Publication Day Review: The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2026

After a forward by Series Editor Otto Penzler and an introduction by Guest Editor Tess Gerritsen it is on to the nineteen short stories in the Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best mystery stories of the Year 2026. Each of the stories selected begins with a short bio of the author, the tale itself, followed by a short background explanation from the author as to how the story came to be, a point they were hoping to accomplish, the context of the tale, etc. With nineteen short stories included, I am highlighting several that really struck a chord with this reader. But to be clear, there is not a bad one in the bunch. I just liked some more than others.

 

In order of appearance as I read straight through from front to back…

 

Doug Allyn’s “Dead Man’s Mail” revolves around escape, the legacy of what came before you in the place you now reside in, and how isolationism can have severe consequences when others want what you have right now.

 

Eli is on a mission in “The Lord God Bird” by Andy Boyle. He’s doing it for Belle. Secrecy is important. The first thing to do is to get Greg to actually honor their deal.

 

Amanda and Madeline are on their best behavior at the elegant restaurant. They are in public and therefore, on stage, as both are aware. Deceit, double cross, and revenge are all on the menu in “The Luncheon” by Christopher Fowler.

 

Arthur Stancil is sure that Dougal Canterbury must die. The question as “The Twenty-Fourth Canterbury” by Richard Helms begins is how, exactly, to kill him. The fact that the potential murder victim is the most decorated detective in Yorkshire presents a complication, though not unsurmountable.

 

A murder case is at work in “Juror Number Three” by Joel Nedecki. Told from the perspective of the juror who has a lot going on, we follow a case that has plenty of twists and turns.

 

He just wanted a quiet walk in the woods with his dog.  That is not at all what he got in “Murder by the Creek” by H.K. Slade. Now he is on the wrong side of the cuffs and disrespected. Not cool at all.

 

After the reprinted short stories, there is a listing of “The Best Mystery Stories 2026 Honor Roll.” This year, eleven stories and their authors are featured. Each listing includes the publication so that one can hunt down these good reads.

 

It should be noted that my digital ARC review copy from NetGalley did not contain the bonus short story by Agatha Christie. I have no idea if that was deliberate for the review copy or just an accidental oversight.

 

The latest book in the series, The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2026, is chockful of good reading. It is well worth your time and recommended.

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/3TeDnfN 

 

 

My digital ARC came from the publisher, The Mysterious Press, through the NetGalley platform with no expectation of a positive review.

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026  

Publication Day Review: Birds of Prey: New Crime Stories, Editors Harlan Coben and C. J. Box

 

Birds of Prey: New Crime Stories, edited by Harlan Coben and C. J. Box, is a mighty good read. Published by The Mysterious Press, I had hoped that the C. J. Box story taking wing here would feature his signature character, Wyoming Game Warden Joe Pickett. Alas, that idea flew off towards the sun and was lost from view.

 

After a pun filled introduction by Harlan Coben that clearly rubbed off on this reader, the anthology opens strongly with “The Coffin Bearer” by Tess Gerritsen. Readers are taken to the coast of Maine as Maggie returns to her isolated island cabin. Seagulls are far out at sea and kicking up quite a bedlam so Maggie detours to investigate the ruckus. She spots a lobster buoy in the mist that belongs to a local. Minutes later she soon finds his eerily quiet boat. She finds signs that something has happened, but there is no sign of the missing lobster man. The last thing she wanted when she rented out the isolated place for the weeks to come was be a part of anything. That included any interest in her by the locals and the authorities. Now she is of considerable interest and that is another issue.

 

This short story was one of my favorites in the read. Several more personal favorites, in order of appearance, are below.

 

The person is known as “Owl.” He did some things back in the day for the miliary. At one time, that work included time working for the Armed Forces Medical Examiner. That means the Owl has top secret clearance. That clearance, and the skills he has, are needed in “Owl” by Kathy Reichs. Not only is a woman missing, her occupation, and where she went missing, are all part of a situation. There are also other troubling aspects as well.

 

Getting the car at the police auto auction was not the greatest idea Paul ever had. Maybe it was. In “The Falcon” by Robert Dugoni, Paul had the idea, and several guys chipped in on the project. Then the consequences started happening.

 

This short story struck a chord with me. When I was growing up in the 60s and 70s, my dad would tell three or four stories about guys he knew that did this sort of thing. All these decades later, I’m fuzzy on the details, but am crystal clear that dad was convinced it was always a really bad idea.  

 

It was supposed to be a fun gig in “Watchers” by Allison Brennan. Monitor a pair of eagles and their babies in a nest located in the towering cliffs along the Verde River in Arizona. Lily Nolan loves the work and the experience as she takes picture after picture of the eaglets and their parents. Her approved access to the closed breeding ground in the Prescott National Forest has allowed her to take incredible pictures. She also saw something that she should have never seen. Now, Lily, and her fellow watcher, Kevin, are in real trouble.

 

The final tale in the anthology, Hawkshaw Hunting by Kelly Armstrong, takes readers to the Yukon Territory of Canada. There lies a very small and very isolated town that is the refuge of criminals that really want to get away and have the money to pay for off the grid isolation. As the story begins, our narrator works as a detective for Rockton. Her husband, Eric Dalton, is the sheriff. They and their Newfoundland dog, Storm, are at the Whitehorse Airport awaiting the arrival of Max Whitlock. A white-collar criminal, he paid a lot of money to spend the next two years hiding in their small town that survives by charging serious fees to killers and other criminals that have a need to get away and an ability to pay for it. Like the opening story, setting and atmosphere are characters in their own right in this tale where the complications start with his arrival.

 

 

While I only highlighted five short stories in the read that were my personal favorites, all eleven tales are good ones. Each tale is introduced by the author who explains why they chose a certain bird, the research involved, and/or other background details that enhanced the reading experience for each short story.

 

Simply put, Birds of Prey: New Crime Tales is chock full of solidly good crime fiction. Commissioned by the International Thriller Writers, editors Harlan Coben and C.J. Box did a fantastic job with the book. The read is very much worth your time.

 

 

Amazon Associate Purchase Link: https://amzn.to/49Geb78

 

 

My digital ARC came from the publisher, The Mysterious Press, through NetGalley, with no expectation of a positive review.

 

 

Kevin R. Tipple ©2026

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