It has been so long since I have read such a good anthology! I have to admit it was the name “ Tess Gerritsen “ on the cover that drew me to this book , but now I am going to look at past years of collections as well!! Well done !

This anthology of mystery stories edited by Tess Gerritsen and Otto Penzler is a formidable and entertaining collection. The editors selected wonderful stories from a wide variety of authors, several who were new to me and whose other work I will be seeking out. It's the first collection by Otto Penzler that I have read, and I chose to read this book because all of his previous ones are highly rated and recommended. I am thrilled to have gotten a chance to read an early copy before its publication in September 2026.

Each story has a note by its author explaining some aspect of its development, which definitely strengthens the collection. Fans of short stories will find a lot to like in this anthology!

I could not find a list of stories before reading this collection, so I have compiled one from the book:

“The Affair of the Grave Undertaking” by Mike Adamson
“Dead Man’s Mail” by Doug Allyn
“The Lord God Bird” by Andy Boyle
“A Better Place” by Lee Child
“The Luncheon” by Christopher Fowler
“The Second Act Twist” by Matt Goldman
“The Twenty-Fourth Canterbury” by Richard Helms
“No Evidence” by Christina Hoag
“Average American Housewife” by April Kelly
"A Long Time Till Morning" by Andrew Klavan
“The Lost Innocence of Ernesto Guillen” by Tom Larsen
“The Headache” by Billie Livingston
“Mill Mountain” by Tom Milani
“Juror Number Three” by Joel Nedecki
“The Swiss Army Knife” by Joyce Carol Oates
“The Dark Side of Bright Angel” by Karen Odden
“Murder by the Creek” by H.K. Slade
“The Kill Clause” by Lisa Unger
“The Violent Season” by Jessica Van Dessell

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.