Title: Given in Evidence
Author: Various authors – Rob Parker, J.M. Hewitt, A.A. Chaudhuri, Roger A. Price, E.R. Fallon, Leo McNeir, D.J. Harrison, Charlie Cochrane, Euan B. Pollock, Thomas Laird
Publisher: Lume Books
[Synopsis]
10 ingenious and exhilarating short stories in one collection:
A murderous feud in a seemingly quiet country village…
A haunted hotel with one particularly difficult guest…
A hostage situation gone horribly wrong…
Featuring stories from acclaimed and bestselling authors, Given in Evidence is an anthology that showcases the best in contemporary crime and thriller writing.
[My Review]
I usually love a collection of short stories, especially if they have a crime focus to them, so I was excited about starting Given in Evidence. However, I felt the first story set the scene for a lot of the book – it really intrigued me but then ended very suddenly, and felt almost unfinished. The end of the story then explains that this is just the first chapter from a full length novel, which I felt was a bit annoying considering these are supposed to be (in my opinion, anyway) a collection of short stories which should stand alone as short stories. But, never mind – I continued on…
I did enjoy a few of the stories – particularly Land’s End, Room 228, and The Encounter. There were also a lot of other stories which didn’t really hold my attention, or which – almost more annoyingly – did only to discover it was another start to a full length novel (Murder Hole, I’m looking at you!)
Perhaps I’m being overly demanding, but if I have a collection of short stories, I expect them to be stories in their own rights, not a way to try and get the reader to buy the full length version. So, for that reason, Given in Evidence wasn’t a hit for me, though it’s still worth buying (or perhaps just lending from the library) for the highlights which are peppered in there, and it could introduce you to some great crime authors which are new to you whilst you’re at it.
[Rating: 2.5/5]
Many thanks to the publisher, Lume Books, for providing a copy of this book on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
You are definitely not overly demanding, I had the exact same issues!
Glad it wasn’t just me! It’s a shame and I feel bad as there’s some great authors in there – but the collection of stories just didn’t hit the spot for me!
Great review! This did sound intriguing but I don’t like short stories that leave me feeling wanting.