best american mystery stories 2010 excerpt

8/7/2019 Best American Mystery Stories 2010 Excerpt

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The Best AmericanMystery Stories

2010

Edited and with an Introduction

by Lee Child

Otto Penzler, Series Editor

a mariner originalhoughton mifflin harcourtboston new york 2010


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Copyright 2010 by Hough ton Mi in Harcourt Publishing Company Introduction copyright 2010 by Lee Child

All rights reserved.

The Best American Series is a registered trademark o Hough ton Mi in Harcourt Publishing Company. The Best American Mystery Stories is a trademark o Hough tonMi in Harcourt Publishing Company.

No part o this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any orm or by any means,electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any in or-mation storage or retrieval system without the proper written permission o thecopyright owner unless such copying is expressly permitted by ederal copyright law. With the exception o non proft transcription in Braille, Hough ton Mi inHarcourt is not authorized to grant permission or urther uses o copyrighted se-lections reprinted in this book without the permission o their owners. Permissionmust be obtained rom the individual copyright owners as iden tifed herein. Ad-dress requests or permission to make copies o Hough ton Mi in Harcourt mate-rial to Permissions, Hough ton Mi in Harcourt Publishing Company, 215 Park Av-enue South, New York 10003.

www.hmhbooks.com

i ssn 1094- 8384i sbn 978- 0-547- 23746- 6

Printed in the United States o America

doc 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

These stories are works o fction. Names, characters, places, and incidents areproducts o the authors imagination or are used fctitiously. Any resemblance toactual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

Charlie and the Pirates by Gary Alexander. First published in Alfred Hitchcocks Mystery Magazine, January/February 2009. Copyright 2009 by Gary Alexander.Reprinted by permission o Gary Alexander.

The Emerald Coast by R. A. Allen. First published in The Literary Review, Sum-mer 2009. Copyright 2009 by R. A. Allen. Reprinted by permission o the au-thor.

An Early Christmas by Doug Allyn. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Mag- azine, January 2009. Copyright 2009 by Doug Allyn. Reprinted by permission o Doug Allyn.

Maynard by Mary Stewart Atwell. First published in Alaska Quarterly Review, Fall/Winter 2009. Copyright 2009 by Mary Stewart Atwell. Reprinted by permis-sion o the author.

Dredge by Matt Bell. First published in Haydens Ferry Review, Fall/Winter20092010. Copyright 2009 by Matt Bell. Reprinted by permission o Matt Bell.

A Jury o His Peers by Jay Brandon. First published in Murder Past, Murder Pres- ent, September 15, 2009. Copyright 2009 by Jay Brandon. Reprinted by permis-sion o the author.


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Designer Justice by Phyllis Cohen. First published in The Prosecution Rests, April14, 2009. Copyright 2009 by Herbert Cohen. Reprinted by permission o Her-bert Cohen.

The Cross-Eyed Bear by John Du resne. First published in Boston Noir, Novem-ber 1, 2009. Copyright 2009 by John Du resne. Reprinted by permission o JohnDu resne.

The Case o Colonel Warburtons Madness by Lyndsay Faye. First published inSherlock Holmes in America,November 1, 2009. Copyright 2009 by Lyndsay Faye.Reprinted by permission o Lyndsay Faye.

The First Rule Is by Gar Anthony Haywood. First published in Black Noir, March3, 2009. Copyright 2009 by Gar Anthony Haywood. Reprinted by permission o Gar Anthony Haywood.

Killing Time by Jon Land. First published in Thriller 2, May 26, 2009. Copy-right 2009 by Jon Land. Reprinted by permission o International Thriller Writ-ers and Mira.

Animal Rescue by Dennis Lehane. First published in Boston Noir, November 1,2009. Copyright 2009 by Dennis Lehane. Reprinted by permission o Ann Rit-tenberg Literary Agency, Inc.

Tell Me by Lynda Leidiger. First published in Gettysburg Review,Summer 2009.Copyright 2009 by Lynda Leidiger. Reprinted by permission o Lynda Leidiger.

The House on Pine Terrace by Phillip Margolin. First published in Thriller 2, May 26, 2009. Copyright 2009 by Phillip Margolin. Reprinted by permission o Phillip Margolin.

Bias by Chris Muessig. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Magazine,July 1,2009. Copyright 2009 by Chris Muessig. Reprinted by permission o the author.

Bismarck Rules by Albert Tucher. First published in Oregon Literary Review, Summer/Fall 2009. Copyright 2009 by Albert Tucher. Reprinted by permissiono Albert Tucher.

Ed Lubys Key Club rom Look at the Birdie: Unpublished Short Fiction by Kurt Von-negut, copyright 2009 by The Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. Trust. Used by permission o Delacorte Press, an imprint o The Random House Publishing Group, a division o Random House, Inc.

Custom Sets by Joseph Wallace. First published in The Prosecution Rests, April14, 2009. Copyright 2009 by Joseph Wallace. Reprinted by permission o Joseph

Wallace.The Shipbreaker by Mike Wiecek. First published in Ellery Queens Mystery Mag-

azine, March/April 2009. Copyright 2009 by Mike Wiecek. Reprinted by permis-sion o Michael Wiecek.

Blood and Dirt by Ryan Zimmerman. First published in Thuglit, issue 34, No- vember/December 2009. Copyright 2009 by Ryan Zimmerman. Reprinted by permission o Ryan Zimmerman.


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Contents

Foreword ixIntroduction by Lee Child xii

gary alexanderCharlie and the Pirates 1

r. a. allenThe Emerald Coast 14

doug allynAn Early Christmas 27

mary stewart atwellMaynard 64

matt bell Dredge 72

jay brandonA Jury of His Peers 91

phyllis cohen Designer Justice 109

john dufresneThe Cross- Eyed Bear 130

lyndsay fayeThe Case of Colonel Warburtons Madness 149


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viii Contents

gar anthony haywoodThe First Rule Is 167

jon landKilling Time 183

dennis lehaneAnimal Rescue 200

lynda leidigerTell Me 221

phillip margolin

The House on Pine Terrace

241chris muessig

Bias 255

albert tucherBismarck Rules 277

kurt vonnegut Ed Lubys Key Club 299

joseph wallaceCustom Sets 338

mike wiecekThe Shipbreaker 356

ryan zimmermanBlood and Dirt 376

Contributors Notes 391Other Distinguished Mystery Stories o 2009 401


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Foreword

Every year, when I sit down to write the oreword to the newedition o The Best American Mystery Stories,two thoughts leap tomind. The frst is: what can I write about that I havent writtenabout in the previous volumes? The second is: does anyone ac tually read it anyway, or do they (wisely) go straight to the fction?

Well, just in case this book has ound its way into the hands o acompletist reader, here are a ew things you should know.

Mystery is a very broad genre that includes any story in which a crime

(usually murder) or the threat o a crime (creating suspense) is cen-tral to the plot or theme. Detective stories are one sub genre, othersbeing crime (o ten told rom the point o view o the criminal), sus-pense (impending man- made calamity), espionage (crimes against the state, which potentially have more victims than a single murder),and such sub- sub genres as police procedurals, historicals, humor,puzzles, private eyes, noir, and so on.

I you are expecting to read a bunch o what mostly passes or detec-tive stories these days, you will be disappointed. Almost no one writesdistinguished tales o ratiocination; observation o hidden clues andthe deductions a brilliant detective makes o them is largely a lost art.Most contemporary detective stories rely on coincidence, luck, a con-

ession, or ashes o insight by the detective (whether private eye,police o f cer, or an amateur who has taken time o rom his or herprimary occupation o cooking, gardening, knitting, writing, hair-dressing, or shopping).

Mystery fction today is primarily devoted to the notion o whydunitrather than howdunit or whodunit. There ore, most tales arebased on psychological scrutiny, whether by a detective, by the reader,or by the protagonist.


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x Foreword

The line between mystery fction and literary fction has become al-

most totally blurred. Such mystery writers as Elmore Leonard, Robert B. Parker, Dennis Lehane, George Pelecanos, James Ellroy, and oth-

ers are certainly writing literary works. Such mainstream literary writ-ers as Joyce Carol Oates, Michael Chabon, Paul Auster, JonathanLethem, Salman Rushdie, and others have written stories and bookso mystery, crime, and suspense.This collection is devoted to the best- written mystery stories published

in the 2009 calendar year. You can call them mysteries or crime sto-ries or literary stories, and you will be right. The goal, as it is every

year (and this is the ourteenth edition), is to collect the very best mysteries o the year, and I think we have succeededagain.

The we re erred to above includes my colleague MicheleSlung, who examines thousands o stories every year to fnd themost worthy; Nat Sobel, the greatest agent in the world, whose im-peccable taste has discovered dozens o frst- rate tales that havebeen recommended or inclusion; the scores o editors o literary

journals who keep me on their subscription lists and o ten point out work that merits extra attention; and o course, Lee Child, theguest editor. It is a cause o astonishment as well as gratitude that Child, an author who hits number one on bestseller lists in Amer-ica, Eng land, and who knows where else, was willing to take timeout rom a very ull schedule to read the f ty stories I selected asthe best o the year (or, at least, my avorites) and pick the toptwenty, as well as write a superb, thought ul introduction.

Also im por tant, i less directly, to the ongoing success o this se-ries are the previous guest editors, who have generously lavished somuch time and attention on these annual volumes: the late Robert B. Parker, Sue Gra ton, Evan Hunter (Ed McBain), Donald E. West-lake, Lawrence Block, James Ellroy, Michael Connelly, Nelson De-Mille, Joyce Carol Oates, Scott Turow, Carl Hiaasen, George Pele-canos, and Je ery Deaver.

While I engage in a nearly obsessive quest to locate and readevery mystery/crime/suspense story published, I live in paranoid

ear that I will miss a worthy story, so i you are an author, editor, orpublisher, or care about one, please eel ree to send a book, maga-

zine, or tear sheet to me, c/o The Mysterious Bookshop, 58 War-ren Street, New York, NY 10007. I it frst appeared electronically,

you must submit a hard copy. It is vital to include the authors con-


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Foreword xi

tact in ormation. No unpublished material will be considered or what should be obvious reasons. No material will be returned. I you distrust the postal ser vice, enclose a sel - addressed, stamped

postcard.To be eligible, a story must have been written by an American or

Canadian and frst published in an American or Canadian publica-tion in the calendar year 2010. The earlier in the year I receive thestory, the more ondly I regard it. For reasons known only to thedimwits (no o ense) who wait until Christmas week to submit astory published the previous spring, this happens every year, caus-ing much gnashing o teeth as I read a stack o stories while my

wi e and riends are trimming the Christmas tree or otherwise cel-ebrating the holiday season. It had better be an extraordinarily good story i you do this because I will start reading it with barely contained rage. Since there is necessarily a very tight productionschedule or this book, the absolute frm deadline or a story toreach me is December 31. I the story arrives twenty- our hourslater, it will not be read. Really.

O. P.


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Introduction

Everyone seems to know what a short story is, but there is very little in the way o theoretical discussion o the orm. A tenta-tive def ni tion is o ten approached rom two directions simultane-ously: frst, Edgar Allan Poe is quoted as being suspicious o thenovel, pre erring instead that which can be consumed at a singlesitting; and then Mark Twain is quoted as saying o a letter, not astory Im sorry this is so long; I had no time to make it shorter.

Some people at trib ute the second quotation to Pascal, but Twainis always a sa e bet or quotes, and in either case the counterintui-tive meaning is clear: it takes more time and greater e ort to honea narrative into a short orm than to let it run a longer course.Combined with Poes concept o the single sitting, the short story is there ore seen as a delight ully well- cra ted jewel, to be enjoyedby the connoisseur in the same way as a great meal or a glass o fne

wine is enjoyed by a gourmet.Im not so sure.To take issue with Poe frst: his quote is ull o sel - interest. No

one orm has an inherent superiority over any other. All writers arescu ers at heart. Were all trying to earn our daily bread, and welldo whatever sells. Poes singlesitting- as-a- virtue trope was drivenby what the market wanted. He was trying to keep the wol romthe door by writing or periodicals, o which there was a huge andincreasing number during his li etime. Believe me, i he could have

sold thousand- page novels, he would have, and today he would beremembered or extolling their mani est superiority over shorterfction. But the market wanted bite- size pieces, so bite- size pieces


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Introduction xiii

were what he wrote. Charles Dickens was in the same boat, but Dickens just broke up his (thousand- page) novels into chunks, andthey were printed sequentially, to great acclaim, not least because

the desire to know what happened next proved so power ul. Ar-thur Conan Doyle was somewhere between the two; the SherlockHolmes canon is certainly mainly a series o short stories, but Sherlock Holmes is also a single, massive entity, loved and en-

joyed or its totality rather than its episodic nature, as i the wholearc exists in de pen dently o its disjointed publication his tory, as onegiant mega- novel.

And to take issue with the assumption behind the Twain quote: I

absolutely guarantee that none o the stories in this anthology tooklonger to write than their authors various novels. Not even re-motely close. Yes, each sentence is cra ted and polished; yes, eachstory was read and revised and then reread and revised again but so is every sentence and chapter in a novel, and novels are muchlonger than short stories, and the e ort expended is entirely pro-portional.

So, are the short stories in this collection not delight ully well-cra ted jewels to be enjoyed by the connoisseur in the same way asa great meal or a glass o fne wine? Well, yes, they are, but not orthe reasons given by conventional wisdom, but or a whole buncho di erent reasons.

Short stories allow a little reedom. In their careers as novelists,the authors presented here are all, to some degree, locked into

what they write, by economics and expectations. But in todaysmarket, short stories have neither a real economic upside or down-side; nor are they constrained to any real degree by reader expecta-tion. So authors can write about di erent things, and more espe-cially they can write in di erent ways.

Novels are assembled like necklaces, rom a long sequence o ideas that combine like gemstones and knots; short stories can con-tain only one idea. Novels must take aim at the center mass o theiramalgam o issues; short stories can strike glancing blows, even tothe point o de fn ing the idea only by implication. (As in Ernest Hemingways amous six- word story: For Sale. Baby Shoes. Never

Worn.) To some degree the slightness o or the partial knowl-edge o the central issue or idea be comes a virtue. For instance,I was once in an expensive boutique on Madison Avenue in New


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xiv Introduction

York City. It sold pens and notebooks and things like that. A womanasked to see some Filo axes small leather ring- binders designed

or personal clerical use. She was shown two. She dialed her cell

phone and said, They have blue and green. She listened to thereply and said, I am not being passive- aggressive!

Now, there is no way that eavesdropping incident could inspire anovel. Theres not enough there. But it could inspire a short story.Every writer has a mental fle labeled Great Ideas, Cant Use Themin My Novels, and short stories are where those ideas can fnd re-lease.

Equally, every writer has mental fles labeled Great Voices,

Cant . . . and Great Characters, Cant . . . and Great Scenarios,Cant . . . and so on. Noir writers might want to try a sweeter setupat some point, and PG writers might hanker a ter a real R rat-ing or even an XXX. The short story market is where those

wings can be spread. The result is o ten a between- the- lines eel-ing o reshness, enthusiasm, experimentation, and enjoyment onthe authors part. Thats the eeling youll fnd in this collection,and perhaps that eeling brings us to a better def ni tion o exactly

what a short story is in todays culture, at least: short stories are ahome run derby . . . the pressures o the long baseball season areput to one side, and eve ry one smiles and relaxes and swings or the

ences.

Lee Chi ld

best american mystery stories 2010 excerpt

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