Five amazing short stories by five bestselling authors
These authors have sold over 5 million books. Now you can read a selection of their short stories full of mystery, suspense and twists.
THE WORM TURNS by Gretta Mulrooney Gammy Doreen died a gruesome death, cold and alone in a tunnel beneath the house — now it’s up to Tyrone Swift to uncover the truth in this short story by Gretta Mulrooney.
THE CARRION CROW by Helen H. Durrant Detective Tom Calladine can’t even take a holiday without getting involved in a murder investigation in Helen H. Durrant’s classic short story.
CREEPER ON THE LEVELS by David Hodges Detective Kate Hamblin is on the hunt for a twisted serial killer in David Hodges’s thrilling short story.
TIME TO KILL by Bill Kitson Time to kill? The stage is set for murder in this gripping short story by Bill Kitson.
FORGIVE ME by Joy Ellis A man is found dead with a note in his hand. It reads: Please forgive me. Find out what happens next in this moving short story by Joy Ellis.
Gretta Mulrooney (1952-2023) was a British author of mystery, thriller, and crime novels. Born and raised in London to Irish parents, Mulrooney began publishing novels in her 30s, working with publishers such as Poolberg Press, Harper Collins, and Joffre Books.
Summary: 5 stars for Joy Ellis' short story, 4.5 for Gretta Mulrooney's. The other 3 were DNFs because life's too short to wade through lackluster plots full of cardboard characters.
"The Worm Turns" by Gretta Mulrooney PI Tyrone Swift's first case is solving the mystery in a family's history. Well written, believable characters. 4.5 stars
"The Carrion Crow" by Helen H. Durrant Cardboard characters, thin plot, no joy here. DNF
"Creeper on the Levels" by David Hodges The relationship between husband and wife investigative team of Hayden and Kate was too toxic for my taste. The lunch scene did it for me; nope nope nopety nope. DNF.
"Time to Kill" by Bill Kitson Couldn't get into the story; didn't like the characters; pacing too slow. DNF
"Forgive Me" by Joy Ellis Another Joy Ellis thriller, this one featuring PC Yvonne (from the Nikki Galena series) and her new trainee, Jamie. Ellis never disappoints! 5 twisting and turning stars
Tyrone Swift, a newly minted private investigator, has a case of a woman who was murdered by being pushed down some cellar steps. While someone confessed, Nick, the dead woman’s grandson isn’t so sure that the confession is the truth. The woman who confessed is the sister to the deceased woman and she is a special needs person. The murdered woman was thoroughly unlikable. Who really murdered her?
This is a delightful little story with no real surprises. I pretty much had it figured out, but enjoyed Ms. Mulrooney’s writing style. It is a clever story.
The Carrion Crow by Helen H. Durrant - 3 stars
Ms. Durrant missed the boat on this one. Her Detective Callandine is supposed to be on vacation, but butts into an investigation of a young man’s death. While he solved the case, his interfering manner grated on me.
Creeper on the Levels by David Hodges - 3 stars
Sergeant Kate Hamblin doesn’t seem too bright.
This is a rather disjointed story. I had a hard time staying interested.
Time to Kill by Bill Kitson - 3 and 1 / 2 stars
This story is well written. The DS and the DC investigating the case are likeable characters. However, the outcome was pretty predictable.
FORGIVE ME by Joy Ellis - 5 stars
DS Yvonne “Vonnie” and a PC investigate the case of a suicide. The man was very well liked in the community. No one had any suspicion that he was going to commit suicide. Vonnie is suspicious and knows the man must have been a ne'er-do-well. The PC assisting her is not so sure. He delves into the man’s past. It seems he didn’t exist nine years earlier!
Oh man, what a huge surprise is in store for the reader!! Excellent little story.
This was an excellent short story about a suicide attended by two police officers, PC Yvonne Collins, (Vonnie) and rookie cop PC Jamie Smith. A suicide note asking for forgiveness arouses Vonnie's suspicions stating that the deceased man must have some awful skeleton in his cupboard, and her copper's nose is not usually wrong. Young Jamie disagrees, stating that as a near neighbour, this man was whiter than white, caring for his elderly neighbour and supporting his local church. Vonnie challenges Jamie to prove her wrong.
Joffe Books Murder Mystery & Suspense Short Story Collection Volume 1 - 5 book boxed set written by five different authors was rather quaint for my liking.
The Worm Turns' by Gretta Mulroney - short story 1
Tyrone Swift's first case as a private investigator takes him to Little Heath in Surrey where he encountered Nick Frain in a shop and as they were enjoying the fruits of the vineyard Nick gleaned that Swift is a private investigator and assigns him to investigate his grandmother's demise as he wanted to know why she had been in the tunnel beneath their house in the first place also was her death an accident or was she murdered. Swift has opened a can of worms when he delves into this case.
The Carrion Crow a classic whodunit suspense mystery story by Helen H. Durrant - short story 2
Detective Tom Callindine is on holiday in the Pennines and hates fishing and is staying at the Carrion Crow pub by a lake. He succumbs to attempt his hand at fishing and discovers a dead body which piques his detective vibes.He can smell something fishy and it is definitely not the fish. He cannot resist the urge to delve further and find out who murdered the young man.
Creeper On The Levels a whodunnit by Bill Kitson -short story 3
Detective Kate Hamblin and her husband Hayden are on a quest to find the riddler who was leaving couplets for her attention at the scene of the crime.
An aunt who changes her will and bequeathed everything to the local church and not to her nephew Maurice Wilson.
The victims were staged once murdered and symbolised executions by someone who wants to seek vengeance but the smell of patchouli will give the perpetrator away in the end.
I love the way Bill Kitson the author brings humour into this short whodunit story with the way Kate and Hayden wind up each other.
Time To Kill by Bill Kitson a short mystery whodunit - short story 4
Is this a dress rehearsal or something more sinister when Macbeth is staged in a local theatre. Someone mentions the name Macbeth which once spoken out loud can be a curse in more ways than one.
DS Benson and DC Diane Hall investigate the murder of a male at the back of the playhouse theatre.
'Is this a dagger I see before me, the handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still is very apt as the victim was brought to his demise by a sharp blade. They investigate closely and the murderer has been in plain sight as the play begins.
Forgive me by Joy Ellis a short mystery story 5
PC Yvonne Collins and PC Jamie Smith have their work cut out into why a man who has commited suicide is holding a scrap of paper with the words 'Please forgive me.' written on it.
After further investigation they discover the deceased to be Arthur Sims a pillar of the community who helped his fellow neighbour, worked in a charity shop and supported his local church.
A crucifix above the bed in Arthur Sim's bedroom becomes a conundrum for PC Jamie Smith as he was a devout Catholic.
Is Arthur more of a sinner than a saint? All is revealed in the end.
( Format : ebook ) "Between the stirrup and the ground .."
A mixed bag of short stories by mostly well established crime authors, very quick to read. Titles include: The Worm Turns, by Greta Mulroony - all right but very predictable and depressing The,Carrion Crow, by Helen H Currant - two men find a body whilst fishing Creeper on the,Levels by David Hodges - the first body of an elderly lady was fpond, hooded, in her bed. But it looks as if DS Kate Lewis was also being targeted. A promising and sinister beginning but fails to develop because of the short story imposition wheel becomes rather ludicrous. Time to kill, by Bill Kitson: first night of a new production of The Scottish Play but a dead body is waiting outside. Again suffers from being severely length restricted, but OK. Forgive me by Joy Ellis: a suicide call, and the victim seems to have nothing but good works in his blameless life. Neat, but boring. The Proof in the Pudding, by Faith Martin, my preceded story reviewed seperately.
For those who enjoy short stories. Such a difficult genre because of the severe limitations with so little time for an author to set up situation, characters and story, not forgetting the twist in the tale ending it their is to be one. With the exception of one, these did not achieve more than a just satisfactorily result, although the stories do give a tiny taste of what might be,expected from new to the reader novelists.
With thanks to Joffe books for making this ebook available for free to anyone who joins their mailing !ist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
1. Turns - Gretta Mulrooney - Tyrone Swift is asked to investigate an old case by the grandson - the death of Doreen Frain back in 1960. Was the true culprit imprisoned. 2. The Carrion Crow - Helen A Durrant. On holiday at the pub The Carrion Crow, detective Tom Calladine discovers a body and can’t help but interfere to solve the death 3. Creeper on the Levels - David Hodges - A killer is taunting DS Kate Lewis. how many will he kill. 4. Time to Kill - Bill Kitson - Brinton Playhouse are having their opening night when their leading actor has failed to appear. A body has been discovered but why and who are the questions. 5. Forgive Me - Joy Ellis- Arthur Sims is an apparent suicide, he left a note. But PC Yvonne Collins is not so sure and challenges PC Jamie Smith to prove her wrong. Five entertaining and well-written short stories
A collection of 5 Shorts by various British artists I received at no cost from publisher Joffe Books. I have read this collection of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work. Three of these authors were already on my favorites listing, but I am now adding the rest. Excellent mysteries, and precise well-paced shorts. A true short story is not the easiest thing to achieve but very well done in these stories. I am pleased to recommend them all to friends and family.
The Worm Turns by Gretta Mulrooney The Carrion Crow by Hellen H. Durrant Creeper on the Levels by David Hodges Time to Kill by David Hodges Forgive Me by Joy Ellis Collection reviewed on Goodreads, AmazonSmile, BookBub, and Kobo on February 25, 2022.
This was a very uneven anthology, and so I will rate each story individually. The first, The Worm Turns by Gretta Mulrooney, I would give 4 and a half stars, and the last, Forgive Me by Joy Ellis I would give 4 stars. The other three, The Carrion Crow by Helen H Durrant, Creeper on the Levels by David Hodges and Time to Kill by Bill Kitson, I would give 2 stars. Thus the average of 3 stars. They were all very short and quick to read. The middle ones needed more proofreading.
Nice collection of short stories. Unfortunately, most of the authors are unavailable in my preferred and I have no intention of using the Kindle format because it’s just not my cuppa. Hopefully, I’ll be able to read some of these authors in my preferred format once they come back from the dark side that is KU. These short stories are just the perfect length to introduce a mystery, learning a bit about the lead characters and see the denouement of the intrigue.
Joffe Books Murder Mystery & Suspense Short Story Collection Volume 1 (5 Book Boxed Set)
5 short stories by 5 different authors. A great way to find out if you like the writing style, plot and character development displayed by each author. I like box sets like this for that reason. If I like the short story, I am more likely to search for other books by that author. Some of these stories were a bit hit or miss for me but overall a solid 3 stars for this box set.
These authors are ones that I always read. So I was excited to read these short stories. Each one was a complete mystery. And each story was really good. I highly recommend this book. And I would love to see a short story collection of Christmas mysteries!
A pleasant little volume of short stories featuring some of the crime solvers I have encountered in past years from this Joffe range. With clues to solve, each is about the length to enjoy with a cup of tea in an armchair,.
All too brief! 5 short stories which engage the reader’s attention. I am familiar with each of the authors and enjoy their longer novels very much but with these novellas you can start and finish in just over an hour. Perfect for a quick read before bed.
I really enjoyed most of these short stories soe however left e disappointed by all new series for me with some to read a full length novel as I enjoyed the snapshot off. I highly recommend Joffe Books.
1. ‘THE WORM TURNS’ by GRETTA MULROONEY 4⭐ 2. ‘THE CARRION CROW’ by HELEN H. DURRANT 4⭐ 3. ‘CREEPER ON THE LEVELS’ by DAVID HODGES 3⭐ 4. ‘TIME TO KILL’ by BILL KITSON 3⭐ 5. ‘FORGIVE ME’ by JOY ELLIS 3⭐ 6. ‘THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING’ by FAITH MARTIN 4⭐
I really enjoyed these short stories..from my favourite authors..I don't usually like reading short stories as seem to finish abruptly but these were really good.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this set of short stories. Each story was different, but they all included a mystery. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a good mystery.