Book picks similar to
Sinister Shorts by Perri O'Shaughnessy


mystery
short-stories
perri-o-shaughnessy
thriller

Black Oil, Red Blood


Diane Castle - 2012
    In fact, she proves it for a living. She sues oil refineries that would rather save a buck than comply with safety regulations designed to do important things like, you know, keep people alive.Chloe had a successful career until circumstances forced her to move to the bass-ackwards town of Kettle, Texas (human population: 4,000; gun population: 34,356). Big Oil industry giant PetroPlex employs half of Kettle's population, and there's no question the judge in the town's got oil stains on his hands. It's no wonder she's been on a losing streak lately. She suspects she's been litigating on an uneven playing field, but when her star expert witness turns up dead less than 48 hours before a make-or break hearing, she knows.What she doesn't know is the key piece of information that got her expert killed. It turns out PetroPlex is harboring a shocking secret-one that has the potential to skyrocket gasoline prices, spark an energy market meltdown, and trigger riots, chaos, death, and destruction on a global scale. Chloe must discover the secret and expose the villains before she is permanently silenced, all while juggling a troublesome ex-fiance and a tantalizing new flame along the way.

The Mailbox


Mary Jane Forbes - 2010
    But when a hurricane reveals a dead body, will her first case be her last? Elizabeth "Stitch" Stitchway dreams of becoming a private investigator, but she remains stuck in her mail carrier day job. When a freak hurricane tosses her and her truck into fast-moving waters, a mysterious stranger is her only saving grace. But after a dead body bubbles to the surface, her raw PI instincts aren't sure if her savior is a witness or a suspect…When Stitch starts to receive letters from her protector, she dives head first into a murder investigation. As she searches for clues, the mystery man asks her for help at the expense of her postal responsibilities. But will trusting the suspect make her the next victim?The Mailbox is a PI murder mystery filled with clever twists and turns. If you like smart female investigators, puzzling plots, and page-turning surprises, then you'll love Mary Jane Forbes' parcel of thrills. Buy The Mailbox to unwrap a package of suspense today!

Twelve Red Herrings


Jeffrey Archer - 1994
    Cleverly styled, with richly drawn characters and ingeniously plotted story lines, each of the twelve pieces ends with a delightfully unexpected turn of events.An imprisoned man is certain that his supposed murder victim is very much alive....A female driver is pursued relentlessly by a menacing figure in another vehicle....A young artist gets the biggest break of her career....A restless beauty manages the perfect birthday celebration....An escaped Iraqi on Saddam Hussein's death list pays an involuntary visit to his homeland. In each tale, human beings are given an opportunity to seize, a crucial problem to solve, or a danger to avoid. How will they react? How would you? Capping off the collection are two additional rewards. In the final story, Archer offers a choice of four endings. And buried in each story is another diversion -- a red herring which Archer challenges his readers to uncover.

Amos Walker: The Complete Story Collection


Loren D. Estleman - 2010
    Estleman.

Girl in Reverse


Lore Dresden - 2017
    One killer. A devastating secret. On a lazy and warm summer evening in 2001 young Sadie and Madison Hunter and their parents are brutally assaulted. The case has been cold for eighteen years, and it's a shock for the Snohomish County Police Department to find a man dead in Sadie's niche bookstore, It’s a Mystery, with the same MO that killed her parents: four stab wounds in a perfect square.What could tie the death of her parents to this strange man killed in Sadie’s store almost two decades later? The sisters vow to catch the killer who destroyed their lives and they must do it before newly-minted homicide detective Michael Kwon does—or risk exposing their biggest secret of all.

The Amersham Rubies


Rhys Bowen - 2011
    When heirloom rubies vanish from Lady Amersham’s neck, Molly relies on her wits to solve her first case. A short story prequel to mystery series.

Elvis Has Not Left the Building


J.R. Rain - 2010
    Unfortunately, leaving fame behind also meant leaving his fortune behind, too, and now Elvis finds himself broke and living in near poverty in a small apartment in Los Angeles. Luckily for him, it turns out he's a pretty good private investigator.Now in his seventies and contemplating a return to music (discreetly, of course), Elvis is hired to solve a baffling missing person case. The King digs deeper, and soon finds himself surrounded by the seedier elements of Los Angeles, from nefarious Hollywood producers who prey upon the young, to twin brothers with a very dark secret.And as Elvis pieces the bizarre puzzle together, he slowly makes his singing comeback—and will be reunited on stage with someone even the King himself never dreamed possible.

Promissory Payback


Laurel Dewey - 2011
    She’s rock hard, but capable of extraordinary tenderness. She’s a brilliant cop, but she’s capable of making life-altering mistakes. She’s uncannily talented, and she’s heartbreakingly human.In this novelette, Jane is called in to investigate the gruesome murder of a woman who profited greatly from the misfortunes of others. The case leaves Jane with little question about motive...and with a seemingly endless number of suspects.

In Plain Sight


Linda Castillo - 2019
    Seriously injured, he lapses into a coma. Initially, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder believes it’s a straightforward hit and run, a driver that panicked and fled. But evidence soon emerges that the incident wasn’t accidental at all--and Kate uncovers a story of teenage passion and jealousy that may have led to attempted murder.

Lethal Dose


Robert McCracken - 2016
    Terry Lawler had exposed the secrets of powerful people and apparently got his comeuppance.But when DI Tara Grogan digs further, she makes a startling discovery. Within the victim’s home are details about dozens of missing women. Details that might only be known to the last person who saw them.Just what was his connection to these disappearances in Belfast and Liverpool? Has Grogan stumbled upon evidence of a serial killer who someone else has got to first?In which case, exactly who is Grogan hunting for? And does she really want to find them?

In A New York Minute


Claudia Carroll - 2015
    Right isn’t quite as easy as Amy first thought.Following in the footsteps of her favourite New York movies Amy is determined to have that romantic Manhattan moment. But like all good romances – love often turns up in the most unexpected of places…A heart-warming, 23 page short story from best-selling author, Claudia Carroll, this is the perfect read for Valentine’s Day.

The Professor: Book 2


Alexandria Clarke - 2017
    Her team of unexpected allies harbors its own destructive secrets, leading Nicole on a dangerous mission to the heart of the society. As time and options dwindle, can Nicole make one last stand to save herself and her friends?

The One You Love


Paul Pilkington - 2011
    Her fiancé vanishes, leaving the battered and bloodied body of his brother in their London apartment. Someone is stalking her, watching her every move. And her family are hiding a horrifying secret; a secret that threatens all those she loves. In a desperate race against time, Emma must uncover the truth if she ever wants to see her fiancé alive again. The One You Love is a fast-paced suspense mystery, full of twists and turns, following in the tradition of writers such as Nicci French and Sophie Hannah.

Alas, She Drowned


Monica Knightley - 2016
    Betrayal. Tea and Scones. When ex-novice nun, turned steamy romance writer, Maggie O’Flynn moves to the charming village of Stratford Upon Avondale to open a tea room she expects plenty of murders, betrayal, and duplicity. On the stages of the town’s renowned Shakespeare Festival. But when a theater critic is found murdered on the town’s riverbank and the prime suspect turns out to be the sexy bookshop owner Maggie has had her eye on, she takes matters into her own hands. Will she be able to dig through the layers of betrayal and duplicity to find the true murderer before that handsome bookseller, Nate Larimer, finds himself behind bars? With the help of her loud, brash, spitfire of a friend, Gina Mattucci, Maggie plans to do just that. With a bit of Shakespeare, copious amounts of tea, and a faux-English setting to rival anything the real England has to offer, ALAS, SHE DROWNED is the first book in THE STRATFORD UPON AVONDALE mystery series. Lovers of cozy mysteries will find a cozy home in Stratford Upon Avondale.

The Adventure of the Dying Detective


Arthur Conan Doyle - 1913
    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.