You Started It

by Daniel Hurst

Revenge takes time....

Alison thought she lived a quiet, normal life with her husband, Damian. But that all changes when an unexpected visitor reveals a shocking truth about her partner. Things will never be the same after that as a deadly game of deceit begins, full of shocks and surprises, lies and betrayal, and ultimately proving that when it comes to revenge, it's best to take your time.

You started it. But who will finish it?

A fast-paced psychological thriller short story full of twists from the bestselling author of UK #1 The Doctor's Wife, The Couple's Revenge and The Passenger.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery

67 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 4, 2025

About the author

Daniel Hurst is an Amazon #1 bestselling author of fast paced psychological thrillers. His most popular titles include Til Death Do Us Part, The Passenger and The Doctor's Wife, the latter title reaching #1 on the Amazon UK Kindle store in February 2023. A regular KDP Select All Star since he became a full-time author in 2021, Daniel prides himself on writing fast, releasing stories often and engaging with his readers.

You can visit him at www.danielhurstbooks.com, where you can also download a copy of his FREE thriller 'Just One Second.'

Reviews

[Celeste Velocci (bookrecs_by_celeste) · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a short story this really packed a punch. It would’ve been a great full length novel. I enjoyed the twists and turns at times it felt rushed but it was a short story so keeping that in mind. Overall I would recommend it for sure and it’s on kindle unlimited.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looking for something short I turned to this story by Daniel Hurst. This psychological thriller is quite unique in its delivery and keeps the reader on edge, wondering what is to come. After Alison’s husband goes missing, she is distraught. It is only after a stranger shows up at her door that the pieces begin coming together. Damian apparently has been stepping out on her and this stranger knows where to find him. What follows is the discovery of two bodies, one of whom is Damian. Alison is framed for the murders and is sent away to jail. While she knows she is innocent, she must get to the root of who did this to her and how to clear her name. It is sure to be a troubling battle and one that has no clear pathway, but Alison refuses to be deterred. How will she make sense of all this and exonerate herself? Daniel Hurst delivers something well worth the reader’s time in this short thriller.

This piece by Daniel Hurst was a quick and entertaining read. It is complemented by a narrative that keeps the reader involved as it layers new aspects to the mystery in each chapter. The reader Enders about the next twist. particularly as the tension mounts and confusion sets in like a fog. Hurst weaves things along and provides a spin that is sure to leave the reader surprised and wanting more.

Characters are not plentiful, but serve useful roles throughout. Each perspective adds something and the reader can seek more information. The different personalities helped shape the larger piece, putting the reader in the middle to decipher what is real and fabricated. I liked Hurst’s ability to create angles and forced the reader to guess what awaited them next. This was a decent way of writing and using many plot points to accentuate the character base.

Surprises emerge to keep the reader guessing. I was not expecting the climax, or that Hurst would even think to push the story in that direction. Daniel Hurst delivers a twist in most chapters and cobbles something together that eventually gets much messier. All the action and twists kept things going until the final page turn. I have made a promise to myself that I will read Daniel Hurst's full-length novels this year and hope to do so in the coming months. This was another teaser that cemented that idea for me.

Kudos, Mr. Hurst, for a decent thriller I could finish in a single sitting.

Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/

[Christine Cazeneuve · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not Plausible

I love a great short story and even like a good one, but it has to be believable. It started out intriguing and then turned ridiculous. How the main character could connect all the dots and then ultimately get the result she got - sorry not buying it. I really like this author but this one totally missed the mark for me.

[Lauren Turney · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had so many grammar errors! I wish a good editor would have proofed this before it published. Also, the story made zero sense. I know it’s a short book but it was far fetched and ridiculous.

[Keith Book Korner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good plot nicely written but really didn’t like the ending.. Felt like it was rushed and really unbelievably.. Felt totally cliché to be honest.. Still a good story great plot just a poor ending..

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and filled with a few twists along the way!

[Sherri Thacker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another amazing 5 star book by Daniel Hurst. He is the king of revenge and this book has it and more!!!Loved this short story and read it out by my pool in less than 2 hours. The ending was not what I expected - I love a great twist.

[Peggy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I Wouldn't Bother

I love this author but I was very disappointed in this short story.
It was very boring. So sorry fans

[Melody McNamara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story sucked me right in and I had no idea where the author was going with this one. The twist and conclusion were surprising, though implausible. A quick and entertaining read.

[Danielle Sinnesael · Rating 1 out of 5]

Stupidest “book” I’ve ever read. I’ve seen instagram reels more intriguing than this. It took all of an hour and a half to read. The entire time I couldn’t believe I was actually continuing to read this. My 14 year old has written better “suspenseful” stories for grade 9 English. Disgraceful

[Laura Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

YOU STARTED IT BY DANIEL HURST.
5 ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨ ✨s.
I really loved this short story.
I read this book in one sitting while having a soak in the bath.
Amazing storyline.
I binged read this so quick.
Loved it

[KayReadsALatte · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've really enjoyed some of this author's books, but this one may have been my least favorite of this year. I will sum up how I felt with a quote from the book,

"... this is all just nonsense and a massive waste of time."

Perhaps my tastes are changing, but this book annoyed me with the writing. It felt too easy! I could have DNF'd it, but since it's short, I persisted. I see other comments saying how excellent the writing is but, it wasn't great in my opinion. I'm glad other people are enjoying it though. I will say I have rated his books five stars in the past and will try others by him. Maybe the next one will be great!

[Caprice Johnson · Rating 1 out of 5]

don’t waste your time

Don’t waste your time. This story is not worth anybody’s time. The plot is horrible. Don’t waste your time. Yuck

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fast-paced short story that had my head spinning with questions from the very beginning. It had a very unique ending as well.

[Rosio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story with a horrible ending.

[Michelle Kimber · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

I came upon this short story while looking for thrillers on KU. I was interested in a revenge plot done well in 67pages. This story was entertaining with a couple minor twists. The characters were well written, the plot was just ok. There only so much you can do with a short story. The ending made me laugh at the absurdity. I will try one of this author's longer thrillers.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thought this was going to be really good as it had a lot of promise but the disastrous ending let the whole thing down, very disappointed.

[Maxine (Booklover Catlady) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh wow. 😮 I was not expecting this to be so bad. I’ve heard so much good stuff about this Author. I picked up this short story on KU for a quick read. It was quick (only 67 pages) but also incredibly boring.

The plot is weak to start, then there are major plot holes everywhere. There are incredibly unrealistic moments from start to finish. It’s too wordy for even a short story. It’s slow and cumbersome. The characters are comical.

Sigh….😮‍💨

This isn’t crime, a thriller, psychological drama or anything else really. I don’t know what it’s meant to be. It’s hopefully a blip as others give high praise to this Author who apparently writes some good books. Some grammar and editing issues in it also.

It feels VERY rushed overall (yes, even short stories can be that way). In sections that should be fleshed out they are not and in parts that don’t need long winded repetitiveness you get lots. I was in disbelief to be honest from start to finish. This is nothing I expected at all. I really hoped getting to the end would turn it all around but the ending…well it was simply utterly ridiculous. I know fiction is fiction but characters and scenarios need to have some realism to them and this has none The ending is beyond ridiculous.

I read some of the other 1 and 2 star reviews after writing mine and everyone seems to be on the same page. How this is getting 5 stars is totally beyond me.

A total flop but I might go on to read more of his work as I’ve seen high praise and good reviews and will chalk this one up to a bad day at the office. Dismally bad.

Do tell me a good book of his to read?

Thanks so much for taking a little time to read my review. Your likes and comments mean a lot to me. 😻 Feel free to add me as a friend or follow me for more book reviews.

[Pheadra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy enough to read in 80 minutes. Started off really well but the ending was flat and implausible. 3 and a half stars

[Donna Mallery · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice short story! I read all of Daniel’s books! He has an easy

[Vonne Rhylenne Gaddy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love Daniel Hurst, but this one isn’t among his best. I have a lot of questions, and the situations leading up to the twist were, unfortunately, too shallow.

[StinaStaffymum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Hurst has been one of my favourite thriller writers since I discovered him about four years ago (around the time he became a full time author). His thrillers are fast pacy reads with short snappy chapters that keep you swiping (or turning) the pages right to the very end. I have found in recent times that I've enjoyed his earlier offerings more than his latest ones though they are still quick and easy reads even if more OTT than is per usual for his unique style. Of course, I have my ultimate favourites of his which, to be honest, will be tough to beat no matter how good the next book might be.

I have recently gone through major surgery and am recovering slowly though I do find it hard to concentrate on reading anything too complex. So I thought I would give Daniel's last short story a go which he published a few months back. I figured that it would be an easy enough tale to digest and I wouldn't have to concentrate too much on it. And given that it's a short story, it's a very quick read which I managed to devour in an hour before dinner.

Firstly, I have to say that Daniel hooks us in from the start with a play by play account of Alison's frantic search for her missing husband and subsequent not being taken seriously when first reporting him missing. She and Damian had been happily married for fifteen years sans children so it was just the two of them. But when he didn't arrive home from work by 6pm as is his usual routine one evening, Alison is naturally worried. By 9pm she is understandably frantic. But the police take her concerns with a grain of salt assuring her that he is "probably working late" or "out for drinks with some colleagues and lost track of time" or any number of reasons. However, after a week they finally take her concerns seriously and question her both for information and as a suspect. At any rate, they are no closer to finding him...or whatever's happened to him.

When she receives a knock on her door she runs to open it hoping it will be Damian with some hare-brained reason as to where he's been this past week or the police with some positive update to share. It's neither. It's a stranger. But while he is a stranger to her, he seems to know exactly who she is.

"Hello Alison..."

He greets her with a smile as she opens her front door to him. He goes on to explain who he is and why he's there. She is speechless. He makes her an offer she couldn't refuse. A chance to get answers and maybe even her own piece of revenge. But what she didn't bargain on was the escalation things took when she finds herself framed for murder...and no way of proving her innocence!

I was pleasantly surprised by the journey this short story took me on, despite its OTT nature (that's just Daniel Hurst's way) and thoroughly enjoyed it even after I found myself wanting to bang Alison's head on something hard to knock some sense into her. The woman was gullible not to mention stupid. And while I enjoyed this twisted tale for those most part it was the epilogue ending that let it down. It was off the scale OTT that past the point of any believability or suspension of belief. It was just plain ridiculous. I'm sure Hurst could have construed a better ending than that and it was this that let the entire tale down. I loved that it was different in concept and thoroughly enjoyed it up until that ridiculous epilogue.

However, that being said - it was still a fast pacy read that I enjoyed and I would still recommend it to others for a quick read, which can be easily done so in an hour.

This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic.blogspot.com/.

[Keeley Webb Author · Rating 2 out of 5]

Alison lives a normal, uneventful life with her husband of fifteen years, Damian. That all changes when a stranger enters her life and reveals a shocking truth about her life partner.

I entered this short story with high hopes: a best-selling author promising a deadly game of deceit, full of shocks, lies, and suspense. Sadly, I found the execution to be somewhat uneventful, and the ending, even for fiction, was out of place and unbelievable. Unfortunately, this short story didn't add up for me. This is just my opinion, and you might enjoy it.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining mystery listening 🙂

This kindle ebook novella is from my Kindle Unlimited account

Her husband has not come home. It has been a week when a man 😮 comes to the front door. He takes her to the murder scene of the husband and a woman. She is convicted of murder. Then the brother shows up. 😇

I would recommend this novella and author to readers of family members relationships novels 😒😉 2025 🎆🤗

[Heather Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this novella all about revenge. Allison was happy in her marriage until a secret is revealed one day. A stranger shows up one day to let her in on something about her husband. Everything goes way down hill after that all revolving around a revenge plot from long ago.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooh just what I needed! A short quick read, I didn’t know this when I started it but I’m happy it was.
Been in a bit of a slump, too much other stuff going on. This was brilliant though, proper start, middle and end just like it’s supposed to be.

[Brianna Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did not see that ending coming.

[Rhonda Ofstad · Rating 4 out of 5]

interesting story

This was good twist at end as didn’t expect the twist. It was a brief read and easy to read too. Pretty good book!

[Heather Brownley · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Elizabeth m · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spooky! Perfect for Halloween reading! 🎃