Many Deadly Returns

by Ann Cleeves

First published 2021

Award-winning crime writers from Murder Squad mark their twenty-first anniversary with a collection of deadly short fiction. DCI Vera Stanhope faces danger during an early morning swim. Prison inmates discover their casual game leads to chilling consequences. Women celebrating a bachelorette party at a remote cottage find survival takes on new urgency. A railway passenger learns the importance of careful attention to warning signs. A seaside excursion becomes turbulent for someone harboring prejudice against outsiders. An affluent woman in retirement befriends someone claiming supernatural connections. Each of the twenty-one stories delivers sharp twists and showcases the collective talent of writers including Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simms, Cath Staincliffe, John Baker, Chaz Brenchley, and Stuart Pawson. These compact tales demonstrate the range and skill Murder Squad has cultivated over two decades of collaborative crime writing.

Genres: short-stories, mystery, crime

Vibes: atmospheric, suspenseful, thought-provoking

Tropes: amateur-sleuth, anthology

Period: 21st-century

258 pages · Kindle Edition · Severn House

More by Ann Cleeves

• The Long Call
• The Heron's Cry
• The Darkest Evening
• The Rising Tide
• The Killing Stones
• The Raging Storm
• The Dark Wives
• The Crow Trap

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