The Best American Mystery Stories 2015 (63 page)

• My taste in mystery stories has changed over the years. In the beginning I preferred what I think of as the traditional kind, stories of deduction where clues are gathered and a puzzle solved. These days character interests me at least as much as plot. I find the drama more powerful in a story that arises from some personal conflict—someone facing, and then making, a difficult choice. “The Shot” is a good example of this kind of story. The protagonist finds himself in a tough spot, and as the story progresses, the walls close in on him steadily, relentlessly. But he finds his way out.

In terms of this story’s origins, the climax came to me first. I did some research to make sure the climactic act was plausible, then some more to learn about snipers in general. Research is always an integral part of my writing process, and this story was no exception. The fascinating details about snipers I uncovered didn’t just flesh out the story, they gave it a shape I couldn’t have imagined.

A
BBOTT
, P
ATTI

Fall Girl.
Needle
, Spring

B
ECKETT
, C. M.

Silence.
Needle
, Winter

B
LOCK
, L
AWRENCE

The Ehrengraf Settlement.
Defender of the Innocent: The Casebook of Martin Ehrengraf
(Subterranean)

B
REWER
, R
ICHARD

Last to Die.
Trouble in the Heartland
, ed. Joe Clifford (Gutter Books)

B
ROWN
, T
AYLOR

An Unkindness.
Needle
, Spring

C
OLLINS
, M
AX
A
LLAN, AND
M
ICKEY
S
PILLANE

It’s in the Book.
Bibliomystery #15
(Mysterious Bookshop)

D
EAN
, Z
OE
Z.

Getaway Girl.
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
, November

D
E
P
OY
, P
HILLIP

Mary’s Shallow Grave.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
, July/August

E
GAN
, K
EVIN

Term Life.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
, June

F
AYE
, L
YNDSAY

The Scroll of Sheba.
Bibliomystery #18
(Mysterious Bookshop)

G
ATES
, D
AVID
E
DGERLEY

Stir Crazy.
Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine
, July/August

G
ONZALEZ
, J. D
AVID

Ofrenda.
Thuglit
, May/June

H
AGELSTEIN
, E
DWARD

Our Lady of Mercy.
Thuglit
, March/April

H
ARRIS
, C
HARLAINE

Sarah Smiles.
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
, September/October

H
ART
, R
OB
W.

How to Make the Perfect New York Bagel.
Thuglit
, January/February

H
AVERTY
, C
HARLES

The Cherry Wood Heart.
New Orleans Review
, Winter

K
REUGER
, P
AUL

One-Step’s Last Meal.
Noir Riot
(Gutter Books)

L
EOPOLD
, B
RIAN

The Card Counter.
M: Mystery and Horror
, November

L
OPRESTI
, R
OBERT

The Accessory.
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
, June

L
OUIS
, M
ATTHEW

My Hometown.
Trouble in the Heartland
, ed. Joe Clifford (Gutter Books)

M
CFADDEN
, D
ENNIS

The Purloined Pigs.
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
, January

M
CGUIRE
, M
ICHAEL

Three Sisters.
Kenyon Review
, Spring

M
INER
, M
IKE

The Hurt Business.
Thuglit
, July/August

M
ORROW
, B
RADFORD

The Nature of My Inheritance.
Bibliomystery #19
(Mysterious Bookshop)

R
OBINSON
, T
ODD

We Take Care of Our Own.
Trouble in the Heartland
, ed. Joe Clifford (Gutter Books)

T
AYLOR
, A
RT

Precision.
Gargoyle
, September

W
ARTENBERG
, P
AUL

Why the Mask.
Mardi Gras Murder
, ed. Sarah E. Glenn (Mystery & Horror)

W
ASHBURN
, M
ICHAEL

In the Flyover State.
New Orphic Review
, Spring

W
ILLIAMS
, T
IM
L.

The Last Wrestling Bear in West Kentucky.
Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine
, September/October

W
ILSON
-F
LAHERTY
, S
TEPHANIE

Murder in a Family.
Family Matters
, ed. Anita Page (Glenmere Press)

Visit
www.hmhco.com
to find all of the books in The Best American Series
^®
.

J
AMES
P
ATTERSON
, guest editor, has sold more than 300 million books worldwide, including the Alex Cross, Michael Bennett, Women’s Murder Club, Maximum Ride, and Middle School series. He supports getting kids reading through his children’s book imprint, jimmy patterson, as well as through scholarships, grants, book donations, and his website
ReadKiddoRead.com
.

O
TTO
P
ENZLER
, series editor, is a renowned mystery editor, publisher, and columnist, and the owner of New York’s The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest and largest bookstore solely dedicated to mystery fiction. He has edited more than fifty crime-fiction anthologies.