Satisfied with herself, yet amazed at her ability to do something so unimaginably wicked, Agatha made her way home, making plans for her windfall.

Soon she’d be on a world cruise, all expenses paid, stopping off in the Cayman Islands where a bank account bore her name with £2,000,000 credited.

She’d never return to England.

A world where she could be herself, free from shame, awaited her. She even forgot to donate to charity as promised.

What lengths would you go to inherit from a will? A will requiring you to fall from grace, to do something against your nature, to do something evil – would you do it, could you do it? Would you consider yourself evil, if you carried out an evil act?

Agatha Marshal was one such beneficiary who was expected to do something evil in order to inherit a small fortune, it went against everything she believed in, stood for; but she was worried about her reputation – her standing in the community – not to mention her charity and church work.

Never in a million years did she consider herself to be evil, to be able to undertake an act of evil, but…

Agatha’s terror finally persuaded her.

Is Agatha evil?

You can find out more about Agatha and the two other beneficiaries of Tiffany Blunt’s will in my short story, Murder by Christmas, along with other short stories in

Undercover: Crime Shorts – a collection of short stories under one cover for the first time.

Listen to my podcast interview with The Authors Show, channel 4,

Find out more about my short stories, my writing, and the inspiration behind them.

https://wnbnetworkwest.com/channel/4

Host Linda Thompson chats with me about my former careers – in the Civil Service and the International Music Business – and how they have given me material for my writing, as well as my decision to undertake a series of university courses to enable my writing to be more accurate. I studied Forensic Science and Criminal Justice as well as basic Archaeology.

You can also listen as I read a chapter from one of the stories.

I hope you enjoy my interview, and that you will be tempted to buy Undercover: Crime Shorts and discover more dastardly deeds with more twists and turns than Spaghetti Junction.

My paperbacks can be ordered from Waterstones, Blackwells, Foyles, and other physical book stores.

Also from various digital platforms, in paperback and eBook from the UK, USA, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, Japan, Brazil, and India – go to my Amazon Author Page in those countries for links.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jane-Risdon/e/B00I3GJ2Y8

https://www.facebook.com/JaneRisdon2/

Undercover: Crime Shorts Universal Link: books2read.com/u/4jD0wo

Here are some of my reader reviews:

Thanks to them all for purchasing, reading, and taking the time to review my efforts. Always appreciated.

Lisa T

5.0 out of 5 stars  Engrossing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom Verified Purchase

I couldn’t put this fast-paced, beautifully written book down until I’d come to the end. Engrossing, with such clever twists!

Sister Readsalot

5.0 out of 5 stars  Lively and oh so surprising!

Reviewed in Canada Verified Purchase

This golden little collection of short crime stories is a page-turner all the way. I planned to read it story by story and wound up reading the entire collection in two sittings. The twists and turns are quite unexpected and the characters are as colorful as the plots. With lively pacing, humor and justice served nicely in “The Look,” this was a very satisfying read. Looking forward to more from this author. And yes, I did buy this book.

Robbie Cheadle

5.0 out of 5 stars  Fast-paced, exciting and unique

Reviewed in the United States Verified Purchase

I take my hat off to this author. Jane Risdon has taken the genre of murder mystery short stories to a new level with this collection of six superbly different and unique stories. Each story is complete and stands alone with a proper storyline which I really liked as I have read a number of short stories that feel incomplete as if they are intended to be part of a larger work. There is also an excellent extract from a forthcoming novel included at the end as a bonus.

My personal favourite story was The Watchers which starts off on a horribly creepy note with the main character, Candice, being stalked telephonically by an unknown someone. The tension as she stands there with the telephone in her hand following the latest call is almost unbearable. “Her heart was making her blouse shake as it thudded faster and faster. Sweat ran down between her breasts and her legs felt as if they were going to give from under her. The constant ringing vibrated through her hand and up her arm.” Wow! I was shaking with Candice. This story certainly is not your standard peeping Tom tale and the twist at the end is clever and unexpected.

It is difficult in a short story to get your reader to really connect with your characters as you have such a short time to do this in. Jane Risdon has done it seamlessly in this collection and I really felt for all her characters. Sweet Sable – also known as the Red Siren, a gorgeous woman with her own agenda and the determination and ruthlessness to achieve it; China, the writer next door, who gets pulled into a very strange situation involving her neighbours and the Russian Mafia; Candice the seemingly innocent victim of a stalker but who has a past; the photographers who both had “the look”; a wealthy deceased woman with an extraordinary sense of justice and humour and a successful British diplomat whose encounter with a prostitute doesn’t go according to plan.

If you enjoy the murder mystery genre and like stories that are fast-paced, exciting, and unique, you will love this book.

R. K. Wigal

5.0 out of 5 stars Spellbinding crime shorts by a phenomenal author

Reviewed in the United States Verified Purchase

I love the stories in this book. Each one is a maze-like roadmap of intrigues, laden with twists, turns, and a surprise or two, that grabbed my attention right off the bat and didn’t let go. More than one had me glued to my seat in suspense. I could not divert my focus from the book until I finished reading it. The last piece, “Undercover,” is an extract from the author’s next novel which I cannot wait to read. As an author, Jane Risdon is a natural. She pens her stories in such a manner that you can see her characters up close in their surroundings, and you can follow the action as it takes place. Her writing style is most unusual in that she can write from the standpoint of an American, from that of one who is British, or from that of anyone of any nationality she chooses. I strongly recommend the book, “Undercover: Crime Shorts,” and I have the highest praise for its author, Jane Risdon.

Have a fab day. Thanks for being here. Happy New Year.