The Starlings & Other Stories

The Starlings & Other Stories, the new anthology of shorts complied by Murder Squad and six other contributors is, to put it simply, one of the finest examples of crime short story writing around.

Inspired by the exquisite photography of West Wales photographer David Wilson, Ann Cleeves has brought together the works and collaborative skills of Cath Staincliffe, Margaret Murphy, Chris Simms, Martin Edwards, Kate Ellis, Christine Poulson, Helena Edwards, Valerie Laws, Jim Kelly, Mary Sharratt and Toby Forward with sublime results.

There is not a single story here that can be second-guessed, predicted or marginalised as each gives a true representation not only of the corresponding photographs with which the author was provided, but also a deep underlying understanding of what each location might contain and then throws the obligatory crime into the mix to add extra menace.

A consummate example of what happens when stunning art work meets exemplary writing prowess, The Starlings & Other Stories is the perfect demonstration of how important short stories remain and how inspirational the everyday can be when placed in the most creative of hands.