The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2023    edited by Lisa Unger Order:  USA  Can Mariner, 2023 (2023) Softcover, CD, e-Book      Reviewed by Rheta Van Winkle This collection is a treat for someone who enjoys reading short stories of a mysterious or unusual variety. The editor has chosen what she considered to be the best short crime fiction out of many stories that she reviewed. These twenty were gleaned from 'journals, anthologies, magazines and everywhere short fiction is published.' The characters are as real as your next door neighbor, or, gasp, sometimes as your sister, husband or wife. As you comfortably make your way with the heroes to what you both think will be an ending, a twist of fate will surprise you. It isn't necessarily a pleasant twist. Lisa Unger, explains: 'The gifted and inventive writers gathered here take a deep dive into strange worlds and altered states. They explore big themes like love, grief, community, family, identity, as well as those small moments of choice and circumstance that dictate the course of our lives. Crime fiction is ... a place where human nature is revealed under the most intense of circumstances.' A brief explanation of what event or life experience inspired the story, by each of the authors, makes an interesting conclusion to the book. I enjoyed reading about a murder investigation on a space station circling Earth, where attempts are being made to preserve all growing things on our overcrowded planet in The Blood-Red Leaves of Autumn. Equally absorbing was the attempt of an investigator to find out where missing children were being hidden in Mr. Filbert's Classroom. Both these stories and others in the collection reflect concerns about actual events in our lives today. Strangely, though, my favorite stories were more violent. In Home is the Hunter, a retired career criminal attempts to escape his compatriot criminals by returning to a place where he always felt safe as a child. In The Ticks Will Eat You Whole, our hero discovers things about his wife and boring mother-in-law that amaze him. He's annoyed that they have dragged him along to spread the ashes of his father-in-law along a weed-infested and hilly wilderness trail. Both of these stories had delightfully surprising endings. Another of my favorite stories, Crime Scene, takes us to Dealey Plaza in Dallas on the anniversary of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's murder. An assassin who has taken this as his final job decides to find out about the person he is to kill there on that famous date. My own memories of that day may have influenced my intense interest in this story. Whether or not our protagonist will go through with killing the victim carries us to the conclusion and his doubts about the course of his past life. All of these stories were fun to read, if you can call delving into the dark sides of human nature fun. However, they are thought provoking and sharply entertaining. Also, thankfully, they are all fiction. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews