First published 2019
A thief selects the wrong mark. A scavenger hunt spirals into catastrophe. Someone befriends a death row prisoner while another person discovers that writing internet clickbait can turn lethal. New York Times bestselling novelist Jonathan Lethem assembled twenty mystery stories that examine how power operates in American life. The collection spans diverse scenarios where characters face moral choices that reveal their true nature. Lethem views crime fiction as fundamental human storytelling about impulse, desire, and the reversal of fortune. Each story asks whether readers remain innocent observers or become accomplices to the unfolding events. The anthology features works by Joyce Carol Oates, Ron Rash, and other contemporary writers who explore guilt, retribution, and the consequences of poor judgment. These tales probe the exercise of power in both spontaneous moments and calculated conspiracies, creating a portrait of a society where tables turn without warning.
Genres: american-fiction, american, mystery, crime, 21st-century
Vibes: dark, emotional, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: moral-ambiguity, unreliable-narrator
Setting: America, United States
Period: 21st-century
336 pages · Paperback · Mariner
Content warnings: violence