First published 2008
George Pelecanos curates twenty crime stories that push beyond traditional mystery boundaries. Michael Connelly's crime scene reconstructionist faces an unexpected twist in "Mulholland Dive" when a straightforward case becomes anything but routine. Alice Munro reveals how childhood secrets between two friends return to haunt them as one lies dying in "Child's Play." James Lee Burke follows a Hurricane Katrina evacuee who discovers unexpected solace after devastating loss in "Mist." Holly Goddard Jones tracks a young man whose repeatedly vandalized car signals that someone knows his hidden truths in "Proof of God." These writers honor the crime genre's legacy while steering it toward new territory. Each story examines how violence and secrets shape ordinary lives, revealing the darkness that lurks beneath familiar surfaces.
Genres: fiction, short-stories, mystery, crime
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful
Tropes: dark, suspense
Setting: Katrina, Mulholland Dive
Period: 2008
423 pages · Hardcover · Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Content warnings: violence