Blog tour: Case Files: Collected short crime stories volume one by Rachel Amphlett

This post is part of a blog tour organised by Random Things Blog Tours. I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

‘Discover twelve dark and twisted mysteries from USA Today bestselling author Rachel Amphlett.

‘This page-turning collection features “The Man Cave” in which Darren regains consciousness in a dank basement where escape turns out to be the least of his worries; in “All Night Long” Zoe soon wishes she wasn't working the late shift; and in “Nowhere to Run” a rookie detective encounters her first serial killer… but will she survive?’

If you’ve been following my blog and socials, you’ll know that I’ve been on a real short story kick of late. Rachel Amphlett’s Case Files is a worthy addition to the list of collections that I’ve really enjoyed and that have encouraged me to keep going with my own writing.

As the subtitle suggests, the stories in Case Files all sit in the crime genre, but the widely varied subject matter and settings set each one apart from the others. Without giving too much away, whodunits, spies, gangsters, and undercover ops are all represented.

While most of the pieces are set in the UK, the writer’s additional familiarity with the US and Australia gives some stories particularly distinctive flavours.

Pretty much all of the stories come with a breathtaking twist at the end that I genuinely did not see coming. As well as making for a very exciting reading experience, this is something I’ve been trying to achieve with some of my own stories, so it was inspiring to see someone do it so well.

The three stories that stuck with me the most due to a combination of their atmospheres, characters, and twists were “The Reckoning”, “The Beachcomber”, and “Something in the Air”. I haven’t actually read any of Amphlett’s novels, so I’ll definitely have to keep an eye out for them!

Case Files is a wide-ranging collection of memorable stories with brilliant twists.