The C Word – For some, lockdown has been murder – Various – Short Story Collection

Today I’m delighted to join the blog tour for The C Word, the charity short story collection from Spellbound Books on behalf of the NHS Charities Together. I love a good crime story and this collection brings together some of the top names in the genre, alongside some brand new names and ones to watch. My thanks to Zoe Lee O’Farrell and Spellbound Books for the invite. Here’s what it’s all about:

About the Book

100% of all royalties from The C Word will be donated to NHS Together Charities.

So, what do writers do during Lockdown? They create murder, mystery, death and destruction of course!

The C Word is a collection of short stories collated during the COVID-19 pandemic to raise money for NHS Charities Together. A plethora of wonderful stories created by a wide variety of writers, each with their own unique style. Some you will know already and some we’ve yet to introduce you to. However, we’re sure you’ll want to hear from each & every one of them again as we leave 2020 behind us.

With contributions from Steve Mosby , Sophie Hannah , Elly Griffiths , Sarah Hilary , Rob Scragg , Trevor Wood and many more.

My Thoughts

I do love a good old crime story and with The C Word I got a whole host of good new crime stories from some of my favourite authors as well as some new to me writers too. With a mix like this, you really do get a little of everything and I think that everyone will find their favourite story amongst the selection.

What I enjoyed about this collection is that it doesn’t just go down the traditional crime thriller route. There are some stories which move into the realm of the supernatural, an air of the spooky, or sometimes the down right quirky which really made me smile. From Steve Mosby’s haunting and melancholic opening story God Moving Over The Face Of The Waters, Rob Scragg’s surprising and tense The Witching Hour , or Paul Finch’s slightly unusual story of a woman seeking acceptance, One of the Crowd, the book kept me completely hooked to the very last. You have stories of varying lengths and varying narrative tone, but it certainly offers quite a mixture to readers. Voodoo, zombie apocalypse and tales of family woe, it’s a brilliant way to get a taster of all of the authors.

The beauty of a short story collection is that you can dip in and out of it at will, slipping a story in during your lunch break at work, or whilst waiting for the dinner to cook. Of course, if you do the latter, make sure you set a timer so that you don’t burn it, as once you start on these stories, you might not want to stop. I have to say that stories which stuck with me were Linda Innes’ Careful What You Wish For, which had echoes of one of my favourite novels, Jane Carrick’s Night Terrors, Chloe Greene’s Remnants and The Haunted Trolley by Nick Jackson, but quite probably because they all take a slight detour from your normal crime novel. But really the mixture of atmosphere, tension, humour and great storytelling means that any of the stories could make the top list, and looking back through the contents page triggers different memories and emotions.

A great collection, most certainly recommended, and with proceeds going to such a worthy cause, how can you resist?

Follow the tour: