Bosch story, and it was quite good. Bosch travels to Boston to get sample DNA from a suspect in a cold case and finds a PI in Boston is hunting down the same guy for a much more recent crime.

Harm and Hammer by Joseph D'Agnese. 4 out of 5 stars. A woman in the federal witness protection program learns to move on from her involvement in funding a mob crime boss, finding joy in playing music on an old anvil. Also, her handlers with the FBI turn out to be a real problem for her. I liked the redemption that occurs in this story.

The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman by Jeffery Deaver. 3 out of 5 stars. A cool plot involving a trust-fund kid who is socially awkward and obsessed with Sherlock Holmes stories, but the dialogue and prose were so bad, I almost gave the story two stars.

Crush Depth by Brendan Dubois. 3 out of 5 stars. A government agent repeatedly strikes up conversations with an old man watching an old navy shipyard, where the old man used to help build submarines. The agent eventually turns the conversation to the mysterious destruction of the USS Thresher, a nuclear submarine that went down during a test voyage. Neither the old man nor the agent are the people they appear to be.

Molly's Plan by John M. Floyd. 3 out of 5 stars. A bank heist story that thinks it's a lot more clever than it actually is. I guessed the "plan" as soon as the thief, running from the bank, crashes into a homeless woman pushing garbage in a shopping cart.

A Bottle of Scotch and a Sharp Buck Knife by Scott Grand. 4 out of 5 stars. A sixth grader discovers that one of his friends is being molested by one of their teachers, and he takes care of the problem just like his dad taught him. The only thing I did not like about the story is that the kids were a little too young to be doing the things they did in the story. If they had been just a couple years older, the story would have been much more plausible.

Shared Room on Union by Steven Heighton. 3 out of 5 stars. A couple who are engaged to be married get mugged while saying goodbye to one another in the soon-to-be-husband's car. The mugger forces them into the car's trunk, and the two have some miserable experiences while there.

Afterlife of a Stolen Child by Janette Turner Hospital. 3 out of 5 stars. In this strange story, told from multiple points of view, a two-year-old boy is kidnapped from his stroller on a sidewalk outside a bakery, while his mother is buying some baguettes. One of the point of view characters is a man who believes strongly that he is the kidnapped boy, now grown up, but his belief is revealed as delusional by another point of view character -- the creepy dude who actually kidnapped the boy, killed him, and buried the body. This was an interesting story, but I really didn't like reading some of the things the killer's portions of the story said.

Apocrypha by Richard Lange. 3 out of 5 stars. A washed out man living in the ghetto of LA is a security guard at a small jewelry shop. The man figures out that an acquaintance of his neighbors is going to try to rob the shop, and he prepares to stop the theft. He is able to do so, but in the aftermath, his boss (the owner of the shop) has to retire for health reasons.

Staircase to the Moon by Theresa E. Lehr. 4 out of 5 stars. A pearl diver deals with the death of her twin sister, who was a jewelry model, learns that her sister was in over her head with a deal for the sale of a very large pearl, and then learns the true reason for the scar her sister cut into her face when they were teenagers. A well-told story with twists and turns.

A Man Looking for Trouble by Lee Martin. 4 out of 5 stars. A coming of age story in a small town in NY (I think). The main character is a 16-year-old boy, in love with his 15-year-old neighbor, whose father is having an affair with the main character's mother. A tragic web of relationships that inevitably ends in a death (because this is a book of mystery stories, after all).

Many Dogs Have Died Here by James Mathews. 2 out of 5 stars. A strange story that I suppose was intended to be humorous and poignant at the same time. A recently retired military man is beaten and harassed by his new neighbor, whose husband died in the Iraq war. She was brought there by another neighbor, a professor of psychology, who keeps trying to convince the military man that he needs to go easy on the crazy young widow. Dogs in the neighborhood inexplicably die, a storm blows in, the military guy worries that the young widow is going to try to hurt him again, and she kind of does. But he also discovers the psychology professor was the one who killed a dog. Meh.

Motherlode by Thomas McGuane. 2 out of 5 stars. Another strange story about a young man working as a cattle breeder who gets caught up with some strange characters who, it is implied, are selling illegal drugs. The young man makes a run of some unidentified goods, and apparently gets killed at the end. The ending turned this from a 3-star story into a 2-star story.

A Kidnapping at Koulev-Ville. 3 out of 5 stars. The daughter of a relatively well off middle-eastern shop owner in Haiti fakes her own kidnapping so her dad will pay a $300,000 ransom, which her boyfriend from the states needs to payoff a bad gambling debt. This story was tragic. The boyfriend is not able to get the money out of Haiti, the boy they pin the kidnapping on ends up in jail for a really long time, and the girl, whose future was very promising, ends up stuck in Haiti doing money exchanging at her father's shop.

The Home at Craigmillnar by Joyce Carol Oates. 3 out of 5 stars. An orderly at an "elder care facility" (who turns out to be spectacularly unreliable narrator) recounts the death of an old nun, who was mother superior at a terrible orphanage many years ago. It turns out that the orderly's father and uncles grew up at the orphanage and that the orderly killed the nun to avenge the cruelty his dad, uncles, and many other children endured at the orphanage.

The Shot by Eric Rutter. 3 out of 5 stars. A sniper starts losing his edge after spotting a beautiful woman through his sniper scope during a hostage situation and later falling in love with her. The sniper has to come to grips with the humanity of everyone in a typical "sniper" situation, including the hostile.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the last of my Best American series from last year. It ends up being the least of the set but, that said still offered many interesting reads.

The Snow Angel is an interesting look,at how a small town might handle an accidental death of a teenage girl. Especially when said death is inadvertently caused by one of the wealthy community members son. When the result of the cover up is worse than intended no one should be surprised.

Cowboy Justice has us follow two brothers who are paying a visit to their local undercover crank dealer. They have a good plan, they have a good fake story, and the death of their baby brother gives them great motive but, as per usual, things don't go as planned

Rosalee Carassco was a more affecting story. First we meet four girls, eighth grade girls on the eve of a big dance. Then we see them being mean to another girl in the locker room, if you have seen the movie Carrie you will get the idea, and then tragedy strikes. Later we see how the tragedy changes the lives of all the people involved. And we marvel at some of them.

Wet With Rain centers on a couple of American men, sent to Ireland to tie up some loose ends around a former IRA activity. It seems their boss is now in a rising position of power in the government and cannot afford to have anything come out later. When the mission is complete it is surprising how small the circle of trust is.

Red Eye is a story written by Micheal Connolly and Dennis Lehane. It could also be called Bosch in Boston. I was not familiar with the character of Harry Bosch. It was strong enough that perhaps I should be.

Harm and Hammer was a bit of a twist. A woman is in the witness protection program, her life is not what she wants but at least she is Alive. At least the Sheriff who knows her background and checks in on her weekly is kind to her.

The Adventure of the Laughing Fisherman was another story with a sharp twist. In it we meet a man who as we watch him visit with his psychologist we realize that he is stunted. The Dr encourages him to explore his gift for problem solving. On a whim he that very day visits a scene of a crime the past evening. A woman has been murdered. Like Sherlock Holmes he offers some heretofore unseen clues to the detective. Eventually he comes face to face with the killer and the murderer ends up very surprised indeed.

Crush Depth was a strong story. A man watches an old gentleman sit each Wednesday overlooking the harbor in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. Who would know that this story, set in the nineties, will harken all the way back to the depths of the Cold War.

Molly's Plan is an exceptionally strong story. We watch a man, certainly no criminal mastermind rob a bank. A bank that due to its location and other factors is deemed safe from robbery. However, his wife has masterminded a plan down to the last detail. As we watch the robbery unfold, including the surprises at the end we must tip our hat to Molly

A Bottle of Scotch and a Sharp Buck Knife is a story that I found a little grotesque. A boy finds out a friend of his, not a great friend, sort of an outcast permitted to live in his shadow is dead. As time passes he becomes convinced a rather peculiar teacher of his might have had something to do with it. I, myself, remember our burn barrel, out in the yard growing up, I must confess I never dreamed of using in the way this boy does.

Shared Room on Union was an interesting story, a bit more psychological in nature. A young couple in a parked car, steamy windows, we've all been there. A man appears at the door with a gun. Soon the couple is locked in the trunk of the car listening to the man run away with their valuables. How well would you and your significant other survive a long night in a car trunk together. Note to car thieves : make sure you can drive a stick.

Afterlife of a Stolen Child is told from the narration of the kidnapper/ killer himself. It is sad and scary and in places obscene. It is too close to murder porn for my choice.

Apocrypha is a story about an ex con, trying to do the right thing. He works as a security guard ( without a gun of course, he's a felon) at a small time jewelry store. It is in such a bad neighborhood you have to be buzzed in. At home in an almost flophouse apartment he tries to stay on the right side of some very shady characters. Eventually they find out where he works and plan a robbery. He had a decision to make and there are no easy answers.

Staircase to the Moon was a slow burning story centering on an Australian girl of Japanese descent who works as a pearl diver. When her twin sister, beautiful and a model, appears dead on a beach she seeks to find out what happened. There are plenty of characters for her to suspect but as the story progresses , of course, it ends up going places she never suspects.

A Man Looking For Trouble was a strong story, not really a mystery so much as a tale of family drama. A man narrates a story from his growing up. It involves his Uncle Bill, recently returned from the war in Vietnam, his Father, his Mother, the neighbor family across the street which included his girlfriend and her Father, who, just happens to be his Mother's lover. It seems everyone knows, including his Father but no one speaks of it, it is the proverbial elephant in the room. Bill, wrought up with emotion from his war experience, is angrier than anyone about his brother's cuckholding.

Many Dogs Have Died Here was interesting. What happens when a grieving, mentally unbalanced, war widow, moves into a neighborhood of senior citizens and announces her presence by slashing all her new neighbors tires.

Mother lode was an interesting story originally published in The New Yorker. In it we find a cattle fertilization specialist who allows himself to get sucked into a plot to move hillbilly heroin, otherwise known as OxyContin.

A Kidnapping in Koule-vile is the story of a Lebanese family living in Haiti. Owning a supermarket they are one of the well off families and their daughter is privileged. When she, the apple of her eye, starts running with a visiting tourist from Miami things start to go wrong. He involves her in a kidnapping plot that shatters both her fathers dreams for, and idolizations of her.

The Home at Craigmillnar is a contribution from Joyce Carol Oates. It is a very dark story told by a young man who works at a home for the aged. One of the patients there is an octogenarian nun who in her younger days was the Mother Superior at an orphanage now known as having been abusive. One morning after coming in for his early shift he does his daily morning check on the patients and finds her dead. But of course that is not the whole story.

The Shot is a story about a police sniper. He is good at his job, great even. Still we meet him as he is talking to a police psychologist, it seems he can no longer do his job. What has changed ? One day while monitoring a hostage situation he sees a beautiful woman through the lens of his scope.

All in all this was, as these books are always, well worth the read.

[John Boyda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I felt that this was a book of short stories, not mysteries - I was disappointed. 2.5 stars.

[Nolan]

Overall, this is somewhere between good and excellent. You know it’s going to be good when they open the 2015 year’s best stories with a Doug Allyn story.

Snow Angel by Doug Allyn is a masterful way to begin the book. Allyn’s openers are memorably punchy. The first line of this story is, “I smiled when I saw the dead girl.” What? Are you kidding? I loved this story about woodsy justice done in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Set close to Christmastime, you’ll find this memorable as Allyn’s main character has to figure out who killed the teenage girl whose body lies in the snow like a snow angel.

Cowboy Justice by Andrew Bourelle is a fast-action story about a couple of brothers from Montana who come to Carson City to get vengeance for their dead brother.

Rosalee Carrasco by Tomiko Breland is a story about the murderous nature of teenage girl cliques. I thought it was choppy and jerky. I thought I was a passenger in a car with a manual transmission and a driver who had never used a clutch.

Wet With Rain by Lee Child didn’t fry my brain bacon in that sizzling way his work usually does. It’s the story of an old house and the deadly secrets it holds.

- Red Eye: Patrick Kenzie and Harry Bosch: An Original Short Story by Michael Connelly and Dennis Lehane combines work done by the Los Angeles cop and the Boston private investigator. It rocks the house, and it’s a major reason you’ll download this if you do. Harry Bosch is in town to get some DNA that could increase the temperature of a cold case he’s working. Kenzie, awaiting the birth of his first child any day, wants to know what happened to a 12-year-old black girl who went through her bedroom window one night and didn’t come home. You’ll love the action in this and the way in which the two men pull together to solve a crime.

Harm and Hammer by Joseph D'Agnese is a haunting mystery about a young woman in witness protection who learns to turn an ordinary blacksmith’s anvil into a musical instrument. I loved the main character.

The Adventures of the Laughing Fisherman by Jeffery Deaver is a Shirlock Holmes story with a heck of a twist. I didn’t see it coming at all.

Crush Depth by Brendan DuBois is a fascinating story about tying up loose ends at the end of the cold war.

Molly's Plan by John M Floyd is one that will appeal to those who love a bit of romance mixed in with their heist.

A Bottle of Scotch and a Sharp Buck Knife by Scott Grand is an extremely satisfactory story in which a pedophile gets his.

Shared Room on Union by Steven Heighton left me cold and unimpressed. Someone locks the young unmarried couple into the trunk of a car. She’s shrill; he’s stupid; it ends on a whimper.

Afterlife of a Stolen Child by Janette Turner Hospital This was a shrugger. By that , I mean it’s just not memorable.

Apocrypha by Richard Lange is another heist story that didn’t stay with me long enough to write about it.

Staircase to the Moon by Teresa Lehr isn’t bad; it looks at a set of young-adult twins involved in a pearl diving operation. It didn’t do much for me.

A Man Looking for Trouble by Lee Martin is a sad story about the impact of adultery on the young and relatively innocent.

Many Dogs Have Died Here by James Matthews looks at the impact of war and mental illness.

Motherlode by Thomas McGuane is one I didn’t care for much. The characters felt like cutouts.

A Kidnapping in Koulev-Ville by Kyle Minor is an interesting piece about the kidnapping of a Lebanese girl in Haiti.

The Home at Craigmillnar by Joyce Carol Oates is another of this author’s uneven stories.

The Shot by Eric Rutter looks at the life of a police sniper, his erstwhile girlfriend, and his psychologist.

[Sunny Shore · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have to say that all the stories were selected carefully, as to writing and plot. These are well written mystery stories. With short story collections, no one person will like every story. This was the case with me. I have read collections where I loved every story, but I am not a mystery person per say, although do like mysteries. Joyce Carol Oates and Stephen King are probably the best short story writers in my world, but of course, every reader is different. I enjoyed most of these and held my interest on a long cross country plane trip from Palm Desert, California, to Seattle, Washington and finally on to the NYC area. This is a collection of impressive, riveting stories with a little more than just a mystery thrown in. I recommend if you are looking for stories that have a little more in characterization development, plus a reliable mystery.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Did not make it through all of the stories but quite a few. Considering that I did not recognize a number of the authors' names (and these are allegedly the "best" short stories in a given year), I did a bit of checking and discovered that some of the authors are actually the people who write the books for James Patterson. Had mixed feelings about that. Glad he is offering a helping hand by publishing their materials, but it all smacks a bit of cronyism.

Am always somewhat ambivalent about short stories, but love mysteries. Had trouble warming up to this and will try another short story mystery collection to see if it provides a different reaction.

[Becky Wells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly Good

It's a collection of short stories. Some of them were good. Some of them were really good. There were a couple I didn't care for, but none of them were bad for any reason. This selection, The Best American Mystery Stories of 2015, was curated by James Patterson, which is why it ended up in my Kindle suggestions. Patterson is a favorite for me. I'm just not sure I like reading short stories one after the other. Just not my type of reading. Still, if it's yours, if you maybe leave it on your nightstand and read a story before bed, this would be a good book.

[Shawna]

So did James Patterson actually edit this edition or did he just outline how he wanted it edited and pass off the work to a young hungry editor and then take all the credit?

I found the stories to be a bit rushed, as though they had a specific page count they were being held to and they had to shoehorn their stories in to fit, and so thus were chopped down to within an inch of their lives.

Not bad stories, just that they didn't seem to have the space they needed to be truly great stories.

[Dave Lieberman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm aware that when you read an anthology, you are going to enjoy some stories more than others. However, I have never read an anthology where I had such differing views on the stories. For the most part, I either loved the stories or hated them. There was very little in-between. In several of the stories, it almost seemed like they were a chapter in a book and you only read a snippet. Anyway, overall, this really did not do much for me.

[Ahmad Adnan · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is my first time reading a short mystery stories. They were nicely done, although, they are not mystery as much as they are normal stories.

The writing style in most of them were great, however for me, short stories did not suits me, specifically for mystery story, since it should build up the characters personalities and their backgrounds so i could be attached more to the story.

[Anirudh Ramanathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good, some okay

Some were excellent, especially in the first half. The mysteries were riveting and the endings surprising. Towards the end, it got weird and had stories that were a little bit strange and dragged out.

[Sharon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixed bag. As one might expect. Not particularly to my taste, so I suppose that’s the real problem. I’m also not a big fan of short stories. Just not enough there. I thought I’d give other mysteries a shot, given that I adore the Louise penny/Gamache books. But those are unique.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping, suspenseful stories

I highly recommend this book to fans of short stories and mysteries. At the end of each one, I longed for more. These tales will keep your heart racing and leave you with questions to ponder.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very few of these were worth reading.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, great selections by many great mystery authors.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good compilation, took me a long time to finish because you can read one or two short stories and then put it down.

[Charlene McGrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great selection

This is my first time reading a Best American Mystery Stories book. I enjoyed every page of it. Definitely will read more of these books.

[Thad Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy short stories and this is a very good collections. You should find something to satisfy you for sure.

[Audrey Leisgang · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not worth reading

[Angela Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Stories

This book reminds me of why I love to read! These stories draw you in, hold on to you, and you hate letting them go!

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fun. All these various authors with stories they have written put together in these small stories in a big book with James Patterson. A lot of my favorite authors were in here. Loved it.