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brandinh's review against another edition
4.0
There are a few standouts in this anthology featuring short stories centered around murder. Many genres are represented and some diversity is included - notably the hero with ADHD in A Different Hero’s Day.
Floater by Kelley Armstrong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Day I Killed Coach Duffy by R.L. Stine ⭐️⭐️⭐️
In Plain Sight by Y.S. Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daddy’s Girl by Melissa Marr ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summer Job by Amanda Witt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Boy in the Red Vans by Rachel Vincent ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Company I Keep by Jeff Somers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Concealment by Eileen Rendahl ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Night of the Living Dog by David Bart ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Murder IRL by Jeff Soloway ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Killer Story by Julie Tollefson ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gnat by Joseph S. Walker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Different Hero’s Day by Anthony Franze and Barry Lancet ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First Party Back by Emmy Laybourne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I Did on My Summer Vacation by Jonathan Maberry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Things We Don’t Talk About by Stephen Ross ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Enemy Lines by Caleb Roehrig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Six Ways to Kill Your Grandmother by Barry Lyga ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Floater by Kelley Armstrong ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Day I Killed Coach Duffy by R.L. Stine ⭐️⭐️⭐️
In Plain Sight by Y.S. Lee ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Daddy’s Girl by Melissa Marr ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Summer Job by Amanda Witt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Boy in the Red Vans by Rachel Vincent ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Company I Keep by Jeff Somers ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Concealment by Eileen Rendahl ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Night of the Living Dog by David Bart ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Murder IRL by Jeff Soloway ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Killer Story by Julie Tollefson ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Gnat by Joseph S. Walker ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A Different Hero’s Day by Anthony Franze and Barry Lancet ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
First Party Back by Emmy Laybourne ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What I Did on My Summer Vacation by Jonathan Maberry ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Things We Don’t Talk About by Stephen Ross ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Enemy Lines by Caleb Roehrig ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Six Ways to Kill Your Grandmother by Barry Lyga ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
b10tch's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.0
Some of the stories were not good but most were (at differing levels).
Best stories I’d give five stars, worst probably two to three.
Overall it was enjoyable.
Best stories I’d give five stars, worst probably two to three.
Overall it was enjoyable.
kitkat1225's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
jlaz_13's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Grief
Moderate: Car accident, Violence, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Confinement, Death of parent, and Blood
Minor: Forced institutionalization, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, Bullying, Dementia, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Domestic abuse, Pedophilia, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Fire/Fire injury, Panic attacks/disorders, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Toxic friendship
hhm013's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.75
zoemig's review against another edition
2.0
I don't read a lot of short story collections, it's just not my favourite genre, but Kelley Armstrong is absolutely one of my favourite authors so when she edits a collection--which includes a story from her--I'm definitely going to have to make an exception. Life is Short and Then You Die: Mystery Writers of America Presents: First Encounters with Murder includes stories from 18 different authors, most of whom I hadn't read from before, but there are some familiar names such as Armstrong, Melissa Marr, R. L. Stine, and Emmy Laybourne.
I'm definitely not going to review every story in the collection but I will say that unfortunately my favourite was Armstrong's, which starts off the book, and then meant everything afterwards was somewhat disappointing. In "Floater" a teen girl see a body found floating in the water and works to figure out what happened. It was really well-written, and had a lot of character depth for such a short story, and just continues to remind me why I love Armstrong's writing so much. The second story, "The Day I Killed Coach Duffy", was by Stine, and it was weird but still wonderful. I also liked "The Boy In the Red Vans" by Rachel Vincent, which had a fun (albeit predictable) twist. Unfortunately, the majority of the stories were brief, expected, and felt pretty repetitive. I did think there would be more mystery in a collection about murders. If you like short story collections you might enjoy this more than I did, but despite liking some of the stories Life is Short and Then You Die the only author whose full works it left me wanting to pick up was Armstrong's--and I was going to do that regardless.
I'm definitely not going to review every story in the collection but I will say that unfortunately my favourite was Armstrong's, which starts off the book, and then meant everything afterwards was somewhat disappointing. In "Floater" a teen girl see a body found floating in the water and works to figure out what happened. It was really well-written, and had a lot of character depth for such a short story, and just continues to remind me why I love Armstrong's writing so much. The second story, "The Day I Killed Coach Duffy", was by Stine, and it was weird but still wonderful. I also liked "The Boy In the Red Vans" by Rachel Vincent, which had a fun (albeit predictable) twist. Unfortunately, the majority of the stories were brief, expected, and felt pretty repetitive. I did think there would be more mystery in a collection about murders. If you like short story collections you might enjoy this more than I did, but despite liking some of the stories Life is Short and Then You Die the only author whose full works it left me wanting to pick up was Armstrong's--and I was going to do that regardless.
l1ttlel1braryn00k's review against another edition
5.0
A collection of short stories about teenagers and death. Not much else on how I can describe it but each author, some I have read and others I have not, brings to the table on how death affects the closest of families, friends, and enemies.
alistairjack's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5