Short Stories ...

THE MYSTERIOUS BOOKSHOP PRESENTS THE BEST MYSTERY STORIES OF THE YEAR 2022 edited by Sara Paretsky (author of the bestselling V.I. Warshawski series) contains roughly five hundred pages with selections by renowned authors Including Michael Connelly, Jo Nesbo, Joyce Carol Oates, and Colson Whitehead. Similar collections are published annually, but I felt as though these selections were more stories than mysteries. Yes, they were very well-written and there were surprises and twists, but the focus seemed more psychological than action adventure. The first story, “Kiss of Life” (by Doug Allyn) lasts for over forty pages and essentially circles back to its beginning. “White Chocolate” (by Jerome Charyn) and “Sleigh Bells for the Hayride” (by Keith Lee Morris) both sound appealing, but the characters (including a woman who kidnaps her own grandchild) were not. There are notes at the beginning and end of each story about the author’s background and creative process, but (in the preview at least) they blend together and that distracts from the reading enjoyment. Again, certainly well-written contributions, but overall not as diverting or entertaining as I had expected.