An incapacitated student gets more than he bargained for when curiosity leads him to join an online self help community. At first the members of The Room welcome him with open arms, but things take a turn for the deadly when one of them confesses to a murder...He had two problems: a broken leg and terminal boredom. The long days and nights alone in his flat after an accident lead an incapactitated young student to renounce his aversion to the internet and take his first tentative steps into the world wide web.Before long, he finds himself entering a new kind of social network: an online self-help community called simply 'The Room'. The experience of eavesdropping on the lives of others quickly becomes addictive, and the members of The Room seem welcoming enough.But then something changes: a man called Bryan confesses to a murder. It could be a fantasy, or a sick joke, but it's not. And the terror doesn't stay online for long... The Room is a tale of murder in the age of social networking. A dark psychological thriller of curiosity and killing that has been called a Rear Window for the Facebook generation.Short story length: 4000 words approx.Also includes as a bonus feature the first chapter of Gavin Bell's full-length thriller: Halfway to Hell.

Sometimes making a living is murder... three short stories of crime and punishment.In A LIVING, a solitary man contemplates life and death and thinks about exactly what it takes to make a living. This story was shortlisted for the Quick Reads 'Get Britain Reading' prize.Two bored detectives investigate an unattended death in KITTY. The only witnesses were a harmless old lady and her cat, so it looks like an open-and-shut case. As a quiet afternoon escalates into an ordeal of dreamlike terror, the detectives discover how wrong you can be.And finally, in A JOB WORTH DOING, a repair man providing a discreet service to a niche market thinks he's discovered a way to make some easy money from death. * * *Three stories of mystery and suspense, with a twist of urban horror, in one great package. This trio of chilling noir tales draws on influences as diverse as James Ellroy, Stephen King, Stanley Ellin and Alfred Hitchcock.This collection also includes an exclusive free sample of HALFWAY TO HELL - Gavin Bell's full-length thriller novel.Book Length: 7,000 words (plus exclusive sample of Halfway to Hell); includes active table of contents for easy navigation between stories.