Life Is Short and Then You Die: Mystery Writers of America Presents First Encounters with Murder

by Kelley Armstrong (Editor)

Overview

Life Is Short and Then You Die is the Mystery Writers of America's first teen anthology, edited by #1 New York Times bestselling author Kelley Armstrong.

Adolescence is a time of “firsts.” First kiss. First love. First loss. First job. The first taste of adult responsibilities, and the first look at an independent life away from both the restrictions and the security of home.

And in this case, a very different type of “first”: murder.

This short story collection of murder mysteries adds a sinister spin to the joy and pain of firsts that have always been a major part of life, whether it be high school cliques who take the term “backstabbing” too seriously, stumbling upon a body on the way home from school, or receiving a Snapchat message that promises something deadly.

Contributors include Barry Lyga, Caleb Roehrig, Emmy Laybourne, Jonathan Maberry, R.L. Stine, Rachel Vincent, Y.S. Lee, and more!

An Imprint Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250196392
Publisher:	Imprint
Publication date:	09/10/2019
Pages:	320
Sales rank:	260,241
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	HL720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	15 - 17 Years

About the Author

Kelley Armstrong has been telling stories since before she could write. If asked for a story about girls and dolls, hers would invariably feature undead girls and evil dolls, much to her teachers' dismay. All efforts to make her produce "normal" stories failed. Today, she continues to spin tales of ghosts and demons and werewolves, while safely locked away in her basement writing dungeon. She's the author of the New York Times-bestselling Women of the Otherworld paranormal suspense series and the Darkest Powers young adult urban fantasy trilogy, as well as the Nadia Stafford crime series. Armstrong lives in southwestern Ontario with her husband, her kids, and far too many pets.

Table of Contents

Introduction Kelley Armstrong v

Floater Kelley Armstrong 1

The Day I Killed Coach Duffy R.L. Stine 24

In Plain Sight Y. S. Lee 34

Daddy's Girl Melissa Marr 51

Summer Job Amanda Witt 59

The Boy in the Red Vans Rachel Vincent 77

The Company I Keep Jeff Somers 88

Concealment Eileen Rendahl 106

Night of the Living Dog David Bart 123

Murder IRL Jeff Soloway 137

A Killer Story Julie Tollefson 156

Gnat Joseph S. Walker 175

A Different Hero's Day Anthony Franze Barry Lancet 191

First Party Back Emmy Laybourne 206

What I Did On My Summer Vacation Jonathan Maberry 223

The Things We Don't Talk About Stephen Ross 241

Enemy Lines Caleb Roehrig 259

Six Ways to Kill Your Grandmother Barry Lyga 290

About the Authors 309

Editorial Reviews

07/15/2019

Organized by crime and fantasy author Kelley Armstrong, this powerful anthology presents 18 short stories wherein teens’ first brushes with murder function as the fulcrum of life changes. Several selections involve murder’s aftermath, such as Y.S. Lee’s historical, lyrical “In Plain Sight,” inspired by a real-life female prisoner, and “Murder IRL” by Jeff Soloway, whose frank protagonist experiences severe acne, parental concern, and a killer in his virtual baseball league. Other contributions portray adolescents contemplating murder, as in Joseph S. Walker’s simmering “Gnat,” in which the eponymous victim of bullying captures a murder on camera and deliberates between justice and revenge, and in Barry Lyga’s darkly humorous “Six Ways to Kill Your Grandmother,” in which the teen son of a recently imprisoned serial killer considers how best to dispatch his senescent grandma. The authors chosen might have been more inclusive, and a few entries suffer from predictable twists (“The Boy in the Red Vans” by Rachel Vincent), uneven pacing (“Concealment” by Eileen Rendahl), and clunky dialogue (“Night of the Living Dog” by David Bart), but this anthology will nonetheless provide ample entertainment for young murder-mystery aficionados. Ages 15–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"Ample entertainment for young murder-mystery aficionados." —Publishers Weekly

"This anthology may entice teens to expand their mystery reading." —Kirkus Reviews

"An appropriate read for a wide YA audience... a great collection for mystery lovers of all stripes." —Booklist

"A few choice selections... for a spooky readaloud." —The Bulletin

"A broad look at the genre... Engaging... Well written and interesting." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

09/06/2019

Gr 10 Up-Death proceeds in mysterious ways and these mysteries are all the more intriguing when murder is on the table. Or in the garage. Or in the neighborhood park. Edited by Armstrong, this is a collection of young adult short stories featuring murder. It is a broad look at the genre, covering the topic in a variety of ways—accidents, intentional, intentionally made to look like accidents—and from a variety of points of view; sometimes the protagonist witnessed the murder, was framed for it, stumbled across the victim, or even was murdered. The work is engaging and would fit into a moderate collection, but wouldn't be a strong recommendation to grip mystery lovers. VERDICT While all of the selections are well written and interesting, there are few surprises in these short stories.-Sarah Voels, Cedar Rapids Public Library, IA

School Library Journal