This is an incredibly strong issue, with the cover novella leading the pack. "There was a Crooked Man, He Flipped a Crooked House" by David Erik Nelson not only has a wonderfully witty title, but it features a vivid depiction of downtown Detroit with a gruesome, eerie house with an affinity for designer shoes. Auston Habershaw's novelet "The Masochist's Assistant" is a fun peak into his books' setting with a unique take on a comedy in manners. My favorite short stories were "An Unearned Death" by Marissa Lingen and "In a Wide Sky, Hidden" by William Ledbetter. Really, though, there's not a bad tale in the bunch, and a few of these will be added to my awards consideration lists. ( )