CY@CY Says Welcome to my dreamscape. Where a Lim is also a Ling.
I have never read any of Peter James’ books before so I did not know what to expect when I started reading his A Twist of the Knife, a varied collection of 30 short stories.
As with any book of short stories I find some of the stories really good but there are others that I feel indifferent to. Three of the stories are so short that I couldn’t believe you can call them stories. These are the three stories:
Companionship
She moves slowly on her Zimmer, placing one foot after the other,stretching her neck forward towards her little room, a distant, distancing smile on her face, like a carapace.
Everyone thought the old lady had a tame pigeon, until they entered after her death, and found its feet were nailed to the windowsill.
Smoking Kills
“You have a last request?”
“Uh-huh. Could I have a cigarret?”
“I’m sorry, this is a no-smoking execution chamber.”
“It’s not going to kill me, you know.”
“You’re right about that, sunshine.”
The Knock
“Who was that at the door?”
“Some undertakers with a hearse.”
“No one’s dead.”
“They say they can wait.”
James seems most at home writing about supernatural and spooky things as the ghost stories in the collection are rather chilling. In my personal opinion, the gems in this collection are:
Time Rich
When Your Number’s Up
The Stamp of a Criminal
A Very Sexy Revenge
Dream Holiday
Timing is Everything
Art Class
Dream Wife
Sun Over the Yard Arm
Crossed Lines
I learned something interesting in one of the stories: the Anglican Church officially employs Ministers of Deliverance who visits haunted houses.
So if there’s something strange in your neighbourhood
Who you gonna call?
Minister of Deliverance!
If there’s something weird and it don’t look good
Who you gonna call?
Minister of Deliverance!