First of all, I am not usually a fan of short stories. I avoid reading them because they are corny or ridiculously predictable. However, I had just finished a novel late in the day and wanted to listen to something shorter than a full novel. I found this book available on NetGalley and thought I would give it a go.

I was pleasantly surprised that these stories read like creepy old campfire stories. Some were told in first person (which added a level of creepiness) and others in third person. I listened to the audiobook version and was pleased to hear a different voice for several stories before the voice(s) repeated; feeling fresh again. Although a couple stories were predictable, they were still fun to listen to. “News First”, story #6, is the only story that I would have omitted. As a retired first responder, the crimes that break us and cause us the most trauma are crimes against children. The fact that this story involved crimes against many children, it is very triggering.

That one story aside, I truly enjoyed the uniqueness of most of the stories and how many involved karma. There were times I laughed or cringed at the ending. I found that the book was also available on KU. I downloaded the kindle copy so I could continue to read when unable to listen. The description of the book was completely accurate, "A tantalizing blend of horror, suspense, and crime stories; each unique but all dark, disturbing, and violent." It takes talent to tell so much in so little time, Tullius achieves that wonderfully.

Thank you NetGalley and Vincere Press for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such fun! These short stories were spooky, violent, but also very campy - like Tales from the Crypt - always a lesson to learn for the viewer/listener that is unfortunately too little too late for the characters in the story! The audio was great with a full cast of character who acted out their parts in full creep factor mode!! I highly recommend for those who enjoy campy horror and tales with messages in their twists!!

According to the blurb these are ‘24 tales of Madmen, Monsters, and Misery.’ Some stories lean towards the supernatural (In The Cards, The Hole), some have more of a psychological thriller element to them (The Mirror, Counting on It) and others simply gory (Taking out the Trash, Numbered Days). It’s hard to give a synopsis without telling the story because with 24 stories in 170 pages or a shade under 6 hours for the audiobook, these short stories certainly are short! And I think that might be part of why this book didn’t do it for me.

Yes, it is notoriously difficult to write a good short story and every writer in the thriller/horror genre wants to be compared to the master, Stephen King, who not only writes epic novels but convincing short stories (just look how many have been made into films). But these are not Stephen King stories; these are just too short to make much of an impact on the reader – we don’t get to know enough about the characters to care about the life-or-death situation they’re in (in this collection the outcome seems to be firmly fixed to death anyway). For that reason, the stories I enjoyed most were slightly longer ones (The Hole, No Service) because the extra details helped create a whole universe in 20 minutes, where the reader (or listener) could be more invested.

There were many narrators in this audiobook but three who stood out were Angelo Di Loreto, Landon Woodsen and Chris Schueler. These narrators brought more emotion to the reading and were very successful in giving different voices to the various characters in the stories they narrated. As far as narration goes, it was pretty straight forward – no need for special effects or music.

On the whole, I give this book a generous three stars: I was reasonably entertained for a while but I’m writing this review very soon after finishing the book because though not terrible, this was a collection of ultimately forgettable short stories and by tomorrow I’ll probably have forgotten them.

I should also mention that the cover is doing this book no favours! It looks cartoony and amateurish and doesn’t fit with the dark nature of the content.

Thank you #NetGalley for the audiobook ARC of #UntoldMayhem.

I was not able to download the audiobook into the Netgalley Shelf App over Wifi or 4G network. After numerous attempts, I gave trying to obtain the audiobook and is not able to provide an honest review.

Great narrators share these twisted tales. Each one is unique and interesting and the narrators do a great job of making each story their own. The author has a mind like no other offering these short psychological thrillers. I enjoyed these stories, some more perverse than the others. Not kid friendly so I appreciated my headphones throughout. Definitely keeping an eye out for more from Mark Tullius as his writing style is deeply creepy and shocking.

This was such a mixed bag for me. None of the stories really scared me, I felt like gore was put in just for the sake of it, and they were nearly all predictable. I did enjoy the writing so I could see myself picking up something from Tullius in the future, but this just didn't do it for me the way I was hoping. Also, random, but I'm not a fan of the cover. Reminds me of a cozy mystery, not a horror novel. I will say, I think audio is the way to go for this one! While I didn't love every single narrator, I did enjoy most and enjoyed the diversity.

*Thank you to NetGalley and Vincere Press for an advanced audio copy*

Untold Mayhem is a collection of spooky stories of a mixed genre. I found some of the stories worked and some didn’t, but I have to say I’m not a huge fan of anthologies and the biggest reason is the way the stories end, I find they are usually finished quite abruptly and I found this happened in a few of the stories with in but I especially liked ‘ the Mirror ‘ story. The audiobook does have a good selection of narrators which helped to keep it interesting as I think if it was the same voice reading them all I probably would of zoned out whilst listening.

I personally really enjoyed this book. The short stories were topics right up my alley. I do feel the stories when from 0 to 70 and ended shortly after the riveting climax of the story. This would be perfect to listen to on a cold fall night tucked in bed.

Not since the days of Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark have I read short stories, they just are not my thing but I decided to get this on a whim, for a sense of nostalgia I guess. When I read the breakdown of what the book was about I had a feeling of summer nights reading creepy stories in sheet tents while staying up late in the living room.

There are 24 stories that are here to rile you up, most narrated by its own Narrator. Most of the stories where very enjoyable, and the couple I didn't find exciting where over before I could get bored with them. I honestly think the worst thing about any of these stories is I wished they were longer. Several of them could easily have been made into a novella or even a full length book.

In closing, if you're a fan of the Scary Story series and want an adult dose of cold chills or are just a fan of horror then I recommend this book.

Untold Mayhem is a collection of short horror stories that involve real life scenarios. The audiobook has a different narrator for each short story.

I was honored to receive an ARC from Netgalley for Untold Mayhem. In honor of that here is my honest review.

I had to DNF this collection 70% of the way through. Even though the stories were different, some things started to feel repetitive, especially when it came to some of the wording of the stories. I was giving each story there own star rating and the last few that I read were a one star. I do think that the novel should have had less stories, because while listening to the audiobook, the narrators voices just sounded the same and or lacked the emotion that the story needed.

That given, there are some things that I can say went well. If you are into stories that can/could happen in a real life scenario, this book has plenty of horror ideas. My favorite short story was "The Hole" giving a "Yellow Wallpaper" type of feel. I think some of the stories the author has written would make a compelling full length novel.

This is my first introduction to Mr Mark Tullius and his work. I am a huge fan of short story collections, especially within the horror/thriller genre. I thought this collection would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, in my opinion it failed to deliver. Here are things I did enjoy. First, the quantity and length of stories are great which in turn renders a wonderful pace and flow. Second, there are many good messages regarding race and prejudice found within the stories. That elevated a few stories for me. These are the things I did not enjoy. First, many of the stories lacked depth and substance. I feel that there could have been more realized characters in a few of the stories. Second, several stories end abruptly without any sense of catharsis on the reader's part. There is also not enough time given to get to know the characters enough to care about their fate. Third, and worst of all, I was able to predict most outcomes. This meant that I gave up on the story before it ended. While this is not a perfect book, maybe not even a good one, I would like to recommend people to read (or listen). Short stories reach people in many different ways. Most books do.

I have quite enjoyed Untold Mayhem! Short stories are not normally my go to when selecting my next read, but I am glad that I gave this (audio)book a whirl. The description won me over - what can I say? I'm a curious cat. The beauty about short stories is that there is a story for everyone. I doubt that any one reader will like ALL of the stories, but it's likely that readers will enjoy more than they do not. Even the stories that I did not care for, they were still good. This audiobook is great for those with a heckuva commute! The stories are just long enough to hold one's attention but not so long that you feel lost or bogged down if you happen to drift into that trance like state. Overall, three stars because I "liked it."

I really enjoyed this book of short stories. They were a perfect length for me and were different aspects of horror, suspense and thriller. Some were shocking and scary. All of them were worth reading. This was a new author to me and I would read him again!

I really loved the way the stories in this book were done. So many fun and unexpected twists and each narrator was perfectly suited to the story they were telling. I enjoying every second of this book.

This book is a collection of short stories featuring taboo subjects, including murder and paedophilia. It also included paranormal inspired stories.

I'll begin by saying the audiobook format is perfect for this style of book and it was a good choice as the stories are very short. While I'm a lover of crime fiction and true crime, this book didn't sit well with me and as such I was unable to completely finish. It made the impression that they were written for shock value and to unsettle the reader; and if this is true, it was successful in that regard. I felt like taking one or two or these ideas and exploring them as a full novel would make a bigger impact and draw readers in more. Overall I felt uncomfortable listening to these. However, the writing was good, clear and suited the quick stories well and I'm certain there is an audience who would enjoy this book.

The narration in these stories was varied in it's effectiveness and quality but was mostly very good. The dories themselves were just OK. I was really looking forward to them and none really stood out. I could barely tell you what one story was really very good. Usually I use an anthology to find new authors to read more of and I didn't get that from this one. It was pretty tame. Maybe more for middle school and high school students than for me.

I listened to the audiobook and have to say I was not extremely impressed. The stories weren’t as scary as I would have liked and sometimes I felt even the ending was underwhelming.
It was a fine experience, but expected more.
Thanks to netgalley , author and publisher for ARC

I was really looking forward to this. And was so disappointed. None of the short stories were scary in the slightest. Some were kind of gross. But not repulsive like it marketed itself to be. Very disappointing. The narration also took away from the scariness a little. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed listening to these stories and especially liked the narrator. Those who listen to these stories at night might have a difficult time sleeping.

I have to say one of the things that REALLY bothered me with a few of the stories was the use of the word "retarded". This is an extremely offensive word, especially for families of children with disabilities. It is akin to saying the 'N' word to these parents and family members.

At this point because of the use of the above-mentioned word, I will not be recommending this book. I will not be posting any information on social media about this book. I would not want to share a negative review. I hope Mr. Tullius will consider changing this word once the book/audiobooks are released in September.

Untold Mayhem is a nice collection of horrific, disturbing, and creative short stories. The narrator changes each story, and each voice seems well-suited to each story.