The CrimeReads editors make their selections for the best crime anthologies released in 2023.
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Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. (eds), Never Whistle at Night
(Vintage)
“Spine-tingling and suggestive storytelling. . . . Entertaining and thought-provoking, especially in its highlighting of the lurking terrors—from intergenerational trauma to environmental destruction to toxic allyship—confronting Indigenous peoples today.”
–Kirkus Reviews
Molly Odintz, Scott Montgomery, Hopeton Hay eds, Austin Noir
(Akashic Books)
“With the common thread of Austin, Texas, Austin Noir is a new compendium of original short stories, each of which are showcased gems of noir fiction and unreservedly recommended for both personal reading lists and community/academic library Contemporary Mystery/Suspense collections.”
–Library Bookwatch
Sarah Weinman (ed), Evidence of Things Seen
(Ecco)
“This is a book about finding justice in a system that can frequently be unjust. These are stories about inequality, victims who must fight to be heard, and the tendency of the legal system to marginalize, or ignore, entire groups of people. . . . A valuable addition to the ever-growing genre of crime nonfiction.”
–Booklist
Patrick R. McDonough, Hot Iron and Cold Blood: An Anthology of the Weird West
(Death’s Head Press)
“Each short story comprising Hot Iron and Cold Blood: An Anthology of the Weird West is unique, carefully crafted, and memorable. A fun read from cover to cover.”
–Midwest Book Review
Jordan Peele and John Joseph Adams, Out There Screaming
(Random House)
“[An] electrifying anthology . . . These tales are all both gruesomely imaginative and firmly rooted in the realities of anti-Black racism and brutality—and there isn’t a weak one in the bunch. This is essential reading for any horror fan.”
–Publishers Weekly
