The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024

A collection of the year’s best mystery and suspense short fiction selected by New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby, author of Razorblade Tears, and series editor Steph Cha.

In his introduction, guest editor S. A. Cosby observes that writing short stories is “a special skill that combines brevity with wit and cleverness and the hint of the existential malaise that imbues powerful crime fiction with its gravitas.” The stories in this collection overflow with gravitas in the most unexpected ways: a cryptic note left on a windshield, a murder for hire meets a game of Mouse Trap, a swipe right on a dating app goes horribly wrong. From an eleven-year-old drawn to the neighborhood spookhouse to a scholarship kid at an exclusive boarding school, a nefarious Old West gunman to a Florida woman’s struggle against both outer and inner demons, the characters in The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024 are haunted and haunting, and wholly unforgettable.

The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024 includes acclaimed authors MEGAN ABBOTT • ALYSSA COLE • TANANARIVE DUE • ABBY GENI • JORDAN HARPER • GAR ANTHONY HAYWOOD •TONI LP KELNER • BOBBY MATHEWS • LISA UNGER • and others

Handpicked by Southern noir powerhouse S. A. Cosby, this collection features twenty of the finest examples of the short crime story:

• Masterful Suspense: From a cryptic note on a windshield to a dating-app swipe that goes horribly wrong, these stories are packed with tension and unexpected turns.
• Unforgettable Characters: Meet a diverse cast of haunted and haunting figures, including an eleven-year-old drawn to a neighborhood spookhouse and a nefarious Old West gunman.
• Award-Winning Voices: Discover new favorites and revisit literary titans with contributions from Megan Abbott, Alyssa Cole, Tananarive Due, Lisa Unger, and more.
• Expert Curation: Selected by New York Times bestselling author S. A. Cosby and series editor Steph Cha, this anthology represents the pinnacle of the modern short crime story.