Mystery Short Stories For Adults

Arthur Conan Doyle ranked "The Red-Headed League" second in his list of his 12 favorite Sherlock Holmes stories. It is one of Holmes' most intriguing cases, in which he has to solve a problem caused by a strange society in which the only criteria for admission is bright red hair!

Against the wishes of superstitious townspeople, Jonathan Harker journeys to the castle of Count Dracula on Walpurgisnacht, the dreaded night of the dead. Abandoned by his frightened coachman, Harker finds himself alone in a cemetery, battered by the elements and at the mercy of the strange beasts hunting him.

If you look at any listing of the 10 most important books of detective stories published in the United States, chances are you will find Uncle Abner, Master of Mysteries on most of them. It is generally recognized as one of the most important contributions to American detective fiction between Poe and Hammett. In fact, there are some critics who call it the single finest collection of American detective stories ever written. This story is from that famous collection.

Tim Diamond - the world’s worst private detective - takes on his most dangerous case yet, and it’s going to be up to his brother to keep him out of trouble. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

Arriving in the rural Catskill Mountains (where legend has it there resides a spectral headless horseman who hunts the night on a black steed), the eccentric Ichabod Crane vies for the love of the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel. The bully, Brom Bones, also has his eyes on Katrina and devises a wicked plan to rid himself of his hated rival.

Some days that seem to be so horrible end up being the best of days. The question is will you realize it when it's in the moment?

"The Adventure of the Abbey Grange" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and is one of 13 stories in the collection The Return of Sherlock Holmes.

A murdered senior citizen. A dirty fight to claim the deceased’s assets. Can a small town bakery owner ask the right questions to reveal the real killer? When Meghan’s most troublesome customer loses a relative, she’s torn between doing the right thing or minding her own business. As she discovers that the murdered victim left a mark, both good and bad, on several people in Sandy Bay, it becomes obvious that her demise might be outside the realm of the ordinary. This leaves her with an equal measure of dread and awe.

A group of four teenagers get together every week to watch movies. They love nothing more than a good movie or a good adventure. Being able to combine the two, now that's something they get excited about. Listen to how the gang get into scrapes and adventures, turning detective to uncover all manor of mysteries, legends, and myths, not to say mysteries within their own imaginations. This short story takes you into their world as their adventures begin.

Bruno is a mild-mannered baker from Italy, now living in the quaint little town of Terrace Heights. Mina, the local cake artiste, is always trying to get him to impregnate her so they can get hitched and raise a large family. Tomas, his new hire at Luna's bakery, has his eyes on the vault in Bruno's man cave. Little does Bruno know that his world is about to be hot-crossed, glazed and jelly-filled.

The story is a double play: is it the story of a woman going mad, or a woman possessed by something evil? We begin to suspect that the narrator’s apparently caring husband John may not be as caring as she thinks. Is he trying to control her? We know that Charlotte was much concerned with the emancipation of women and them achieving financial independence, so is the character of John an echo of this?

In "The Invisible Man", a murderer manages to get in and out of a house, even though it is under constant observation. In some ways, the story parallels Poe's "The Purloined Letter" but adds its own unique touches, particularly in the character and methods of priest-sleuth Father Brown.

Chris's parents are going on vacation, so she decides to host a house party while they are away. Chris's world begins to unravel during the party and she ends up in a lot of trouble. Find out what happens to Chris and how the situation is finally resolved.

While Robert Louis Stevenson is most famous for novels like Treasure Island and Kidnapped, he also wrote a number of excellent short stories of suspense. "The Sire de Maletroit's Door" is one of his best.

Abdullah Syed Hari is fourteen years old. He loves his family and his friends. And he is a Somali pirate. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

His friends warned him not to try the fried pudding at the carnival, but Dan didn't listen. A short story in comics from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

There’s nothing better than taking your timid little cousin Thad to one of those sweet haunted houses the 4-H Club decorates for Halloween. Except, of course, if the house turns out to actually be haunted. A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.

"The Adventure of the Solitary Cyclist" is one of the 56 Sherlock Holmes short stories written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. It was originally published as part of The Return of Sherlock Holmes in 1903.

Holmes is confronted with the disappearance of the bride of a nobleman - just minutes after the ceremony. "The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor" is one of the 56 original Sherlock Holmes stories and was first published in Strand Magazine in April 1892. It served as the (loose) basis for The Eligible Bachelor, a film starring Jeremy Brett as Holmes, Edward Hardwicke as Watson, and Simon Williams as Lord St. Simon.

Two fake psychics, one real haunted house - what could go wrong? A short story from Guys Read: Thriller, edited by Jon Scieszka.