I’m so excited to be a part of this blog tour! The short stories here are most definitly one of a kind, and the authors are fantastic! Shalini with Digital Reads blog tours has really done it again with pointing us readers in the direction of something awesome and unique! I was actually suposed to post my review on the 27th, but I suck, so here it is late… SORRY AUTHORS!
DESCRIPTION:
Who knew death could be so eclectic?
Relish this mesmerizing murder mystery mash-up of short stories.
Murder and mystery have been the staple of literature and films for years. This anthology of short stories will thrill and entertain you. Some will also make you laugh out loud. Others will stop and make you think.
Think of this murder mystery short story anthology as a book version of appetisers or starters, hors d’oeuvre, meze, or antipasti. It can be read as fillers between books or, as is the case in some countries, as a bookish meze – in its own right.
There’s murder mystery styles and locations to suit all tastes: detective fiction, serial killers, scifi, histfic, England, Los Angeles, San Francisco, The Great Lakes, Las Vegas, the Nevada desert, Mexico and more in an exquisite exposition of the art of short story telling.
These stories come from an international cast of authors; some with bestselling books, others are emerging or new talents. Their roots, cultures, and life experiences are as diverse as their writing styles.
But one thing binds them together: they know how to tell a story.
MY REVIEW 4 Stars:
I’m a huge fan of short stories, especially suspenseful ones! When I picked this book up, my thought was that it looked very promising! There are a couple authors in the line up that really stood out, and one in particular that has been on my reading list for a couple years now and I hate that I’ve yet to pick up one of her books (Robbie, that’s you, and I apologize from the depths of my soul because you’re amazing!!). I think now it’s safe to say I’ll be bumping Robbie Cheadle’s book up to the top of my reading list a lot sooner!
It’s hard to review short stories, especially such a vast collection. Some of them are only a few pages long, and they all cover such an impressive area of mystery. They’re categorized by author, and start with a description of their own collection and personal writing history, which I loved.
A few of the stories within where not for me, but that really means nothing as so many of them were absolutely phenomenal! Each story had a hint of mystery, some more than others. A few provided that rare and unforgettable shock factor that leaves you wanting MORE! Some of them had me on the edge of my seat, and some had me cringing at the core.
It’s really impossible to cover all the short stories here, so I’ll tell you about a couple of my favorite ones!
First Comes Lightning, by Kelly Artieri is so beautifully written! As the main character Ella watches a storm roll in she contemplates about her life and marriage. After 30 years of growing apart from her husband she wonders how things have gotten to the point of such lonely uncomfort between the two. She pulls herself together only to go home and find her husband dead, lying in the garage in a pool of crimson and a bloodied bat close by. The way Kelly draws the entire story together is excellent. For such a short story I actually felt connected with Ella, as the characters were perfectly developed and the wording had a very seamless flow. I’ll be looking into Kelly Artieri’s work, she’s a very talented writer!
An Eye For an Eye, by Robbie Cheadle is also among my favorites in this collection. Mostly because of the shock factor, and the attachment I felt to the characters. Parts of this story was a hard pill to swallow, but the reason for it being a favorite is because it stuck out in memory. It’s a story that stays with you! It goes like this: Tommy and Jimmy are poverty stricken young brothers who are forced by Mother Abigail day in and day out to clean chimneys. They’re both small and sickly from the years of abuse. One day, Mother Abigail decided to light a fire by means to force a refusing Jimmy out of a chimney. The soot in the stack caught fire and he had to lower himself into the flames to get out. He didn’t die right off, it took weeks for the effects to take his life. Tommy tended to his brother and watched him die brutally. Tommy was angry and distraught, and had had enough mistreatment by Mother Abigail. He rounded up all the other boys under Mother Abigails wing and together they sought revenge. However, it doesn’t stop there. This story is like a spiral of deadly chaos, and it grips the reader by the core. Like I said, it just stuck!
All in all there are SO many great short stories! I most definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique and eclectic blend of shocking short tales of mystery! Thanks to the authors and Shalini with Digital Reads Blog Tours for providing me with a free copy of this book for a non bias review!
HERE ARE THE AUTHORS!!!
HERE IS THE BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE, go check out all of the other amazing posts about this phenominal collection of short stories!!
OCTOBER 27
Alakhnanda Alakhnanda www.thebookxpert.wordpress.com
Jessica E Larsen www.jessicaelarsen.com
Jody Jody www.imallaboutbooks.com
Mani Mani www.manisbookcornerblog.wordpress.com
Didi Didi www.didoviatt.wordpress.com
OCTOBER 28
Jessica Jessica www.jessicabelmont.wordpress.com
Amy Amy www.zanybibliophile.wordpress.com
Kaili www.entertaininglynerdy.com
Marnie www.onceuponatimebookblog.com
Donna www.donnasreadingchair.home.blog
OCTOBER 29
Angry Old Man www.angryoldmanbookreviews.com
Lili Lili www.lilisblissfulpages.wordpress.com
Nina Nina www.thecozypages.wordpress.com
Nicole Nicole www.thebookwormdrinketh.com
Misty Misty www.mistysbookspace.wordpress.com
OCTOBER 30
Mary Mary www.sophrilreads.com
Dora Dora www.swiftcoffee.blog
Noriko Noriko www.bookfiendsite.wordpress.com
Val Odylicious Val www.bookblog200.wordpress.com
Jacquie Jacquie www.jacqbiggar.com
OCTOBER 31
Amanda Amanda www.writewhereiread.wordpress.com
Rekha Rekha www.thebookdecoder.com
Jolie Jolie www.readwithme.wordpress.com
Maya Maya www.mayabhat.com
Didi Oviatt -Author 
You are so right. I got goosebumps with Robbie’s stories… I have just finished them. So excited to read the rest. Awesome review…. You so do not suck. Darling, you are brilliant
Thank you so much for being a part of this Blog Tour ❤️
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goosebumps exactly! I can’t get that particular one out of my head, especially since it’s based on the reality of children chimny sweeps. SO sad! You’ll love the rest! I’m truely impressed. Thanks for having me!!
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❤️
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Thank you for this terrific review of Death Among Us, Didi, and particularly for your comments about An Eye for an Eye. That is my personal favourite of my three stories.
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I love that it’s based on factual history. Very resonating!
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Great review. It’s on my TBR list.
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Im so glad, you’ll love it!!
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Wow! Thank you so much for a great review!
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You’re most welcome! Thanks for the great read!
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Thanks, Didi, for a great review and blog post. I see Robbie and Kelly beat me to it.
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You’re welcome! Such a great collection of stories!!
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