Mystery Short Stories For Adults

When a treasure hunt turns deadly, will solving the clues be enough? Enter a world where a family’s dark past is weaved with its unassuming present. From the small city of Sterling to the massive city of Chicago, the O’Neill’s family vacation has more in store than they could ever imagine. Following the loss of his wife in a car accident last year, Jim O’Neill takes his son Jay and daughter Adrianna on an adventure to his late grandfather’s house. He soon realizes that the mysterious treasure hunt his late grandfather organized is putting his family in peril. Upon facing down ...

Introducing Book Three of The Surprising Catch, the long-awaited follow-up to The Stubborn Suitor and The Reckless Secret. If you’ve been waiting for Ashley's story, this is it! Ashley Woodsen has sworn off all men. The love of her life walked out on their marriage over a year ago, for a slimmer, younger version of Ashley. She couldn't forget his hurtful parting words, and it was just easier to go it alone. So why does she feel her heart flutter and her insides tense every time someone mentions…him? Preston Alcott has always been a playboy. Wealthy, successful, and as alpha as they get,...

Introducing Book Four of The Surprising Catch, the long-awaited follow-up to The Stubborn Suitor and The Reckless Secret. If you’ve been waiting for Ashley's story, this is it! Ashley Woodsen has sworn off all men. The love of her life walked out on their marriage over a year ago, for a slimmer, younger version of Ashley. She couldn't forget his hurtful parting words, and it was just easier to go it alone. So why does she feel her heart flutter and her insides tense every time someone mentions…him? Preston Alcott has always been a playboy. Wealthy, successful, and as alpha as they get, ...

They had very little in common. Their lives couldn’t be more different. The paths they’d chosen veered in completely opposite direction of the other in more ways than could be counted. Yet each knew the ultimate and painful cost of loving. They both knew that would never change. But they share more than an undeniable common bond…one that brings them together to form an even stronger friendship when nothing else could. And it is that bond that brings them together in the effort to do all that they can for a young girl who like them struggles to find her way in the midst of overwhelming...

Ava Juarez left everything behind when she fled her home and family in rural Montana at the age of nineteen due to the crumbling relationship between her parents. She left everything including the love of her life and the only person who ever truly understood her, high-school quarterback Derek Jones. Now a successful antiques book dealer of thirty-four in Boston, Ava finds herself pulled back to Montana on business. But when the first edition deal goes sour and a snowstorm grounds her for almost a week, will a visit from Derek be welcomed or have her running off once more? Or will the ...

This is the first short story in a larger collection of short stories to be released in the Fall of 2020 + a bonus story. "Disasterpiece" New Orleans. Finneas O'Connell is a master with paint and brush. Tortured by a past riddled in tragedy and pain he creates fantastic renditions of the horrors that roam the recesses of his mind. Most are put off by his subject matter; too squeamish or afraid of the terrors that he conjures. All except for one mysterious benefactor who visits him and buys them all up gladly. This old patron of the arts seems to relish in the horrors that all but come to ...

An adult short story; International Crime and Mystery. Sometimes espionage is not enough, a romantic and intimate relationship is needed to gather information for national security. This is such a story. Jennifer heads to Berlin to meet up with a mastermind who heads up a group of hackers trying to discredit blockchain technology. The surprise for the Agency is "who" the members of the group are. The danger is lurking as Jennifer develops an intimate relationship with one of the world's noted hackers, only to learn the truth. An explosive suspense story of deceit, betrayal, and ...

“I had driven past the second-hand store every day but never been inside. That was a mistake. The moment I crossed the doorstep I knew the shop would be relieving me of my money and time.” Tommy is back again! The failed Norwegian crime author, or “Viking PI” as his clients know him, is (sort of) getting the hang of this whole private investigator thing. “Sort of” being the important part. He’s now getting some ‘real’ cases… if you call missing dogs and cheatings spouses ‘real’. In fact, his most high-profile client so far has been his own daughter and her lost ...

“I even got to knock one thing off my bucket list when I traveled to Svalbard and drove a snowmobile over glaciers to an abandoned mining town, all in the name of love.” Business is booming for Tommy, the Norwegian “Viking PI”. Yes, it may be hard to believe, but people are actually choosing to hire this failed crime writer-turned private investigator. And his cases are getting even bigger… and darker. From mysterious buried bodies in unmarked graves, to bare-knuckle brawls and knife fights… Tommy really is finally seeing all that the ‘dark’ underworld of private ...

"Who are you? You're familiar to me." A tree has appeared unexpectedly in the whimsical little town of Laplace, where the locals take inordinate pride in their gossip, their diner, and their modern wifi. Nobody knows what kind of tree it is, but they wonder about the woman who has burst into town, intent on clearing the space on the town square. Mary Claudia wants the tree gone. She's come all this way to Laplace for her own purposes, and she doesn't care what the town thinks. The tree's bulky roots and odd fruit only keep getting in her way. Something else stands in her way - the owner of ...

Disappearing wasn’t going to be enough…they needed a plan…some answers…and a safe place where they couldn’t be found…and time to figure out what to do next….and why their pursuers are interested in Harper’s father. With only moments to spare, Jackson Riley knows that taking the elevators to the ground floor of the hotel isn’t their optimal escape route. But as always he’s prepared. But nothing could prepare him for the information that was unexpectedly obtained during his and Landon’s escape.It’s the middle of the twenty-third century and while there have been ...

A cozy, closed door holiday romance with small town charm, a protective werewolf and Christmas cheer, perfect for reading by the fireside as you curl up under a cozy blanket. Emma Clarke has just moved to Pinecrest. Taking over the library fulfills all of her dreams . . . well . . . almost. The only thing that’s missing is someone to share it all with. Lucas Greystone, a handsome stranger with an electric touch keeps finding ways to escort Emma home. After discovering a hidden room in the library, Emma is determined to learn the secrets of Pinecrest and Lucas. As a spark reignites between...

Ruby Innes is developing trust issues. She’s just solved the case of the exercise cult and gotten her friend back when things start going missing at the mall. At first, no one notices, then the security team opens a case against this sporty shoplifter. Ruby is immediately a suspect. And in light of recent events, Ruby can’t stop suspecting everyone, even those closest to her. Can she solve the case before she loses her sanity? The Mall Cadet is a young adult short-read series where you follow Ruby Innis in her attempts to set things straight after being caught shoplifting. With quick ...

Ruby Innes has just done something she can’t take back. The case of arson that plagued the mall has gone cold. With the consequences of her actions looming over her head, she’s looking for anything to distract her. Luckily, there’s a new exercise club that’s moved into the mall that’s causing a commotion, and the security team are distracted. Can Ruby find out what the deal is with the club’s mysterious owner while battling her own demons? The Mall Cadet is a young adult short-read series where you follow Ruby Innis in her attempts to set things straight after being caught ...

Don't you know about Orchha in India? Orchha is a very bewitching dinky town near Jhansi, Madhya Pradesh. It has a flawless serene, vintage feeling and vibrant icy-cold wind in winter where you can experience a vintage fort, abandoned peaceful sanctuary, emerald green gardens, slow-witted peace, religious eminent temples, and, exceptionally significant, a sacred expeditious Betwa River. And indeed, the town is only expanded in an area of 2KMs and situated near the banks of Betwa River. There's no life that has no desolation, but there's every life that has some contentment. In this stirring...

‘Coincidental Death?’ is a suspense/mystery short story. (10,100+ words) When Ella is excused from class to go to the bathroom the last thing she expects to see is the basketball team carrying what looks like a dead body from the gym to the bushes at the far corner of the school. Upon inspection of the large black bag that had been tucked into the far corners of the bushes Ella discovers a body. A still, lifeless one. With so many questions in her mind Ella ultimately has to find out who the killers are. She could just hand them over to the police... it’s just that her boyfriend is ...

In the haunted town of Emberfield, mysterious packages arrive, each promising your heart's desire but lurking with unspeakable horrors. As you immerse yourself in this chilling tale, feel the tension rise with every shadow that dances in the dark. Join Rose, Clara, and the Torres family as they grapple with the seductive allure of wishes granted and the terrifying price of their fulfillment. Imagine the thrill of unwrapping secrets that twist reality and plunge you into a world of corruption!

When John brings his new college girlfriend, Emmy, home to meet his reclusive and isolated sister, Leah, (both having lost their parents and guardian grandmother), he finds her jealous, disrespectful, and dangerously possessive of him. Despite his and Emmy’s efforts to win her approval, Leah, with the aid of the dark spirits that dwell in the forest surrounding their remote cabin, will try anything within her (and their) power to sever the relationship. When people start to go missing, it becomes disturbingly clear to John that his sister is more than just a lonely country girl that ...

Light years from home. Bonded to an alien for survival. A dark secret is about to be revealed . . . The planet Verdana was supposed to be their new home, their new Eden. But shortly after arriving the human colonists were faced with a dilemma - join with the alaahi or perish. In the end, they chose the process of symbiosis, a physical conjoining with the native alaahi. But now there are whispers amongst the colonists. The alaahi are not the benevolent beings they made themselves out to be. Before long a dark secret is about to be revealed, and young Jena must make a terrible choice . . . *...

The Ultimate Heist: His Secrets, His Trust… and His Neural Implant. The war against HealthSync’s deadly neural implants is reaching its breaking point, and the resistance has one final target in their sights: Mark Splendaberg, the elusive CEO of NeuroLink Dynamics and the man holding the key to their most damning secrets. To get close to him, they send their most cunning operative—Phoebe Chandler, a master of seduction and deception with a mission that could change everything. Her plan? Infiltrate the biggest event of the year—the Comic Conference—where Mark’s defenses are down,...