Twenty stories—remarkable in their diversity—comprise this 17th instalment of Penzler's annual anthology of theBest American Mystery Stories. Best-selling novelist andEdgar Awardwinner,Lisa Scottolinebrings her mastery of the thriller genre as well as her wit and heart to this collection of must-reads in mysteries.As always, series editor Penzler makes the initial selection, turning over his 50 favourites to a guest editor— this time it’sLisa Scottoline- to make the final choices. She has done her work well, coming up with a nice mix of big names (Connelly, Oates, Pronzini) and lesser-knowns, who, judging by their contributions here, won’t be lesser-known all that much longer.The plots and settings are more varied than a reader might expect, but what surprises is how literary many of these stories are, as the opening entry, "Smothered and Covered," byTom Barlow, about a down-and-out guy who sees a young girl just before her mysterious death, an encounter that prompts reflection on the loss of his own daughter. The most literary of the bunch isRandall Silvis's"The Indian," about a small-town vendetta between a lowlife and his teenage best friend, though it's much too long.Michael Connellysupplies a terrificHarry Boschstory, "A Fine Mist of Blood," which reminds the reader of just how great a character Bosch can be— and the author's storytelling prowess. Best in show this time, though, goes toEileen Dreyer’s“The Soldier in the Picture,” which takes as its starting point the iconic Eisenstadt photo of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square on V-J Day. It turns out there was something else going on in Times Square that day, just out of range of Eisenstadt’s camera, another sailor meeting his wife, but the occasion was not nearly as happy. It’s a nearly perfect crime story: shocking, resonant, and beautifully crafted.In "Drifter,"Emily St. John Mandeltells the bizarre but compelling story of a young widow travelling in the wake of her husband's death, from the Arctic Circle to Venice, Italy, where she meets a very mysterious stranger.O'Neil De Noux, a New Orleans writer, offers an intriguing "AK" ("after Katrina") tale, "Misprision of Felony," about an investigation into the murder of a shopkeeper — a terrific setting, great prose, and an artful look at the sociology of crime.Hannah Tinti's"Bullet Number Two" is a noirish story set in the middle of nowhere in the southwest—a powerful and shocking narrative.