by Lisa Unger
First published 2023
A career criminal who once served in combat flees his latest heist. A former fighter working club doors hunts those who destroyed his relationship. A killer approaches his final contract but starts investigating the target instead of simply eliminating them. These characters populate the margins of American life, each wanting something beyond their current circumstances. The twenty stories Lisa Unger selected for this collection focus on people who break rules and cross lines. A veteran carries trauma into criminal enterprises. A bouncer uses violence to settle personal scores. An assassin questions decades of professional killing when faced with his last assignment. Each protagonist operates outside conventional society, driven by desires that lead them into dangerous territory. The stories examine why ordinary people commit extraordinary acts of darkness. Unger chose tales that create immediate tension and force readers to consider human motivations. The collection features work by established and emerging writers including S. A. Cosby, Walter Mosley, Joyce Carol Oates, and Jess Walter.
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, thriller
Vibes: dark, emotional, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: antihero, morally-ambiguous-protagonist, ordinary-people-extraordinary-acts
Period: 2023
400 pages · Paperback · Mariner Books
Content warnings: violence