CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour
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- Author：Martin Edwards
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Summary
Crime spreads across the globe in this new collection of short stories from the Crime Writer’s Association， as a conspiracy of prominent crime authors take you on world mystery tour。 Highlights of the trip include a treacherous cruise to French Polynesia， a horrifying trek in South Africa， a murderous train-ride across Ukraine and a vengeful killing in Mumbai。 But back home in the UK， life isn’t so easy either。 Dead bodies turn up on the backstreets of Glasgow， crime writers turn words into deeds at literary events， and Lady Luck seems to guide the fate of a Twickenham hood。
Showcasing the range， breadth and vitality of contemporary crime-fiction genre， these 28 chilling and unputdownable stories will take you on a trip you’ll never forget。
Contributions from: Ann Cleeves， C。L。 Taylor， Susi Holliday， Martin Edwards， Anna Mazzola， Carol Anne Davis， Cath Staincliffe， Chris Simms， Christine Poulson， Ed James， Gordon Brown， J。M。 Hewitt， Judith Cutler， Julia Crouch， Kate Ellis， Kate Rhodes， Martine Bailey， Michael Stanley， Maxim Jakubowski， Paul Charles， Paul Gitsham， Peter Lovesey， Ragnar Jónasson， Sarah Rayne， Shawn Reilly Simmons， Vaseem Khan， William Ryan and William Burton McCormick
'The diverse storytelling styles and takes on familiar genre tropes add up to an entertaining buffet for mystery fans’ Publishers Weekly
‘I loved the variety of writing styles， the skill that tops the list of evidence and the differing locations as we criss-crossed the globe from the streets of Glasgow to a trek in South Africa as these writers pooled their stories to produce one of the most satisfying collections of short stories I have had the pleasure of reading' Cleopatra Loves Books
'An absolutely cracking anthology which provides a wonderful introduction to the short story， with a mix of crimes to make you smile， cringe， gasp and nod' Jen Meds Book Reviews
'A mystery tour which takes you across the world and back again， across the boundaries of right and wrong， across the whole spectrum of human emotions， all wrapped up in a bloody red bow。 Highly recommended。 A brilliantly witty， dark and captivating collection’ The Book Trail
'This is a must-read book。 Don’t miss out！' Damp Pebbles
'This is an excellent collection of stories that you can either read one after the other， or， as I did – dipping in and out and reading a mixture of authors both known and new to me’ My Reading Corner
'This is an excellent collection of high quality crime stories， ranging from psychological thrillers to crime scene investigations， providing something for everyone – and the chance to get out of your usual ‘crime reads’ comfort zone’ Off The Shelf Books
Showcasing the range， breadth and vitality of contemporary crime-fiction genre， these 28 chilling and unputdownable stories will take you on a trip you’ll never forget。
Contributions from: Ann Cleeves， C。L。 Taylor， Susi Holliday， Martin Edwards， Anna Mazzola， Carol Anne Davis， Cath Staincliffe， Chris Simms， Christine Poulson， Ed James， Gordon Brown， J。M。 Hewitt， Judith Cutler， Julia Crouch， Kate Ellis， Kate Rhodes， Martine Bailey， Michael Stanley， Maxim Jakubowski， Paul Charles， Paul Gitsham， Peter Lovesey， Ragnar Jónasson， Sarah Rayne， Shawn Reilly Simmons， Vaseem Khan， William Ryan and William Burton McCormick
'The diverse storytelling styles and takes on familiar genre tropes add up to an entertaining buffet for mystery fans’ Publishers Weekly
‘I loved the variety of writing styles， the skill that tops the list of evidence and the differing locations as we criss-crossed the globe from the streets of Glasgow to a trek in South Africa as these writers pooled their stories to produce one of the most satisfying collections of short stories I have had the pleasure of reading' Cleopatra Loves Books
'An absolutely cracking anthology which provides a wonderful introduction to the short story， with a mix of crimes to make you smile， cringe， gasp and nod' Jen Meds Book Reviews
'A mystery tour which takes you across the world and back again， across the boundaries of right and wrong， across the whole spectrum of human emotions， all wrapped up in a bloody red bow。 Highly recommended。 A brilliantly witty， dark and captivating collection’ The Book Trail
'This is a must-read book。 Don’t miss out！' Damp Pebbles
'This is an excellent collection of stories that you can either read one after the other， or， as I did – dipping in and out and reading a mixture of authors both known and new to me’ My Reading Corner
'This is an excellent collection of high quality crime stories， ranging from psychological thrillers to crime scene investigations， providing something for everyone – and the chance to get out of your usual ‘crime reads’ comfort zone’ Off The Shelf Books
Reviews
Jan
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I enjoyed every last short story in this book and will be looking for more of these collections to read！
Helga
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4。5This book is a collection of cleverly written， enjoyable short stories， each with the theme of travel。 I had a thrilling time taking this tour around the world。
Mandie
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If like me you sometimes struggle to read quickly enough to take in at least one book by all the fantastic crime writers out there then anthologies are a good way to at least get a flavour of their writing style so it can help you pick at least one or two。 They are also a good way to find authors that you may not have heard of before。 The CWA Anthology is a mix of authors I have come across and read/not read and some that I have not heard of before and these short stories really kept me going ba If like me you sometimes struggle to read quickly enough to take in at least one book by all the fantastic crime writers out there then anthologies are a good way to at least get a flavour of their writing style so it can help you pick at least one or two。 They are also a good way to find authors that you may not have heard of before。 The CWA Anthology is a mix of authors I have come across and read/not read and some that I have not heard of before and these short stories really kept me going back for more。 What’s great is that this is the sort of book you really can pick up as and when， dipping in and out as the mood takes you。 With so many stories to chose from its impossible to pick a favourite although I will say that “Three on A Trail” by Michael Stanley certainly did give me the chills， and having previously read a different Inspector Chopra story by Vaseem Khan， I thoroughly enjoyed “Bombay Brigadoon” and getting reacquainted with Ganesh the baby elephant。If you have been struggling to read in recent times then if you have not yet read it maybe the CWA Anthology will be just the sort of thing that might help get that mojo back。 。。。more
Peter T
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Short stories aren't normally my thing。 There are quite a variety in this anthology， so some you should find appealing。I found one story particularly interesting。 Not so much for an intricate storyline， but for the form of the writing。 The entire story is told in receipts & a few short missives。 Short stories aren't normally my thing。 There are quite a variety in this anthology， so some you should find appealing。I found one story particularly interesting。 Not so much for an intricate storyline， but for the form of the writing。 The entire story is told in receipts & a few short missives。 。。。more
Lynne
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I really enjoyed all the stories。
Alan Teder
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I very much enjoyed the variety in these 28 stories and there were several authors that I would definitely read again。The definite standout was Accounting for Murder by Christine Poulson。 It is told entirely through copies of receipts。 The reader has to “write” the story in their mind。A good fun setting and partnership was Bombay Brigadoon by Vaseem Khan。 The retired detective Chopar investigates crimes alongside his pet elephant Ganesha， who rides along in a trailer。A few of these weren't reall I very much enjoyed the variety in these 28 stories and there were several authors that I would definitely read again。The definite standout was Accounting for Murder by Christine Poulson。 It is told entirely through copies of receipts。 The reader has to “write” the story in their mind。A good fun setting and partnership was Bombay Brigadoon by Vaseem Khan。 The retired detective Chopar investigates crimes alongside his pet elephant Ganesha， who rides along in a trailer。A few of these weren't really crime or mystery stories， but they were all entertaining。 。。。more
Kelly Van Damme
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I stumbled upon CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour by Martin Edwards from Orenda Books in my Kindle app last year and decided to snap it up， since it had been a while I had read short stories and this seemed like a collection I’d enjoy。 And it was！ CWA （which stands for Crime Writer’s Association BTW） Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour is an excellent mystery / thriller / crime collection featuring authors like Anna Mazzola， C。 L。 Taylor， Julia Crouch and Susi （S。J。） Holliday。 On I stumbled upon CWA Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour by Martin Edwards from Orenda Books in my Kindle app last year and decided to snap it up， since it had been a while I had read short stories and this seemed like a collection I’d enjoy。 And it was！ CWA （which stands for Crime Writer’s Association BTW） Anthology of Short Stories: Mystery Tour is an excellent mystery / thriller / crime collection featuring authors like Anna Mazzola， C。 L。 Taylor， Julia Crouch and Susi （S。J。） Holliday。 One of my favourite stories in this collection was A Postcard from Iceland by Ragnar Jónasson。 It is short and sweet， deliciously dark and entirely creepy。 。。。more
ReadsSometimes
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A superb collection of clever， quirky and quite dark crime fiction short stories。 Authors old and new， this is a spectacular example of the quality of writers currently writing some amazing work。Eclectic and varied stories will have you gripped。 I thoroughly enjoyed it and highly recommended。
Fictionophile
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This exciting collection of short stories features crime writers working with a "mystery tour" or travel theme。 Showcasing the diversity of the contemporary crime-fiction genre， these 28 compelling stories will take you on a memorable trip - and you'll not even have to leave your armchair。It has been too long since I've immersed myself in a tome of short stories。 I know that they are not for everyone。 Myself， I enjoy them a lot， I own a lot of anthologies， yet， inexplicably， I tend to read nove This exciting collection of short stories features crime writers working with a "mystery tour" or travel theme。 Showcasing the diversity of the contemporary crime-fiction genre， these 28 compelling stories will take you on a memorable trip - and you'll not even have to leave your armchair。It has been too long since I've immersed myself in a tome of short stories。 I know that they are not for everyone。 Myself， I enjoy them a lot， I own a lot of anthologies， yet， inexplicably， I tend to read novels most of the time。I read short stories to see how some of my favourite authors cope with the limited word count of the short story。 I also read short stories to discover potential new to me authors。My favourite stories in this collection were:"Return to the Lake" by Anna Mazzola"High Flyer" by Chris Simms"No way back" by J。M。 Hewitt"Mystery tour" by Judith CutlerMany of these short stories had a astonishing ending。The story that most shocked me was: "A Clever Evil" by Sarah RayneOne story that I didn't care for was:“Accounting for Murder” by Christine Poulson: a story told solely through a series of receipts for goods & services。 This might have been a clever way to tell a story， but it wasn't to my taste。New （to me） authors from this collection that I intend to read more of:Anna MazzolaChris SimmsRagnar JónassonThese stories were concise and powerful。 In my opinion， anyone who enjoys crime fiction will enjoy this collection， whether or not they are a fan of the short format。 Recommended！I received a digital copy of this anthology from Trafalgar Square Publishing/Orenda Books via NetGalley。 。。。more
Terri
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Good mix of stories in this book。 A couple of them， I didn't understand， or like， but on the whole， very nice book for reading at short periods of time。 Good mix of stories in this book。 A couple of them， I didn't understand， or like， but on the whole， very nice book for reading at short periods of time。 。。。more
TheRavenking
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Disappointing。 Most of these stories were very short and felt like the authors didn't really care that much about the task given by the editor。 It's not all bad， the always reliable Martin Edwards and Peter Lovesey deliver typically solid though rather unremarkabke efforts and Vaseem Khan's entry is quite excellent， but I was expecting more。 Disappointing。 Most of these stories were very short and felt like the authors didn't really care that much about the task given by the editor。 It's not all bad， the always reliable Martin Edwards and Peter Lovesey deliver typically solid though rather unremarkabke efforts and Vaseem Khan's entry is quite excellent， but I was expecting more。 。。。more
Zoe Radley
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Having picked this up in the library where I live and noticing that I new some of the authors I thought this would be a great book to read。。。。 short stories of mystery murder and mayhem whilst travelling or somewhere far away。 So got down to reading it and well I have felt very deflated and pretty disappointed with this whole collection。 Some of the stories were totally far fetched to the point of wtf！！！ And some stories just stopped。。。 as in stopped。。 it felt like the author couldn’t be arsed t Having picked this up in the library where I live and noticing that I new some of the authors I thought this would be a great book to read。。。。 short stories of mystery murder and mayhem whilst travelling or somewhere far away。 So got down to reading it and well I have felt very deflated and pretty disappointed with this whole collection。 Some of the stories were totally far fetched to the point of wtf！！！ And some stories just stopped。。。 as in stopped。。 it felt like the author couldn’t be arsed to finish the short story off it just flopped and left me cold。 。。。more
Kathryn
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I now know which authors to avoid！！ I thoroughly enjoyed the Killer Women anthologies and thought this would be as good。 It really wasn’t。It was sloppy， predictable and out right outlandish in places。
Linda Strong
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This is an anthology of new stories by members of the Crime Writers' Association。 These stories reflect the theme of traveling and intriguing destinations。 The authors are diverse 。。。some are well-known， like Sharon Bolton， Ian Rankin， and Peter Lovesey。 The others are lesser known， but I recommend making a list of those names to follow。Most of these stories were rated 4 stars or 5 stars， by my standards。 Innovative， mysterious， suspenseful with great characters make for some terrific stories。 I This is an anthology of new stories by members of the Crime Writers' Association。 These stories reflect the theme of traveling and intriguing destinations。 The authors are diverse 。。。some are well-known， like Sharon Bolton， Ian Rankin， and Peter Lovesey。 The others are lesser known， but I recommend making a list of those names to follow。Most of these stories were rated 4 stars or 5 stars， by my standards。 Innovative， mysterious， suspenseful with great characters make for some terrific stories。 I thought I would mention my very favorite here 。。 but， alas， there are more than one。。 or two 。。。or three。So。。get your passport out and get ready to travel！Many thanks to the numerous authors / Trafalgar Square Publishing / Netgalley for this collection of highly enjoyable short stories。 Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own。 。。。more
Paul Allard
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Enjoyable collection of crime short storiesI received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This collection of CWA short stories about various crimes is most enjoyable and by a variety of thriller writers including Ann Cleeves and other well-known authors。 The stories are gathered under the theme of travel and， as one might expect from a collection of short stories， some are better than others – or rather more pleasing depending on the individual's taste （for example， I parti Enjoyable collection of crime short storiesI received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。This collection of CWA short stories about various crimes is most enjoyable and by a variety of thriller writers including Ann Cleeves and other well-known authors。 The stories are gathered under the theme of travel and， as one might expect from a collection of short stories， some are better than others – or rather more pleasing depending on the individual's taste （for example， I particularly enjoyed the last one by William Ryan）。I read these between full novels as a nice short alternative and I recommend them to all lovers of crime fiction。 。。。more
Missyisms
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Hoopla dl from nap lib。 Only read Ann Cleeves' story。 Not a Vera or Perez story。 All about a mystery writer who thinks she's in her dwindling years。 Wins a reward and drinks poison to be immortal to her peers and readers。 Gulp。 Hoopla dl from nap lib。 Only read Ann Cleeves' story。 Not a Vera or Perez story。 All about a mystery writer who thinks she's in her dwindling years。 Wins a reward and drinks poison to be immortal to her peers and readers。 Gulp。 。。。more
Chelsea B。
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I got 10 stories into this anthology before deciding it just wasn't for me。 From stories that had no real concrete closure to stories that made me downright upset， me and this book just did not jive at all。 I got 10 stories into this anthology before deciding it just wasn't for me。 From stories that had no real concrete closure to stories that made me downright upset， me and this book just did not jive at all。 。。。more
Crystal
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I found an ARC of this on Netgalley and was immediately intrigued。 The thought of reading 28 short mysteries by new to me authors just sounded like fun， and it was。 I was transported to locations all over the world and watched the body count rise。 I couldn’t find a single really bad story。 There were a few that I just couldn’t get into， but for the most part， they were very good。 I now have a list of new writers to check out as well。
Patricia
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Great mix of mystery， horror and downright funny。Ann Cleeve's The Queen of Mystery shows the ruthlessness of competition。Chris Simms's High Flyer was a unique revenge story。If I had to pick a favorite， and that's almost an impossible task with so many good stories， it would be the brilliant Ragnar Jonasson。 How does just 4 pages scare you so badly？I wish I had read just one or two stories a night to savor this anthology longer。 But alas， I had no willpower with all this talent。 So many little g Great mix of mystery， horror and downright funny。Ann Cleeve's The Queen of Mystery shows the ruthlessness of competition。Chris Simms's High Flyer was a unique revenge story。If I had to pick a favorite， and that's almost an impossible task with so many good stories， it would be the brilliant Ragnar Jonasson。 How does just 4 pages scare you so badly？I wish I had read just one or two stories a night to savor this anthology longer。 But alas， I had no willpower with all this talent。 So many little gems of horror。 So pick one， pick all。 Not a bad or mediocre one in the bunch。 。。。more
Sandy
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3。5 starsThis is a great anthology of shorties from authors who all signed on to a “mystery tour”。 Right away you know you’ll be tripping over bodies stashed in dark corners all over the world。 It’s an opportunity to try on new （to you） authors & then hunt down the full length novels of those you enjoyed。 There’s a wide variety of styles & sub-genres within the crime community。 As with all collections， everyone will have their personal favourites but here are a few that stood out for me。“High Fl 3。5 starsThis is a great anthology of shorties from authors who all signed on to a “mystery tour”。 Right away you know you’ll be tripping over bodies stashed in dark corners all over the world。 It’s an opportunity to try on new （to you） authors & then hunt down the full length novels of those you enjoyed。 There’s a wide variety of styles & sub-genres within the crime community。 As with all collections， everyone will have their personal favourites but here are a few that stood out for me。“High Flyer” by Chris Simms: sending out a “high” five to the female MC。 You go， girl。“Accounting for Murder” by Christine Poulson: a clever story told solely through a series of receipts for goods & services。 “Bombay Brigadoon” by Vaseem Khan: seriously， how am I supposed to resist a story featuring a cop-turned-PI whose partner is a baby elephant？“A Mouthful of Restaurant” by Martine Bailey: a period piece that evokes the golden age of mysteries。 “Writer’s Block” by Paul Gitsham: a neat， entertaining story of being in the wrong place at the right time。So now I have a few more authors/books to throw on Mount TBR。 Just a side note。 I received this from Trafalgar Square Publishing & Orenda （via Netgalley） & their list of authors was correct。 However， there must be more than one edition of this collection as it’s very different from the authors listed here on Goodreads。 。。。more
Rowena Hoseason
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This collection of 28， contemporary short stories is billed as an international anthology， although the majority of writers are British or American。 There’s just one Scandi story， one from Mumbai， and one written by a South African team， but many of the other pieces are set in exotic locations where idyllic vacations suddenly turn sinister。In the atmospheric Return To The Lake， family secrets bubble up to the surface， revealing the identity of a murderer from decades earlier。 The Last Supper is This collection of 28， contemporary short stories is billed as an international anthology， although the majority of writers are British or American。 There’s just one Scandi story， one from Mumbai， and one written by a South African team， but many of the other pieces are set in exotic locations where idyllic vacations suddenly turn sinister。In the atmospheric Return To The Lake， family secrets bubble up to the surface， revealing the identity of a murderer from decades earlier。 The Last Supper is altogether more frivolous， packed with barbed observations from a loveless marriage where the wife appears to be eating her way around the word。 It’s full of snarky asides which had me snorting in my soup （low fat， naturally）。Accounting For Murder ditches a traditional narrative to weave a tale of adultery， murder and betrayal through the gift receipts， hotel invoices， travel tickets and solicitors’ bills which detail the reckless insanity of an extra-marital affair。 It’s very， very clever – cunningly crafted indeed。 Ideal for folks who like to piece together the clues in a mystery for themselves。There’s plenty of variety in this collection: revenge， escape and righteous retribution。 Inevitably， some stories didn’t work so well for me – I can’t quite believe that anyone would murder an annoying girlfriend simply because breaking up might cause a fuss。 A couple of the authors didn’t appear to get the memo about the theme – travel and intriguing destinations – and just grabbed a pot-boiler from their back-catalogue。 One story was an outright cheat; not a self-contained story at all， but a ‘to be continued’ excerpt from a longer publication。Then there were those stories in which the author couldn’t resist a spot of autobiographical wish fulfilment。 It would’ve been a more rewarding collection if all the authors had concentrated more on spinning entertaining crime stories， and left the self-indulgent clever-clever commentaries on publishing and writing in the cupboard。Mystery Tour certainly helped me discover some new names who told tight， unpredictable stories in some style – be it savage， sad or sassy。 An excellent way to discover new authors。7/10There are many more reviews of crime/thrillers over at http://www。murdermayhemandmore。net 。。。more
Victoria Goldman
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Review coming soon
Cleopatra Pullen
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This collection of short stories consists of twenty-eight stories from a wonderful array of contemporary crime writers which take us on a mystery tour of different locations。I’ve not always got on well with short stories although I have always appreciated the skill that goes into paring a tale back to the basics whilst leaving the reader satisfied with a small morsel， in that respect the form is more like fine dining than an all you can eat buffet！ What I have decided is that while my level of e This collection of short stories consists of twenty-eight stories from a wonderful array of contemporary crime writers which take us on a mystery tour of different locations。I’ve not always got on well with short stories although I have always appreciated the skill that goes into paring a tale back to the basics whilst leaving the reader satisfied with a small morsel， in that respect the form is more like fine dining than an all you can eat buffet！ What I have decided is that while my level of enjoyment of the craft has increased reviewing an entire collection is a difficult task indeed but I will do my very best。I did start the collection at the beginning， after all because the mystery tour has democratically decided to be published in alphabetical format by first names， one of my favourite， and most reliable authors is first。 Ann Cleeves pens a story set around a mystery writer， possibly slightly past her prime， attending a convention for writers。 The protagonist’s conviction in her own fame making for cringe-worthy， but oh so realistic reading as she looks down her nose at the newer authors giving away gifts to fans in a bid to gain popularity and the Agatha champion title。 Sparse in its word count the story may be， but for those who relish brilliant characterisation， this is not a story that will leave you feeling unsatisfied。I read a couple more of the stories in order， whistling through Anna Mazzola’s story on a family holiday by a lake， a place that holds a wealth of memories for its protagonist。 After a handful I decided to go random， I know， I’m a brave reader！ I thoroughly enjoyed reading the editor， Martin Edwards story The Repentance Wood in Dubai where Jeremy is enjoying a break in a plush hotel with sunshine and cocktails， more than that I cannot reveal。 After choosing a couple of tales by authors I know well and therefore sure I would enjoy their display of their well-honed craft I dipped my toe into reading the stories written by authors who I haven’t previously tried。Christine Poulson’s work stands out as an innovative piece of writing as it is made up entirely of items such as a bunch of flowers， a cake， a drinks bill， orders and hotel rooms until the accounting is complete。I loved the variety of writing styles， the skill that tops the list of evidence and the differing locations as we criss-crossed the globe from the streets of Glasgow to a trek in South Africa as these writers pooled their stories to produce one of the most satisfying collections of short stories I have had the pleasure of reading。 This is one book that will sit on my bookshelf as a reference guide to remind me of those authors whose work I haven’t yet tried。 Ragnar Jónasson’s A Postcard from Iceland hammering home the message from fellow bloggers that this is a writer that I should read and sooner rather than later， and this wasn’t the only one。 This book contains a perfect twenty-eight stories because unusually， there wasn’t a single one which had me thinking， no， that wasn’t really for me。 。。。more
Miriam Smith （A Mother’s Musings）
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Goodness， my passport has been well and truly stamped after my round the world mystery tour with the "CWA Anthology of Short Stories" published by Orenda Books！Twenty eight short stories are featured here by a variety of well known and prominent authors in the crime writing industry。 Introduced and edited by author Martin Edwards （who also has a story included） explains how each author was given the criteria of basing their stories on the unifying theme of travel and intriguing destinations。 The Goodness， my passport has been well and truly stamped after my round the world mystery tour with the "CWA Anthology of Short Stories" published by Orenda Books！Twenty eight short stories are featured here by a variety of well known and prominent authors in the crime writing industry。 Introduced and edited by author Martin Edwards （who also has a story included） explains how each author was given the criteria of basing their stories on the unifying theme of travel and intriguing destinations。 They've certainly achieved that！The book kicks off with 'The Queen of Mystery' written by the Queen of Mystery herself - Ann Cleeves - telling a tale about a writer who worries she will soon be no longer famous。 All the stories have either a little moral to tell or have an unexpected twist in them to keep you on your toes and what is so delightful about this collection of stories is that you have so many different styles of writing by accredited writers and their superb prose to choose from， you'll be incredibly spoilt for choice。 With contributions from William Ryan， Peter Lovesey， Ragnar Jonasson and many more。 With such an unbelievable high standard of writing you'll be chomping at the bit to start each new tale straight away。 I enjoyed each and every one， but I particularly enjoyed C。L。 Taylor's 'You'll Be Dead By Dawn' a fantastic tale of revenge and as a complete change to normal story writing Christine Poulson's 'Accounting for Murder' is so unique in using receipts only as the narrative， it's brilliant at how it has you unfolding the plot in your mind and imagining the story for yourself。I look forward to sharing my thoughts with a fellow reader who is going to be reading this soon and I really can't recommend this book highly enough， there is something for everyone here and it's definitely worth every penny。 Perfect as a Christmas gift for the discerning crime reader。An unputdownable round the world trip， that when you finally come down to land will leave you breathless for more。。。。。5 stars。 。。。more
Rachel （Rae）
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I know that not everyone is a fan of short stories but I think that there can be something quite special about them。 The author has to be able to pull the reader in completely in such a short space of time。 This is quite a skill to get right but luckily this anthology has some brilliant authors who can tempt the reader in from the very first page。When I pick up a book like this one I always try to read in order I think it's just because I'm used to reading a book from the first page to the last I know that not everyone is a fan of short stories but I think that there can be something quite special about them。 The author has to be able to pull the reader in completely in such a short space of time。 This is quite a skill to get right but luckily this anthology has some brilliant authors who can tempt the reader in from the very first page。When I pick up a book like this one I always try to read in order I think it's just because I'm used to reading a book from the first page to the last and this collection of stories was no different。 The point is no matter how you decide to read this book I'm almost certain that you will find a number of them if not all of the stories highly entertaining。 There really is something for everyone within the pages of this book with a fantastic range of characters and situations。 They vary in length and tone with some using dark humour within the story。It would be hard to pick a favourite story out of this anthology but it's safe to say that I have found some fabulous new authors that I may never have decided to read if I hadn't picked this book up。 I have added a whole list of brilliant new authors to my ever increasing TBR pile。I'm not going to go into detail regarding the stories as I would hate to give away any spoilers。 However I will say that the stories are different and with every new story I was taken away on a new adventure。 I really appreciated the travel theme and it genuinely was a mystery tour as I was never quite sure what kind of story I was going to get， which I loved！I can't recommend this anthology enough it has surprises and twists galore with fantastic writing that easily pulls you in。 It was so lovely to be able to sit down with a cup of tea， pick up this book and lose myself in some dark stories often with a sting in their tail！Five stars from me！With thanks to Orenda Books for my copy。 This is my honest and unbiased opinion。 。。。more
Dee-Cee It's all about the books
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I’ve never really been one for short stories， it’s not that I didn’t think I’d like them， it was more the fact when I’m reading a story I like to really get my teeth into it。 I love the character building and suspense as the story progresses over the pages。 So when I saw that the CWA Anthology was to be published and with its fantastic list of authors I was definitely up for the challenge。With it being short stories my plan was to read a couple every night， I didn’t want to forget what I’d read， I’ve never really been one for short stories， it’s not that I didn’t think I’d like them， it was more the fact when I’m reading a story I like to really get my teeth into it。 I love the character building and suspense as the story progresses over the pages。 So when I saw that the CWA Anthology was to be published and with its fantastic list of authors I was definitely up for the challenge。With it being short stories my plan was to read a couple every night， I didn’t want to forget what I’d read， there are 28 stories after all， but my plan went out the window and before I knew it I was half way through the book and I ended up reading it in two sittings。Members of the Crime Writer’s Association （CWA） were invited to write stories with the focus on travel and intriguing destinations， so we are taken around the world on a real mystery tour。 I was totally amazed how each author managed to create the suspense and tension in only a few pages and not one single story left me feeling unsatisfied。 I’m not going to review every story as they were all absolutely brilliant and I wouldn’t want to give anything away at all。 Each story is totally unique and in all honesty I don’t think there was one story that I could say “I saw that coming”。The CWA Short Story Anthology is a definite read for lovers of crime fiction， filled with murder mayhem and more。 It would also be a great introduction for anyone who wasn’t quite sure if this genre was for them， it would really give them a taste of what they have been missing out on。My only criticism for this anthology is， my blooming bank balance is really going to suffer now。 I sat and wrote a list of the authors previous works that I haven’t read and I now have quite a big list。 I wonder if Santa will be kind This is a fabulous way though to introduce a reader to new authors and vice versa。 So I think it is safe to say that It’s all about the books definitely recommends the CWA Anthology and I think I will be purchasing a few copies for Christmas presents。 。。。more
Thelastwordreview
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Many will know of my love of short stories so I was delighted when a copy of CWA Anthology of Short Stories – Mystery Tour landed on my doormat from Orenda Books。 The Crime Writer’s Association has brought together some of the very best crime writers for a world tour – of crime writing。 Now this is my kind of world tour。 From the UK to France， the Ukraine， South Africa and India along with many more on a murderous crime spree of twenty-eight short stories。 This is just the most incredible collec Many will know of my love of short stories so I was delighted when a copy of CWA Anthology of Short Stories – Mystery Tour landed on my doormat from Orenda Books。 The Crime Writer’s Association has brought together some of the very best crime writers for a world tour – of crime writing。 Now this is my kind of world tour。 From the UK to France， the Ukraine， South Africa and India along with many more on a murderous crime spree of twenty-eight short stories。 This is just the most incredible collection of stories by some of the very best in crime writing。 With contributions from: Ann Cleeves， C。L。 Taylor， Susi Holliday， Martin Edwards， Anna Mazzola， Carol Anne Davis， Cath Staincliffe， Chris Simms， Christine Poulson， Ed James， Gordon Brown， J。M。 Hewitt， Judith Cutler， Julia Crouch， Kate Ellis， Kate Rhodes， Martine Bailey， Michael Stanley， Maxim Jakubowski， Paul Charles， Paul Gitsham， Peter Lovesey， Ragnar Jónasson， Sarah Rayne， Shawn Reilly Simmons， Vaseem Khan， William Ryan and William Burton McCormick。I do though say that this is the first of the Crime Writer's Anthologies I have read。 How I have managed to avoid not reading any of the prior volumes is beyond me as they are just so good。 The names just like a roll call of great crime writers。 Ann Cleeves， Anna Mazzola and Ragnar Jónasson just three of the writers I was looking forward to reading as I am a bit of a fan of their writing。 One of the great aspects of a collection of short stories is how different they can be but when you bring together so many different writers the stories just take on a completely new dimension and also the varied writing styles of each of the writers。 Diverse and gripping is how I would describe each one in turn。 The real beauty of this anthology is that each of the stories is about ten pages in length。 Which if you are travelling to and from work is just perfect。 I read this book inside two days。 But just imagine for a moment how difficult it is in writing a crime story in ten pages。 I could not leave this book alone it is that good。 One of the stories by Christine Poulsen is called Accounting for Murder and is a crime story based purely on receipts there are no words written it is just receipts。 Think about that one。 It is actually rather clever and it worked。 As for the story by Ragnar Jónasson called A Postcard from Iceland yes I loved it。 It is two pages and a postcard from someone to their mother。 It is just the ending。 I will say no more。 To say this is a fabulous collection is an understatement。 It is simply brilliant。 I am going to dip in and out of some of the stories again and again through the long chilly winters nights。 HIGHLY RECOMMENDED。 。。。more
booksofallkinds
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Previous to starting my blog over a year and a half ago， crime fiction wasn't really on my radar but after some recommendations from a few of my fellow bloggers last year， I have become completely hooked on the genre and delve into the twisted plot lines as much as possible。 Crime fiction and Orenda Books go hand in hand so when I discovered that the CWA was organising an anthology of short stories I instantly knew it would be a gem and I was right。 Taking us on a tour of murder and lies that sp Previous to starting my blog over a year and a half ago， crime fiction wasn't really on my radar but after some recommendations from a few of my fellow bloggers last year， I have become completely hooked on the genre and delve into the twisted plot lines as much as possible。 Crime fiction and Orenda Books go hand in hand so when I discovered that the CWA was organising an anthology of short stories I instantly knew it would be a gem and I was right。 Taking us on a tour of murder and lies that spans across continents， each carefully plotted story instantly pulled me into its drama and kept me there effortlessly and often wanting more。 I was amazed by how much depth and danger could be portrayed in such few pages but these talented writers obviously know their craft inside out。 The characters are dynamic and even when they are making your skin crawl， they get inside your head which is exactly what you want as a writer and a reader。 Some of the stories are fast-paced and brimming with emotions， while others are softer and more sedate， lulling you into the horror of the action。 I had planned to dip in and out of this book but found myself reading it from cover to cover as each story made me want to see what the next one would be like。 I cannot choose a favourite as they really were all gripping in their own right and why have one good story when you can have twenty-eight？CWA ANTHOLOGY OF SHORT STORIES MYSTERY TOUR is a must-read for crime fiction fans and short story fans alike as it is a compelling collection with something for everyone， and I highly recommend it。*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the Publisher 。。。more
Jen
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