The Best American Mystery Stories 2016 Read online

  Contents

  * * *

  Title Page

  Contents

  Copyright

  Foreword

  Introduction

  MEGAN ABBOTT, The Little Men

  STEVE ALMOND, Okay, Now Do You Surrender?

  MATT BELL, Toward the Company of Others

  BRUCE ROBERT COFFIN, Fool Proof

  LYDIA FITZPATRICK, Safety

  TOM FRANKLIN, Christians

  STEPHEN KING, A Death

  ELMORE LEONARD, For Something to Do

  EVAN LEWIS, The Continental Opposite

  ROBERT LOPRESTI, Street of the Dead House

  DENNIS MCFADDEN, Lafferty’s Ghost

  MICHAEL NOLL, The Tank Yard

  TODD ROBINSON, Trash

  KRISTINE KATHRYN RUSCH, Christmas Eve at the Exit

  GEORGIA RUTH, The Mountain Top

  JONATHAN STONE, Mailman

  ART TAYLOR, Rearview Mirror

  SUSAN THORNTON, Border Crossing

  BRIAN TOBIN, Entwined

  SARAL WALDORF, God’s Plan for Dr. Gaynor and Hastings Chiume

  Contributors’ Notes

  Other Distinguished Mystery Stories of 2015

  The Best American Series®

  About the Editors

  Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

  Introduction copyright © 2016 by Elizabeth George

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

  The Best American Series® is a registered trademark of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. The Best American Mystery Stories™ is a trademark of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

  No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without the proper written permission of the copyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by federal copyright law. With the exception of nonprofit transcription in Braille, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt is not authorized to grant permission for further uses of copyrighted selections reprinted in this book without the permission of their owners. Permission must be obtained from the individual copyright owners as identified herein. Address requests for permission to make copies of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt material write to [email protected] or to Permissions, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 3 Park Avenue, 19th Floor, New York, New York 10016.

  www.hmhco.com

  ISSN 1094-8384

  ISBN 978-0-544-52718-8

  eISBN 978-0-544-52797-3

  v1.0916

  Cover design by Christopher Moisan © Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  Cover photograph © SuperStock

  These stories are works of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the authors’ imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  “The Little Men” by Megan Abbott. First published by Bibliomysteries, Mysterious Press, September 15, 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Megan Abbott. Reprinted by permission of Megan Abbott.

  “Okay, Now Do You Surrender?” by Steve Almond. First published in Cincinnati Review, vol. 11, no. 2. Copyright © 2015 by Steve Almond. Reprinted by permission of Steve Almond.

  “Toward the Company of Others” by Matt Bell. First published in Tin House, issue 65. Copyright © 2015 by Matt Bell. Reprinted by permission of Matt Bell.

  “Fool Proof” by Bruce Robert Coffin. First published in Red Dawn: Best New England Crime Stories. Copyright © 2015 by Bruce Robert Coffin. Reprinted by permission of Bruce Robert Coffin.

  “Safety” by Lydia Fitzpatrick. First published in One Story, issue 207. Copyright © 2015 by Lydia Fitzpatrick. Reprinted by permission of Georges Borchardt, Inc., on behalf of the author.

  “Christians” by Tom Franklin. First published in Murder under the Oaks, edited by Art Taylor. Copyright © 2015 by Tom Franklin. Reprinted by permission of Tom Franklin.

  “A Death” by Stephen King. First published in The New Yorker, March 9, 2015. From The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King. Copyright © 2015 by Stephen King. Reprinted with the permission of Scribner, a division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

  “For Something to Do” by Elmore Leonard. First published in Charlie Martz and Other Stories: The Unpublished Stories of Elmore Leonard. Copyright © 2015 by Elmore Leonard, Inc. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers.

  “The Continental Opposite” by Evan Lewis. First published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, May 2015. Copyright © 2015 by David Evan Lewis. Reprinted by permission of Evan Lewis.

  “Street of the Dead House” by Robert Lopresti. First published in nEvermore!, edited by Nancy Kilpatrick and Caro Soles, July 1, 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Robert Lopresti. Reprinted by permission of Robert Lopresti.

  “Lafferty’s Ghost” by Dennis McFadden. First published in Fiction, no. 61. Copyright © 2015 by Dennis McFadden. Reprinted by permission of the author.

  “The Tank Yard” by Michael Noll. First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, July 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Michael Noll. Reprinted by permission of Michael Noll.

  “Trash” by Todd Robinson. First published in Last Word by the editors of Joyride Press, August 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Todd Robinson. Reprinted by permission of Todd Robinson.

  “Christmas Eve at the Exit” by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. First published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine, January 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Kristine K. Rusch. Reprinted by permission of Kristine K. Rusch.

  “The Mountain Top” by Georgia Ruth. First published in Fish or Cut Bait: A Guppy Anthology, April 7, 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Georgia Wilson. Reprinted by permission of Georgia Wilson.

  “Mailman” by Jonathan Stone. First published in Cold-Blooded, edited by Clay Stafford and Jeffery Deaver, October 27, 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Jonathan Stone. Reprinted by permission of Jonathan Stone.

  “Rearview Mirror” by Art Taylor. First published in On the Road with Del & Louise by Art Taylor, September 15, 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Art Taylor. Reprinted by permission of Henery Press, LLC.

  “Border Crossing” by Susan Thornton. First published in the Literary Review, vol. 58, no. 3, Summer 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Susan R. Thornton. Reprinted by permission of Susan R. Thornton.

  “Entwined” by Brian Tobin. First published in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, June 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Brian Tobin. Reprinted by permission of Brian Tobin.

  “God’s Plan for Dr. Gaynor and Hastings Chiume” by Saral Waldorf. First published in Southern Review, Spring 2015. Copyright © 2015 by Saral Waldorf. Reprinted by permission of Saral Waldorf.

  Foreword

  THIS IS THE twentieth edition of The Best American Mystery Stories of the year, a very gratifying milestone. The series began when my agent, Nat Sobel, and I were having lunch, as we have every month for the past thirty years. In the middle of a sentence about who knows what he said, “I have an idea.” This is common in our relationship, as I would argue that he is the best and most creative agent on the planet.

  Nat had represented the longtime series editor of Houghton Mifflin’s prestigious The Best American Short Stories of the year, an annual event that began in 1915. He suggested that it was time for a similar mystery series and thought I should be the editor. I agreed. He went back to his office, called the editor in chief of Houghton Mifflin, and they came to an agreement in two minutes.

  For my first guest editor, I wanted someone who was an accomplished author, not just in the mystery category but one who brought serious literary
credentials to the table as well. Being a bestseller was not a requirement but was certainly a desirable element. I aimed high and called my friend Robert B. Parker, who agreed to take on the job without hesitation. To this day, his introduction to the 1997 edition remains the most erudite and comprehensive essay in the history of the series. The book went on to make the bestseller list in Boston and sold enough copies nationally to make Houghton Mifflin happy.

  Reflecting on the past twenty years reminds me of how much has changed but also how much has remained the same.

  Changes? The publisher is now Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, following a merger of these two honored houses, both with long histories of excellence. The editor in chief has changed twice during those two decades. The publishing landscape has changed, with more and more mergers, though there is less impact on readers than one might have expected. The bookselling landscape has changed even more. Twenty years ago, Amazon was just beginning to emerge as a major force; today it dominates the bookselling world. Whereas the giant book emporiums of Barnes & Noble and Borders had forced many independent bookshops out of business, the marketplace dominance of Amazon has forced Borders out of existence and seriously threatens Barnes & Noble, while further crippling the independent bookstore. The ray of light is that more independent bookstores have opened in America during the past three years than closed their doors.

  Similarities? I am still the series editor, and the methodology of determining which stories make the cut remains the same. My invaluable associate Michele Slung reads and evaluates thousands of stories every year, culling those that clearly do not belong on a short list—or a long one either, for that matter—to determine if they have mystery or criminal content, frequently impossible to know merely by reading the title, as well as whether they have any literary merit. I then read the stories that need to be considered in order to arrive at the fifty best (or at least those I like the most). Those are sent to the guest editor, who selects the twenty stories that make it into the book; the remaining thirty receive honorable mention. The best writing makes it into the book. Fame, friendship, original venue, reputation, subject—none of it matters. It isn’t only the qualification of being the best writer that will earn a spot in the table of contents; it also must be the best story.

  Another similarity from the first book to the twentieth has been the quest to have the right person serve as the guest editor. Willingness to do this is an act of generosity. Every guest editor for this series has been a national bestseller, and therefore these are authors who are asked to do something virtually every day of their lives: write a story, make a speech, sign a book, visit a bookshop or library, provide a quote for a dust jacket, offer advice about how to be a better writer or a more successful one, attend a conference or convention—the list goes on.

  It is with deep gratitude, then, that I applaud Elizabeth George for agreeing to serve in this role for the 2016 edition. She is a number-one best-selling writer, an American whose detective novels are set in England, best known for her superb series featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley, actually Lord Asherton, privately educated (Eton College and Oxford University), and his partner, Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers, who comes from a working-class background—both from Scotland Yard. George’s first novel, A Great Deliverance, was published in 1988, and there have been eighteen further adventures of Lynley and Havers, as well as four young adult novels and two short story collections.

  I also am in debt to previous guest editors; my thanks continue to resonate for James Patterson, Laura Lippman, Lisa Scottoline, Robert Crais, Harlan Coben, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, George Pelecanos, Carl Hiaasen, Scott Turow, Joyce Carol Oates, Nelson DeMille, Michael Connelly, James Ellroy, Lawrence Block, Donald E. Westlake, Ed McBain, Sue Grafton, and, of course, Robert B. Parker.

  While it is redundant to write it again, since I have already done it in each of the previous nineteen volumes of this series (although it is painful to acknowledge, I do recognize that not everyone reads and memorizes my annual forewords), it is fair warning to state that many people erroneously regard a “mystery” as a detective story. The detective story is important but is only one subgenre of a much bigger literary category, mystery fiction, which I define as any work of fiction in which a crime, or the threat of a crime, is central to the theme or the plot. While I love good puzzles and tales of pure ratiocination, few of these are written today, as the mystery genre has evolved (or devolved, depending on your point of view) into a more character-driven form of literature, with more emphasis on the “why” of a crime’s commission than a “who” or “how.” The line between mystery fiction and general fiction has become more and more blurred in recent years, producing fewer memorable detective stories but more significant literature.

  While I engage in a relentless quest to locate and read every mystery/crime/suspense story published, I live in terror that I will miss a worthy story, so if you are an author, editor, or publisher, or care about one, please feel free to send a book, magazine, or tearsheet to me c/o The Mysterious Bookshop, 58 Warren Street, New York, NY 10007. If the story first appeared electronically, you must submit a hard copy. It is vital to include the author’s contact information. No unpublished material will be considered, for what should be obvious reasons. No material will be returned. If you distrust the postal service, enclose a self-addressed, stamped postcard and I’ll let you know your submission was received.

  To be eligible for next year’s edition, a story must have been written by an American or a Canadian and first published in an American or Canadian publication in the calendar year 2016. The earlier in the year I receive the story, the more fondly I regard it. For reasons known only to the dunderheads who wait until Christmas week to submit a story published the previous spring, this occurs every year, causing serious irritableness as I read a stack of stories while friends trim Christmas trees, shop, meet for lunches and dinners, and otherwise celebrate the holiday season. It had better be a damned good story if you do this. I am being neither arrogant nor whimsical when I state that the absolute firm deadline for me to receive a submission is December 31; it is due to the very tight production schedule for the book. If the story arrives one day later, it will not be read. Sorry.

  O.P.

  Introduction

  WHEN I WAS asked to choose the twenty best mystery stories published in 2015 and then to write an introduction to the volume that would contain them, I had to think about whether I wanted to take on the task. Not only is it always difficult to choose one peer-written story over another, but it’s also tough to decide whether a tale actually constitutes a mystery story in the first place.

  I’ve always seen the mystery as a very particular kind of story, quite distinguishable from a tale of crime. A mystery story, to me, has always been about the game, and the game has always pitted the writer against the reader. The rules of the game are simple. A mystery is unfolded by the writer, and during the unfolding all the clues are set into the various scenes, as are the red herrings. The private investigator, police detective, or amateur sleuth explores the circumstances surrounding some sort of act of malfeasance, possibly experiencing the crime scene itself through photos or a personal encounter with it. Ultimately this investigator arrives at a conclusion that concerns the guilty party, the resolution of the crime, or whatever else will bring the story to a satisfactory close. Part of the denouement of this kind of tale is, of course, an explanation from the investigator, to include an interpretation of the clues and the red herrings. Between the writer and the reader, the game involved is a contest in which the reader attempts to discern the clues, to distinguish them from the red herrings, and to reach a conclusion about the guilty party in advance of the author’s unveiling it all. In the mystery story, neither clues nor red herrings are explained as the story goes along. Frequently they’re not even identified as clues or red herrings. When they’re seen by the fictional investigator, they are noted in passing but never dwelt upon. Because of this, the
reader must be astute enough to recognize them for what they are as the writer mentions them in passing. Should the reader sort everything out and identify the killer or thief or kidnapper or whatever, then she wins the game and the author loses. A clever author can keep a reader guessing throughout, but because no explanation of clues and red herrings is necessary in a mystery, not an enormous amount of cleverness on the writer’s part is actually required.

  An example of this would be the most infamous mystery novel of all time, written by none other than the grand dame of the Golden Age of Mystery, Agatha Christie. In her controversial novel The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, she certainly reveals the clues to the reader. Hercule Poirot sees them and he makes careful note of them. But in every case the reader is left in the dark as to what they are or what they mean. The reader has no way of knowing, for example, that the glittering object that Poirot scoops up from the pond is a wedding ring with the initials of two characters engraved upon it, just as the reader doesn’t know that the stranger who came to the house in the days prior to the victim’s murder was a salesman offering a Dictaphone to the soon-to-be-done-away-with Roger Ackroyd. What makes the story so maddening—and so infamous—has to do with the narrator of the piece. He admits in the novel’s conclusion that had he only put an ellipsis instead of a period at the end of a certain sentence, the game would have been up shortly after Mr. Ackroyd’s demise. But he did not do that, Agatha Christie did not do that, and the argument has raged for nearly one hundred years about whether the novel plays fair with the reader.

  For me, the larger question has always been this: ellipsis or not, does the novel actually offer an opportunity for the reader to solve the crime in the first place? The answer has to be decidedly no. The reader can certainly guess at it (or, as one of my students once did, write the name of the killer in the margin of his book to spoil the experience for any student following him), but compared to Hercule Poirot, the reader has no real opportunity to work things out, because until the final moments of revelation (along with Poirot’s suggestion that the killer politely commit suicide so as not to disturb people significant in his life), the reader doesn’t have all the information. The reader may be able to sort clues from red herrings, but as to what they mean? As it is said in some parts of the U.S., fuhgeddaboutit.