The Six Who Came to Dinner

by Anne Youngson

Six short stories full of colourful suspects and complicated motives by the winner of the Paul Torday Memorial prize for debut authors over sixty - perfect for fans of grisly mysteries set in the English countryside

The village cleaning lady who holds everyone's house-keys opens a boot to find some unexpected baggage; a vengeful dinner party host serves more than just a roast to her six guests; hairdresser chat is not just idle gossip as an old man with a history gets a trim; driven to distraction by his new young wife, a man resorts to two grisly acts, in a gripping re-imagining of a famous Irish ballad.

Ripping away the polite façade of small communities, these stories reveal the roiling emotions and frustration that can lead seemingly ordinary people to do bad things. Rich in compassion, pathos and humour, Anne Youngson offers us her dark take on human foibles, pettiness and rivalry in this sparkling, unputdownable collection.

Genres: Short Stories, Fiction, Crime, Mystery

272 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Anne Youngson worked for many years in senior management in the car industry before embarking on a creative career as a writer. She has supported many charities in governance roles, including Chair of the Writers in Prison Network, which provided residencies in prisons for writers. She lives in Oxfordshire and is married with two children and three grandchildren to date. Meet Me at the Museum is her debut novel, which is due to be published around the world.

Reviews

[Daniel Myatt]

A collection of very good short stories that leave you thinking afterwards!

I like the author's style of writing and her ability to write as different characters/narrators.

Clever, dark, funny and intriguing!

[Gemma Golley]

just like any short story collections, there are stories you love, you hate, that are meh and that are joyous. solid collection overall!

[Jan Weightman]

Some of the stories were entertaining, but there were a couple that just didn't seem to have much of a point. the characters were good, and I liked the writing style. I thought it was an OK read but not something I would highly recommend to others. That being said, I will probably read one of her other books at some point.

[Natalie :)]

3.5⭐️
I wish it gave me more. Some stories were too short for my liking, it left me unsatisfied. Some stories were just right, and didn’t need more. Overall a decent book :)

[Laura Hernández]

Aunque no todas la short stories fueron destacables, de hecho, la mayoría te dejan sin más, me parece que merece las 5 estrellas solo por "Bill Flood", wow.

[Em]

The book contains six short stories and each one revolves around love, lies and revenge. Each story is just as good as the last and even though the stories weren’t linked, the same themes existed in them all and they go so well together. All six were cleverly written and for short stories with a limited amount of pages, the plots were so so good and the attention to detail was incredible. I honestly felt like the plot of a couple of these stories was better than books I’ve read with 300 or more pages!

Overall an easy, pleasant read and I would recommend if you’re after something a bit different. Definitely one to add to your shelf.

[Flo Gourmel]

The year just started and I already have my second 5 stars book🤩
Short stories are a hit or miss for me, because they usually leave me hanging or wanting to know more.
Oh, but what a beautiful short story collection I stumbled upon in this book!

It took me some time to finish it, just because I just couldn’t easily pass to the next story. Each one of them was so impactful, so much demanding of you to process it, to think about it, to feel it all.

Probably the best short stories collection I ever read.

[Robyn Weightman]

The tales felt like a very bleak but perhaps accurate view of mankind. I enjoyed the murder mystery and the escape from an abusive carer tale. The others I couldn't fully get along with.
But well written and fast read.

[Stuart Hill]

I suppose that short story collections which are consistently engaging are fairly rare, but this one was a real curate's egg.

It started off quite strongly with the title story which was cleverly plotted, showing an Agatha Christie influence where events are fully explained at the closure. There's then a real dip in quality with the second tale, The Weekend In Question. Again this has the feel of Christie, with its village setting and murder mystery scenario. Unfortunately, the lack of realism made it a disappointment for me, it just felt too artificial - very much like Agatha's weaker efforts.

This was followed by the bizarrely titled A Life Measured In Puffins. Short and instantly forgettable. Couldn't see the point of this one. Thankfully the next story, Bill Flood, the longest at 90 pages, was also the best. Feeling more realistic in the style of a Ruth Rendell tale, it was pretty gripping, the greater length giving the author more time to develop their characters and plot.

Empty Nest was another short effort (18 pages). Has a slightly metafictional aspect but it wasn't engaging for me. The collection closes with How Can You Possibly Think?, a Rashomonesque yarn where the same event was viewed through several different perspectives. Nice idea but it didn't quite come off, as the narrative voices in each section are not distinct enough. Would have worked better if an omniscient narrator had been utilised, I felt.

Overall not bad, with the stronger stories also being the longest. Worth reading once, but I wouldn't rush to find other books by the same author.

[Hanna]

Short stories of very mixed quality! Worth reading just for Bill Flood (the longest short story of the bunch) but a lot of the shorter short stories fell quite flat. It was hard to get enough substance into a 20 page short story in order for me to buy into the characters and ideas by the time I finished it.

I found it interesting how pretty much every story had a main character who was cruel/unfeeling/mean. Was this an intentional throughline or just the author's habit? I don't know!

Reading at the end that this collection was mostly comprised of stories the author wrote for her PhD made sense, as some of them definitely felt like writing exercises rather than stories someone might be passionate about.

[Kim]

I enjoyed reading all of the short stories. They were all really fun and interesting to read.
The six who came to dinner- sucked me right in. I was hooked to the story right away. The story was really good.
The weekend in question- was another really good one. I think the fact that these thriller/mystery stories were short and right to the point made them fun to read. I loved the happy ending for Henrietta.
A life measured in puffins- was a cute one. Man lived his whole life on an island
Bill flood- us another was that I really enjoyed. Everything about it. Also loved the happy ending for Ariadne.
Empty nest - I would say I enjoyed the least but it was still good
How can you possibly think ?- was a good one and out a smile on my face when I finished it

[Belle Priddell]

I randomly picked the book up at a library and I’m so glad I did. A collection of short stories, not usually my taste but I loved all of these. Especially the story of Bill Flood. I love the description on the back of the book; “ripping away the polite façade of small communities…”. Just some beautiful, mundane stories but deeply interesting. Definitely would read again. Last story, How can you possibly think, would be great for a high school class learning about telling a story from different perspectives.

[CardiganJeffers]

Picked this up thinking it was a full length murder mystery, this is my fault for not reading the blurb better.
I liked Bill Flood and the final story, 'Overlap', probably because they gave a more in depth look at the characters.
The name Robin popped up several times, either Robin, or Robinson family, or Robinson Crusoe, and I was sure it was going to lead to something. Hmmm.
Story number one; I would have preferred to just reread The Inspector Calls.
I think I perhaps just don't like short story anthologies?

[JoanTheSiren]

"Bill Flood" było opowiadaniem absolutnie fenomenalnym, opis przemocy psychicznej i manipulacji z trzech perspektyw i historia osoby niepełnosprawnej uwięzionej we własnym domu. Absolutnie genialne.

Ewentualnie jeszcze ostatnie opowiadanie było takie, że dobra rozumiem przekaz. Ale reszta była strasznie słaba. Tytułowe to już wgl był żart, świetne napięcie, budowanie atmosfery, prawie jak u christie, ale rozwiązania tych spraw i zakończenia było bez sensu.

[Kathryn Higgins]

I truly loved her first two books (Meet Me At The Museum and Three Women and a Boat alt title Narrowboat Summer)

HOWEVER, after the first two decent stories I just couldn’t bring myself to finish the third because I found it so dull and kind of preachy.
Anyway, I love you Anne! Really want another novel from you ❤️

[Marilyn]

Different from the two Youngson novels I read (Meet Me at the Museum, Narrowboat Summer). Here, Youngson has a Gothic touch: unease, vengeance, and rivalry, within the English village. The first short story (The Six...) echoes a famous J.B. Priestley play, and I think is the best. In all of them, Youngson's shrewd interest in people shows.

[Dogeared]

2.75 stars. A collection of short stories, but they didn’t particularly have what I like about the genre - a real resolution or twist at the end, a purpose of sorts to why I’ve just read this snapshot in a character’s life. The first story probably was the best, and maybe the Bill Flood one.

[Sandra]

An ok short story collection, I enjoyed the longer stories more, unsurprisingly. I can somewhat see the Agatha Christie inspiration with small towns and the characters. I could see myself reading a full-length mystery by Youngson.

[Sydne]

So captivating, thrilling, and oh so dark. Probably one of the best books I have read this year.

[Roo B]

Good short stories. A couple are better than others and one has stayed with me in a way I will probably read it again

[Daisy Collins]

Not normally a big reader of short stories but these were enjoyable (if uncomfortable at times). Enjoyed some stories more than others.

[Holly]

2.5

[Nicoletta]

I loved the stories.

[Miss]

A great collection of short stories that took me by surprise.

[Mandy Setterfield]

Lost my reading mojo for a little while, so picked it back up with short stories.

[Cheryl]

There seemed to be threats in all of the stories that somehow resolved themselves. I enjoyed it. 3.5 probably rather than 4?

[Janet Preece]

A collection of short stories, all of which are interesting in their own right.

[Madeline Kletzenbauer]

I couldn’t get into this book right at the start but as the stories went on I really started to enjoy them a fun collection !! 3.5 ⭐️