When the opportunity to serve as guest editor of the Mystery Writers of America’s latest anthology came along, I had one goal for it: give the writers as much room as possible. I wanted to see all of the talent in this genre push in different directions, try some new things, and have some fun. But what theme would allow for that?
I thought then of a quote that has been misattributed to half the famous writers in history, most frequently to Leo Tolstoy. I’m still not sure who first said it, frankly, and that seems positively ideal for a mystery collection! The quote is: “All great literature is one of two stories; a man goes on a journey or a stranger comes to town.”
A stranger comes to town. I liked that. I liked how broad it was. The stranger could be the hero or the villain. The town could be welcoming or hostile. It certainly allowed the writers plenty of room to have fun, and maybe stretch in some new directions.
I’m not sure how much fun they had writing the gems that you’re about to discover—based on the kvetching I heard about deadlines, which remarkably always seem to be a new discovery to writers—but I certainly had an enormous amount of fun reading them.
We range from the wickedest of visits-gone-bad (I’m thinking of Joe Lansdale’s dark tale here) to the beautiful and emotional (looking at you, Lisa Unger!) and the spooky and surreal (thanks, Joe Hill!). I could go on about everyone’s contribution—S.A. Cosby delivered a particularly delightful read, and, bless him, did it ahead of deadline!—but when you’re talking about short stories, spoilers are all too easy to offer, and I refuse to rob the reader of the experience.
I’d be remiss, however, not to point out the breadth and depth of the genre’s talent at this moment. When the judging committee forwarded to me their selections as winners for this collection, I was awestruck by the quality and excited by how many of these writers were new to me. One of the goals of MWA has always been to nurture and support new voices, and we have some terrific ones here. Of course, you’re going to enjoy the likes of Michael Connelly and Alafair Burke and Lori Roy and Steve Hamilton showing off their pro chops and reminding you why they’ve amassed so many Edgar Award nominations, but please, please don’t skim in search of the names you know; look for the names you might not know. I’m certain that from the minute the GPS instructs our protagonist to “exit now” in Emilya Naymark’s lovely chiller, you’ll be willing to take the ride with her. Emilya was a new name to me. Think I’m going to be looking for her work in the future? Absolutely.
The same goes for Smita Harish Jain, who takes us on a journey of morality—and morality policing—in Mumbai. And you probably have heard of Bryon Quertermous by now, but if you’re new to his work, you’ll understand why I’m a fan after you read this opening:
Howard told me three things before he died:
1. His last name was also Howard
2. The love of his life was a Ukrainian chat girl named Elsa
3. He was psychic
There are nineteen dark treats ahead for you, and my job is to shut up and get out of your way so you can get on to the main event. I know you’ll enjoy the show. It was a privilege to be involved with this project, an appreciated chance to see new and different work from some of my longtime favorites, and a chance to be introduced to some I know I’ll be reading for years to come.
Onward, then. Somewhere in these pages, an inebriated woman in need is about to slide into a most unusual cab in the desert, a man is saving his 2C boarding pass in the spirit of true love, and a boat called the Double Tap is running at 20 knots toward a place called Sheepshead Bay. I think they’re all headed for trouble, personally. Turn the page and tell me if I’m wrong.
Michael Koryta