Bingo: Twenty-six. Printed on the back cover: “[Editor] Don Winslow is the author of twenty-six acclaimed, award-winning international best sellers.”
The Best American Mystery and Suspense for 2025 is much like all the “Best American” mystery anthologies I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot). There are some standouts, a few duds, but most are average. I used to love anthologies of all kinds, but I discovered reading this one that I prefer mysteries that are novel length. I was always satisfied with a quick solution to the mystery, so short stories were fairly gratifying. Now I feel a little disappointed, wanting to dig in more.
On a scale of one to five, a significant number of stories were a three. Of the threes, there was a fairly decent story about a miserable ex-cop who is tormenting his neighbors, with an ending that leaves open who will be murdered. There is a hardboiled Times Square mystery with strippers and junkies (the ending is super abrupt, so somewhat unsatisfying). Others include a story about a vacillating hitman who needs to feel active animus towards his target, one about a a murderous stalker, and a thug determining if his bloodied target is who he says he is.
There were some really bad ones. There is a story where the only plot is the criminal trying to weigh down a body in a lake, only it keeps bobbing up. There’s one about a Tennessee singer who rampages across Nashville, with no real point. Another features a squatter in someone’s house when the wife kills the husband with little suspense or purpose. There is a jewelry heist story that features several double-crosses but little else. There’s a really weird one about a machine that makes people blind, which is totally nonsensical and really comes down to a bunch of shootings.
Of the fours and fives, there were some really strong stories. The very best one was about a pair of cancer patients who team up to help compassionately euthanize other terminal sufferers. The ending is really powerful; not so much a mystery but a really well done story. While an unlikely scenario, there is another story where a wildly ambitious young man who runs a band tries to get his bandmate’s pawned bass back. Things take a very violent turn, and the young man’s corrupt ex cop father runs interference. Another disturbing one is about a wife who marries who she thinks is the nice ex of her past best friend, only to find out years later that he assaulted the best friend. There’s an excellent, atmospheric story about a divorced tatooist who moves to a trailer in a very remote town. The neighbor seems like trouble, but the story takes a twist about who the real enemy is. There’s a story that’s super well written but the characters are so awful, and get away with such brutality, that I can’t say I liked it. There are a few other strong stories. What sets them apart is setting, character, and a deeper sense of darkness beyond just solving a mystery.
All in all, a diverting collection, but very few stand-outs.
