*69

by Blake Crouch

From the author of DESERT PLACES, ABANDON, and “Serial,”� comes this short story which is an excellent and affordable introduction to the work of Blake Crouch.

In "*69," Tim and Laura West receive a bizarre voicemail on their answering machine that seems to have unintentionally recorded a brutal murder. But what happens when the killer realizes their mistake? This story unfolds over one terrifying evening, and this young couple will never be the same.

* This story is collected with others in the eBook, FOUR LIVE ROUNDS, which also contains a Foreword by J.A. Konrath and introductions to each story by Blake Crouch.

About the

BLAKE CROUCH was born near the piedmont town of Statesville, North Carolina in 1978. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated in 2000 with degrees in English and Creative Writing. Blake is the author of four novels and numerous short stories, including “Serial”� which he co-wrote with J.A. Konrath and has been downloaded more than 250,000 times. He lives with his family in southwest Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. .

Praise for Blake Crouch’s

ABANDON would make an excellent movie, switching back and forth between the plain-but-sturdy homes, saloon and church in 1893 and the same structures rotting to dust in 2009...a clever dual story.
CHARLOTTE OBSERVER

ABANDON [is] two separate works of past and present seamlessly melded together into a single novel that demands to be read in one sitting, so you can better appreciate the beauty of Crouch’s storytelling,” “[O]ne of those books that almost instantly puts you in the mind of a classic.
BOOKREPORTER

Haunting, fast-paced, and thoroughly engrossing... ABANDON is one of the most original tales of ghosts, greed and gold I've come across. Crouch aligns both eras so perfectly, it's as if the characters are occupying the same breath within the space/time continuum. ABANDON will be one of the most talked-about books of the summer.
THE MADISON COUNTY HERALD

“Ambitious,” “the palpable suspense just keeps building, and many thriller fans - especially those who like a touch of horror - will lose sleep to find out how it all ends.”
BOOKLIST

“ABANDON is terrific,” “a great storyteller hitting his stride.”
LEE CHILD

Genres: Thriller, Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Suspense

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 3, 2010

About the author

Blake Crouch is a bestselling novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the forthcoming novel, Dark Matter, for which he is writing the screenplay for Sony Pictures. His international-bestselling Wayward Pines trilogy was adapted into a television series for FOX, executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, that was Summer 2015’s #1 show. With Chad Hodge, Crouch also created Good Behavior, the TNT television show starring Michelle Dockery based on his Letty Dobesh novellas. He has written more than a dozen novels that have been translated into over thirty languages and his short fiction has appeared in numerous publications including Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine. Crouch lives in Colorado with his family.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Crouch is an epic storytelling, with his dark side pushing through in each tale. In this short story, the mystery and thrills have little time to develop, but come to a gentle boil at just the right moment. Tim and Laura West enjoy their time together as a married couple. One Thursday night, Laura discovers an odd message on their voicemail, some form of pocket dial from a cell phone. The message, full of choppy conversation, is thick with criminal innuendo and may be the recording of a murder. Unsure what to do, they try the old *69 to trace the previous call, but are interrupted and cannot retrieve the number. Worried that a killer is on the loose who knows them and will soon realise his error, the Wests ponder their options. Will it be too late to save them?

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

[Krissy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to this audiobook with my husband. Decent story but it seemed most of the time was spent on the set up. The ending seemed rushed and abrupt. By the time it was over I still had so many questions! I wasn't ready for it to end yet.

His Rating: 2 stars
My Rating: 2 stars

[Brittany Humphries · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok for a really really short book

[Jacek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Opowiadanko Blake 1/3

[William Aicher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The only other writing from Blake Crouch that I've read has been his Wayward Pines series, which I enjoyed quite a bit (especially the first two books), so I was excited to see he has written some short stories as well. I've been looking for a few quick reads, which I think thrillers can really work well as, and *69 lived up to that promise. Since it's so short, I don't want to go into really any further detail than what's already listed in the description, but I read it one sitting and enjoyed it quite a bit. There were a few spots where I got a little confused as to who was who, but a quick re-read of those parts cleared up any confusion I had. (The confusion also very likely could have been all on my end, as I was getting interrupted a few times by my kids while reading).
Anyway, money well spent. Definitely recommended for anyone in the mood for a quick dose of suspense. I'll be reading more of his shorts, and will be seeking out additional short thrillers as well. I think it's a form that holds quite a bit of promise, as Mr. Crouch exemplified himself with this piece.

[Shannon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Up until this short story I've liked everything I've read by Blake Crouch but this story was stupid. Where it all fell apart was when someone accidentally locked themselves in the back of a police cruiser. Seriously, what idiot doesn't know that you can't open the back doors from the inside especially if your brother-in-law is a cop. Even the premise of the story was bad, everything else I've read from him at least had a good story line.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tiny bit dated due to the technology but this could easily be updated and made into a great horror short, TV episode, or movie scene. A brilliantly paced (if slightly predictable) story that takes the reader from zero to anxious dread in a flash. Very cool.

[Chelle_Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story. I knew what would happen right away but it still made me so sad.

[Cristy Upshaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tim and Laura West receive a bizarre voicemail on their answering machine. Although the sound is muffled, the raised voices, suspicious thuds, and tortured gurgles lead them to believe that what they’re hearing is a brutal murder, unintentionally left as a voice message. As they try to decide what to do next, they are forced to consider a terrifying thought: What will happen when the killer realizes his mistake?

Notes: Very thrilling short story.

[Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

Got this as an audio book. It was extremely short (less than 15 minutes). Not much of a story and no real twist. Oddly enough, the characters couldn't actually even use the *69 function in the story. Just a sad tale of domestic abuse and murder like many that you read about in the news. You can easily give this one a skip.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow

I love Blake Crouch's books. This short story is tense, very tense. And the ending? Shocker. I love the way Mr Crouch tells a story!

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story is diabolically clever!

[Sums · Rating 4 out of 5]

THRILLING READ

It's a short and thrilling read for someone who cannot invest a lot of time to reading. I highly recommend it

[Matylda Saresta · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://mniejniz0minirecenzje.blogspo...

[Nagendra Kumar Yadav T · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good short story, kept me at the edge of ky seat all the time. But I hated its ending.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*

[Kat Hossler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy moly!

A short story that packs a lot of punch, excellent read! I usually don't go for the short ones, but this one may just make me a convert!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

So I decided to listen to two short stories today, and let me say I am now a HUGE fan of Blake Crouch because if he can tell two great stories in a mere 30 pages I can't imagine what he can pull off in a full length novel.

The premise of this book is dark, someone leaves a message on an answering machine of a murder... because they accidentally dialed you. I mean we have all sent accident texts, so it is something that can reasonably happen. What happens when the killer realizes his mistake before you realize who the killer is?

This short story was fantastic right until the very end. I can't wait to continue reading more of Crouch. Anyone that can tell an amazing story quickly is a fantastic writer in my book!

[Matt Madurski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book this short is hardly going to rank high among the literary greats, but this short, intense story (read by my favorite voice actor Luke Daniels in the Audible presentation) was a perfect "palate cleanser" after the deep, sometimes difficult two books I read prior to this one. Like most shorts, there's a lot of back story missing and you often crave more information but at the same time it prods your imagination and leaves the reader to fill in the blanks. I like that, and this book succeeds at it. Worth the half-hour listen!

[Grampy · Rating 4 out of 5]

*69 is another action-packed thriller from Blake Crouch. This author has the talent to fit a big story into a very few words, in such a way that it will send you looking for another story of his to read. Fortunately, when you find that next story, you will enjoy it just as much. I highly recommend anything by Blake Crouch!

[Dave Pope · Rating 2 out of 5]

I will never be a fan of stand alone short fiction. Within the covers of a collection of short stories this would be entertaining but as a stand alone it does very little for me. I definitely wouldn't spend money on a read lasting no more than a few minutes. It is entertaining and it is clever but there's not enough of it - by a long way.

[Sherri Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fantastic short story by an author I had read much from before - but one I will CERTAINLY be looking to read more by!

Even though it's short, it managed to surprise me and didn't go in the direction I had thought it would - until the very end.

If you enjoy mystery/suspense/thriller, check out this WONDERFUL story!!

[vivian bryant · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy Blake Crouch books. He is a different kind of writer than most mystery story.

A good short story the end is a surprise you have to read to the last word and maybe read it over to get really what happen.

[Roxie Prince · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strange, but worth a read.

This was a strange story that had me going, "What?" a few times, but it is original and quite interesting if you're into thrillers with a bit of violence.

[Nadyne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story was very good... Only the end was a little disappointing!

[Michelle · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a pretty messed up short story about a police officer who kills he own brother and sister-in-law because they accidentally discovered that he was a murderer.

[Sarah Billington · Rating 5 out of 5]

No wonder his books are so popular. So rich with detail, and a great twist.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one that did make me think. "WOW" this could happen.

[Marc-Antoine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read, entertaining, and very cool premise.

[Cambria · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute little horror novel.