The Suspenseful Collection Volume One: Eight Suspenseful Short Stories Across Multiple Genres. Kindle Edition

An eclectic blend of suspenseful tales from several genres, this quick read contains some true gems. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with all the stories.

It was the First Time I Killed a Man
This historical read from the 50s/60s didn’t work for me. Lisa Vanacilli sits on death row, the first woman tried and convicted of capital murder in the state of New York.
Lisa is a tough, unapologetic Brooklyn girl who speaks in the vernacular and tells the reader her horrible childhood with her pathetic parents, and her poor choices in men are what sealed her destiny.
I didn’t buy it. I never believed Lisa was whom she claimed to be. Yes, she has killed, but even that felt like she was playing a role. Lisa felt more like an Aileen Wournos-caricature to me.
Perhaps Lisa’s persona was false vibrato because she knew she’d never leave prison alive.
I don’t know. She just didn’t gel with me.
Tiffany, the tough-as-nails-reporter looking for the story to take her to the big time, fell flat for me. I never felt hunger or drive from her.
Like Lisa, Tiffany was manipulative and knew how to work a situation to her advantage. But a hard-hitting journalist? No.
Tiffany agrees to Lisa’s ‘conditions’ to get the backstory of ‘the first time she killed a man.’ It felt more like Tiffany was asking for a lasagna recipe.
This vignette had additional scenes added, but they did nothing to help me like either woman.
2 Stars

Every Time I hear That Voice from the Basement
George is a quiet unassuming fellow with bottle cap glasses and an obsession with the number four.
His shrew of a wife, Jolene, emasculates him every chance she gets.
Because… George has obsessive-compulsive disorder.
And he’s schizophrenic.
And he’s a murderer. She doesn’t know about that part of George.
George lives for the voice in the basement. It belongs to his dear Anna, who will never leave him.
He meets Dana, a cashier at his local market, and wants to keep her forever too.
Dana will have other ideas about that.
This is a very good story! George’s OCD thoughts/actions are spot on!
The story got rocky for me during the scenes between George and Jolene. While I found the climax of one of those scenes hilarious, it felt off to me when everything went back to ‘normal’ afterward. Jolene didn’t seem like the type of woman who would tolerate such behavior from a man she doesn’t even respect.
A later scene with Dana didn’t work for me either. It wasn’t bad; however, I feel the scene could have been fleshed out more.
3 Stars

The Entrance to the Tunnel is His Only Way Out
I can’t say much about this two-scene read without giving anything away, but the plot twist is golden! I’m still freaked out!
5 Stars

When He Ran His Hands Up My Thigh
Second chance romances are always sweet and this one was thirty years in the making beginning in the era of WWII.
I wish I could say I felt the chemistry between Sarah and Joshua.
Sarah was a contradiction of herself—I love Brian, I love Joshua—and Joshua felt plastic.
The two former lovers shared a sweet romance decades ago, but TO ME, it didn’t feel strong enough or passionate enough to still be burning a lifetime later.
2 Stars

We Only Said Goodbye with Words – I Died a Thousand Times
Mila Petrov’s strong female character was exceptional! Making a life for herself from nothing when life was hard for everyone. Still not sure if Mila did the bidding of others because she had no choice or because it was exactly what she wanted.
4 Stars

The Ones Who Live at the Bottom of the Ocean Come to the Surface
So much potential here for an engrossing in-depth read, but as a short story, it wasn’t fleshed out enough for me. There wasn’t enough of a familial bond with the three females and Ceto simply came off as a mean, old hag. May Li’s reflections annoyed me. She’d kept the family heritage a secret from her own husband, yet I felt no urgency or danger of discovery. She allows her teenage daughter to stroll off down the beach simply because “It’s time.” Meh.
2 Stars

Guilty as Charged, In Self-Defense
I liked Catherine for the most part in this read. I felt she should have made a decision one way or another about Dean and get over herself.
The plot twist with Mrs. Chevelle was spot on! And the relationship she’d had with a famous author added to the story.
Then Catherine went and ruined it for me.
When her co-worker’s assistant (Becky) said she didn’t want to shadow him (Dean) for a future legal career because he tried to touch her, Catherine said, “What, you don’t like it? Every woman in here wants his hands between their legs, are you kidding me?”
Wrong response, Cat!
Being in a position of authority over the mousy young woman and not knowing her story (is Becky a rape survivor or victim of abuse?), Cat’s response was heartless at best, asinine at the least (uh…it’s the workplace and women get treated bad enough already), and totally contradictory to her OWN internal thoughts!
Consider your membership to the Sisterhood revoked, Catherine!
3 Stars

It’s a Man’s Man’s World
Honest and bittersweet. Dale’s remembrances were heartfelt and the gift given him on one of the worst days of his life was amazing.
5 Stars

Review rating for total collection – 3.5

I volunteered to read The Suspenseful Collection.

Thanks to the authors for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4 1/2 Stars

The Suspenseful Collection: Volume One, is a collaboration between authors/bloggers Kim Knight and Didi Oviatt. The stories have been created from their readers votes. There are two things that really make this collection of eight short stories stand out. The first is the multiple genres that are represented, from steamy historical crime fiction, to contemporary romance, to YA romance, and more. There is literally a story for everyone! The second is that each story is started by one author and completed by the other. This is one of the most clever concepts I've come across, and what makes it even better is that I found Didi's and Kim's writing to flow absolutely seamlessly. If I hadn't already known what the format was, I'd never have guessed there were two authors behind this.

I absolutely loved this anthology and I highly recommend it to anyone who's looking for a quick read that's a little out of the ordinary. I'm eagerly looking forward to the next collaboration from these two talented authors!

I was given an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Overall, this is an excellent collection and, as with story collections, some resonated more than others. I certainly had my favorites. If you're looking for a thriller, try "It Was The First Time I Killed a Man" or Every time I Hear That Voice From The Basement". The vivid details will put you right in the action. The collection includes crime, fantasy and romance stories that can be read in one sitting. I found the tales to be for mature audiences. They vary from unique, thrilling, and complex, to even sweet. Get ready for unexpected twists and startling endings.