In response to his ousting as editor of the much beloved The Best American Mystery Stories series of yearly anthologies, Otto Penzler (editor, anthologist, bookstore owner, schmoozer and mystery scene gadabout, launched his own series of annual best-ofs, under the rather ungainly The Mysterious Bookshop Presents The Best Mysteries of the Year banner.
Meanwhile, the original Best American American Stories was retitled The Best American Mystery and Suspense Stories, and promised stories by a wider and more diverse variety of authors, although so far many of the same authors—if not the same stories—have appeared in both series.
Woke, schmoke—for all the bleating and chest pounding of the rival series editors, in many cases the same authors—if not the same stories–have appeared in both series.
I’m just glad we now have two annual collections to shove under the tree every year.
- The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021 (Guest editor: Lee Child) | Buy this book | Kindle it
- The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022 (Guest editor: Sara Paretsky) | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
- The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2023 (Guest editor: Amor Towles | Buy this book | Buy the audio | Kindle it!
MURDER IN THE LIBRARY
- The Best Anthologies of Original P.I. Stories
- The Best Anthologies of Hard-Boiled, Noir & Pulp Reprints
- Other Mystery Anthologies Worth Hunting For
- The Mystery Writers of America Anthologies
- The Akashic Noir Series
- The Best American Mystery Stories/The Best American Mystery & Suspense
Respectfully submitted by Kevin Burton Smith.
