Sample

Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021

By: Lee Child - editor and introduction, Otto Penzler - series editor
Narrated by: Matt Godfrey, Emily Sutton-Smith
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.49

Buy for $21.49

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
activate_WEBCRO358_DT_T2

Publisher's summary

Lee Child selects the 20 best mystery short stories of the year, including tales by Stephen King, Sara Paretsky, and many more.

Under the auspices of New York City's legendary mystery fiction specialty bookstore, The Mysterious Bookshop, and aided by Edgar Award-winning anthologist Otto Penzler, international best seller Lee Child has selected the 20 most suspenseful, most confounding, and most mysterious short stories from the past year, collected now in one entertaining volume.

Includes stories by: Alison Gaylin, David Morrell, James Lee Burke, Joyce Carol Oates, Martin Edwards, Sara Paretsky, Stephen King, Sue Grafton (with a new, posthumously published work), and many more!

©2021 The Mysterious Press; Introduction copyright 2021 by Lee Child (P)2021 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

What listeners say about The Best Mystery Stories of the Year: 2021

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    113
  • 4 Stars
    49
  • 3 Stars
    20
  • 2 Stars
    13
  • 1 Stars
    8
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    108
  • 4 Stars
    43
  • 3 Stars
    14
  • 2 Stars
    7
  • 1 Stars
    6
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    99
  • 4 Stars
    44
  • 3 Stars
    18
  • 2 Stars
    8
  • 1 Stars
    7

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Generally Quality Stories

Some of the previous reviews were a bit negative but I enjoyed most of the stories and liked the added remarks. There don't seem many collections like this but I will read them.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Mysteries across all peoples and places

When presenting the “best” of a year’s contribution to this genre, the deciders found something for everyone. So many desperate folks out there inspiring tales where little victories keep them living, somehow. Does Art imitate life. Within these audio pages, it evidently does. Dietre

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Nice Selection

Nice selection of well read mystery stories. Some are quite memorable. Lee Child has a good eye for what appeals

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Selections

Variety of authors, styles and stories based in different time periods. Kept my interest.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Too dark

The only problem with well-written stories is that they can be intensely evocative. By the time I got four hours into this collection, I was too depressed to finish the fifth story, and had to quit. I’ll never know if the last ten hours is easier. Sorry.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unexpected

Some stories were very strange. And others most entertaining. Thank you mystery writers. and Thank you Audible.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

It was ok

Most of the stories were kind of underwhelming, but some of them I really enjoyed do over all it was worth the credit. There are a couple of authors that I am going to try out, because of this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Good stuff!

Loved it! Most appreciated the last story. Go goat! I do appreciate the chance to listen to listen to works by my favorite authors and sample those new to me.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Excellent Selections

I enjoyed all of the selections! Entertaining and keep me on the edge of my seat.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A fun collection of new short stories

I found this the other night when I was perusing the Audible website. I enjoy anthologies and there were some names that I really like so I was excited to start it.

First thing - there are a LOT of stories. You definitely get your monies worth. It was nice to listen to on audio because I could listen for a bit, turn it off, go to something else, and then come back to start another story.

As with all anthologies, there were some good stories and some really not so good. And..... a couple of ones that I wondered how the heck they made the cut.

Off the top of my head, my favorites were "30 and out" by Doug Allyn, "If you want something done right" by Sue Grafton, "the gift" by Allison Gaylin, and of course, "The Fifth Step" by Stephen King

The one I questioned was "Parole Hearing, California" by Joyce Carol Oates. I think it was one of those that you just had to be "something" to get. I don't know what the "it" is - cool, hip, forward thinking? I have no clue, I just know that it went completely over my head because I did not get it. At all.

But, I did enjoy the collection of stories.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!