#PickUpAPageTurner

National Crime Reading Month

Twitter #PickUpAPagerTurner Crime Short Story Challenge: The Shortlist

We had a fabulous reaction to our Twitter #PickUpAPagerTurner Crime Short Story Challenge, with some brilliant entries. Judges Vaseem Khan, Stella Oni and Sam Blake had a tough time chosing the shortlisted 12. Now Literary Agent Simon Trewin will chose the winner!

Here are the shortlisted stories:

Victoria Selman @VictoriaSelman

@the_CWA #PickUpAPageTurner The man comes home, shrugs off his jacket with a sigh. Another long day. ‘Take a weight off,’ his wife says. Hands him a beer. In the grate, is a note. The words ground to ash: ‘She knows…’ ‘My saviour,’ the man says. Drinks. His wife only smiles.

 

Jill Cucchi (Editor | Translator | Archaeologist) @JillCucchi

It was the teapot that disturbed him. Handle to the left. Small crack in the spout. Everything about the crime scene was spotless. But this? This didn’t fit. And if it didn’t fit, it meant she knew. And if she knew, it meant he was a dead man walking. @The_CWA #PickUpAPageTurner

 

Anne Hamilton @AnneHamilton7

#pickupapageturner @The_CWA She’s come back, after 2 missing months. She looks like Nell, sounds like her, acts like her. But it’s not Nell. Why can no-one else see it’s not Nell? Her eyes worry me. Wide and blank, with that mottled hue of the sea on the day I drowned her.

 

G.E.MAGEE @rivuletsofblack

“Aw young love” sighed the waiter. The couple were in a world of their own; laughing, holding hands, intimately sharing dessert. She gazed at her perfect lover; the handsome doctor. He held her gaze, his perfect lady; a heart donor for his dying wife. #PickUpAPageTurner @The_CWA

 

Nicola McEntee @mcentee_nicola

Rob sobered up as his head hit the steering wheel. Feeling a sense of déjà vu, he slowly glanced in the rear view mirror. 3 dead nuns, stared opened eyed. He didn’t own a car or drive. A phone began ranging in his pocket, only these weren’t his clothes @The_CWA #PickUpAPageTurner

 

Simon Bewick @SimonBewick

The envelope arrived Monday. “Bring $1 million to Green’s Warehouse Noon Saturday or the kid gets it.” The cop stationed at the mansion read it and sighed, wondering how to tell the parents. Behind him the TV droned on about the mail strike ending. It hadn’t been well advertised

 

Rutholearywriter @rutholearywrite

@The_CWA #PickUpAPageTurner Josie looks at the photo of the old woman one last time before burning it. Looking in the mirror, she straightens her home help uniform impressed with her disguise. No revolver needed this time. Madame Lafayette’s old thin neck will snap like a twig.

 

CM Shevlin @cmshevlin

I have a secret. Do you want to hear it? Shhh now. Real quiet. If you’re good, I’ll take the blindfold off. Oh, such pretty blue eyes. Ready? I don’t really care about the ransom. I’m not going to let you go even if they do pay it…#PickupAPageTurner @The_CWA

 

Allie Nickell @alliethinks

She’d been watching the gang for a while, and when one of them dipped hand into bag, she was on her feet, shouting to warn the victim. All the fuss after an attempted theft made it the best time for a helpful, middle-aged woman to bag a wallet or two. #PickUpAPageTurner @The_CWA

 

Jenny Darmody @Jenny_Darmody

The postman hands me a large brown envelope. “Lovely morning,” he says and I smile back, careful to hide my bloodstained arm. Once he leaves, I return to the body in the kitchen. “Look honey,” I say as I open the post. “Your new will arrived.” @the_CWA #PickUpAPageTurner

 

N0mad @tr1be77

Guilty as charged. The judge sent me down. The justice machine creaked forward. The victim remained dead. The family raised a fist. The wife shed a tear. The lawyer rubbed his hands. The clerk went to the pub. And a guilty man walked free. @the_CWA #PickUpAPageTurner

 

Fino @DaSpooney

#PickUpAPageTurner @The_CWA Sleeping in my car since the last protest march. Loved that chaotic protest – got close to women. Intimidate, grope, legit baton drawn. But a mistake to follow that girl afterwards. Being a cop won’t save me this time – not with her body in the boot.

 

Bookishly Optimistic @BookishlyOptim1

She watched him over her glass of wine, silently willing him to drink up,right to the end, every last poisonous drop. She smiled salaciously as she killed him. Not knowing that he  doing the. exact. same. thing @The_CWA #PickUpAPageTurner

 

And out winner, as chosen by Literary Agent Simon Trewin is:

G.E.MAGEE @rivuletsofblack

“Aw young love” sighed the waiter. The couple were in a world of their own; laughing, holding hands, intimately sharing dessert. She gazed at her perfect lover; the handsome doctor. He held her gaze, his perfect lady; a heart donor for his dying wife. #PickUpAPageTurner @The_CWA

Congratulations to everyone and a huge thanks to all the writers who got involved and kept Twitter reading crime!