I enjoyed many of them
344641
Another well written book by John Irvin. The stories were very interesting. I enjoyed many of them.
3199217
might buy it again, some of them were great; and some were not so great
62101
The majority of these stories are very entertaining.  I was disappointed with the ending of a couple, but otherwise quite satisfied.  If you love Sci-fi, you'll enjoy this collection.
4419762
I really enjoyed the stories. As the case with short stories it seems they ended to quickly but were worth the read.
3131636
I enjoyed all of the stories. My favorites were Her first white Christmas, Miracle in London, and The holiday billionaire.
4116596
Well, they are certainly rather dark, if anything a little stronger than my usual fare.

However, these stories really grabbed my attention, they are well written, interesting, with many different points of view; (women, priests, psychopaths, etc), and with many and varied settings.

The settings that he creates are also worth remarking on, as they shift not only from town to country, but also in time.

I would argue though, with the concept of these being short stories.  Yes, some are, even, very short, however, some others are definitely long enough to be considered as novellas.

If you enjoy feeling your pulse racing, breath quickening and muscles tensing, then don't miss out, this is a collection for you.
2211123
I enjoyed the stories very much.  I am giving some for Christmas gifts.  I mostly enjoyed the ones about forgiving yourself.
2704030
These three stores were pretty good. I enjoyed reading them.
3325829
I found this collection of short stories by Mr. Hanna to be written from an odd sense of humor, but each is unique and held my attention. I enjoyed them all in one way or another, especially the first story which the book was obviously titled for, "A Second Less Capable Head." The book is an exploration of some of the darker parts of human nature, and the author does this in a very creative and effective manner. I found myself stimulated by all the various stories that I read in this collection. This was a departure from the typical kind of literature that I choose to read, but I have been trying different things lately in the hopes that being a more avid reader will make me a better writer, and this book is one that will stay with me for awhile and has already been a part of some great discussions with some of my friends. I recommend it.
4956355
I really enjoyed this. Obviously some stories were better than others and it's clear no editing was done after the stories were collected, however I still had a lot of fun with this collection. A good range of lengths and styles and some were quite clever.
769058
There are some wonderful stories with wisdom and insight and some stories that are just okay.  But overall I enjoyed reading all of them.
2561482
I am an avid fan of ghost stories, from antique to modern. This collection contains gems that I had never read before. I enjoyed all of them very much.

The last story is a true antique, told in dialect. Those who, like myself, enjoy ferreting out the meaning of archaic words and phrases will enjoy this one for the opportunities it brings, as well as for the simply and lovely story itself.
2315501
It was so good I wish there were more I get so into them it's all I do for fun.
4742423
Loved these, ended up with some I didn't really care for but for the price I was happy with the lot of them
558034
This collection of Christmas crime stories caught my eye because of the clever title and held my attention because of the wide range of entertaining stories. The contributing authors include Peter Lovesey, Sujata Massey, Stephanie Barron, Ed Lin, Cara Black and several others. I was familiar with some authors, like Lovesey, Massey, and Barron before this, but I was happy to be introduced to several new authors. The stories take place throughout the world including Cuba, England, New York, and Korea and range from very funny to dark, to touching, and even depressing.

One of my favorite stories in the collection is by Helene Tursten, a Swedish author who was new to me. The story about an elderly woman who isn't as helpless as she appears is clever and dark and since finishing it, Ive read a couple of Turstens full-length novels. Author Mick Herron is also new to me, and I enjoyed his amusing story The Usual Santas about the commercialism of Christmas. Ive enjoyed Stephanie Barrons novels and was glad to see a story featuring the sleuth from her novels, Jane Austen.

Along with several stories I loved, there were a few that didn't appeal to me, but thats to be expected with just a wide variety of stories. Although I wouldnt rate each story with 5 stars, I do think the overall collection is worthy of that high rating. The stories in this book kept me entertained from the beginning to the end.

I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Soho Crime. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
2399105
All of the stories were well written with engaging characters.  Usually there will be one that is not as good as the rest but I enjoyed them all.
3268965
This book is full of diverse short stories that really touched me in their messages and captivated me with their plots. They are organized in such a way as to built suspense and then come to an ending with very sweet and romantic stories. I think it would be fun to re-read the stories, as I know I must have missed some of the details of the charactors and their actions. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did.