“Maybe some people can live the life they’re given, but some of us have to escape some way – for some people that’s by staring at a wall and for others that’s bringing the pain to others and making them look at it.”
~ “Will I See the Birds When I Am Gone”
With a focus on unexpected and unique formats, the short stories in "The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2024" can be difficult and challenging to read. However, standouts like "Scarlet Ribbons" (by Megan Abbott), "For I Hungered, and Ye Gave Me" (by Barrett Bowlin), "Just a Girl" (by Alyssa Cole), "Will I See the Birds When I Am Gone?" (by Stanton McCaffery), and "Book of Ruth" (Mary Thorson) made the effort incredibly worthwhile.
“The best men, he thought, didn’t command their fellow man from a giant domed building. The best men disregarded the commands of those who sought power and control and instead basked in the plenitude of life and the abundance that this world offered, in all its forms.”
~ “Lovely and Useless Things”
Perhaps the highlights here are Jordan Harper's "My Savage Year" and Bobby Mathews's "The Funeral Suit," both employing understated, atmospheric writing to paint vivid pictures in a finite amount of space.
“‘Terror’s what you feel when you’re running from the wolf,’ I told her. ‘Horror’s what you feel while you watch the wolf feeding on your guts. Showing you what you’re really made of.’”
~ “My Savage Year”
Series editor Steph Cha and version editor S.A. Cosby -- a favorite in his own right from works like "All the Sinners Bleed" and "Razorblade Tears" -- have done a phenomenal job curating this collection, which represents a kaleidoscope of writing styles and approaches.
“What’s the best way to change Emerson’s body from alive to dead? That was the problem before me: a man who ought to be a corpse.”
~ “The Body Farm”
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