Some Unexpected Personal News

Or: "Holy shit holy shit holy shit holy shit"

Yesterday, I was stunned and delighted to learn that my story “Grendel¹,” originally published by the good folks at Rock and a Hard Place, has been selected for The Best American Mystery and Suspense 2025.

To say this was unexpected is an extreme understatement. Many, many thanks to my R&HP editors, as well as Steph Cha and Don Winslow for selecting this piece. I can still hardly believe it, but I am so deeply grateful.

1. Writing as Craig Francis Coates