Reviewing: The Mysterious Bookshop Presents The best mystery stories of the year 2025

Read time: 2 minutes

📚 Genre: Mystery
🎧 Listened in audio
📢 Narrated by: Marnye Young; Jamie Renell
⏱ Duration: 13 hours
🏷 Publisher: Penzler Books
🎙️ Audio Publisher: HighBridge Audio
📅 Releasing Today: September 23, 2025
📖 ARC Provided by: NetGalley

Book Blurb:

#1 bestseller John Grisham selects the best short mystery fiction of the past year.

From over 3,000 considered stories published in the past year, this anthology contains the twenty best, selected by #1 New York Times bestselling author John Grisham under the auspices of New York City’s legendary crime fiction specialty store The Mysterious Bookshop.

This anthology gathers twenty of the best mystery short stories of 2025, spanning noir, cozy mysteries, historical thrillers, and psychological suspense. From established voices to rising stars, each story offers sharp writing and twisty plots, capturing the broad spectrum of contemporary mystery fiction.

let’s talk about the book:

Anthologies are always a gamble. You hope for variety without losing cohesion, for sharp writing without filler. The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2025, curated by Otto Penzler with an introduction by John Grisham, does exactly that. It’s a literary sampler platter for mystery lovers, bringing together 20 tales that showcase the genre’s wide range: from noir grit to classic whodunits to psychological suspense.

Several tales lingered long after the listen:

• The Golden Road by David Avallone – a bittersweet story of survival.
• Home Game by Craig Faustus Buck – a clever, tightly wound domestic mystery.
• The Art of Disappearance by April Kelly – haunting moral dilemmas set in the swamp.
• Jamming at Jollies by Tracy Falenwolfe – a moving tale of second chances.
• Totality by James A. Hearn – a cold case solved under a solar eclipse.
• Through Thick and Thin by Andrew Welsh-Huggins – secrets, twists, and tension.
• The Problem of Cell 13 by Jacques Futrelle – a classic locked-room mystery bonus.

Narrators Marnye Young and Jamie Renell keep the pacing lively and voices distinct, making this audiobook perfect for quick dips or binge listening. With such variety, there’s truly a story here for every mystery fan—cozy, twisty, dark, or heart-pounding. Whether you like your mysteries cozy, atmospheric, dark, or twisty, this collection delivers. If quick, satisfying reads packed with suspense are your thing—this is one to add to the TBR for sure.

would i recommend it?

Absolutely. This anthology is a treasure trove of mystery stories that entertain and surprise in equal measure. It’s a five-star collection to add to your TBR if you crave smart, engaging short mysteries.

Over to You: Mystery Fans

Do you love mystery anthologies or short story collections? Which tales or authors have surprised you lately? Drop your favorites in the comments—let’s talk mysteries!

book links:

Amazon CA
Goodreads
Check out other books published by HighBridge Audio and Penzler Books