Rather Like Marzipan by F.E. Birch
Dark, delectable and devious – stories to make you squirm, stories that worm their way into your head and heart, leaving you chilled, perhaps thrilled, and maybe a tad paranoid.
These stories all have dark themes, with many of them touching on subjects that could be distressing. Some are at the grimmest edge of crime fiction, nothing cosy about them, with the exception of perhaps one, two. If you like your stories cosy then they aren’t for you!
Will Alvira get the night out she’s hoping for? And if so, at what cost? – Night Out
A mum looks for her daughter on the beach. Can she ever forgive herself for the tragic events she blames herself for? – Kaleidoscope of Seaweed, Stars and Footprints
The stress of IVF, an errant husband, and the murders of hard-working sex workers come together in a Blueprint for Murder
The secrets of the past threaten the now comfortable life of retired Tilda Fox – will she follow her heart or head?
Will Uncle Harry succumb to the dastardly deeds of his niece who is plotting a Caribbean cruise with the inheritance she’s due – Spring Menu
Does having a famous name bring celebrity and fame? And what do you have to do to achieve that notoriety? – What’s in a Name
When is enough finally enough of a charmer? How will Donal’s long-suffering wife seek revenge? - Blarney
Will Alice finally get to meet her sister, Izzie? Why did they come to be separated? When is a bad thing a good thing? – Finding Izzie
Kelly is missing her mum. How can Someone Else’s Mum ever replace her own?
Can a hardened detective save a vulnerable baby? What is the legacy of saving babies – or not - for a living? - That Tiny Sliver of Time
About the author
Rather Like Marzipan is the second short story collection of F.E. Birch (also known as Effie Merryl). Her first is Bowl of Cherries. Each anthology contains short stories that have been previously published and/or placed in competitions 2004 – 2022.
F.E. Birch is an ex-cop from the North-East of England. She’s lived in London and Scotland and often inside her head. She is a prolific short story writer with a trail of pseudonyms and publications behind her. She won the first Bloody Scotland Pitch Perfect competition in 2012 with the premise for her debut novel, She’s Not There, (Red Dragon Publishing) 2023. She is also the author of Confessions of an Undercover Cop, Ash Cameron (Harper Collins) 2013.
A businesswoman with a bendy EDS body, GSOH, and a tad clumsy, she wears many hats and loves wigs. Her friends call her Effie. With a penchant for dark, deep and disturbing, her crimes are rarely cosy.
Review
‘Rather Like Marzipan’ is a collection of chilling and dark short stories that truly had me gasping at some points!
This is a brilliant collection as there truly is something for everyone in them and they range in length from a couple of pages to a weighty chapter. I fly through these (literally as I was also on a plane at the time) and I must admit there is one which I loved. That was ‘Monkey’s Lament’. I grew up in Scarborough and I always wondered why my friends used to go on about hanging monkeys when our local team played Hartlepool and now I know! It was a brilliant introduction to the story and I never realised the human aspect behind it. There are some stories which are very dark indeed so please beware, it includes child abuse.
This was a great wee collection! Let me know if you pick it up.
