Exit Wounds

by Paul Kane (Editor), Marie O'Regan (Editor)

A brand-new anthology of crime stories written by masters of the genre, including Jeffrey Deaver, Elly Griffiths and Joe R. Landsdale.

A brand-new anthology of crime stories written by masters of the genre.

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery, Fiction, Audiobook, Crime, Thriller, Anthologies

400 pages, Paperback

First published May 21, 2019

About the author

Paul Kane has been writing professionally for almost fifteen years. His genre journalism has appeared in such magazines as Fangoria, SFX and Rue Morgue, and his non-fiction books are the critically acclaimed The Hellraiser Films and Their Legacy and Voices in the Dark. His award-winning short fiction has appeared in magazines and anthologies on both sides of the Atlantic (as well as being broadcast on BBC Radio 2), and has been collected in Alone (In the Dark), Touching the Flame, FunnyBones, Peripheral Visions, Shadow Writer, The Butterfly Man and Other Stories, The Spaces Between and GHOSTS. His novella Signs of Life reached the shortlist of the British Fantasy Awards 2006, The Lazarus Condition was introduced by Mick Garris - creator of Masters of Horror - RED featured artwork from Dave (The Graveyard Book) McKean and Pain Cages was introduced by Stephen Volk (The Awakening).

As Special Publications Editor of the British Fantasy Society he worked with authors like Brian Aldiss, Ramsey Campbell, Muriel Gray and Robert Silverberg, he is the co-editor of Hellbound Hearts for Pocket Books (Simon and Schuster), an anthology of original stories inspired by Clive Barker's mythos - featuring contributions from the likes of Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola, Kelley Armstrong and Richard Christian Matheson - The Mammoth Book of Body Horror (Constable & Robinson) - featuring Stephen King, James Herbert and Robert Bloch - and the Poe-inspired Beyond Rue Morgue (for Titan).

In 2008 his zombie story 'Dead Time' was turned into an episode of the Lionsgate/NBC TV series Fear Itself, adapted by Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) and directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (SAW II-IV). He also scripted The Opportunity which premiered at Cannes in 2009, The Weeping Woman - starring Fright Night's Stephen Jeffreys - and Wind Chimes (directed by Brad '7th Dimension' Watson. He is the author of the novels Of Darkness and Light, The Gemini Factor and the bestselling Arrowhead trilogy (Arrowhead, Broken Arrow and Arrowland), a post-apocalyptic reworking of the Robin Hood mythology gathered together as the sell-out Hooded Man omnibus. His latest novels are Lunar (which is set to be turned into a feature film) and the short Y.A. book The Rainbow Man (as P.B. Kane). He currently lives in Derbyshire, UK, with his wife - the author Marie O'Regan - his family, and a black cat called Mina. You can find out more at his website www.shadow-writer.co.uk which has featured Guest Writers such as Neil Gaiman, Charlaine Harris, Dean Koontz, John Connolly and Guillermo del Toro.

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a step back for a while) · Rating 4 out of 5]

EXCERPT: . . . his round head, covered with a shaggy blond pelt, turns slowly toward me and tips that creepy smile my way. He's not surprised in the least to see me. It means that, oh yeah, he knew I was in the Eagle. Maybe he got off work and happened to see Larry and me stop by for a fast one. Or, also possible and more troubling, he followed me here.

My jaw tightens and heat swells around my face, which often happens whenever I see him. This is so unfair. I'm a twenty-six-year-old successful web designer, a good brother, a good boyfriend, a genial host at parties I throw for my clients and friends, a donor to NPR and animal rescue outfits. Objectively? I'm too old and too nice to have a bully.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: A brand-new anthology of crime stories written by masters of the genre. Featuring both original in-universe stories and rarely seen reprints, this collection of nineteen masterful short stories brings together some of the genre’s greatest living authors. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan take on a delightfully twisted killer in Val McDermid’s ‘Happy Holidays’. In Fiona Cummin’s ‘Dead Weight’, an overbearing mother resorts to desperate measures to keep control of her teenage daughter. And in Dean Koontz’s ‘Kittens’, a young girl learns the truth about how her pets have been dying, and devises a horrible revenge. Tense, twisted and disturbing, Exit Wounds is a visceral and thrilling collection showcasing the very best modern crime fiction has to offer.

MY THOUGHTS: Oh this is a goody! This is a collection of stories mainly by authors that I have come to know and to love, about nasty people doing nasty things and, sometimes, getting their comeuppance. There's a little bit of creepy stuff, but mainly it's crime and murder all served up in tasty little bite-sized packages. There was only one story that I really disliked, and I enjoyed the majority of them immensely. Definitely recommended.

🔪🔪🔪🔪.1

THE COMPILERS: Paul Kane is the award-winning and bestselling author/editor of over 90 books, including the Arrowhead trilogy (gathered together in the sellout Hooded Man omnibus, revolving around a post-apocalyptic version of Robin Hood), The Butterfly Man and Other Stories, Sherlock Holmes and the Servants of Hell, Before, Arcana and Pain Cages (an Amazon #1 bestseller). He is a respected anthologist, editing books such as Beyond Rue Morgue, The Mammoth Book of Body Horror, Hellbound Hearts and Exit Wounds. His website can be found at www.shadow-writer.co.uk and he tweets @PaulKaneShadow

Marie O'Regan is a British Fantasy Award-nominated writer and editor of horror and dark fantasy fiction. She is the author of four collections, Mirror Mere, Bury Them Deep, In Times of Want and Other Stories and The Last Ghost and Other Stories, and her anthologies include Hellbound Hearts, The Mammoth Book of Body Horror, Carnivale: Dark Tales From the Fairground, The Mammoth Book of Ghost Stories by Women, Phantoms, Exit Wounds and Wonderland. She is Co-Chair of the UK chapter of the Horror Writers' Association and lives in Derbyshire, UK. She tweets @Marie_O_Regan

DISCLOSURE: I listened to the audiobook of Exit Wounds, compiled by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan, narrated by a full cast, and published by Blackstone Audio vis Overdrive. All opinions expressed in this review are totally my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page, or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Instagram and my webpage https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...

[STEPH · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of nineteen short crime stories written by various well-known authors of the genre. Pretty amazing in my personal opinion. I got sucked in after reading the first episode. What I love about these anthology is that I couldn’t get enough, I had to research the authors and promised myself that I’ll read at least one book from each of them. (Talk about recruitment. Haha.)

I particularly enjoyed “The Bully”, “Happy Holidays”, “Wet With Rain”, “Fool You Twice”, “Lebensraum”, “Take My Hand”. Some of these stories were shocking and were unexpectedly dark and gruesome!

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seldom do you find a collection of suspense stories from so many current masters of the thriller genre. There are short stories by 19 authors, some are well known to me. Based on their samples in this anthology, I will be looking for the works by others. Included with the collection are helpful mini-biographies for each writer as well as their best-known books.

Just to name a few, there are creepy, suspenseful, and sometimes ghastly short stories by Dean Koontz, Jeffrey Deaver, Fiona Cummins, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, Val McDermid, Paul Finch, and 12 others. This is a top-notch anthology.
Readers of gripping and chilling short stories are sure to find some in this volume to entertain and chill them.

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dark and twisted tales in small bites.

I’m not a fan of short stories, by design there is a contrivance that just doesn’t seem to agree with me. Short story writers have to deliver a tight narrative, believable characters and a solid plot in just a few pages that always feels artificial, but somehow in these stories the artifice worked. If you’re a fan of short stories or if you’d like to sample the writing style of notables in the crime fiction category, this is a pretty good anthology.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*
I find it really hard to rate multi-author anthologies such as this one, as inevitably my appreciation varies between all the different short stories by different authors. Exit Wounds features nineteen stories each written by a different prize-winning crime author, each based loosely (sometimes barely perceptibly, in my view) around the title theme. Evidently, the edition I borrowed from my local library differs from that pictured and referred to in this GR listing, as there are definitely nineteen stories, not the eighteen referred to on the pictured cover. Also, there is no story in the anthology by Elly Griffiths, as referred to in the blurb.
My favourite stories were "The Bully" by Jeffrey Deaver, "The Pitcher" by Sarah Hillary, "Happy Holidays" by Val McDermid (I love her full length Hill/Jordan books), "Fool You Twice" by Steph Broadribb (I'd never previously read any of her Lori Anderson titles) and "The New Lad" by Paul Finch. All the stories were reasonably enjoyable reads, although several featured pretty dark subject matter. Exit Wounds also provided a good opportunity to sample the writing of several well-known authors whose work I haven't previously sampled.
I read Exit Wounds partly by way of the TitanBooks paperback edition, and partly by listening to the Audible audiobook edition, which features a different voice actor narrating each story.

[Димитър Цолов · Rating 5 out of 5]

1. Побойникът / Джефри Дивър
Дангалак сериозно се е заел да вгорчи живота на дребосък, но хората, вече чели подборките Престъпления с неочакван край т.1 и Престъпления с неочакван край т.2, знаят - с чичо Джефри винаги трябва да имаш едно наум. Класно начало на антологията.

2. Мърво тегло / Фиона Къминс
Майка, обсебена от манията да не позволи на дъщеря си да надебелее. Кратка и семпла история, която не успя да ме впечатли.

3. Стъклена челюст / Марк Билингам
Застаряващ, натрупал килца боксьор се записва на курс по степ аеробика. Същата работа като предния разказ...

4. "Дисекция на един непознат" (1637) от Франс Майер / Джон Конъли
Вече съм се сблъсквал с този късичък супер злокобен разказ в сборника Нощна музика, където фигурираше под името За "Дисекция на неизвестен мъж" (1637) на Франс Мийър". Препрочетох си го с кеф. Абсолютна благина!

5. Каната / Сара Хилари
Впиянчен журналист и барман си лафят в испанска таверна над кана сангрия. Класно изпълнение!

6. Дисциплиниран / Мартин Уейтс
Психо-импресия, наредила се в графата на разкази 2. и 3.

7. Консуматорите / Денис Лихейн
Жена, системно подлагана на тормоз от мъжа си решава да се свърже с наемен убиец. О-о-о да, да!

8. Гласове през стената / Алекс Грей
Досущ като 6.

9. Мокри от дъжда / Лий Чайлд
Любопитно ми бе да прочета творба, извън Джак Ричър-серията. При това кратка форма, защото сборникът Без второ име, ме остави леко раздвоен - имаше и яки разкази, имаше и откровени глупотевини. Тук - прилично изпълнение - тайни агенти, ядрени оръжия, забравени от Студената война, у-а... доволка!

10. Весели празници / Вал Макдърмит
Класически сюжет за сериен убиец и клиничен психолог, криминален профайлър, влязъл в дирите му. Хубав разказ!

11.Изиграх те отново / Стеф Броадриб
История за жена - ловец на глави. Прилично изпълнение.

12.Жизнено пространство / Кристофър Фаулър
Никоя уважаваща себе си антология, независимо от какво жанрово естество е, не може да мине без поне една греда. Кошмарно глупава история с едничък плюс - бе сравнително кратка.

13. Танц близо до острието / Марк Билингам
Незнайно защо този автор присъства два пъти в сборника, ама и вторият му опит не успя да ме спечели, макар да бе малко по-засукан.

14. Котета / Дийн Кунц
Първият публикуван разказ на Кунц изобщо вече съм го чел в сборника Здрач на разсъмване. Там бе преведен като Котенца. Никак не лош дебют.

15. Вземи ръката ми / А. К. Бенедикт
Поверието за Ръката на славата, отсечена от престъпника, докато още е висял на бесилката... Класен хорър - одобрявам! О-у да!

16. Убийствено елегантна / Джеймс Осуалд
Прилична хорърийка-психарийка за една зловеща, обсебваща собственичките си рокля. Може би единственият разказ с чист свръхестествен мотив.

17. Плячката и звярът / Джо Р. Лансдейл
Съкровище от Втората световна, до което няколко души се домогват... Майсторско изпълнение с прилични хорър-описания.

18. Новото момче / Пол Финч
Първото дежурство на полицай няма как да не се обърка. Най-дългият разказ в сборника, но и може би най-барнатият от всички.

19. Рецептата / Луиз Дженсен
Кратка импресия, която за разлика от прежде споменатите семпли изпълнения, изкърти мивката на финала.

Като цяло доста добра подборка. Разказите, които не ме впечатлиха особено, бяха и най-кратките творби, включени вътре. Затова - крайна оценка 4,5.

[The Cats’ Mother · Rating 3 out of 5]

Exit Wounds is a collection of nineteen short Crime stories by some of the best known authors of the genre, published in 2019. I selected this for my monthly Audible credit because while I don’t usually like reading short stories unless they feature characters I already know, they are perfect for the times I’m tending to listen, rather than read, and feature some of my favourite writers. We started this off in the car, but my husband wasn’t that into it, so I’ve continued in dries & drabs while exercising and weeding - so it has taken a couple of months to finish it. I think this reflects the fact that while they’re well done, I wasn’t enjoying them - the tone is very dark, twisted and often bleak, and that’s not actually what I read Crime for.

Varying from 12 minutes to over an hour, and each with a different narrator, these spanned the range of sub-genres - police, gangster, assassins, even a female bounty hunter. There’s domestic suspense, some psychological thrillers, and a historical crime story. A few had supernatural elements but most played it straight. Most are set in either the US or the UK, there are more male authors and narrators but there are still a decent selection of female writers - these were actually the ones I liked best. Only one features characters I already knew, Val McDermid’s Tony & Carol. The narration was uniformly excellent, I’d happily listen to any of them again, but the only one I recognised was Peter Noble, who has a fabulously distinctive voice. The writing was also as good as you’d expect, across the board.

My disappointment was in the stories themselves, and I recognise this was more about me and my taste - there was a strong thread of noir running through the collection, with the majority of stories ending unhappily. The same basic twist occurred frequently so I started to spot them too early, and several stories ended without a proper resolution. There’s violence but not excessive gore, and some were creepy in a good way. Only one featured my personal no-go area of animal abuse - I strongly recommend cat-lovers skip “Kittens” by Dean Koontz which turned my stomach.

This was a good introduction to a number of authors I’d never tried before and me not loving the collection would in no way put me off reading their full length novels. The audiobook format was great, so I would still recommend this to anyone who likes dark fiction where evil often prevails.

[Jaime · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok here it is. This short stories novel are just that, short. A quick read indeed but some of the stories go nowhere or need more elaboration on the plot. Some of the stories are fantastic and to the point of no more expansion in the storytelling. Some of the stories just wonder why are in the book itself?

3 stars I think is fair. If you looking something to read or snippets here and there when you get time, this is the book but by al means is not a memorable book.

[SheriC · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection was a pleasant surprise. Many of the authors are names I've heard of, but hadn't read. I even enjoyed the stories by authors I've tried and been unimpressed with, like Deaver, or used to enjoy but have disliked their more recent work, like Koontz. The only story I genuinely disliked was the Val McDermid one. As for the others, I'll add them to my list of authors to give a shot, especially because their books tend to be readily available at the library.

Audiobook, via Audible Plus library. The performances were excellent.

[MariaWitBook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some better than the others but definitely you just have to love short stories! No spoilers but there is one that as soon as I finished reading I was like “Aha!!”

[Христо Блажев · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Изходни рани” – сборник топ крими автори: http://knigolandia.info/book-review/i...

Открих сборника “Изходни рани” в едно хотелско лоби. Панаирът в Лондон бе приключил, имахме да убием час и нещо до тръгването към летището, така че просто си поръчах бира и започнах разсеяно да разглеждам хартиените каталози, които бях събрал. Едва не си разлях бирата, като видях корицата вдясно – ха, някои от любимите ми трилърови автори на едно място, какво по-хубаво? Придобиването на правата не беше лесно, но в крайна сметка се случи – и сега вече книгата е по…. някои книжарници и повечето сайтове, такова е времето, дори аз не съм я виждал всъщност още.

CIELA Books
http://knigolandia.info/book-review/i...

[Lata · Rating 3 out of 5]

Few stories were good. Most of them gruesome. Other than Val Mcdermid, Jefrrey Deaver and Dennis Lehane, all authors were new to me.

[David Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

'm grateful to Titan for a free advance copy of Exit Wounds

I love a good themed anthology, I find an anthology does several things for me, as a reader. First, if well chosen (and the authors in this one are among the best) their perspectives (what's the right word for a gang of authors? A plot?) can shed more light – or dark – on a subject than any single writer could.

Here, that theme is the “exit” from a crime – or a criminal situation. That exit might be a death, or an escape, or more loosely the winding down of the events. It’s perceptive, I think, to focus on this aspect when a great deal of crime writing deals with the before – the build-up – and / or the after – the investigation. Here attention is mainly on the cusp after one, and before the other. Although in some of these stories (such as Joe R Lansdale' Booty and the Beast) the exit may have been long ago.

Another valuable service anthologies serve is giving authors space to tackle things a bit differently, to visit aspects of their fiction that might not be enough for a full-blown novel but, nevertheless, fill in details or illustrate ideas that are useful in understanding the whole. So for example here in Steph Broadribb's Fool You Twice we see an early adventure of her hero Lori Anderson. I am and always have been a member of #TeamLori, a fan of Broadribb’s indefatigable bounty hunter, former exotic dancer and mother so it was a delight to read this, the earliest story about her, showing how she made a start on her own – and that she was, form the very beginning, capable, brave, determined and on the side of the angels. And in John Connolly's splendidly named On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier we see a dark world that might, or might not, fit with his Fractured Atlas universe: having just read Connolly’s A Book of Bones I read out that way though there is no explicit connection: but the shadowy demi-monde of artists, surgeons and anatomists hinted at here could be taking place behind that story. In particular the creeping doubt over just what this story is and how it related to the painting being described is delightfully creepy.

The final joy of an anthology like this is that you’re certain to pick up accessible writing both by authors you know and those you don't - whether the latter are ones you have wanted to try but haven’t got round to, and by those you didn't know, but can now explore in future. Overall, a triple win, I’d say.

So here are nineteen stories, most of them published here for the first time, and all excellent.

The Bully by Jeffery Deaver is a neat little story, reflecting Deaver’s encyclopaedic knowledge of forensics, in which you understand everything that’s happening – until you don’t. Dead Weight by Fiona Cummins is a bleak tale in which Lula suffers repeated psychological abuse and body-shaming from her controlling mother. There are some stomach churning moments of realisation here. Were there hints about the mother’s motivations? I wasn’t sure but this really left an impression.

I really enjoyed Like a Glass Jaw by Mark Billingham. Dealing, I think, with how women and men cope differently with their lives, we meet a man of the old school (he notes that there were mainly women at his gym session, so no pressure on him), perhaps a bit of a villain, though past his prime. A spiral of events leads him somewhere he didn’t intend to be, -but was the whole thing a result of the male outlook adding two and two to make five? I also loved Sarah Hilary's The Pitcher which reminded me of Roald Dahl or Joan Aiken (Marmalade Wine) at their very best, a deliciously wicked little tale with a decided “aha!” moment - a very chilling moment.

I wondered if stretching things to call Discipling by Martin Waites a crime story, pure and simple, though there is an (implied) exit, as this is I think a story with no victim. Or at least no unwilling victim. Nevertheless I wouldn't have had it left out.

The Consumers by Dennis LeHane is more conventionally crime-y, a bitter little story, featuring an abused wife and a hitman. For a short story it packs in a great deal, including reflections on personal responsibility, culpability and the sources of wealth. The exit sought here looks like an easy way out, but life has a habit of being complicated. Another of my favourites in this anthology.

The next two in the anthology, Voices Through the Wall by Alex Gray and Lee Child's Wet With Rain are both definitely aftermath stories. In Voices, the offender is wholly absent - leaving an echo of dis-ease - and we're simply left to wonder as we piece together a sad chain of events. In Wet With Rain, almost a mini thriller, we follow a pair of Americans who are clearly up to something dodgy in Northern Ireland, with their implausible story about buying up the birthplace of a noted writer - but what do they really want? I had sort of guessed the "what" from a couple of clues in the text - but the "what next" completely blindsided me.

I will now make a terrible confusion. Until reading this anthology I hadn't ever read any Val McDermid. (I know!) Now I know what I'm missing. Happy Holidays features McDermid's criminal profiler Dr Tony Hill and DCI Carol Jordan, investigating a series of murders that seem themed around traditional holidays. When Santa disappears, things seem to have become serious. But what is really behind the chain of grisly killings?

Christopher Fowler's Lebensraum, in contrast, reads less as a specifically crime adventure - though there is a background of villainy in it - than as an allegory. It's a story of an old woman whose house is progressively taken over by strangers - loud strangers how strut around in uniforms and speak of their "cause". Illustrating the theme of "Exit Wounds" almost perfectly, the narrator almost seems to be fading from her own life. Whether at the end she's a symbol of endurance or a victim is unclear. A powerful and disturbing story.

Mark Billingham's Dancing Towards the Blade is another story that ends on a note of ambiguity. Billingham's story sees cultures collide as Vincent - a young man of colour - encounters racist bullies on his run down estate. Cutting between the bleakness of that confrontation and the vibrant coming of age ceremony for, I think, his father, Dancing Towards the Blade, like Lebensraum confronts the realities of newly confident racism and hatred.

Kittens by Dean Koontz is perhaps another story of hatred but on a more domestic scale. It is both grim and sad - read it at your peril! Featuring a bullying and ignorant father who warps religion to terrorise his daughter, it is strong stuff as is AK Benedict's Take my Hand. Benedict is another writer I look out for. I wish there was more by her I could read so I was delighted to see this half-crime, half-spooky story about a nasty museum exhibit and the plans of some nasty schoolchildren to make mischief with it. Definitely one of my favourites. Dressed to Kill byJames Oswald has aspects on common with Take My Hand (I'll say no more - spoilers!) as a series of deaths come to light which bear striking similarities. The only problem is, they are murder/ suicides and they take place decades apart....

There's a twist of dark humour to the final three stories in this volume. Joe R Lansdale's Booty and the Beast is almost a comic caper, as three villains jostle for the legacy of a lone-gone crime. (Exits, again) They seem to be three particularly vile people and the way things turn out - another exit - is curiously satisfying. In Paul Finch's The New Lad – almost novella length - we see what Greater Manchester Police do with the new boy in the team. They put him on duty guarding a lonely crime scene late at night on his own, ion course. Deploying the full register of spooky scares, twists and foreshadowing, this story is a miniature masterpiece in tension. Finally, in Louise Jensen's The Recipe, the husband has already exited, leaving his middle-aged wife to pick up the pieces of her life. She seems to be managing very well, but will the arrival of her sister bring unwelcome memories?

These are entertaining, varied stories, almost all compulsively readable. Do give them a try.

[booksofallkinds · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher

I will be the first to admit that I don't tend to read many short stories and this is something that I would like to rectify so when EXIT WOUNDS arrived through my letterbox, I was delighted to try something a little different.

From serial killers picking off their prey to those hell-bent on revenge, this collection of crime stories from some of the best in the business grabbed my attention at the very first story and every one thereafter. Dark, twisted, and with characters that got under my skin in just a few pages, EXIT WOUNDS is a must-read for short story and crime fiction fans the world over.

While each and every story is different and fresh there were a few that I favoured - The Bully by Jeffrey Deaver, Happy Holidays by Val McDermid, and The Pitcher by Sarah Hilary. All the stories are excellent and brimming with tension but there was just that extra something about those three that made me take a deep breath while reading them.

Compelling characters, sinister plots, and crackling atmosphere can all be found in the short stories nestled among the pages of EXIT WOUNDS and I highly recommend it to all fiction readers, especially those who are unsure about short stories because this collection is sure to change your mind.

[Marlaina · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF@ 25%
Listened to audiobook.

This book is toted as “a thrilling anthology of crime stories written by masters of the genre,” and if that is true, I worry about the current state of the crime genre.

I listened to the first 5 stories (of 20 or so?), which is not a great percentage for a judgement, but I didn’t enjoy a single one of those 5 stories! It’s an anthology, something for every type of crime writer, you might think. No. I mean, yeah, people died, people were murdered and set up, etc. but I would not call any of these stories “crime” or even “stories” (they are more snippets). And maybe the length was part of the issue; none of the authors I read were able to write a convincing, enthralling story in such a limited space.

But the thing that had me put this down (other than that the stories sucked) was the fact that, other than the second story, every single narrator was an arrogant man who looked down on the world around him and thought he was god’s gift to the world and above everything. Also the misogynistic language and portrayal of women throughout was just disgusting, especially because it was present in every story that I read.

I’m a big fan of true crime, and the crime and mystery genres and was looking forward to finding new authors. Unfortunately this anthology won’t help in that venture. So terrible.

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great selection of short stories from a plethora of excellent writers. Full review to follow.

[Mario J. · Rating 2 out of 5]

A few worthwhile reading, very few.

[clumsyplankton · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good collection of stories

[Mahayana Dugast · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't find short stories satisfying, no matter how good the author is, so I can't say that I really enjoyed this book. However, it doesn't mean that it wasn't good. It was. Just not my thing. lol Weird review, I know.

[Вени · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

[Елена Павлова · Rating 4 out of 5]

Симпатичен сборник. Факт е, че твърде рядко излизат сборници, особено с по-кратички произведения.
Факт е също, че в подобни антологии е трудно да се харесаш на всички, така че 4 звездички според мен е чудесна оценка - повечето разкази ми харесаха, без обаче да се натъкна на нито един, който да изпъква невероятно от (ще се повторя, сори) симпатичната подборка.
Приятно четиво.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If there is one thing in the book world that is misunderstood and completely underrated, for me it has to be the short story, or, in this case the short story anthology. I know that some people feel that short stories don't allow them to get to know the characters, that they aren't meaty enough, but for me they are the perfect, bitesize way to get your fix of your favourite author or to find an author who may be completely new to you. They are perfect for a quick shot in your lunch break, on your daily commute or that ten-twenty minute wait you have while you are waiting for your tatties to boil for dinner.

If you are a fan of crime fiction, then Exit Wounds is a perfect way to while away those odd moments of time where you aren't quite sure what to do with yourself. Featuring some absolutely cracking stories from some of the top writers in the business, you are bound to find something there which is right up your street. This book worked perfectly for me and I actually read it over a couple of weeks, a couple of stories a day over lunch breaks and when I got tin from work. A nice way to unwind. With added murder and crime. All good.

Now it is hard to talk about short stories as to say too much would pretty well give away the whole plot and negate the need to buy the book, but I will say that there are some real gems in amongst this collection and enough to keep you hooked, shocked, thrilled and blasting through those pages.

For fans of Val McDermid's Hill and Jordan series you have a nice catch up with the pair in Happy Holidays, a real misnomer for some of the characters and no mistake. And its a very welcome howdy to everyone's favourite Bounty Hunter, Lori Anderson, in Steph Broadribb's Fool You Twice. And I might be biased (I am) but I really enjoyed John Connolly's On the Anatomization of an Unknown Man, and also James Oswald's Dressed to Kill, which featured none other than dear old Inspector McLean and Grumpy Bob Laird. I learned it's probably not a good idea to go to Louise Jensen's for dinner, and not to pick a fight with AK Benedict. She has a very devious mind ... As for Paul Finch's The New Lad - loved it.

A full line up of stories below:
The Bully - Jeffery Deaver
Dead Weight - Fiona Cummins
Like A Glass Jaw - Mark Billingham
On The Anatomization of an Unknown Man (1637) by Frans Mier - John Connolly
The Pitcher - Sarah Hilary
Disciplined - Martyn Waites
The Consumers - Dennis Lehane
Voices Through the Wall - Alex Gray
Wet With Rain - Lee Child
Happy Holidays - Val McDermid
Fool You Twice - Steph Broadribb
Lebensraum - Christopher Fowler
Dancing Towards the Blade - Mark Billingham
Kittens - Dean Koontz
Take My Hand - A.K. Benedict
Dressed to Kill - James Oswald
Booty and the Beast - Joe R. Lansdale
The New Lad - Paul Finch
The Recipe - Louise Jensen

So? What do you think? Look at that list. You want to give this a try now don't you?

Go on. You won't regret it.

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...? I think I have been spoiled by good writing. This didn't cut it for me. 3 stars is generous but I am thinking of all audiences and not just myself.

All these short stories felt like an idea the author had but the material lacked substance and they became short stories. Sort of more like a failed attempt at a book instead of an actual writing of a short story. (I'm saying this broadly as not all of them fall into this category.) Even with that said I feel it is more of a campfire/teenage book based on all the other books I have read as well as by many of these authors themselves. In fact, I saw this on my reading list and thought I'd read it but couldn't remember. It wasn't until I started it again I realized I had! That's pretty telling.

A few stories did stand out above the rest:
1) The Pitcher- by Sarah Hilary,
2) Booty and the Beast- Joe Lansdale, and
3) The New Lad- Paul Finch

As an adult I myself would not waste my time on this book and therefore can't recommend it. However, as a parent of kids with a voracious appetite for reading and 3 boys (and several others that I can claim too but didn't give birth to) that love this type of stuff, .... they'd eat this up especially at night! So,... perhaps preread and make the call. 🤔 Everyone is different including each child.

[Marieke · Rating 4 out of 5]

19 short stories written by famous writers.
A very nice book, in which you get to know various authors and their writing styles.
For me it taste"s for more, as far as most stories go. So there's nothing else to do but read more 😉
I can recommend this book to read as well!!!

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology had some serious gems in it! I especially enjoyed: The Bully, Voices Through The Walls, Kittens and The New Lad!

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com

Exit Wounds is a brilliant anthology of short crime stories from some of the genre’s biggest and best names.

I have to admit that I’ve never really been a ‘short story person’. I always preferred the investment and story development of a full length novel, but the fact these are only short means you’re left wanting much more, especially the stories that really hook you in with great characters and an intriguing premise. This is when I kind of wish they weren’t short stories but ‘full length’, just so I can read more and more. Saying that, it’s SO satisfying to read multiple, interesting plots – albeit short ones – and experience lots of great ideas within a collection that’s less than 400 pages. This mix of separate narratives truly sparks the imagination in a different way than one long story, and you have absolutely no time to get bored!

I love that each story is markedly different but all on the theme of crime – and all with a decidedly (and delightedly) dark twist! I liked that each had its own spin on ‘crime’, and featured every kind of character, from serial killers and unhappy, controlled teenagers to beaten, vengeful wives.

The way you get to almost sample the writing style of various different authors is a great way to discover a new crime author… though the authors in this anthology are really big names, so you’ve probably already read something by most of them before! The stories are absorbing and intriguing, though some provoked really strong emotions in me.

Lebensraum by Christopher Fowler made me angry and upset for the landlady who is the main character in that tale, and Dancing Towards The Blade by Mark Billingham made me even more angry on behalf of Vincent, who is victimized by racist bullies. There are also plenty of stories which left me feeling triumphant and/ or satisfied; I particularly enjoyed Happy Holidays by Val McDermid (featuring DCI Carol Jordan), Booty and the Beast by Joe R Lansdale, Dead Weight by Fiona Cummins, and Fool You Twice by Steph Broadribb (an author I haven’t read anything by before, but will definitely turn to in future).

Overall, I highly recommend this anthology for any crime fan, particularly if you’re a short story fan – but even if you’re not usually, like me. I hugely enjoyed Exit Wounds and will be buying it as a present for various reader friends who I know will also really enjoy it.

[Andra · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very good collection! In the foreword, the publishers said that they wanted to create an anthology with all their favorite crime authors and you can really tell that it's been curated very well.

The stories range from short to long, from regular run of the mill murder stories to more gruesome, psychological ones. I did have to grit my teeth to get through a couple of them (triggers: children and animals) but most left me feeling pretty amazed by the dark, twisted ingenuity of the writers.

I especially liked "Lebensraum" by Christopher Fowler (got me feeling a whole range of emotions) and "The Bully" by Jeffery Deaver.

[Shannon O'Flynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed some of the short stories, but many just weren't very interesting to me. My favorite was "The Lad" because there was a lot of suspense in it. I think this may be since it was one of the longer ones. A new cop on duty investigating an insane asylum alone. Add a murderer with a hook for a hand, oh yes! Perfect. The rest, however, were lackluster.

Not a bad read, just probably won't ever read it again.

[Sofia Monteiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some good gems in there but some were blah