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Knife Edge
An anthology of twenty-five crime, thriller, mystery and suspense stories from twenty-three authors, including Booker prize nominated Jim Williams.
This global collection of short stories from 500 to 4000 words covers everything from cosy mystery to urban noir, gumshoe and classic crime.
Contents
The Hôtel Des Mutilées by Jim Williams – When beauty is more than skin-deep.
The Problem with the Tub by Mike Berlin – Will leave you with a fear of bathroom renovations.
Supermarket Sweep by Kim Fleet – Takes express shopping to a new level.
The Night Bus by Eric Tomlinson – This story of betrayal cuts to the core.
Herbal Remedy by Grace Fallon – Love thy neighbour.
Love is a Cheesy Ringtone by Eileen Condon – Heartbreaking testimony to the fickle nature of man.
A Rottweiler for Christmas by Dennis Thompson – Breakfast time explodes into murderous action.
The Standoff by Gerry McCullough – A moral story that one bad turn deserves another.
The Leaving of Liverpool by Debbie Bennett – Gritty scouser misadventure.
Mummy’s Watching by Eric Tomlinson – The past is sometimes best left behind.
Trouble Man by John Holland – No man can refuse this bait.
Accidents will Happen by Judy Binning – Choose your accomplices carefully.
Twenty-Seven Steps by Pat Griffin – The caretaker should take care.
The Meat in the Sandwich by JJ Toner – Classical gumshoe with carefully woven humour.
Cooking Up Crime by Harriet Steel – A tasty take on the future of crime.
Soft Eyes by Anthony Farmer – Revenge delivered double-espresso style.
Story of a Dove by Tom Rhoyd – A heart-wrenching story of collateral damage.
Divine Intervention by Maura Barrett – When your world comes crashing down.
Diary of a Primary School Teacher by Kathy Dunne – This sort of school absence requires a special note.
If The Truth Be Told by Diana Collins – Sometimes the truth will out.
Going Equipped by Damon King – A sting in the twisted tail.
Connie and Liz by Janet Wadsworth – Carefully planned crime undone by a cat.
A Friend Indeed by Mike Berlin – Cleverly snatched from the jaws of destiny.
In the Soup by Stewart Lowe – Unexpected guests end up in the soup.
Vendetta by Ruby Barnes – Choose your housemates with care.
This global collection of short stories from 500 to 4000 words covers everything from cosy mystery to urban noir, gumshoe and classic crime.
Contents
The Hôtel Des Mutilées by Jim Williams – When beauty is more than skin-deep.
The Problem with the Tub by Mike Berlin – Will leave you with a fear of bathroom renovations.
Supermarket Sweep by Kim Fleet – Takes express shopping to a new level.
The Night Bus by Eric Tomlinson – This story of betrayal cuts to the core.
Herbal Remedy by Grace Fallon – Love thy neighbour.
Love is a Cheesy Ringtone by Eileen Condon – Heartbreaking testimony to the fickle nature of man.
A Rottweiler for Christmas by Dennis Thompson – Breakfast time explodes into murderous action.
The Standoff by Gerry McCullough – A moral story that one bad turn deserves another.
The Leaving of Liverpool by Debbie Bennett – Gritty scouser misadventure.
Mummy’s Watching by Eric Tomlinson – The past is sometimes best left behind.
Trouble Man by John Holland – No man can refuse this bait.
Accidents will Happen by Judy Binning – Choose your accomplices carefully.
Twenty-Seven Steps by Pat Griffin – The caretaker should take care.
The Meat in the Sandwich by JJ Toner – Classical gumshoe with carefully woven humour.
Cooking Up Crime by Harriet Steel – A tasty take on the future of crime.
Soft Eyes by Anthony Farmer – Revenge delivered double-espresso style.
Story of a Dove by Tom Rhoyd – A heart-wrenching story of collateral damage.
Divine Intervention by Maura Barrett – When your world comes crashing down.
Diary of a Primary School Teacher by Kathy Dunne – This sort of school absence requires a special note.
If The Truth Be Told by Diana Collins – Sometimes the truth will out.
Going Equipped by Damon King – A sting in the twisted tail.
Connie and Liz by Janet Wadsworth – Carefully planned crime undone by a cat.
A Friend Indeed by Mike Berlin – Cleverly snatched from the jaws of destiny.
In the Soup by Stewart Lowe – Unexpected guests end up in the soup.
Vendetta by Ruby Barnes – Choose your housemates with care.
206 pages, ebook
First published May 30, 2013
About the author
Jim Williams
10 books20 followersJim Williams first hit the news when his early novels had the uncanny knack of coming true. The Hitler Diaries was published nine months before the celebrated forgery came out in 1983. Farewell to Russia dealt with a nuclear disaster in the Soviet Union months before the Chernobyl disaster. Lara's Child, his sequel to Doctor Zhivago, provoked an international literary scandal and led to his being a guest speaker at the Cheltenham Festival. Scherzo, a witty and elegant mystery set in eighteenth century Venice, was nominated for the Booker Prize. All of his fiction has been published internationally. Tango in Madeira is his eleventh novel.
From the author:
I was born in Oldham, England, the son of a coal miner and a cotton mill worker and grew up in circumstances that would today be considered poor. However I had loving parents and benefitted from a good education.
I have a degree in law and sociology and speak French, German and Spanish and have a smattering of other languages. Since 1970 I've been a qualified barrister, though I no longer practice. I am a Fellow of the Indian Society of Arbitrators, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the founder and a fellow of the Institute of Applied Charlatanry. One of these qualifications is entirely worthless and I leave you to guess which.
The most important fact in my life is that I have had a long and loving marriage to a wonderful wife, and my grown-up family still gather with us most Sundays for a family dinner.
I seem to have a happy, easy-going nature and I take a great deal of pleasure in ordinary things such as walking or gardening. My wife and I enjoy theatre, ballet, opera, paintings and dancing at every possible opportunity.
From the author:
I was born in Oldham, England, the son of a coal miner and a cotton mill worker and grew up in circumstances that would today be considered poor. However I had loving parents and benefitted from a good education.
I have a degree in law and sociology and speak French, German and Spanish and have a smattering of other languages. Since 1970 I've been a qualified barrister, though I no longer practice. I am a Fellow of the Indian Society of Arbitrators, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and the founder and a fellow of the Institute of Applied Charlatanry. One of these qualifications is entirely worthless and I leave you to guess which.
The most important fact in my life is that I have had a long and loving marriage to a wonderful wife, and my grown-up family still gather with us most Sundays for a family dinner.
I seem to have a happy, easy-going nature and I take a great deal of pleasure in ordinary things such as walking or gardening. My wife and I enjoy theatre, ballet, opera, paintings and dancing at every possible opportunity.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 8, 2013
Letto per il programma Early reviewers di Librarything.
Raccolta di storie principalmente giallo-thriller, brevi e con finale a sorpresa.
Le storie non sono tutte allo stesso livello e in molti casi la soluzione è facilmente intuibile, in ogni caso è una lettura carina e poco impegnativa.
Una menzione in dis-onore va fatta per "Soft Eyes", tragicamente ambientato in Italia e quindi ricco di luoghi comuni e errori di varia natura.
La triste verità è che il personaggio palermitano ordina incessantemente caffè americani e che il racconto nel complesso sembra uno spot pubblicitario (Clio, gli "Amaretti Tradizionali").
Le poche frasi in italiano fanno piangere "si, si, no, capisce", "occhi moribidi" e "naso grande" [oh cielo, ma perchè?], passino anche editing e ricerca inesistenti, certo è che la Manon è Lescaut e non Lescant come vorrebbe farci credere l'autore.
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Read for the Early Reviewer program in Librarything.
It's an anthology of mostly crime-thriller stories, short and with a surprise ending.
The stories are qualitatively different and in some case the ending could be guessed quite easily.
It's however a nice and easy read.
A mention in dis-honor must be done for “soft eyes”, sadly set in Italy and so rich in errors and cliché.
The most tragic truth is that one character, from Sicily, keeps on ordering American coffee (mostly unlikely); the whole story seems sometimes a tv spot (the Clio, the “Amaretti tradizionali”).
The few Italian phrases are awful and contains orthographical errors: "si, si, no, capisce", "occhi moribidi" e "naso grande". I may overlook the poor editing and research but I can’t the fact that the Manon is Lescaut and not Lescant as the author states.
Raccolta di storie principalmente giallo-thriller, brevi e con finale a sorpresa.
Le storie non sono tutte allo stesso livello e in molti casi la soluzione è facilmente intuibile, in ogni caso è una lettura carina e poco impegnativa.
Una menzione in dis-onore va fatta per "Soft Eyes", tragicamente ambientato in Italia e quindi ricco di luoghi comuni e errori di varia natura.
La triste verità è che il personaggio palermitano ordina incessantemente caffè americani e che il racconto nel complesso sembra uno spot pubblicitario (Clio, gli "Amaretti Tradizionali").
Le poche frasi in italiano fanno piangere "si, si, no, capisce", "occhi moribidi" e "naso grande" [oh cielo, ma perchè?], passino anche editing e ricerca inesistenti, certo è che la Manon è Lescaut e non Lescant come vorrebbe farci credere l'autore.
---
Read for the Early Reviewer program in Librarything.
It's an anthology of mostly crime-thriller stories, short and with a surprise ending.
The stories are qualitatively different and in some case the ending could be guessed quite easily.
It's however a nice and easy read.
A mention in dis-honor must be done for “soft eyes”, sadly set in Italy and so rich in errors and cliché.
The most tragic truth is that one character, from Sicily, keeps on ordering American coffee (mostly unlikely); the whole story seems sometimes a tv spot (the Clio, the “Amaretti tradizionali”).
The few Italian phrases are awful and contains orthographical errors: "si, si, no, capisce", "occhi moribidi" e "naso grande". I may overlook the poor editing and research but I can’t the fact that the Manon is Lescaut and not Lescant as the author states.
August 12, 2013
This book was fantastic! Full of hard hitting murder, fast paced crime and more. With the exception of a couple of stories that just left you scratching your head or wanting more most of the stories finished up neatly with a solid conclusion. The only thing that really bothered me about the book were how short some of the anthologies were. I really got in to some of the stories only to find they were over. I took notes of all of the stories as I wanted to maybe do a more completely review, but space is a consideration here, so I will review only a few.
Supermarket Sweep... Kim Fleet... A great read. It was the shortest story up to that point, but once I had an idea what was happening I stopped reading it twice(!)just to make it last longer. Fast paced, easy to read, enjoyable and wrapped up nicely at the end.
Mummy's Watching...Eric Tomlingon... I DID NOT see this one coming. What a great story! The tale of a daughter searching for her birthmother and what can happen when you think you've found what you're looking for.
And lastly, Cooking Up Crime...Harriet Steel... As a library employee I was intrigued by this story where books are highly illegal and cookbooks are considered food porn! This is a germ free future, hence the reason books are outlawed, especially books from a public library b/c everyone touches them. What will happen when a librarian finds a book of food porn in the library? One can only guess.
Read this book! I took it on vacation and it was perfect for a quick read or a little longer stretch. The variety of authors characters and stories were bountiful. Something for everyone. ( )
Supermarket Sweep... Kim Fleet... A great read. It was the shortest story up to that point, but once I had an idea what was happening I stopped reading it twice(!)just to make it last longer. Fast paced, easy to read, enjoyable and wrapped up nicely at the end.
Mummy's Watching...Eric Tomlingon... I DID NOT see this one coming. What a great story! The tale of a daughter searching for her birthmother and what can happen when you think you've found what you're looking for.
And lastly, Cooking Up Crime...Harriet Steel... As a library employee I was intrigued by this story where books are highly illegal and cookbooks are considered food porn! This is a germ free future, hence the reason books are outlawed, especially books from a public library b/c everyone touches them. What will happen when a librarian finds a book of food porn in the library? One can only guess.
Read this book! I took it on vacation and it was perfect for a quick read or a little longer stretch. The variety of authors characters and stories were bountiful. Something for everyone. ( )
March 4, 2015
This review was written for LibraryThing Early Reviewers.
Knife Edge Anthology is a collection of short stories published by Marble City Publishing, with profits going to Booktrust.org.uk. No editor is named, and none of the authors are familiar to me. In the table of contents, the title of the story, its author and a one-line description of the story (for example, "when beauty is more than skin-deep" or "breakfast time explodes into murderous action") are cited, with no pagination in the e-book version that I received. In fact, there's nothing to mark the end of one story and the start of the next, other than a new title appearing. With almost no exceptions, the stories themselves are basically no more than sketches, a set-up described and a one-line ending that sort of punctuates the tale; they do not read at all like complete stories. I'm being generous here because these are, as far as I know, new writers and the anthology is meant to benefit what sounds like a good charity, but really I don't see why anybody would buy this anthology; give money directly to Booktrust.org.uk if you feel so inclined. Sadly, a waste of time.
Knife Edge Anthology is a collection of short stories published by Marble City Publishing, with profits going to Booktrust.org.uk. No editor is named, and none of the authors are familiar to me. In the table of contents, the title of the story, its author and a one-line description of the story (for example, "when beauty is more than skin-deep" or "breakfast time explodes into murderous action") are cited, with no pagination in the e-book version that I received. In fact, there's nothing to mark the end of one story and the start of the next, other than a new title appearing. With almost no exceptions, the stories themselves are basically no more than sketches, a set-up described and a one-line ending that sort of punctuates the tale; they do not read at all like complete stories. I'm being generous here because these are, as far as I know, new writers and the anthology is meant to benefit what sounds like a good charity, but really I don't see why anybody would buy this anthology; give money directly to Booktrust.org.uk if you feel so inclined. Sadly, a waste of time.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews