Short Stories
NEW! A Pinch of Pure Cunning, published by Matador on 28 July 2020, ISBN: 978-1-83859506-7.
This is an anthology of six short Roman mysteries. Several of them feature Aurelia Marcella and her inn in northern Britannia, and there are other sleuths and settings too: a nobleman’s Roman house, and the court of Nero. More details, and reviews, are here
The book is available to buy online: ebooks from all the usual ebook sellers, and paperbacks from a variety of bookstores, many offering discounts and/or free delivery. Google (or Bing) it, and you’ll see it at, among others, Matador’s own bookshop, the Wordery bookstore, and Amazon. And remember you can buy signed copies direct from me. Go to my Buy Books page.
Most of the tales have appeared in mystery-themed anthologies over the years, I’m proud to say. Anthologies are fun. I love contributing to then, and I always enjoy reading collections of short mysteries. They’re a great way to get to know writers you’ve been meaning to try, and of course writers you haven’t come across yet. Check out the books below; you’ll see my stories are in stellar company.
There are now three in the “Book of Extraordinary Mystery Stories” series, edited by Maxim Jakubowski and published by Mango Publishing in the United States. Each contains an exciting mix of tales, including one of my Aurelia Marcella mysteries.
In 2017 Poisoned Pen Press published Bound by Mystery to mark their 20th anniversary. It’s a terrific selection, with 35 of their authors contributing, including Yours Truly. Poisoned Pen Press is now part of Sourcebooks, and their mysteries, long and short, are still as good as ever.
The Mammoth Book of Roman Whodunnits was published in 2003 by Robinson (UK) and Carroll & Graf (USA). Edited by Mike Ashley, it contains 20 stories spanning eight centuries of Roman history. My tale, THE CLEOPATRA GAME, is set in the 70s AD in Rome itself. A young Egyptian heiress wants to imitate the legendary Queen Cleopatra in everything she does…with tragic consequences.
And to prove I write about more modern times and crimes too:
The 2014 Crime Writers’ Association mystery anthology was published by Severn House. The 24 stories in this anthology are by members of Britain’s Crime Writers’ Association. The CWA produces short-mystery anthologies regularly, and the 2014 collection is edited, like all the recent CWA collections in the series, by award-inning author Martin Edwards. My story, TELL IT TO THE BEES, has its roots in my childhood when our family kept bees. and I, like the story’s narrator, used to go and talk to them…though happily I never found myself in her situation.
GUILTY CONSCIENCES is another Crime Writers’ Association anthology, edited by Martin Edwards and published in 2011 by Severn House. There are 17 mysteries in all. My tale, ALL THAT GLISTERS, is set in the modern big-business jungle of London, but there are shadows from the past, including the remote Ancient British world of 2000 years ago. Then as now, gold may not always be what it seems.