Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
Read for Free
OR
Kindle Price: $7.99

Save $2.00 (20%)

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a team or group.
Learn more

Buying and sending eBooks to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Buy and send eBooks
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These ebooks can only be redeemed by recipients in the US. Redemption links and eBooks cannot be resold.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs

Follow the authors

John Sandford
+ Follow
Arthur Davis
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 (The Best American Series) Kindle Edition

by John Sandford (Editor) Format: Kindle Edition
4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 352 ratings
See all formats and editions
The New York Times–bestselling author presents a thrilling anthology of devious crimes with stories by C. J. Box, Peter Straub, Joyce Carol Oates and more.
 
“Some people might tell you that crime short stories, unlike the more precious kind, are a kind of fictional ghetto, full of cardboard characters and clichéd situations. Not true. These stories are remarkably free of bullshit—al­though there’s always a little, just to grease the wheels,” writes guest editor John Sandford in his introduction to this action-packed volume of mystery fiction.
 
From an isolated Wyoming ranch to the Detroit boxing underworld, and from kidnapping and adultery in the Hollywood Hills to a serial killer loose in a nursing home, The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 hosts an entertaining abundance of crime, psychological suspense, and bad intentions.
 
The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 includes entries by C.J. Box, Gerri Brightwell, Jeffery Deaver, Brendan DuBois, Trina Corey, Craig Johnson, Joyce Carol Oates, Peter Straub, and others.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Part of series
    The Best American: Mystery Stories
  2. Print length
    386 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  5. Publisher
    Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
  6. Publication date
    October 3, 2017
  7. File size
    4098 KB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  11. See all details
Next page
Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card
Next 5 for you in this series See full series
Total Price: $66.95
By clicking on the above button, you agree to Amazon's Kindle Store Terms of Use

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Fans of such notables as C.J. Box, Peter Straub, and Joyce Carol Oates chiefly known for their novels will be pleased to see how well they write at shorter length."--Publishers Weekly   —

About the Author

OTTO PENZLER is a renowned mystery editor, publisher, columnist, and owner of New York’s The Mysterious Bookshop, the oldest and largest bookstore solely dedicated to mystery fiction. He has edited more than fifty crime-fiction anthologies. He lives in New York.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01MU0FO93
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (October 3, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 3, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4098 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 386 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 352 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. John Sandford

    John Sandford

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    John Sandford is the pseudonym for the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist John Camp. He is the author of the Prey novels, the Kidd novels, the Virgil Flowers novels, and six other books, including three YA novels co-authored with his wife Michele Cook.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Arthur Davis

    Arthur Davis

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Arthur Davis is a management consultant with an MBA in Corporate and Investment Finance whose practice specialty is Corporate Planning and Reorganization. He has been quoted in The New York Times and in Crain’s New York Business, taught at The New School and interviewed on New York TV News Channel 1.

    He has managed engagements in the United States and overseas, advised The New York City Taxi & Limousine Commission, the Department of Homeland Security, Senator John McCain's investigating committee on boxing reform, testified as an expert witness before Senator Roy Goodman’s New York State Commission on Corruption in Boxing and lectures on leadership skills to CEO's and entrepreneurs.

    Since 2009, over a hundred and twenty original tales of horror, fantasy, magical realism, science fiction, speculative fiction, mystery, crime, epic adventure as well as literary fiction have been published, with another forty as reprints. Nine novels are available and include tales of mystery, fantasy, horror, romance and mainstream fiction.

    He was featured in a single author anthology, nominated for a Pushcart Prize, twice nominated he received Honorable Mention in The Best American Mystery Stories 2017, and received the 2018 Write Well Award for excellence in short fiction.

    Looking to partner with cable/TV companies to develop proprietary properties based on my novels and short stories where great storytelling is at the heart of great entertainment.

    Additional background is available at the Poets & Writers Organization, linkedin, facebook and my website.

    More importantly, I support several dozen charities each year and have volunteered for neighborhood as well as national non-profit organizations including Vacation Camp For The Blind, UNICEF, American Cancer Society, The United Way, American Diabetes Association, Reading For The Blind, New York Blood Bank, American Red Cross, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, National Multiple Sclerosis Society and local churches & synagogues.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
352 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Rita A. Coombs
5.0 out of 5 stars Loved these short stories
Reviewed in the United States on September 29, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is a great read. With the exception of one story I really enjoyed it. A great read before bed or if you have a short wait. I’ll definitely read it at least twice more.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
PDT
4.0 out of 5 stars Short Stories With Twist Endings
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2019
Verified Purchase
Not really mysteries in terms of whodunits. Most are allegorical or have endings with twists.
4 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
F.Naftolin
3.0 out of 5 stars His choices, not his writing
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2022
Verified Purchase
It must be hard to meet the mark when your audience is looking for you, not others.
Helpful
 Report
Book Bag Lady
5.0 out of 5 stars Creepy and Dark
Reviewed in the United States on November 11, 2017
Verified Purchase
Best American Mysteries is a misnomer. These are crime stories and this years editor, John Sanford, has
made stellar choices Many are dark, creepy and "Psycho" scary. It's hard to pick a favorite but, since I'm a sucker for any story that deals with horses and a race track, I'll have to go with "The Smell of Warm Earth." I wish though, that one year an editor will find a way to include stories dealing with white collar crime, political shenanigans, environmental terrorists or murder and mayhem among with well-to-do It would be a welcome change after so many lowlifes who have populated recent collections
31 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Dr. Cathy Goodwin
4.0 out of 5 stars Good stories ... just not mysteries
Reviewed in the United States on September 19, 2018
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
There's nothing wrong with the stories in this collection. They're extremely well-written. They'd mostly qualify as literary fiction. However, the categorization of "mystery" is itself a mystery. The editors of the collections are known for traditional mysteries and detective stories, yet they choose stories that are less appealing to readers of the genre.

The stories are loosely united with the theme of crimes committed, either during the story or in the backstory. But there's rarely a true mystery in the sense that the reader follows someone who's solving a mystery.

For the most part the characters in these stories tend to be unsympathetic. It's hard to get interested in what happens to them. They've gotten into a mess and it's often their own fault. Then they struggle to get out of that mess. Most of the stories end with ambiguity.

The first story, Puncher's Chance, seems structured like a mystery, except it's more about plotting to outwit others who set them up. Flight is one of the better stories, with at least a couple of likeable characters; the plot line seems vaguely familiar ("person trapped in his own body finds a way to escape") but at least there's a clear plot and a satisfying ending. Liars and Thieves had a PI character; it's perhaps the closest to what a mystery reader might be expecting. Ike, Sharon and Me shows how a crime might have happened but there's no real detecting...and the characters weren't especially admirable.

I gave this book 4 stars because the writing is of extremely high quality. If you're looking for literary fiction with a crime twist, you don't mind unsavory characters, and you don't mind reading digging through several stories to one or two you'll love ... then this one's a good choice.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Shelley
5.0 out of 5 stars The Best American Mystery Stories 2017 (The Best American Series
Reviewed in the United States on August 2, 2020
Verified Purchase
If you like mysteries, this is a great book with short ones that you'll really enjoy. I had to read it for my LIT class in college, but I would read it again regardless. The stories are really good and you'll find yourself laughing at some of them. Definitely recommend this book!
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Paulo F.
3.0 out of 5 stars Poor harvest in 2017
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is the most authoritative compilation of short writings, in my opinion. Every edition is a surprise box and unfortunately this 2017 edition selected old fashioned stories with a new dress. No subjects or characters involving the internet and the state of the art technology. One of the stories start with: "In the summer of 1961". The three star reflects well-crafted stories such as Power Wagon. Sorry Joyce Oates, I am sure you can do much better than you did in The Woman in The Window.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Paper or Kindle
4.0 out of 5 stars Nice buffet
Reviewed in the United States on August 26, 2017
Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )
I normally read mystery novels, not short stories. But I have all of John Sandford's novels, so when I saw that he edited this collection I figured I couldn't go wrong with it. It's a nice mix of styles. My favorite entry is Power Wagon, by C.J. Box, which has a cute twist to it. This book includes stories by: Doug Allyn, Jim Allyn, C.J. Box, Dan Bevaqua, Gerri Brightwell, S.L. Coney, Trina Corey, Jeffery Deaver, Brendan Dubois, Loren D. Estleman, Peter Ferry, Charles John Harper, Craig Johnson, William Kent Krueger, K. McGee, Joyce Carol Oates, Steven Popkes, William Soldan, Peter Straub and Wallace Stroby, so there are a few big stars as well as lesser lights. This is the 21st anniversary of the series, and after reading this, I'm tempted to dig up all the previous issues to see how mystery writing has evolved over the past two decades.

ETA: I looked at the collection from 1999 and saw several of the same authors represented there. This makes me think that these are not necessarily the BEST American mystery stories of the year so much as an ongoing club of writers whose work keeps getting included. I'm a little disappointed by this, but if I really want to widen my reading of mystery stories, I can always pick up mystery magazines.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Kerry Carter
5.0 out of 5 stars Best way to sample all mystery markets
Reviewed in Canada on November 27, 2017
Verified Purchase
Every story in this collection is enjoyable. The best overall and most memorable is C. J. Box's "Power Wagon" and of course "Dot Rat" by K. McGee (biased? but true). Great editing and choices. I found some new-to-me magazines/books I will have to try!
Report
Marilee
3.0 out of 5 stars Hard to relate to most of the stories.
Reviewed in Canada on November 4, 2023
Verified Purchase
Hard to relate to some stories and skipped a few.
Report
Report an issue

Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report