Publisher: Salt
'Best British Short Stories invites you to judge a book by its cover – or more accurately, by its title. This new series aims to reprint the best short stories published in the previous calendar year by British writers, whether based in the UK or elsewhere.'
Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873) was an Irish writer of Gothic tales and mystery novels. He was the leading ghost-story writer of the 19th century and was central to the development of the genre in the Victorian era.'Wicked Captain Walshawe' is a disquieting ghost story. Captain Walshawe, a dissolute rake, marries a wealthy heiress as a means to pay off his gambling debts. The marriage is an unhappy one on account if his dreadful behavior. When his wife dies, her old Irish servant casts a curse on Walshawe...which years later leads to a bizarre and totally inexplicable scene after the captain's own death.A Red Door Consulting production.Show book
Showcasing three of O. Henry’s sharpest short stories, Crisis of Conscience highlights the choices available for folks whose options are limited and difficult. In the first, An Unfinished Story, O. Henry uses a technique of only half telling two stories, delivering a clear and powerful message. The other two tales, A Retrieved Redemption and A Blackjack Bargainer, are more traditional narratives, each examining folks who are trying to get back up on the straight and narrow, and their terrible wrangle with the most evil adversary of all – hope.Show book
William Hope Hodgson (1877-1918) was an English author of horror, fantastic fiction, and science fiction. Hodgson used his experiences at sea to lend authentic detail to his short horror stories, many of which are set on the ocean. He became one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th century. He died in World War I at age 40.'A Tropical Horror' is the vivid story of a ship which is attacked by a hideous sea serpent.Show book
Dr Death the coroner and grim reaper king, his wife and son a serial killer are superheros they trying to find another serial killer in a hospital where the Doctor and his wife work. Their son plays bait for the killer who kills magician. Will they catch the killer or will Dr Death have to take his son to the afterlife?Show book
Prince Stepan Kasatsky experiences a disappointment with his fiancé and decides to become a monk! There is a story line, but beneath it, Father Sergius struggles to find peace and, if not happiness, then at least contentment. But he is always disillusioned and ultimately unsatisfied. Only in the end does he find his way by letting go of what he struggled to attain all his life, i.e. to be better than everyone else in whatever he did, and settle for the mundane.Show book
Pretty Lily Margrave is not convinced that Hercule Poirot is needed in the matter of Sir Atwell's murder. At the request of her employer, Lady Atwell, she has already recounted what happened ten days ago in the Tower Room, and the victim's nephew has been charged with the murder. Nevertheless, Lady Atwell brings Poirot up to the great house, Mon Repos, to see if he can find out anything. While at first the family is struck by Poirot's ardent endeavor to uncover what befell Sir Atwell, his insistence on looking into every nook and cranny becomes too much for some to bear. A scrap of material, the contents of a tiny box, and his singular ingenuity lead the detective to uncover who is behind this violent act.Show book
