Afraid of the Shadows

by Victoria Selman, Peter James, M.W. Craven

All profits will be donated to Barnardo’s children charity

SPOOKY SHORTS FROM THE BIGGEST STARS IN CRIME FICTION

Perfect for fans of Stephen King, Susan Hill…and Halloween

STORIES THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

Crime fighting duo, Tilly and Poe solve a mystery from inside a pantomime horse in an exclusive short by Gold Dagger winner, M.W. Craven. A psychopath takes Trick or Treating a step too far. And a woman's dream of a quiet life is shattered by a knock on the door.

Afraid Of The Shadows is a collection of gripping- sometimes funny, always spooky- short stories from some of the biggest names in crime fiction.

From possessed sweaters to creepy wardrobes and disco shape shifters, there’s something for everyone in this Halloween bucket of short story goodies making it the perfect companion to snuggle up with as the nights draw in. Though be warned, you might want to leave the lights on...

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CONTRIBUTORS

Afraid Of The Shadows is brought to you by twenty bestselling crime and thriller writers who between them have topped the Sunday Times and Amazon charts, won the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger Award, Gold Dagger Award and New Blood Dagger Award, the Bath Novel Award, the UK National Book Awards and the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award.

Special guests:

M.W. Craven
Peter James
T.M. Logan
Matt Wesolowski
Trevor Wood

Rachael Blok
Elle Croft (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Heather Critchlow
James Delargy (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Clare Empson
Jo Furniss
T.E. Kinsey
N.J. Mackay
S.R. Masters
Phoebe Morgan
Dominic Nolan (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Robert Scragg (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Victoria Selman (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Kate Simants
Adam Southward (Longlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)

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Profits from the sale of Afraid Of The Shadows will be donated to the Barnardo's Children in Crisis Covid Appeal

This delivers practical and emotional support to vulnerable children caught in a downward spiral of deprivation as a result of the coronavirus crisis.

Children and families across the UK are increasingly in or on the brink of poverty as a result of coronavirus.

The impact of the second wave is pushing a generation of the most vulnerable children into a downward spiral of deprivation. With your support Barnardo’s can deliver the practical and emotional support families in crisis need.

Genres: Paranormal, Short Stories, Thriller, Mystery, Horror, Fiction

269 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 1, 2021

About the author

After graduating from Oxford University, Victoria Selman studied Creative Writing at the City Lit and wrote for the Ham & High and Daily Express newspapers.

In 2013 she won the Full Stop Short Story Prize and her first novel, Blood for Blood, was shortlisted for the 2017 Debut Dagger Award.

Victoria lives in London with her husband and two sons.

Reviews

[Carolyn Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the 3rd book of short stories consisting of collections of creepy selections with all proceeds going to charity. I have read and enjoyed the previous short story collections: 'Afraid of the Lights' and 'Afraid of the Christmas Lights.' Readers of these books will find something for everyone. This book consists of a collection of short stories with a Haloween theme. I was late reading it as I only discovered it in December but enjoyed a majority of the selections well after its publication for Haloween.
'Afraid Of The Shadows' is brought to you by twenty bestselling crime and thriller writers who between them have topped the Sunday Times and Amazon charts, won the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger Award, Gold Dagger Award and New Blood Dagger Award, the Bath Novel Award, the UK National Book Awards and the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award.



M.W. Craven
Peter James
T.M. Logan
Matt Wesolowski
Trevor Wood

Rachael Blok
Elle Croft (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Heather Critchlow
James Delargy (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Clare Empson
Jo Furniss
T.E. Kinsey
N.J. Mackay
S.R. Masters
Phoebe Morgan
Dominic Nolan (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Robert Scragg (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Victoria Selman (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Kate Simants
Adam Southward (Longlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)

My personal favorites were the stories by M.W. Craven, James Delargy, and T.M. Logan, and I expect other readers will have their own favorites. This eerie anthology has much to enjoy, with several stories infused with humour.
Recommended for those who enjoy spooky short stories.

[R Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think there was only one story I didn’t finish/like. Great collection!

[Veronika Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just for once I am going to start at the end. The final story, Strange Ink, a Poe and Bradshaw Story by MW Craven, is all about the crime-fighting duo Tilly and Poe, who are being interview by ‘two jokers’ (who Poe refers to as Marge and Homer), in an interview room that had ‘as much charm as a Dutch euthanasia clinic’. That just about sets the scene, as Tilly and Poe arrest a dangerous criminal while dressed as an eight-legged pantomime horse (Tilly and Poe not the criminal). I had arrived at work early and sat in the ‘quiet room’ with a cappuccino so I could read it, but I literally laughed out loud. Luckily I had the room to myself.

Strange Ink was ridiculous and crazy, but hilariously funny. It’s not the only one to figure tattoos either, though the other story was very different (and I have to admit beyond me).

If I attempted to review all of them, you’d be asleep by the end but I will try and pick out a favourite or two though most of the authors figure in my top writers.

Hidden by Victoria Selman is scary but still manages to include some dark humour as is typical of this author. For those of us who remember Planting Nan in the previous anthology, Raising Nan by James Delargy is written from the point of view of a five year old and it’s hilarious, especially the pee-pee (PPE) references and her mum’s relationship with Uncle Nick.

The Dark Without by Kate Simants is very dark indeed and also very sad. Quite different to the previous stories. In The Forgetful Wife by Phoebe Morgan, the wife talks to us, the reader, as in ‘I told you earlier that I’m a good mother, a good wife’. Definitely one of my favourites and really creepy.

Ghost Don’t Cry by Clare Empson is full of emotion as a dead wife attempts to remain in the lives of her daughter and her husband. This was again sad and brought tears to my eyes. Another of my favourites. And finally With The Others by TM Logan is very clever, dark and twisted. I didn’t expect the ending.

All in all, a mix of the sad, the preposterous, the hilarious, the scary, the bizarre and the downright surreal. Brilliant anthology yet again.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole, the authors and my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

[Kirstie Cooper · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories, all written by popular Crime Authors.
Like all collections of short stories, some were really good, and there were a couple that I didn't really like but overall a collection of great reads.
And all profits goes to Barbados children's charity so worth every penny ❤️

[Les · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this is just a delightful albeit horror filled collection of mystery stories set around or involving Halloween.

One of my absolute favorite authors; MW Craven leads off the collection with a Poe & Tilly story. There are bits of standard mystery, horror and suspense.

There were three stories about crimes against children which I am generally not a fan of

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I read Afraid Of The Light, the first in the series, I loved it. Short crime based stories each different in style and content. Afraid of The Shadows is a much more chilling set of tales with a Halloween theme. The dark nights add to the sinisterness of the tales which make you hit the ground running. No build up, you’re just there to devour the short story in front of you before the onslaught of the next bone chilling narrative.

I think I felt every emotion going as I worked my way through the book. My heart slightly broke as I finished Clare Empson’s Ghosts Don’t Cry. I loved my Poe and Tilly fix from M.W. Craven. James Delgardy’s and Hannah Critchlow’s stories chilled me to the bone

Between each haunting story, I needed a respite just thaw the reading cockles before diving back in to the next chilling tale. Each act of this anthology so different from the next and the previous but each so twisted in its make up. This is a showcase of some of the best crime fiction writers around at the moment. If you want to discover a new author, this is an ideal way to do so!

Afraid of The Shadows is a cracking and chilling read for Halloween! But do you dare to read it in the dark??!

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is for charity and MW Craven, hence the reason why I bought it. Mood Overall: Creepy.

My favourites (in no particular order) were:

1. Strange Ink by MW Craven (sense of humour evident)
2. Into the Shadows by Adam Southward
3. The Clifton Vampire by TE Kinsey (funny)
4. Ghosts Don't Cry by Clare Empson
5. Meme Girl by Heather Critchlow

[Catherine Rickard · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant anthology this is! A wonderful selection of scary, disturbing and humorous stories perfect for this time of year. Each story was vastly different from the next and each expertly written by amazing authors. And all to raise money for charity. Highly recommended!!!

[Kelly Van Damme · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant collection!

[Nicola · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great anthology full of Halloween themed short stories. I loved nearly all the stories. I would definitely recommend this.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

An anthology of short stories.
Most were really good but there were a couple that were a bit hit and miss. One of them I didn't get at all.
Thanks to Pigeonhole and the authors for the opportunity to read

[Lee Allen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charity anthology of spooky short stories from multiple crime writers.

‘Afraid of the Shadows’ in the third anthology in the ‘Afraid of the Light’ series, featuring nineteen stories from the group of creators plus some contributions from guest authors. Profits from each anthology are donated to frontline domestic abuse charities ESDAS and Rights for Women, with this third also sponsoring mental health charity Samaritans.

M.W. Craven opens the collection with ‘Strange Ink’, featuring Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw, probably the most traditionally crime fiction story with its police procedural elements. An eclectic mix of the fiendish, creepy, humorous and bizarre follows throughout the collection, with twists and psychological melodrama galore, culminating in T.M. Logan’s chilling ‘With the Others’.

My personal favourites were:
“Mirror Mirror” by Trevor Wood, for its tragic romance;
“When I Grow Up” by Robert Scragg, when trick-or-treating takes an unexpected turn;
“Hidden” by Victoria Selman, a revenge plot with a twist;
“The Jumper” by S.R. Masters, exploring the power of superstition;
“Indelible” by Elle Croft, a touch of dystopian sci-fi;
“With the Others” by T.M. Logan, a dark and emotive psychological thriller.

Overall, this is an enjoyable collection that captures the chills, magic and fun of the season and is a showcase of the work and talent of all its featured writers. As Peter James himself states in his foreword, short stories are the perfect medium for capturing a moment in time and accessible to many people in our modern world of a dizzying amount of choices of entertainment. I shall certainly be looking out for more from these authors, whose contributions here have helped support those in need through sales of this book.

Delectable slices of the horrifying and the criminal, ‘Afraid of the Shadows’ is a great collection to whet your appetite during the Hallowe’en season.

[Richard Kettlewood · Rating 3 out of 5]

RA

Most of these stories had a supernatural element, as you might expect. The Forgetful Wife was one of the few 'proper crime' stories, not invoking the occult. T E Kinsey's superb vampire story could have swung either way, written with the writer's trademark wit. When I Grow Up steered clear of fantasy with a family bonding revenge theme. The zombie story from a child's viewpoint was more amusing than scary. But many stories were worse than amateur. Like the story pivoting around a forgotten mobile phone. Who forgets their phone? It would be like forgetting your pacemaker nowadays! That story could have been called The Mystery of the Disappearing Hot Dog: it's poor writing when characters are handed things they no longer have a moment later! The second tattoo story was REALLY BAD: it reminded me of my attempt to read the obtusely unfathomable Altered Carbon: it was like sci-fi gone wrong mixed with The Purge. And surely the Moon's influence is gravitational, NOT magnetic! Meatpacking District was overdone, reminding me of material I've read in proper 'sick & vile' collections. But I discovered in it some new and interesting words; the writer has an exceptional vocabulary to go with their twisted mind. Clare Empson's story Ghosts Don't Cry was my favourite. Written with wit and emotional intelligence; succinct and satisfying wheat amongst much chaff. I intend to read more of her work.

[Nigel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's fair to say that I actually bought this anthology for the Tilly and Poe story. While I knew the names of some of the authors I wasn't particularly planning to read many of these. I was pleasantly surprised by just how good quite a few of these were in the end.

The Poe story is very Poe - entertaining, sharp, funny, clever and well worth the read. However don't ignore some of the others here. For example I loved Raising Nan which is told very entertainingly through the eyes of a five year old! When I Grow Up was cleverly done - maybe the son will grow up "just like" the father. Maybe the most powerful tale here is Into The Shadows. It's a tough read and you just know something isn't quite right - the reveal as it comes is very well done in my mind (some of these will be very hard for some people to read). Meme Girl is another spooky one that will stick with me I think. They didn't all work for me however this is a good way to get to know some possible new authors and I've bought another in the series which I'll definitely read some time.

[Laura Doe · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from various different crime writers, all either set around Halloween or creepy enough to keep in with the Halloween theme.
Some were fantastically written, while others were not at all my cup of tea. Some I didn’t quite get the idea behind, while others I guessed pretty much straightaway. And that’s what is great about anthologies of short stories, there’s something for everyone, and you can’t like everything you read.
This anthology has definitely made me want to read more things by certain authors, and has especially made me want to read the Washington Poe series as I thought the writing was both funny as well as having the right amount of suspense for a crime read.
I haven’t read the other anthologies in this series, but I would be more open to reading them after this one, although it really would depend on which authors had written short stories for it as some of the stories on this collection missed the mark for me.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the authors, publishers and online book club The Pigeonhole for the chance to read this. This is an honest and voluntary review. Profits from sales of this book are donated to various charities so I have separately donated to Barnardos as one of those charities.

This is described as an anthology of crime stories, but with a Halowe’en theme many of them are more horror than crime. As with many short story anthologies this is a mixed bag and I suspect different stories will appeal to different readers.

There are a broad range from the funny to the spooky and downright scary. But, for me the best of them all, not unexpectedly, was the final entry - a Hallowe’en themed short adventure with MW Craven’s Washington Poe and Tilly Bradshaw. Poe and Tilly in fancy dress costumes and a potential possession by serial killer, a brilliant combination.

[Sonja Charters · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a brilliant read for the spooky season.

Full of short stories designed to tease, thrill and creep you out as well as make you think about things in a different way.

Love that you can read a whole story (or 2 or 3) in one sitting. Often getting that conclusion sorted in your mind before bedtime! However some of the stories did leave me a little too thoughtful - definitely had a few strange dreams this week - haha!

Still....anthologies like this are a great way to discover some new authors to add to your tbr stacks. Or see something a little different from some of your favourite bestsellers (TM Logan and M Craven)

Really enjoyed this one and would definitely recommend giving it a go, especially during October.

[Carla Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Afraid Of The Shadows. Such an eclectic collection of short stories, all Halloween themed but all so very different.

A brilliant Halloween edition to add to the ‘Afraid of’ series A great collection of short stories perfect for the “spooky” season.

What a way to start an anthology of crime short stories than with one by the multi award winning author M.W.craven with his crime fighting duo Poe & Tilly, what a way to get a fix of these two whilst waiting for the next instalment of the series.

Where I was familiar with a handful of the authors within this collection it also introduced me some new ones too. One reason for loving a short story.

This collection includes a variety of writing styles, humorous, dark and compelling. Creepy and just ingenious.

So well put together and deserves to me awarded them full five stars. Plus all profits from the sale of these anthology’s goes to charity.

[Michael Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun collection I bought to support charity and as a fan of TE Kinsey, who had a story in the collection.

I've read a couple of 'classic Russian short story' collections this year including George Saunders' "A Swim in the Pond in the Rain" which has great stories and thorough analysis - and you won't confuse these stories with the all time greats ... but they are fun and well done and most are quite solid.

There are some of uneven quality, some where the ideas feel half-baked where it is more like "words wrapped around an intended effect" and one or two that didn't really grab me much at all. But overall I am happy to have found this collection, supporting the authors and the charity.

[Catalina · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

I have read another anthology curated by Victoria Selman that has been an absolute delight. Therefore I had high hopes for this one, seen that many of the authors from the previous one have contributed to this one too. But sadly this collection is a bit of a mixed bag: some story were really creepy or funny and definitely very imaginative, while others have been a bit disappointing. That being said, Afraid of the Shadows is by no means a bad collection, in fact it is quite an entertaining one and if you are a lover of Halloween, you will definitely enjoy it.

*PigeonHole read with many thanks for the opportunity.

[Kim Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve just read the last story in Afraid of the Shadows – and what a great story it was, written by M.W. Craven, about the crime-fighting due, Tilly and Poe, who arrest a dangerous criminal at Halloween, when they are dressed as a pantomime horse! I’ve been reading this anthology of ‘stories that go bump in the night’ stave by stave with The Pigeonhole and really enjoyed it. It is a mixed bag, with a few stories that didn’t quite hit the mark, but mostly really creepy ones that did. A great read for Halloween.

[Laura Hamilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great anthology from this writer's collective & the guest writer's who joined them for this book. I had pre-ordered this before I found out it was being serialised on the Pigeonhole after enjoying the previous two books on there.
This collection didn't disappoint, every story was of a high caliber. They were a mix of creepy (as expected being the Halloween edition) and/or thought-provoking.
Bonus that this anthology is for charity (Barnardo's)
Highly recommended.
With thanks to the authors and The Pigeonhole for the opportunity.

[Nicola Mackenzie-Smaller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something for everyone in this collection of spooky stories. Expertly curated by Victoria Selman, and sold in aid of charity, there are a range of stories in this anthology which cover bases from old-fashioned campfire ghost stories to utterly terrifying tales of the unexpected. Perfect for spooky season.
Read with The Pigeonhole.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read, I bought it for the Poe and Tilly short story but found some new authors I can’t wait to read more into. My favourite was the TM Logan’s and Adam Southwards short stories. Hauntingly good!

[454313263824 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky Tales

Brilliant collection to keep you on your toes and take your breath away. I will highly recommend this to all I know, and go and find the others mentioned. Thank you very much.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great anthology for a good cause. I mainly bought it for MW Craven's and Matt Wesolowski's stories but there's some really good fiction included in general.

[Helen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of halloween themed short stories. Some were better than others, the best were really macabre with twists which remind me of Tales of the Unexpected.

[Barbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories just in time for Halloween. Some from new authors to me but all very enjoyable.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty decent anthology some really great stories and some that weren’t as strong.

I preferred the ones that had a real human villain as applied the more supernatural ones

[Victoria Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spooky, thrilling and sad ghost stories

This is such a great collection of short ghost stories. Some are very whitty and others very sad and thought provoking.
Great read though.