Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Stories to Stay Awake By

by Alfred Hitchcock (Editor)

That master of the macabre Alfred Hitchcock has only scorn for people who dream their nights away. No one should waste those deliciously dark hours between dusk and dawn when the wind howls the loudest and the smallest sounds can reap the greatest dividends of dread. Therefore in his latest collection Hitch has personally selected tales tailored to break the stranglehold of slumber and make sure that all your nightmares are waking ones.

Thirty-five startling, frightening, suspenseful, chilling exercises in the art of murder and suspense

Contents

1. Success of a Mission / by William Arden
2. The Splintered Monday / by Charlotte Armstrong
3. Death by Judicial Hanging / by Francis Beeding
4. Floral Tribute / by Robert Bloch
5. Red Wine / by Lawrence G. Blochman
6. Canavan's Back Yard / by Joseph Payne Brennan
7. A Murderous Slice / by Marguerite Dickinson
8. The New Deal / by Charles Einstein
9. Boomerang / by Guy Fleming
10. Sleep is the Enemy / by Anthony Gilbert
11. The Second Coming / by Joe Gores
12. From the Mouse to the Hawk / by Dion Henderson
13. Letter to the Editor / by Morris Hershman
14. The Spy Who Came to the Brink / by Edward D. Hoch
15. Second Talent / by James Holding
16. The Ohio Love Sculpture / by Adobe James
17. The Great Three-Month Super Supersonic Transport Stack-Up of 1999 / by John Keefauver
18. Homicide House / by Day Keene
19. A Feline Felony / by Lael J. Littke
20. The Devil-Dog / by Jack London
21. The Homesick Buick / by John D. MacDonald
22. Campaign Fever / by Patricia McGerr
23. Run With the Wind / by James McKimmey
24. Squeakie's Second Case / by Margaret Manners
25. The Silent Butler / by Harold Q. Masur
26. McGowney's Miracle / by Margaret Millar
27. Ten Minutes From Now / by Jack Ritchie
28. See and Tell / by Mary Linn Roby
29. Fair's Fair / by Jane Speed
30. The Doe and the Gantlet / by Pat Stadley
31. The Last Day of All / by Fay Grissom Stanley
32. The Nail and the Oracle / by Theodore Sturgeon
33. Doctor's Orders / by John F. Suter
34. The Man Who Laughs at Lions / by Bryce Walton
35. The Unsuspected / by Jay Wilson

Genres: Short Stories, Mystery, Horror, Anthologies, Fiction, Thriller, Literature

466 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE (1899-1980) was an iconic and highly influential film director and producer, who pioneered many techniques in the suspense and thriller genres.

Following a very substantial career in his native Britain in both silent films and talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood and became an American citizen with dual nationality in 1956, thus he also remained a British subject.

Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career which spanned six decades, from the silent film era, through the invention of sound films, and far into the era of colour films. For a complete list of his films, see Alfred Hitchcock filmography.

Hitchcock was among the most consistently recognizable directors to the general public, and was one of the most successful film directors during his lifetime. He continues to be one of the best known and most popular filmmakers of all time.

Reviews

[Kenneth McKinley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alfred Hitchcock. I remember growing up and watching the old black and white reruns with my mystery-loving grandmother. So I looked forward to reliving some of those memories by picking up a batch of Alfred Hitchcock Presents paperbacks. Stories to Stay Awake By is my first one, and like all anthologies, you sift through to find the gems. Here’s my assessment of each one:



Success of a Mission - William Arden

Captain Hareet, a James Bond-like secret agent working for “our” side to thwart a Middle Eastern plot to wage war. While the protagonist was refreshingly unique for 1968, the story was solid, but somewhat pedestrian. The coolest part was that it was from William Arden, the author of many of the The Three Investigators mysteries I read as a kid.

3 out of 5 stars


The Splintered Monday - Charlotte Armstrong

Mrs. Brady tries to make heads or tails of how her sister died, and she feels like she is being misled. I spent most of this story going back and forth trying to figure out who all the characters were. A lukewarm delivery for this mystery.

2 out of 5 stars


Death by Judicial Hanging - Francis Beeding

Poor Guy. He’ll do anything to ensure his loving family is taken care of. Now if only the judicial system would cooperate too.

3 out of 5 stars



Floral Tribute - Robert Bloch

Ed’s lives with his Grandmother and they have some most unusual visitors at night. Bloch never disappoints.

4.5 our of 5 stars



Red Wine - Lawrence G. Blochman

On the trail of a killer to far outreaches of Borneo, sometimes it comes down to the wine served with dinner. Really dug the details. It felt like I was in the South Pacific.

5.0 out of 5 stars


Canavan’s Back Yard - Joseph Payne Brennan

A book dealer becomes obsessed with his overgrown back yard and the evil that beckons him from the weeds.

5.0 out of 5 stars



A Murderous Slice - Marguerite Dickinson

A Who-Done-It on the golf course. Solid writing, but would’ve been better fleshed out more instead of being wrapped up so quickly.

3.5 out of 5 stars


The New Deal - Charles Einstein

A casino gambler demands a new deck of cards. Loved the twist on this one.

5.0 out of 5 stars


Boomerang - Guy Fleming

Just when the D.A. thought he was screwed because the deck was stacked against him, a surprise star witness shows up.

4.5 out of 5 stars


Sleep is the Enemy - Anthony Gilbert

Sally thinks she’s marrying Ronnie, but only Sally seems to think this. Yikes.

3 out of 5 stars



The Second Coming - Joe Gores

The gas chamber doesn’t just destroy the condemned.

3 out of 5 stars


From The Mouse To The Hawk - Dion Henderson

A gold digging relative and his friend come to visit his uncle in the Great White North, and they ain’t there for tea. Unique setting, but the protagonist behaved odd. Almost like a cartoon character behavior.

3 out of 5 stars


Letter To The Editor - Morris Hershman

Cliched story written in the first person where you saw the ending coming from a mile away.

2 out of 5 stars


The Spy Who Came To The Brink - Edward D. Hoch

A Hitchcockian spy mystery that reminds me of something that would’ve been on his TV show.

4 out of 5 stars


Second Talent - James Holding

A gun for hire gets outplayed.

4 out of 5 stars


The Ohio Love Sculpture - Adobe James

A collector of erotica pulls out all the stop in order to acquire a one of a kind piece. Be careful what you wish for.

5 out of 5 stars


Homicide House - Day Keene

The perfect murder plans don’t always go as planned.

5 out of 5 stars


Total: 3.79 out of 5 stars

[Jess ❈Harbinger of Blood-Soaked Rainbows❈ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars for Death By Judicial Hanging by Francis Beeding

I have a Francis Beeding novel I got at a thrift shop years ago and haven't read yet so when I saw the name in this volume I decided to try it out. Francis Beeding is also the pseudonym for the duo of the authors John Palmer and Hilary Saint George Saunders who famously wrote the gothic thriller The House of Dr. Edwardes which later became the Alfred Hitchcock classic Spellbound starring Ingrid Bergman and Gregory Peck, one of my favorite favorite Hitchcock films and also the book that I have in my stacks.

And this story was okay. It had some flair and a bit of gallows humor and vey much reminded me of an O. Henry story with its ironic ending. It also reminded me in bits of my favorite novel ever which certainly did its part in winning this one points, but I felt much much more distanced by this one and the writing was very dry. Even though it reminded me of The Stranger it's kind of its opposite. Instead of a man committing a mindless crime with no empathy or feeling, a man commits a crime for the sole purpose of creating opportunity and hope for the family he loves so much when he makes the mistake of mistakes costing him everything he has. It is an interesting tale, but the characters were flat to me and I had a hard time really connecting with any of them. Certainly not a bad story by any means, but it was kinda bleak, but also kind of humorous and ironic which was a weird combination and I have a feeling it will be a mostly forgettable tale for me.

3 stars for The Great Three-Month Super Supersonic Transport Stackup of 1999 by John Keefauver

I received a copy of this Alfred Hitchcock collection of short stories somewhere along the line, and found within its bindings, this title which struck me as classic science fiction as you can get. I definitely chose this story for it’s title and when I began reading I realized why I had never heard of this author before and why his titles are so hard to find. In fact, it appears as though these Alfred Hitchcock anthologies are about the only ones that would publish his work,

I liked a lot of the themes of this short: the troubles with population overload, the negative side of progression, and the troubles with socialism, but the execution fell flat. Just like the title, the story itself is just too much, it’s too quirky, it’s too overloaded, and especially for the fact that 1999 was over 20 years ago, well, it goes without saying that this short story has not stood the test of time.

It takes place in an age where the US population has reached over 300 billion and technology has progressed to make it possible to fly everywhere in only 11 seconds or less. The population is also heavily controlled and manipulated by drugs, and the companies that run this new technology also run the world. It had an interesting premise, but in ten pages, it was like trying to eat a 10 course dinner in 5 minutes. There was too much to process and not enough space to put everything. Had this been a novel or even a novella, it would have been much more successful. To create a completely new world in that little time takes a helluva lot of craft, and the worldbuilding needed some work.

With that being said, just like one of my favorites, 1984, it is interesting to see how writers 50-100 years ago predicted life in an age that has already passed. For me, it was easier to relate to Orwell’s future than Keefauver’s far-fetched one.

All in all it wasn’t terrible, and the premise alone garnered 3 stars, but it is on the lower end of the spectrum.

Day seven of my November challenge to read one science fiction or fantasy short story a day.

Three and a half stars for Floral Tribute by Robert Bloch.
I did write a full review of this story on its standalone page but it was a fun and eerie little ghosty story that follows an orphaned boy as he grows up with a clairvoyant grandmother in their house bordering a cemetery. The ending was abrupt, but overall, a very enjoyable read.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mmm, I thought this one had a bit more misses than usual. There seemed to be a lot more spy related and espionage between countries than usual, and that doesn't age well generally and didn't here. Jack London is one of the bigger names featured, and try as I might, I still cannot get into his work--I find it annoying wading through dialects and vignettes of harsh outdoorsy backwoodsman leave me with a resounding meh, joining other authors I just can't get into after much effort: Victor Hugo, Wordsworth, the Brontes, Herman Melville, and many others. There were a few good memorable ones--the wife who avenged her cat and the bank manager especially.

[Serena · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.6 stars

Success of a Mission by William Arden ****
the Splintered Monday by Charlotte Armstrong ***
Death by Judicial Hanging by Francis Beeding ****
Floral Tribute by Robert Bloch ***
Red Wine by Lawrence G Blochman ****
Canavan's Back Yard by Joseph Payne Brennan ****
A Murderous Slice by Marguerite Dickinson ***
Rafferty] the New Deal by Charles Einstein ****
Boomerang by Guy Fleming ****
Sleep is the Enemy by Anthony Gilbert ***
the Second Coming by Joe Gores ****
From the Mouse to the Hawk by Dion Henderson ****
Letter to the Editor by Morris Hershman ***
the Spy Who Came to the Brink by Edward Hoch ****
Second Talent by James Holding ****
the Ohio Love Sculpture by Adobe James ****
the Great Three-Month Super Supersonic Transport Stack-up of 1999 by John Keefauver **
Homicide House by Day Keene ****
A Feline Felony by Lael Littke ***
the Devil-Dog by Jack London ***
the Homesick Buick by John D MacDonald ****
Campaign Fever by Patricia McGerr ****
Run with the Wind James McKimmey ****
Squeakie's Second Case by Margaret Manners ****
the Silent Butler by Harold Q Masur ****
McGowney's Miracle by Margaret Miller ****
Ten Minutes from Now by Jack Ritchie ****
See and Tell by Mary Linn Roby ***
Fair's Fair by Jane Speed ****
the Doe and the Gantlet by Pat Stadley ****
the Last Day of All by Fay Grissom Stanley ***
the Nail and the Oracle by Theodore Sturgeon ***
Doctor's Orders by John Suter ***
the Man Who Laughs at Lions by Bryce Walton ****
the Unsuspected by Jay Wilson ****

My Rating System:
* couldn't finish, ** wouldn't recommend, *** would recommend, **** would read again, ***** have read again.

[DeAnna Knippling · Rating 4 out of 5]

You never realize how much you depend on the order the editor puts the stories until you run into an anthology where they're alphabetical by author. The only story I really disliked in the whole anthology...was the last story, which is usually one of the powerhouses of an anthology.

Otherwise a great collection - not a lot of emphasis on GENRE, more like an emphasis on some sort of creepy, prickly feeling on the back of your neck. From SF to Horror to Thriller to Cozy Mystery--just all of them with a little shudder to them. A few more unsympathetic POVs than usual, but all handled pretty well. The twists you see coming--expect one last twist after that.

A fun read.

[H. Givens · Rating 4 out of 5]

HIt-and-miss, like most short story collections, but a surprisingly high number of really creepy hits. Favorites: Canavan's Back Yard, Sleep is the Enemy, Letter to the Editor, The Ohio Love Sculpture, and Homicide House. (Entering these books to Goodreads for my own benefit five years later, I'm surprised how these stories and images have stayed with me. In a good way, not a traumatic one!)

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book, more so than other compilations I have read. Some stories were just so-so, but there were a few really creepy stories in there (Ohio Love Sculpture; Canavan's Backyard) and ones that I thought were pretty funny (The great three-month super supersonic transport stack-up of 1999). All in all it was a fun read.

[D.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't imagine Hitchcock had any more to do with this (or if he even actually wrote the introduction with his name on it) than he had with the various incarnations of the television programme with his name it, but this collection of short stories does manage to keep the tone of Alfred Hitchcock Presents more than it does any of the great man's films.
Originally published in 1971, we find here a striking cross-section of short fiction of the previous few decades, mostly in the thriller vein but all with some sort of sting in the tail. Topics range from the domestic drama (Charlotte Armstrong's 'The Splintered Monday') to slight science-fiction (John Keefauver's 'The Great Three-Month Super Supersonic Transport Stack-Up of 1999')and (oddly enough) a sort of vague fantasy-mystery involving an anthropomorphic cat (Lael Littke's 'A Feline Felony'). Story lengths run from a mere couple pages to a couple dozen. The quality, as with any anthology, is spotty but mostly quite good: the only story I genuinely disliked was Theodore Sturgeon's corny computer parable 'The Nail and the Oracle,' and a standout was the unexpectedly macabre 'The Ohio Love Sculpture' from Adobe James.
There was nothing in here I'd read before (although a couple clichés I have) and quite a few authors I'd never heard of, but nothing that would make me go seek out anything more. This is just a fun, sometimes quite dark and usually engaging bunch of fiction. I might, however, pick up another of these anthologies if one happened across my path.

[Penelope · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was fantastic. I really enjoyed how the story's plots were different, but each one was about a murder. The plots were very interesting, and it is easier to read the stories due to the different plots. One of the stories is about how a man marries a wealthy women and kills her for her money, leaving her in the basement of their house. Another story is about a detective locating a terrible murder, and locates the murder based on the way he drinks his wine. My favorite story is about 2 spies, and the man sadly dies in the end.

[Elyse · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Thirty-five startling, frightening, suspenseful, chilling exercises in the art of murder and suspense" The copy I read is old and beat up but the stories inside are not. Published in 1971 these stories remain entertaining 45 years later. There are a few duds but not many. I'm going to search out more of these Alfred Hitchcock collections to read.

[Woody Chandler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had borrowed this book from Scoats at one point, realized that I was not going to finish it on a timely basis & returned it. Since then, I became inspired to borrow it from the local library & give it a solid effort. "The Ohio Love Sculpture" remains an all-time favorite of mine.

[Joseph · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ooooh, I loved this book when I was a kid. This and "Stories to Read With The Door Locked."

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

not all of them were good, not all of them were mysteries, not all of them were scary.

[Michale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Found a copy of this in a used book store and reread all these stories I had read as a kid. They're still great!

[Hank Olivas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I mostly enjoyed this collection, though I must say I found the majority of entries rather average (and none of them negatively intruded upon my sleeping patterns). These stories are for the most part very brief and competently written, often involving mystery, intrigue and comeuppance, with the better ones containing some type of ironic Twilight Zone-style twist. The only two selections I seriously disliked were John Keefauver's "The Great Three-Month Supersonic Transport Stack-Up of 1999" (a tedious stab at science fiction) and John F. Suter's "Doctor's Orders" (rather cliché and pointless).

Perhaps my slight disappointment derives from comparing Stories To Stay Awake By to the far more compelling Alfred Hitchcock Presents Stories For Late At Night (a collection I've also reviewed on goodreads.com). Nevertheless, I'm glad to have read Stories To Stay Awake By, and can visualize returning to some of these tales for a bit of light reading. And having obtained the book for $1 at a library sale, maybe I shouldn't be TOO disappointed!

A few of the stories worth mentioning:
Death By Judicial Hanging by Francis Beeding
Red Wine by Lawrence G. Blochman
Canavan's Back Yard by Joseph Payne Brennan
Second Talent by James Holding
The Ohio Love Sculpture by Adobe James
Run With The Wind by James McKimmey
Ten Minutes From Now by Jack Ritchie
The Doe And The Gantlet by Pat Stadley
The Man Who Laughs At Lions by Bryce Walton

[Scoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at a yard sale or thrift store at some point. Probably for a quarter. I have 14 Hitchcock anthologies and I've read about three at this point. Typically they have been a mixed bag. But this is an amazing collection.

There are a lot of stories here (dozens and dozens it seemes), which are arranged by the author's last name. So the stories are not arranged for impact, but by the randomness of the author's name. But it works.

Only a couple of outright clunkers, one of which very readable but lacked any spark The rest though... wow. Really great stuff. I definitely got my 25 cents worth.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the stories in this book were fun. Each story had a different voice and tone, as you get with a wide range of authors. Some were super twisty, some were pretty mild. Some of the stories definitely fell in the mystery or thriller category, but a couple were decent horror.

I really like reading magazine stories from previous decades. The author assumes the audience is contemporary and includes much of the dated references and slang. One of the stories had some seriously groovy dialog, published in 1966. I don’t know that I believed people really spoke that way. I thought it was exaggerated when I’d read or hear it. Wow, modern authors just can’t imitate it effectively.

[Scoats · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked this up at a yard sale or thrift store at some point. Probably for a quarter. I have 14 Hitchcock anthologies and I've read about three at this point. Typically they have been a mixed bag. But this is an amazing collection.

There are a lot of stories here (dozens and dozens it seemes), which are arranged by the author's last name. So the stories are not arranged for impact, but by the randomness of the author's name. But it works.

Only a couple of outright clunkers, one of which very readable but lacked any spark The rest though... wow. Really great stuff. I definitely got my 25 cents worth.

[Shawn]

PLACEHOLDER REVIEW:

Lawrence G. Blochman's "Red Wine" is both a solid yarn to read, and a good example of why I have little interest in Mystery/Detective fiction. A detective follows the trail of a California murderer to a remote outpost in the foreign jungle, Tanjong Samar. As there are only three Americans in the area, he must decide which of the men it is, and finds this difficult. Engaging, involving, and then, disposable, once you get to the punchline.

[Courtney · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a decent collection of short stories. I rated each one and then calculated an average rating for the book based off of those, which lined up pretty perfectly with what I’d have probably rated it anyway.
What bothered me most about this book is that it purports to give you “delicious nightmares”, but the majority of the stories are detective stories that are not scary or creepy in any way! There were a few scary and creepy stories, but by and large they were pretty disappointing.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to love watching Alfred Hitchcock Presents on TV. I still remember some of the shows and still experience the appropriate shivers. I have many of his story collections but this is the first one I've finally got around to reading. As with any collection of short stories...some I loved, some I didn't care for at all and there were many which fit between those two categories. Hopefully, this will inspire me to read more of the ones hanging out on my shelves.

[Michelle Timur · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book of many short stories. A very different type of read for me, but the change was great, especially after reading depressing non-fiction. There were a handful of stories that I just loved!

[Belle Meade School]

813.08

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story stories for bedtime

[Zei · Rating 3 out of 5]

Le maître du suspense par excellence nous propose plusieurs nouvelles qui se lisent en un clin d'oeil, plus amusantes et intrigantes que terrifiante. Moi qui suis une grande peureuse, je n'en ai pas tremblé le moindre du monde, mais j'aimerai bien voir leur adaptation cinématographique...

[Susie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of short stories which keep you interested from start to finish. Not gruesome or gory, but they have a plot and keep you wanting more.

[Monica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Had to return this to Interlibrary Loan but I enjoyed short stories while I could.