📖My Thoughts📖

This was a very intriguing compilation of short stories. I have only read two other anthologies to date, and this was pretty good one. It was a little darker than the other two I’ve read, but I enjoyed it. Some of the stories weren’t as gripping as the others, but overall it’s a pretty good mixture by various authors. I think my favorite is definitely the last one in the book. I wasn’t entirely sure where it was going at first, but it was hands down my favorite one. If you’re looking for a fast paced, quick and easy anthology to read, this one is a good one to pick up.
Thank you Netgalley, Suspense Publishing and the authors for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Great thriller which kept me turning the pages well into the night. Great characters and plot. Highly recommend to others!!

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight is filled with stories from the darker side of life. Murders being committed in the style of a serial killer on the night of his execution. An overheard conversation on a train leads to a woman trying to hire a fellow passenger as a hitman. These stories will keep you on the edge of your seat!

I really enjoyed reading these stories. It is a wonderful group of authors and a diverse collection of stories. I was familiar with all these authors. The premise that Nothing Good Happens After Midnight is a good one and each story holds your attention until the end. Enjoy this Anthology.

I read the first story in this anthology prior to publication day, and since then I have not been able to make myself pick the book up again, which I think speaks for itself. I hate it because I don't think it's fair to judge a whole anthology by the first story, but at the same time I have to trust that the editor thought this was a good representation of the volume as a whole, and unfortunately that volume just isn't for me.

Shorts stories are not a great genre for mysteries, unless they're really well done, because they don't give enough space for character development or a careful unfolding of clues and investigation. I was hoping that this collection would prove the exception, but it didn't. The stories feel almost perfunctory, and the writing very predictable. Even Rhys Bowen's two stories, which attempt some creativity, feel truncated.

This book features 13 fast-paced and suspenseful short stories by some of the best authors. While all of the stories are very well done, my absolute favorite was Night Shift by Linwood Barclay. Well worth the read.

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight was a good anthology by different authors. This anthology consisted of stories by authors; Jeffery Deaver, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Jon Land, John Lescroart, Kevin O'Brien, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Joseph Badal, and D. P. Lyle. Suspense magazine offers this great anthology with thirteen original short stories with the genres; suspense/thriller, mystery, sci-fi/fantasy, and more. I enjoyed this book and can't wait to read more by these authors.

I love anthologies, thus I knew what I was getting into and enjoyed every heart-pounding second. I especially enjoyed the bite-sized thrillers of authors I already love such as Graham and Deaver. Both authors who meets the challenge of downsizing their brand of storytelling without missing anything.

“Nothing Good Happens After Midnight” is a must-have anthology for every mystery reader. It is a collection of quick yet fantastic reads by today’s top mystery writers, including Jeffery Deaver, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Jon Land, John Lescroart, Kevin O'Brien, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Joseph Badal, and D. P. Lyle. It has something for every reader. In a time of both staying at home and waiting in line (safely six feet away from people) this collection is perfect. Mystery fans can quickly finish the entire story. And, if wearing a mask, one can cringe with fear or excitement and no one will be the wiser.
I received a review copy of this collection to review, and it gave me a reason to stop binge-watching old TV detective shows. I loved every story, but do not read alone in the dark.

I wanted to read this book as it features a lot of authors I love.
It was a good choice as the stories are well written and entertaining.
It's strongly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

Great anthology of short, suspenseful, and twisty stories. This is a quick read that literally covers nearly every genre. The individual stories are short enough to enjoy in one sitting, but also gripping enough to make you want to keep going.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC.

I am a long time member of the BTL commentators on the award winning blog Jungle Red Writers. When I heard that two of the bloggers, Hank Phillipi Ryan and Rhys Bowen were included in Suspense Magazine's 2020 anthology, Nothing Happens After Midnight, I immediately sought out a copy. The icing on this criminally good 'cake' is that Jeffrey Deaver is the editor. The 12 authors, 13 including Deaver, are know for producing award winning fiction. The list of contributors reads like a best seller's list from a trade publication. The world's the authors have created range from suspense to science fiction/fantasy. All are set after midnight, and all will keep a reader up past midnight to finish "just one more story".

Very highly recommended

Full disclosure: I received this ARC from netgalley and Suspense Publishing in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you for this opportunity.


Reading Progress

Wow, what an amazing collection of stories from some well known masters of the craft. So unique to have this collaborative approach and it reads like a master class in horror / thriller suspense genre writing.

Jefferey Deaver is a genius - rounding up the best in the business to take on the challenge of penning a story with ‘late’ or ‘midnight’ as a central theme. A great way to gain a sense of each authors style as an introduction to their main novels. My personal favorite is the Alan Jacobson story about a death row inmate who may have some key information about a copycat, even as s hort story the character development and plot lines is incredible.
Some characters are from the authors larger series and others debut in these pages this is a collection not to be missed and I would love to see more of this in the future.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ADR in exchange for an honest review, I will certainly be recommending this collection to others!

Disclaimer - I am not a fan of short storys or novellos, I like to get a good juicy book that I can lose myself in for days. But so many of my favorite authors contributed to this book that I felt I needed to give it a try! My opinion hasnt changed, I still dont care for short stories, however this isnt due to bad writing or storylines, in fact nearly all the short stories in this book were excellent, I just wanted more!!

Suspense Magazine and editor, Jeffery Deaver, bring together 13 short stories that endeavor to convince us that “nothing good happens after midnight.” There are many household name authors, including Jeffery Deaver, Linwood Barclay, Heather Graham, Rhys Bowen, and, friend of our podcast, Hank Phillippi Ryan, along with Alan Jacobson, Kevin O’Brien, Joseph Badal, Paul Kemprecos, John Lescroart, D. P. Lyle, Shannon Kirk, and Jon Land. Several of the stories feature characters that appear in existing series. While there are several genres exhibited-thriller, mystery, fantasy-all are woven together with a thread of suspense.
In “12:01 AM,” Alan Jacobson takes us on a nail-biting police chase for a serial killer’s wannabe copycat on the very night the original killer’s death sentence is carried out.
“Cell Phone Intolerant” by Kevin O’Brien shows us what unintended consequences might evolve if we were to achieve that wish for rude cell phone users to get what they deserve.
Hank Phillippi Ryan takes us on an overnight train ride in “All Aboard.” Romantic, well maybe, but not when you overhear the passenger next door plan mischief, or worse.
In a heart-wrenching story of loss, Joseph Badal explores the psychological toll that tragedy can take. In “Gone Forever,” a serial killer is born.
In “Night Shift,” Linwood Barclay’s retired newspaperman, Larry, tells his companion a story of a memorable night in the newsroom when a guy called who threatened a mass shooting the next day. After a tense back and forth for most of the night, there was a happy ending…or so Larry thought.
What would a “midnight” themed anthology be without a story set in a graveyard? Teenagers spending the night in a cemetery find out that spooky stories are sometimes based in reality in Heather Graham’s “Midnight in the Garden of Death.”
Paul Kemprecos’ charter fishing boat captain and PI, Aristotle “Soc” Socarides is hired to find a lost masterpiece of a carved decoy worth millions in “The Sixth Decoy.”
In “A Creative Defense,” Jeffery Deaver offers up a haunting tale of a melody that triggers the killer instinct in some listeners.
“After Midnight” by Rhys Bowen is a deeper dive into the world of Cinderella after the ball, as well as a modern day take on the fairy tale.
In his story, “Easy Peasey,” John Lescroart explores the fraught world of high schoolers who want to be accepted by the cool kids and what can happen when what you thought was a good idea goes horribly wrong.
Two not-very-bright graverobbers decide they can get fresher “product” without the backbreaking work of digging them up in D. P. Lyle’s “Tonic.”
No one believes the stories told by the main character in Shannon Kirk’s “Tonight is the Night” until all his most unbelievable tales collide on the night he thought would be his best, but is instead a living nightmare.
What would you do if an ATM machine snatched your debit card and instructed you to go to a specific street corner to get your card back? In “ATM,” by Jon Land, having only $2 in his pocket, Venn feels he has no choice but to follow the instructions.

Each of these short stories offers very different takes on the theme. These are very talented authors and all the selections had something to recommend it. Some were full of nail-biting tension, others included a bit of humor. There were thought-provoking tales, fantasy settings, and surprising twists. There is truly something here for everyone. I found all the stories entertaining, but my favorites were “Night Shift” by Linwood Barclay, “The Sixth Decoy” by Paul Kemprecos, and “ATM” by Jon Land.

A huge shout out to Blackthorn Book Tours for this grand opportunity to read and review Nothing Good Happens After Midnight. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

Phew…. Get Set Go for this fantabulous ride to the mix of suspense short stories that will take a reader thru the whole gamut of emotions.

Nothing Good Happens After Midnight is a Suspense Magazine Anthology by various authors with an introduction by Jeffery Deaver which provide succulent short eats or starters before one can pick a full-fledged novel by any of these authors.

12:01 AM BY ALAN JACOBSON: A serial killer is hours away from being lethally injected but Karen Vail, ace FBI profiler needs one last chance with him and save a kidnapped woman. What a start to the anthology. Racing against time with heart in the mouth suspense this one offered a perfect beginning.

CELL PHONE INTOLERANT BY KEVIN O’BRIEN: The title says it all, brilliant in its concept, had a surprising ending.

ALL ABOARD BY HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Overnight journey via train, reminiscent of Murder on the Orient Express, this one fell a little short for me coz of my huge expectation.

GONE FOREVER BY JOSEPH BADAL: Heart-breaking and a massacre that can cause nightmares, Gone Forever made my heart bleed.

NIGHT SHIFT BY LINWOOD BARCLAY: Wow, this was a doozy with a twisty end that I never saw coming. Working the nightshift is never gonna be the same again.

MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF DEATH BY HEATHER GRAHAM: What can I say, it is Heather Graham and she can do no wrong in my book. A group of friends on a dare, spending the night in a cemetery, obviously things should go bump in the night and it does spectacularly.

THE SIXTH DECOY BY PAUL KEMPRECOS: A former cop turned a charter fishing boat captain who also works as a pvt. Investigator is tasked to find a missing carved bird but the discovery leads to unforeseen paths. A thoroughly enjoyable tale of righting the scales.

A CREATIVE DEFENSE BY JEFFERY DEAVER: OK, now this one scared the living daylights of me. A sonatina and the effects of hypnotism, how crazy can it get? Brilliant.

AFTER MIDNIGHT BY RHYS BOWEN: Who is going to forget Cinderella and her midnight bargain, but Rhys Bowen has given a beautiful twist to this lovely fairy tale with THEN and NOW versions.

EASY PEASEY BY JOHN LESCROART: Want to be a part of the cool gang? Be careful of the prank you pull at midnight coz there are 1000 ways it can go wrong.

TONIC BY D. P. LYLE: Yes of course it’s a short story but this one will stay with me for a while simply coz of its sheer brilliance. Huh, to enjoy a “WHAT THE” expression at the end!

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT BY SHANNON KIRK: A Snowstorm, a blizzard, a robot, and a killer on the loose bound with romance. Awesome!

ATM BY JON LAND: A fitting story to end the anthology leaving the reader with hopes and dreams. Touching!

I loved each story in this collection and highly recommend it for all mystery lovers who might discover a new author. Some of the authors in this anthology are familiar to me but I have discovered some new authors that am gonna watch out for.

Great anthology series. It's been a while since I've read one that I enjoyed this much. I love a common theme and the spooky stories mixed with a bit of suspense and some comedy, even, makes for a perfect read.

A collection of short stories by some very well known suspense writers, Jeffrey Deaver, Linwood Barclay, Rhys Bowen, Heather Graham, Alan Jacobson, Paul Kemprecos, Jon Land, John Lescroart, Kevin O’Brien, Hank Phillippi Ryan, Joseph Badal, Shannon Kirk and D. P. Lyle.

As a collection, I think the book works really well. I liked some stories more than others, but overall they were all entertaining.

These are not scary or even suspenseful stories really, more like Twilight Zone episodes. So, I think if you go in with that mindset, you will enjoy these stories.

They were perfect for reading before bed, none was too long and I could easily finish a story or two.

If I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be A Creative Defense by Jeffrey Deaver, but really I enjoyed them all.

I really enjoyed this book. Not normally a fan of multiple stories by authors or short stories but these were good. Would make a nice gift!