…and here’s an update of the stories I’ve read so far in May—reposting/consolidating earlier lists and adding more!
- All five stories nominated for this year’s Arthur Ellis Award for Best Short Story. The first three are from the same anthology, The Whole She-Bang 3, edited by Janet Costello and published by the Toronto Chapter of Sisters in Crime: “Steve’s Story” by Cathy Ace, “A Death at the Parsonage” by Susan Daly, and “Where There’s a Will” by Elizabeth Hosang. The final two were published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine: “The Ascent” by Scott Mackay and “The Granite Kitchen” by David Morrell.
- “Whose Wine Is It Anyway?” by Barb Goffman from the new anthology 50 Shades of Cabernet.
- “Williamsburg Bridge” by John Edgar Wideman from Harper’s, republished in last year’s Best American Short Stories.
- “Obsession” by Clarice Lispector from the massive collection Complete Stories—and then more recently three more from the same collection: “The Fever Dream,” “Jimmy and I,” and “Interrupted Story.”
- “The Jar” by my wife, Tara Laskowski, from JMWW and recently selected for the Wigleaf Top 50, honoring the best flash fiction stories of the previous year.
- “Vanity Case” by John Floyd from the just-released Spring issue of Mysterical-E.
- “Acknowledgements” by Martin Edwards, a stand-alone, limited edition publication for this year’s Malice Domestic by Crippen & Landru.
- “Put Yourself in My Shoes” by Raymond Carver from his debut collection Will You Please Be Quiet, Please?
- “Dreaming of Rain and Peter Lovesey” by Ann Cleeves from the anthology Motives for Murder: Stories by the Detection Club for Peter Lovesey, published by Crippen & Landru.
- “No More Waiting” by Helen Nelson from the anthology The Whole She-Bang 3.
- “Pulpo” by Leigh Camacho Rourks at SmokeLong.
- “Hourglass” by Clare Beams from her collection We Show What We Have Learned.
- “Night Class” by David Dean from Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.
- “A Garden for Adonis” by Debra Goldstein from Texas Gardener’s Seeds.
- “The Summer People” by Kelly Link from her collection Get in Trouble.
- “The Seven” by Elaine Viets from the anthology Malice Domestic: Mystery Most Historical.
- “Queen of the Dogs” by Holly West from the anthology 44 Caliber Funk: Tales of Crime, Soul, and Payback, recently named a finalist for the Anthony Award for Best Short Story. (I’m in good company!)
Still more stories ahead. Stay up to date with the series at my Facebook author page here.