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Grave Danger
The annual Thriller anthology of short fiction, now in its third year, brings together the most exciting mystery and suspense writers. This year's collection, Love Is Murder, is edited by Sandra Brown. Among the featured authors is New York Times bestselling author Heather Graham, whose original short story "Grave Danger" is now available as a free ebook.
For special-effects artist Ali MacGregor, it can be hard to tell fantasy from reality. Especially when her coworker Victor leaves her alone in the studio one night, surrounded by scary creations—zombies, werewolves and mangled corpses. And then she hears footsteps.... Footsteps that shouldn't be there.
Nearby, Ali's ex, cop Greg Austin, is called to the graveyard set of a horror movie after a real corpse appears. But the dead man isn't who his ID says he is. And Victor isn't who he seems to be, either. Greg quickly realizes that Ali, the woman he's never stopped loving, is in grave danger....
For special-effects artist Ali MacGregor, it can be hard to tell fantasy from reality. Especially when her coworker Victor leaves her alone in the studio one night, surrounded by scary creations—zombies, werewolves and mangled corpses. And then she hears footsteps.... Footsteps that shouldn't be there.
Nearby, Ali's ex, cop Greg Austin, is called to the graveyard set of a horror movie after a real corpse appears. But the dead man isn't who his ID says he is. And Victor isn't who he seems to be, either. Greg quickly realizes that Ali, the woman he's never stopped loving, is in grave danger....
24 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 1, 2012
170 people are currently reading
1009 people want to read
About the author
Heather Graham
584 books6,929 followersAlso published as Heather Graham Pozzessere and Shannon Drake.
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.
Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
New York Times and USA Today best-selling author Heather Graham majored in theater arts at the University of South Florida. After a stint of several years in dinner theater, back-up vocals, and bartending, she stayed home after the birth of her third child and began to write, working on short horror stories and romances. After some trial and error, she sold her first book, WHEN NEXT WE LOVE, in 1982 and since then, she has written over one hundred novels and novellas including category, romantic suspense, historical romance, vampire fiction, time travel, occult, and Christmas holiday fare. She wrote the launch books for the Dell's Ecstasy Supreme line, Silhouette's Shadows, and for Harlequin's mainstream fiction imprint, Mira Books.
Heather was a founding member of the Florida Romance Writers chapter of RWA and, since 1999, has hosted the Romantic Times Vampire Ball, with all revenues going directly to children's charity.
She is pleased to have been published in approximately twenty languages, and to have been honored with awards frorn Waldenbooks. B. Dalton, Georgia Romance Writers, Affaire de Coeur, Romantic Times, and more. She has had books selected for the Doubleday Book Club and the Literary Guild, and has been quoted, interviewed, or featured in such publications as The Nation, Redbook, People, and USA Today and appeared on many newscasts including local television and Entertainment Tonight.
Heather loves travel and anything have to do with the water, and is a certitified scuba diver. Married since high school graduation and the mother of five, her greatest love in life remains her family, but she also believes her career has been an incredible gift, and she is grateful every day to be doing something that she loves so very much for a living.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
May 5, 2013
I admit I like free shit. I also admit I’m not entirely rational in my thought process. For example, I happily hand over my Bouchercon and Left Coast Crime Conference fees and feel like I’ve won the lottery when I receive a bag filled with books. Seriously, this ends up being one of the major highlights of these conferences. So in my continued pursuit of this high, minus the conference fees, I have decided to scour Amazon for the best free short stories and books available. With that being said, let’s get to the review.
This is one action-packed short story. Corpses and zombies and stuffed werewolves riddled with bullets plaster every page. Spider web props dangle from the rafters and drop at the most inopportune moments, creating one tangled mess. And without giving too much away, I’ll probably never look at prop men the same way again.
Let me just say Heather Graham knows romance. Greg and Ali have a complicated, passion filled relationship, and both end up being strong-willed, as well as strong-headed, in the end. It reminded me of an Old West duel where neither wanted to blink first.
I did find the overzealous use of exclamation points a bit exhausting. Elmore Leonard would probably shake his head at the undead. GRAVE DANGER did, however, provide plenty of free entertainment in just over 24 pages, so I’d say it was time and money well spent.
This is one action-packed short story. Corpses and zombies and stuffed werewolves riddled with bullets plaster every page. Spider web props dangle from the rafters and drop at the most inopportune moments, creating one tangled mess. And without giving too much away, I’ll probably never look at prop men the same way again.
Let me just say Heather Graham knows romance. Greg and Ali have a complicated, passion filled relationship, and both end up being strong-willed, as well as strong-headed, in the end. It reminded me of an Old West duel where neither wanted to blink first.
I did find the overzealous use of exclamation points a bit exhausting. Elmore Leonard would probably shake his head at the undead. GRAVE DANGER did, however, provide plenty of free entertainment in just over 24 pages, so I’d say it was time and money well spent.
December 6, 2016
Heather Graham is a must read author for me and she did not let me down in this short hair raising story of monsters and terror, that unfolded like a movie in my mind, with Prince Charming coming to the rescue and don’t we all want that?
November 24, 2019
Nice little story
January 16, 2016
Awesome!
To be so short, but to be so scary is no easy task. Heather Graham pulls it off like it was easy though. You get pulled in deep, and at the end you are left wanting more but not cliffhanging.
Ali is cool but very naive. It gets used against her too often too. I knew loverboy was going to save her, it was a given, but there is a part of me that wish he hadn't. (LOL) Still, I'd like to read more about Ali and Greg. They are rather likable.
A quick-paced thriller short story that lots of people will enjoy, including me!
To be so short, but to be so scary is no easy task. Heather Graham pulls it off like it was easy though. You get pulled in deep, and at the end you are left wanting more but not cliffhanging.
Ali is cool but very naive. It gets used against her too often too. I knew loverboy was going to save her, it was a given, but there is a part of me that wish he hadn't. (LOL) Still, I'd like to read more about Ali and Greg. They are rather likable.
A quick-paced thriller short story that lots of people will enjoy, including me!
August 1, 2015
This actually started out pretty good. Then it was rushed, weird and senseless. It kind of is a good glimpse at this author's writing style. If this short story was expanded into a full book, it wouldn't be rushed, but still be weird and mildly senseless, but would understand characters and what is going on better. Which would make it an okay read. As a short story, this just doesn't work at all for me.
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January 27, 2014I love Heather Graham!
I've never written a review before, so here I go! This story catches your attention at the beginning and just keeps you locked in. I didn't want it to end! I love all her books!!!
I've never written a review before, so here I go! This story catches your attention at the beginning and just keeps you locked in. I didn't want it to end! I love all her books!!!
July 3, 2017
Only Heather Graham could pack a great story into so little of words. This is a must read for her fans.
September 30, 2024
For special-effects artist Ali MacGregor, it can be hard to tell fantasy from reality. Especially when her coworker Victor leaves her alone in the studio one night, surrounded by scary creations–zombies, werewolves and mangled corpses. And then she hears footsteps…. Footsteps that shouldn't be there.
Nearby, Ali's ex, cop Greg Austin, is called to the graveyard set of a horror movie after a real corpse appears. But the dead man isn't who his ID says he is. And Victor isn't who he seems to be, either. Greg quickly realizes that Ali, the woman he's never stopped loving, is in grave danger….
Heather's Notes
This was a nice short story. A little spooky with a ghost. I enjoyed it.
Nearby, Ali's ex, cop Greg Austin, is called to the graveyard set of a horror movie after a real corpse appears. But the dead man isn't who his ID says he is. And Victor isn't who he seems to be, either. Greg quickly realizes that Ali, the woman he's never stopped loving, is in grave danger….
Heather's Notes
This was a nice short story. A little spooky with a ghost. I enjoyed it.
February 17, 2019
I know this was a short story, but...WOW!!! I wish I could give it more than 5 stars!! I have been a big Heather Graham fan for many years and she never fails to entertain with each of her books. Wow!! This one would have been a GREAT full-length novel, but, I enjoyed it all the same. Keep em coming, Heather!!
November 16, 2024
NICE STORY
I read these two books before and wrote interviews on both, the first story with Ali not realizing her coworker was a killer well if someone came at me with a knife I would run first and ask questions later. The second story was very good with the Mongoloid young man with the second sense, was an excellent story.
I read these two books before and wrote interviews on both, the first story with Ali not realizing her coworker was a killer well if someone came at me with a knife I would run first and ask questions later. The second story was very good with the Mongoloid young man with the second sense, was an excellent story.
August 22, 2023
Didn’t realize this was a short story. Clearly it said in the cover but I totally missed it lol 😂 this was a good short spooky story. I enjoyed it and will probably read the others that follow this book.
April 26, 2018
It started out ok, but then was way too rushed. I understand it's a novella, but it could have been a handful of pages longer to help with some of the sensless parts, and made for a bit more detail.
October 5, 2018
They weren't kidding when they said short story! But that's ok. Heather Graham is the ultimate storyteller!
She does not dissapoint!
She does not dissapoint!
January 27, 2019
It was a good read.
April 3, 2020
Oh my goodness this story was short but perfect. 😍 love it
October 30, 2020
So suspenseful!! Great read!!
August 9, 2022
Great shirt story
Love this short story from Heather Graham! Can not wait to read more from this awesome author! Heather Graham rocks!!!!
Love this short story from Heather Graham! Can not wait to read more from this awesome author! Heather Graham rocks!!!!
February 21, 2017
Not the best short story. It wasn't anything like Heather Graham's usual stories. It started off great but then it seemed to shift scenes to a new character without warning.
June 15, 2015
Review originally appeared on Books That Hook
“Grave Danger” is a short story I downloaded for free on Amazon. I just checked and it is still free if you want to give it a try.
My thoughts: It’s a quick, entertaining read. Ali works as a special effects artist. She’s working late one night and hears something. Meanwhile, her ex-boyfriend, a cop, is investigating a body in a graveyard on the set near where Ali is working. One he realizes that Ali is still there, he rushes to find her. Good thing he does because Ali is about to fall victim to a deranged killer.
Like most short stories I have read, I was left with a lot of questions. I never fully understood why the killer murdered the man in the graveyard. There didn’t seem to be a motive for that, other than the killer was insane. I also didn’t understand the identity confusion regarding the victim.
There was a good amount of suspense. I definitely felt afraid for Ali. Graham does a great job of setting up the creepy atmosphere of the special effects studio.
Overall, I enjoyed reading “Grave Danger.” It’s a great little read for the Halloween season.
“Grave Danger” is a short story I downloaded for free on Amazon. I just checked and it is still free if you want to give it a try.
My thoughts: It’s a quick, entertaining read. Ali works as a special effects artist. She’s working late one night and hears something. Meanwhile, her ex-boyfriend, a cop, is investigating a body in a graveyard on the set near where Ali is working. One he realizes that Ali is still there, he rushes to find her. Good thing he does because Ali is about to fall victim to a deranged killer.
Like most short stories I have read, I was left with a lot of questions. I never fully understood why the killer murdered the man in the graveyard. There didn’t seem to be a motive for that, other than the killer was insane. I also didn’t understand the identity confusion regarding the victim.
There was a good amount of suspense. I definitely felt afraid for Ali. Graham does a great job of setting up the creepy atmosphere of the special effects studio.
Overall, I enjoyed reading “Grave Danger.” It’s a great little read for the Halloween season.
January 14, 2014
Představte si, že nastoupíte do letadla. Stane se nehoda a Vy jste jediní, kdo se může pokusit s poškozeným letadlem nouzově přistát. Pilot na prahu smrti se Vám snaží v pár sekundách vysvětlit to nejnutnější, co musíte vědět než zkusíte létající vrak nasměrovat na dostatečně velkou a rovnou plochu. Bude Vám těch pár vteřin stačit, abyste úspěšně přistáli? Asi tak na mě působilo zrychlené vyprávění autorky, která se v těch pár stránkách snažila objasnit nějaké souvislosti okolo postav. Taky v pár vteřinách a s podobným výsledkem. Přesto to na mě působilo, že předpokládá, že bych ty postavy snad už měla znát (i když není odkud). Vím, že se jedná o krátkou novelu. Tahle je však ultrakrátká a ne nějak zábavná, s ošklivým happy endem, ke kterému stejně víte, že dojdete. Vlastně víte, jak to skončí už na začátku a to pro mě v tomto případě není zážitek. 2 hvězdy dávám nejspíš proto, že ležím v posteli a mam v sobě dva paraleny. Jinak odpovídá spíše jedné.
June 12, 2024
A little too rushed, should have been longer. Enjoyed what it could have been with more time.
October 25, 2013
This is another short story that should have been a full length novel. And if it were, it would have become more of a romance than anything else. There was too much back story to the two main characters that was tried to be pushed in and ended up leaving me wondering what had happened in their relationship before the story started. Additionally, the ending between the two left me even more confused. And then when you add in the murder, that confuses me even more. When I say confused, I knew what was going on while it was going on, but it left me needing more. There were so many details left out that would have made this whole story that much better. Still worth the read though.
May 7, 2014
RATING: 1 1/2 STARS
This story had me up til the point where Ali and Greg come face to face with the killer. What followed was some of the most asinine dialogue. I mean I can see how being faced with certain death makes you realizes the stupid mistakes you made life and your true feelings for loved ones but it just seemed out of place. Don't get me started on the things the killer said.
In my opinion the premise of this book does not lend itself to short story form. Events need to be spread out, character backgrounds and relationships sometimes need to be flushed out in order for the reader i.e. me, to care about them.
This story had me up til the point where Ali and Greg come face to face with the killer. What followed was some of the most asinine dialogue. I mean I can see how being faced with certain death makes you realizes the stupid mistakes you made life and your true feelings for loved ones but it just seemed out of place. Don't get me started on the things the killer said.
In my opinion the premise of this book does not lend itself to short story form. Events need to be spread out, character backgrounds and relationships sometimes need to be flushed out in order for the reader i.e. me, to care about them.
January 9, 2018
Read in Love Is Murder. It was an okay story for 24 pages. The dialogue wasn't too great. Actually at times it was silly. I didn't like the atmosphere the story was placed in. A creepy Hollywood monster studio and a grave yard?? Not a fan of any hint of the paranormal either.
August 15, 2012
Short, not so sweet.... this is a great story that was a little confusing in places, but fun anyway. Take a few minutes and enjoy this creepy little gem of a tale. Another way to raise your blood pressure!
Did I say I love this woman and her creepy settings? She will wake you up! Beautiful locales, good people, creepy things that go bump in the night - what more would any ghost fan want or need?
Did I say I love this woman and her creepy settings? She will wake you up! Beautiful locales, good people, creepy things that go bump in the night - what more would any ghost fan want or need?
August 25, 2012
This book grabbed my interest from the start! The author really knows how to develop characters and a great plot to keep the reader on edge! This is the first time I have read any of the author's work but with this appetizer of a story I will definitely venture in reading her novels.
I enjoyed the thrill of the suspense with a great mixture of love, danger, and horror!
A MUST QUICK READ!!
I enjoyed the thrill of the suspense with a great mixture of love, danger, and horror!
A MUST QUICK READ!!
January 9, 2013
I normally enjoy books/stories by this author. This was a free kindle download back in the fall of 2012. That being said, I'm glad I didn't spend any money on it. This was more romance than mystery. Given the fact this is a short story, I still felt the story was rushed and I was doing a lot of mental eye-rolling. I'll stick to her full-length books from now on.
April 5, 2016
Author Heather Graham is one of my favorite authors when I need something to make me get chills or think-outside-the-box. She combines suspense, drama, romance, horror and mystery perfectly in this very quick and very short read that will make you jump in surprise than in joy for Ali.
February 1, 2017
I really liked this short story. It was exciting and made me seek out the anthology that it is a part of--the love is murder book. Anyway, I have never read a Heather Graham book before but would like to check in on some of her books because this story had a good mix of crime story, suspense and mystery and romance that I like in my reads. Very good.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews