Fourteen stories. Fourteen terrifying journeys.
† A suicidal man waits on a high building for the perfect moment †
† A young woman discovers that the past is a different place †
† A victim searches for her killer in the most unexpected location †
† A serial killer seeks retribution for his press nickname †
† A young man explores noir and sex in Paris †
† A woman scorned tries to rebuild her life with deadly results †
† An abused wife is faced with the fall-out of revenge †
† A man meets a young woman on a blind date who isn’t all she seems †
† In a busy metropolis, police corruption takes a dramatic twist †
† A war journalist boasts of his scars and his conquests †
† A young mother makes a pact with a machine that tells the future †
† A petty criminal breaks his own sacred code with dire consequences †
† A young woman’s inheritance turns into a poison chalice. †
† After winning an island holiday, a family finds that not all is as it seems †
Fourteen tales of crime, horror and depravity.
Edited by Samantha Lee Howe
Featuring stories by: Benjamin Adams, Raven Dane, Caroline England, James Grady, Preston Grassmann, Noelle Holten, Samantha Lee Howe, Rhys Hughes, Maxim Jakubowski, Paul Magrs, Bryony Pearce, Steven Smith, Benjamin Kurt Unsworth and Michael Wood
In aid of The Pink Ribbon Foundation – www.pinkribbonfoundation.org.uk/
ISBN: 978-1-84583-245-2
272pp Paperback Original Anthology. Also available in ebook (Kindle/Nook/Kobo).
Cover by Martin Baines
Published 30 May 2025
COMMENTS ON THE FIRST VOLUME OF CRIMINAL PURSUITS
The first volume of Criminal Pursuits had five stories from it shortlisted for the Crime Writers Association ‘Short Story Dagger’ award, and among them was the eventual winner, Paul Magrs’ ‘Flesh of a Fancy Woman’.
‘I loved this collection. My particular favourite was written by Caroline England. Once again characters penned in depth even in a short story and, as is this author’s style, a twist that takes your breath away.‘ Amazon Reviewer
‘I enjoyed reading this anthology. The quality and diversity of stories is excellent. It introduced me to many new authors I was not familiar with. I’d recommend the book to lovers of crime fiction.‘ H Stent, Amazon Review
‘All fourteen varied and accomplished crime short stories in this brilliant collection, kept me reading despite having other matters to attend to. This is rare! But worth every minute spent exploring the darkest of secrets and lies. Trying to unravel the truth and realising how truly devious we – as human beings – really are! No wonder most people prefer dogs! Gripping from start to finish, and it wouldn’t be fair to single out those which still doggedly linger in my mind, except to say that ‘Faceless Killer’ by Christine Poulson, ‘Flesh of a Fancy Woman’ by Paul Magrs, ‘Slash’ by editor Samantha Lee Howe, and ‘The Good Neighbourhood’ by Paul Finch, plus all the rest, have kept me awake at night! I found Maxim Jakubowski’s ‘Travellers’ to be particularly vivid and also heart-breaking.‘ Sally Spedding, Amazon Review
ABOUT THE EDITOR
USA TODAY bestselling author Samantha Lee Howe began her professional writing career in 2007 and has been working as a freelance writer for small, medium and large publishers ever since.
Samantha’s breakaway debut psychological thriller, The Stranger In Our Bed, was released in Febuary 2020 with Harper Collins imprint, One More Chapter. The book rapidly became a USA TODAY bestseller. In August 2020, Samantha signed a deal with production company Buffalo Dragon for the option and screenplay for The Stranger in Our Bed. The feature film was released in 2022 and is available to watch on Amazon Prime amongst other streamers.
In June 2020, Samantha signed a three-book deal with One More Chapter for her explosive spy thriller trilogy, The House of Killers (Book 1 The House of Killers), Kill Or Die (Book 2) and Kill A Spy (Book 3) were all released in 2021. Pitched as Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne this is a nerve shredding, enemies to lovers tale that is simmering with obsession and espionage.
Her gothic thriller novel The Soul Thief was published by HarperCollins in December 2024.
To date, Samantha has written close to 30 novels, 3 novellas, 3 collections, over 40 short stories, an audio drama, a Doctor Who spin-off drama that went to DVD, as well as the screenplay for The Stranger in our Bed.
A former high school English and Drama teacher, Samantha has a BA (Hons) in English and Writing for Performance, an MA in Creative Writing and a PGCE in English.
Samantha lives in South Yorkshire with her husband David and their cat Skye. She is the proud mother of a lovely daughter called Linzi.
www.samanthaleehowe.co.uk
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