Alan (the Lone Librarian) Teder’s Reviews > The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2025 > Status Update

21. BONUS STORY: The Problem of Cell 13 by Jacques Futrelle (1875-1912) *****. A classic “Locked Room” mystery! The Thinking Machine accepts a bet that he will break out of a solitary confinement prison cell within a week. First published in Boston American (October 30, 1905) and then collected in The Thinking Machine (1906).

20. Through Thick and Thin by Andrew Welsh-Huggins *****. A husband asks a PI to retrieve a wedding ring from his supposed one night stand. The PI discovers that the true story is something quite different. First published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (September/October 2024).

19. Run and Gun by Joseph S. Walker *****. A disgraced dirty ex-cop tries to weasel in on a blackmail scheme against a rich Texan, but a hitman is also on the trail for the incriminating material. Novella length hardboiled story. First published in Chop Shop Season 1 Vol. 1 (December 10, 2024).

18. The Lost and the Lonely by Lamont A. Turner ****. Hardboiled detective tale set in 1950s New Orleans. A PI is asked to find a mobster’s missing stepdaughter, but discovers the wife is the one hiding a secret. Originally published in All The Love You Can Buy For A Dollar: Crime Stories (June 8, 2024).

17. Effie’s Oasis by Casey Stegman ****. Very hardboiled considering it has an 80 year old protagonist. Two unsavory types show up at Essie’s motel with a crying child in tow. Effie takes matters into her own hands rather than call the police. Originally published in Motel: An Anthology (March 1, 2024).

16. Snapshot by Shelagh Smith ***. While sorting through her dead father’s things at his house before it goes on sale, a daughter finds a photo that awakens old memories of an unsolved cold case from back in the time of her childhood. Originally published in Devil's Snare: Best New England Crime Stories 2024 (October 5, 2024).

15. A New Weariness by Anna Scotti ****. A WitSec protectee ends up in the middle of a murder investigation even though she is trying to keep her past identity hidden. Originally published in Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine (May/June 2024).

14. Her Dangerously Clever Hands by Karen Odden ***. The leader of a gang of pickpockets in Victorian era Whitechapel, London is murdered and Scotland Yard is assigned to the case. Originally published in Crimeucopia - Through The Past Darkly (June 11, 2024).

13. Dream Stuff by Lou Manfredo ***. A Sam Spade homage. A former advertising exec changes careers and suits himself out as a PI. A femme fatale hires him to get a boyfriend to back off before her marriage is ruined, but is it a setup? Originally published in A Dozen Ways To Die: Selected Short Crime Fiction from Master Storyteller Lou Manfredo (June 27, 2024).

12. Mister George by Richard A. McMahan ***. A sheriff’s deputy sets out to solve a dog killing as a favour for a friend of his mother and ends up coming upon a scene of a human murder and robbery. Originally published in Black Cat Weekly #137.