When a Stranger Comes to Town

March 1, 2021
The latest Mystery Writers of America short story collection kicks off with S. A. Crosby's haunting tale of a former sex worker's ruthless search for her baby, and the suspense continues through the final story, an otherworldly mystery from Joe Hill. The strangers here run the gamut: assassins, new neighbors, fugitives, avengers, and the insane. In "A Six-Letter Word for Neighbor," Lisa Unger breathes fresh air into the unreliable-narrator trope, while Michael Koryta twists sympathy toward a killer in his tale of a scheming neighborhood tyrant reaping startling consequences. Smita Harish Jain and Tina deBellegarde probe underworlds in, respectively, Mumbai and Tokyo, highlighting power divides, and, in Jacqueline Freimor's unforgettably harrowing "Here's to New Friends," a psychologist narrates a predator's manipulations as he slowly dismantles his prey's defenses. This collection offers the best of both worlds: expert storycraft from genre stars (Unger, Michael Connelly, and Steve Hamilton, among them) and standout entries from some new faces in crime fiction.

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Starred review from April 1, 2021

This edition of the Mystery Writers of America short-story anthology is based on a classic mystery trope: "when a stranger comes to town." The 19 stories are by vastly different authors, some using suspense while others lean toward crime. Alafair Burke takes readers into the skies in "Seat 2C," where a halt in travel gives a wealthy young woman time to consider how well she really knows her fianc�. In editor Koryta's "P.F.A," a young couple moves into a well-to-do neighborhood and receives unwanted attention from the narcissist next door. "Exit Now," by Emilya Naymark, and "Relative Stranger," by Amanda Witt, are both takes on mistaken identity, one set in a corrupt carnival town and the other in a peaceful farmhouse. These stories expose the unease and anxiety an unknown entity can bring into our everyday lives. VERDICT The stories by well-known authors span a wide range under the umbrella of "mystery." Mystery enthusiasts will be hard-pressed to find a story they don't like. Recommended for readers interested in all facets of mystery, suspense, crime, or detective fiction.--Jennifer Funk, McKendree Univ. Lib., Lebanon, IL

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