The Body: A psychological thriller short story

by Daniel Hurst

A short story with a shocking twist...

As my wife's body lies on the floor of our home, I know it's not going to be easy getting her from the house to the woods where I can bury her without anybody seeing me.

It's going to be hard to get away with this. But I could never have imagined just how hard it would be.

One body is bad enough. But what happens if there's two?

A shocking standalone short story from Daniel Hurst, the bestselling psychological thriller author of the UK #1 The Doctor's Wife, My Neighbour's Affair and The Couple's Revenge

Genres: Thriller, Short Stories, Fiction

54 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 13, 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

[Nina (ninjasbooks)]

Horrible writing, and the last chapter actually made me laugh since it was so ridiculous.

[Tonya]

Thrilling and addictive

I loved this short story by Daniel Hurst. It’s original, unpredictable, and very clever. There are numerous twists and turns. The final twist was shocking and satisfying. I highly recommend this quick addictive read!

[Matt]

Looking for something short I turned to this story by Daniel Hurst. This psychological thriller is quite unique in its development, but will likely impress those who take the time to read it. Anthony has a problem, he needs to dispose of his wife, Rebecca. He's decided to get the body out of the house before anyone sees him. While trying to execute this feat, he's distracted before he can leave the driveway and the next thing Anthony knows, he's been carjacked. This begins a series of events that turns things on their head. What started out as a plan to get rid of a body spirals out of control, By the end, there is not one body to handle, but two! Hurst delivers a great story that builds with each passing chapter.

This piece by Daniel Hurst was a quick and highly entertaining read, proving to be better than many stories I have read over the last while. The story is complemented by a strong narrative that keeps the reader involved as it spins things out of control, each chapter a new layer. The reader cannot help but wonder what is set to happen, particularly as the story gets more complicated with each passing page. Chapters depict not only different perspectives, but new layers to the story that culminate in a massive reveal few could have seen coming. Hurst weaves things along and provides a highly entertaining spin on things, never letting the reader know what's about to happen until it comes to pass.

Characters are plentiful, but remain small roles throughout. Each perspective adds something to the piece and the reader is left to beg for more information. These teaser introductions are perfect for this type of story, as everyone remains enough of a mystery to cast a suspect label upon them. I loved how Hurst created all these angles and left no one entirely central to the piece, while also grouping many together to play an inadvertent role in the primary crime. This was a stellar way of writing and using many characters to build the story's foundation.

Surprises emerge to keep the reader on their toes. I was not expecting how things would climax, or that they would take such a spin, but I loved the outcome. Daniel Hurst delivers a great twist in each chapter and cobbles something together that eventually gets much messier than one could have expected from the opening paragraph. All the action and twists kept things going until the final page turn. I could not ask for more and Hurst surely exceeded all my expectations. I have made a promise to myself that I will read Daniel Hurst's full-length novels this year, as this was a piece of writing that stood out for me. A lover of psychological thrills, I need more and to delve deeper.

Kudos, Mr. Hurst, for a story like no other I have read for a long time.

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

[Melody McNamara]

This was a cleverly-written short story, told through different POV's as each event unfolded and led to the next. With an ending I wasn't expecting, I was still left wondering what happened next for some of the characters.

[daniela weber]

electrifying and morbidly
funny, this hitchcockian tiny
tale has a razor sharp rhythm
and crude irony - but also a
rather silly puff ending. :x

[Tony da Napoli]

#2 of 3 standalone short stories "with a shock endings" from Daniel Hurst, the bestselling author of UK #1 ... Reading these while on a trip at the recommendation of a reviewer I respect (Matt).
Too short to say much without spoiling. A Body is obviously central to the story. A clever story line of the domino effect it causes with a surprising twist ending. Another good read. Free on Kindle Unlimited else $1.32.

[tiff]

What a wild ride that was! So fun! Love the way it was written and multiple POVs!! Definitely recommend this one!

[Regan Wilbanks]

well that was awful

i liked this up until the ending. multiple POVs told in an almost domino effect type style? then the ending is a major FLOP

[Jessica]

The Body by Daniel Hurst was an okay read, but unfortunately it ended up being my least favorite of his books that I’ve read so far. While the premise was intriguing and started off with promise, the execution didn’t fully deliver for me. The pacing felt uneven, and some of the twists were either predictable or didn’t have the impact I’ve come to expect from this author.

I usually enjoy Daniel Hurst’s fast-paced, twisty style, but this one just didn’t hold my attention in the same way. It wasn’t bad by any means—just not as suspenseful or memorable as his other work. Fans of his writing may still find it worth a read, but compared to his stronger titles, this one fell a bit flat for me.

[Pheadra]

Cleverly written short story but with a glaring error where a woman is described as a business woman, but in the next breath it's suggested she has a boss. 4 stars

[Adrianna]

another great short story. Daniel knows what he’s doing !

[Catherine Stump]

Liked the different POVs - good twist at the end, but it was just mehhh for me.

[Josie Oconnell]

3.5
I enjoyed this one

[Sofia Rodrigo]

the whiplash i just endured over and over oh. my. gosh.

[Abbie Wilson]

3.5⭐️I loved the multiple POVs each one leading into another, I feel as though that’s something I’ve never seen before although it felt a bit comical at times. I knew there was a twist coming but OMG it was so different to what I expected!! However the ending did leave me wanting more/wondering what happened next, specifically a return to the original POV

[Lisa Rodriguez]

OMG!

I literally have no words for this twisted story. It all starts out with a husband getting rid of a body and then it gets crazy. There's really not much I can say about this story that won't give something away. I highly recommend this one and need to make someone read it so I can't talk about it!

[Samantha]

The variety of POVs in this one made it very interesting. This story really demonstrated a dark side to society and choices made when you think no one is looking or witnessing your actions. The twist at the end was unexpected, although I knew it would somehow cycle back to the first body. This was a fun short read. Already looking forward to starting the next one.

[Pytkimmi | KrokhetedByHer]

I didn't LOVE it

I understand why people say it was rushed I think it should have been longer

What happened to the husband the car thief the woman who did the hit and run the witnesses I feel like it's unfinished

[Rose Doucette]

Wow!

This one is SO good. It starts off fast paced & never slows down. I did not want to put this book down. daniel hurst always knows how to suck you in & take you for a ride. & THAT TWIST! I did not see that coming & im so glad i didnt.

[Richard Angrave]

Domino

A very cleverly written story that I would advise other readers to read in a single sitting. Why domino, one thing leads to another in a series of tragic events. Recommended reading.

[Jan]

Wow!

Daniel Hurst always writes shockers; stories with endings you never expect. The Body does exactly that. It is a short story, east to read in one gripping sitting. I am eager to read his next.

[Rania Kamal]

Nice

[Corinne Weiss]

Omg…

[Reina]

Short story, fast paced, BIG twist at the end! I did not see that coming!! This was such an easy and fun read!! I really enjoy Daniel Hurst!

[Kaci]

This was a short story pick for a book club. Its a very quick read since each chapter continues to escalate the story with an unexpected twist at the end.

[Alessandra]

3 stars ⭐️
the fuck.

[Jess Tuck]

The best book out of the three short story’s. Wasn’t expecting the end !

[AleciaS]

Holy Cow

This one was really good, this whole time I thought I was reading about a crazy husband but it just gets crazier. I honestly would have loved to read more. I want to know how all character view point played out.

[samantha]

there was no need for that ending to be as sad as it was 😭😭💔💔

[April Rowlands]

Random as hell! But i actually enjoyed it 😂