The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2022

Tom Larsen’s “El Cuerpo en el Barril” (“The Body in the Barrel”) is the first among equals in this impressive anthology of 20 mystery stories. Larsen’s years in Ecuador translate into a vivid depiction of that country in the service of a memorable procedural featuring Capitán Juan Delgado, nicknamed the fat toad by underlings. Delgado, whose indifference to societal norms may be what has made him a great sleuth, must solve the murder of a man whose corpse was left in a barrel in the coastal town of Manta. Larsen’s tale is an exemplar of making an unpleasant lead a character who compels attention. Susan Frith’s unsettling “Better Austens” lures readers in with benign opening passages about a book club whose members read light fiction to balance their demanding jobs; the reveal of what those jobs are is a shocker. Among the better-known contributors, Jo Nesbø stands out with “Black Knight,” whose antihero lead, a hit man, is engaged in a deadly battle of wits with a professional rival in Milan. Diverse voices, settings, and premises make this a treat for fans of literate and inventive mystery fiction. (Sept.)