Sinister Shorts

Perri O'Shaughnessy

Delta Trade Paperbacks, Dec 26, 2006 - Fiction - 302 pages

TheNew York Timesbestselling author of the acclaimed Nina Reilly thrillers brings her prodigious storytelling gifts to this first-ever collection of short crime fiction. From desperate housewives to hard-boiled PIs to an appearance by Nina Reilly herself, these chilling short mysteries–many appearing in print for the very first time–set the mood and ratchet up the suspense as only Perri O’Shaughnessy can.

Here are tales of love and betrayal, rage and revenge–nineteen sizzling stories that run the gamut from classic whodunits to winding thrillers to an unusual cozy that casts Gertrude Stein as an unlikely Miss Marple. And here Perri O’Shaughnessy has created some of her most sinister and compelling characters yet: a college student who devises an ingenious method for getting her sexy teacher’s attention . . . a haunted ex—homicide cop who takes a long walk into his blood-shadowed past in a twisting tale of brutal murder and escalating violence . . . a model wife who surprises both herself and a bothersome furnace man when she is confronted with an unacceptable ultimatum . . . a lemon tree that plays a pivotal role in the tale of a woman who at long last asserts her independence. . . .

From a blood-soaked scheme that’s born at a slot machine in Vegas to the violence that ensues when the fat lady stops singing,Sinister Shortsshows us life at its most menacing, murderous, and unbearably suspenseful. And it proves once again the unique and captivating genius of Perri O’Shaughnessy.


From the Hardcover edition.

What people are saying

SINISTER SHORTS

User Review  - Kirkus

From the writing team of the O'Shaughnessy sisters (Unlucky in Law, 2004, etc.), a collection of stories more gloomy than sinister.Did you know that everyday life can be a drag? Here are 19 ...

LibraryThing Review

User Review  - alexbook - LibraryThing

This is a collection of tightly plotted short stories, many involving revenge. A welcome change of pace from the Nina Reilly novels (though Nina and Paul both make brief appearances).

Contents

• Success Without College: 23
• Dead Money: 43
• OSeiays Special Case: 72
• His Masters Hand: 102
• The Second Head 14 5: 145
• Chocolate Milkshake: 156
• The Courle Behind the Curtain: 207
• Sandstorm: 227
• Tiny Angels: 239
• To Still t he Beating or Her Heart: 253
• Lemons: 287
• A Grandmothers Tale: 296

About the author

PERRI O’SHAUGHNESSY is the pen name for two sisters, Pamela and Mary O’Shaughnessy, who both live in California. Pamela, a Harvard Law School graduate, was a trial lawyer for sixteen years. Mary is a former editor and writer for multimedia projects. They are the authors of eleven novels featuring attorney Nina Reilly: Case of Lies, Unlucky in Law, Presumption of Death, Unfit to Practice, Writ of Execution, Move to Strike, Acts of Malice, Breach of Promise, Obstruction of Justice, Invasion of Privacy, and Motion to Suppress.


From the Hardcover edition.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Sinister Shorts
• Author: Perri O'Shaughnessy
• Publisher: Delta Trade Paperbacks, 2006
• ISBN: 0385337981, 9780385337984
• Length: 302 pages
• Subjects: Fiction / Mystery & Detective / Collections & Anthologies; Fiction / Short Stories (single author); Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense