Never Tell

Oh goodness gracious!

When your favorite authors team up to collectively write a book, you know you need to have it.

Liv Constantine, Loreth Anne White, Andrea Bartz, Rachel Howell Hall, Ivy Pochoda and Caroline Keynes. Let's be seriously now, do I really need to say more?

A collection of short stories, each one wild and jaw dropping. Straight to the point yet leaves you wanting more! These authors have a true gift and have such identifying writing styles and together, they mastered this book.

I can't even pick a favorite, I loved and enjoyed them all !!!

Sadly this Collection wasn’t what i had hoped. and while the first story was interesting and overall done well the other five didn’t work for me and honestly got worse with every story i read - the Kepnes story being the worst for me overall.

I will continue to read Amazon short story collections since i had fantastic experiences with some of them before - but not everything can be a winner and sadly this entire collection wasn’t to my taste.

that being said i do think that if you have interest in one of the stories? or even the entire collection? give it a go -especially in this genre it’s very personal what works and what doesn’t.

Never Tell, an Amazon Original Stories collection, was mostly interesting. The collection of stories by multiple authors plays on the theme, How well do we really know the people we love? Each story in this collection played on the theme, some better than the others.

Most of the stories are first person accounts of women written by women. Only the fifth story is written in the third person past tense.



EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK by Liv Constantine

Jade, a 28-year-old nurse, suddenly sees her father, the father who died ten years ago, on a busy street. She is about to kill herself when the sight of her father causes her to change her mind.

The story, written in the first person present tense PoV of Jade, begins in the present, then goes back in time to a month earlier, before counting down to a week earlier, when she gets evidence of boyfriend Benedict cheating on her, and then onward until the present day.

The story was well-written, and it was packed with secrets and revelations, but it wasn’t really all that tight or impressive. Partly because there were far too many revelations and they were revealed at such a fast pace that we got no time to process them individually, making it all seem unreal. There was no sense of danger at all. Nor any villains either. The sole baddie was rendered ineffectual. A non-starter of a story, but a quick read. The Benedict subplot was a joke.



THE GHOST WRITER by Loreth Anne White

Grace Logan, a widow, still broken after the death of her husband, Andy, is invited to Blackwood Island, the private estate of infamous horror novelist, Claudia Blackwood. Her task: to write Claudia’s memoir. Claudia has lived her entire life under the shadow of accusation. As a teen, she was accused of killing boyfriend Jacques Duvalier, his little brother, Danny, and classmate Jill Wilson, with whom he was cheating on Claudia.

A professional ghost writer, Grace could be assured of success if she were to succeed at this project. But it’s not going to be easy. Other ghost writers, it seems, have died while at work on the project. Grace has a feeling she might be in real danger.

The story is written in the first person present tense PoV of Grace. The book conjured an eerie sense of atmosphere. The setting, descriptions, dialogue, internal monologue were all on point. The names add to the mystique. There is Grace. The chauffeur is called December. Kharon, the ferryman, like the ferryman who leads the dead in Greek mythology.

There was a great twist at the end.

There were some errors though. A few pages in, Claudia’s name changed from Blackwood to Blackwell, then changed right back to Blackwood again. This change is seen even a few paragraphs apart on the same page.



THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET by Andrea Bartz

I liked this one the most. It was the only one with a twist that took me by surprise.

Kelsey and Lauren, married lesbians, have bought their first home. Kelsey is expecting their first child. Life couldn’t get any better.

Hank, their neighbour, who lives on the other side of the street, gives Lauren a creepy vibe. It’s the beginning of their troubles.

Hank was creepy from the get-go. He was the classic neighbour from hell. My heart was hammering as I read this story. It certainly upturned all my assumptions.



SCORPIONS by Rachel Howzell Hall

Francesca dropped out of Cal Poly to look after her depressed, alcoholic mother. Now, fresh out of a job as a nurse’s assistant after her 80-year-old client died, she has a deadbeat job as a diner waitress to look forward to.

Ruben, her dead client, leaves her a note pointing out the whereabouts of $1 million that he stole in his youth and hid in an underground mine. The trouble is that in two weeks, the place will be swarming with people as demolition and construction crew work to build a casino in its place. Plus, the key to the safe is with Ruben’s son, Shane. Then Jocelyn, Ruben’s ex-wife, but not Shane’s mother, joins in.

Shane warns Francesca not to trust Jocelyn, but is he trustworthy himself? Or are they all out to double cross one another?

This one was a slow burn. At first, not much seemed to be happening, then suddenly it went boom, escalating at a tremendous speed. Unfortunately, the story should have ended with the climax. The Epilogue made me feel cheated. I wish the author hadn’t worked this ending in. It didn’t give me the closure I wanted after investing in Francesca.



JACKRABBIT SKIN by Ivy Pochoda

Skin Swan, a tattooist, moves to a friend’s container house in Miracle, Wash., an isolated desert town, after her marriage ends. There she meets Kurt, a man who lost his wife three years ago.

Soon after Lucinda, a town luminary, tells her she’s not welcome in Miracle, and Skin wonders if she made a mistake coming here. When Kurt asks her to tattoo a photo of him and his wife on his left shoulder blade.

Slowly the desert, and Kurt, grows on her. Until she becomes suspicious that he may have had a part to play in his wife’s death.

This one was a rich read, with evocative descriptions and good writing.



THE BAD FRIEND by Caroline Kepnes

It’s hard to encapsulate the plot of this short story but I’m going to try.

The book is written in the second person, which is rather tricky to pull off.

Ellen and Tanya, best friends since they were ten, become estranged after Ellen’s engagement with Troy. Ellen, missing Tanya deeply, tries to lose herself in her relationship with daughter, Abigail, but Abigail develops a friendship with best friend, Josie, who turns out to be the daughter of Ross, Tanya’s boyfriend, back when the girls were friends.

While Ellen and Tanya remain estranged, an unexpected meeting after decades spills the beans on how baseless have been all the beliefs that Ellen has spent nearly a lifetime holding on to.



What I liked about this story was the author’s way of jumping forward in time. It was masterfully done.

I would have preferred the ending to be less vague, more certain.

Ah man. Anthologies are always a little up and down, but this one just didn't balance out.

My favorite was The Other Side of the Road, but I found Scorpions to be the most memorable.

I hate to say it, but several of these stories, I actively disliked. You win some, you lose some, I guess.

This is a great little collection of thrillers by women writers. Each of them ends up being so dark under the surface. The one about the ghost writer was my favorite and the tattoo artist one was interesting; I'm probably going to dream about that last one. I'm also glad I read this because it was an introduction for me to some writers I've been meaning to try.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this

A riveting and sinister collection by some of the most talented thriller writers. I love how diverse all the stories were, from domestic suspense to the gritty and gothic. Even though some turned out to be underwhelming, all were well-written and had wonderful premises.

The Ghost Writer was hands down my favourite, but every tale is worth the read and has something different to offer.

My full review of each story can be found on Goodreads and the links provided.

I really enjoyed this series!! Never Tell was a series of short suspenseful, thrillers from 6 popular authors! I do prefer longer full-length novels, however when you're wanting a quick, short read, these are perfect and fit the bill!

Thank you, Net Galley, and Amazon Originals for a copy in return for my honest review.

OVERALL // 3.3 star average
This collection was enjoyable to read, with each story taking me 30-60 minutes to read. Each story reveals secrets or lies, and contains mind games to make you question what you know. I would recommend most of the stories, and I have more detailed reviews of each story below.

INDIVIDUAL STORIES //

Everywhere You Look by Liv Constantine // 3 stars
This was an enjoyable short story. I did enjoy the focus on Jade's relationship with her father, even including the guilt she feels after his death. My main complaint is that it felt too rushed, and had too much of a plot for something so short. Because there was so much focus on getting the entire plot into the story, the character development felt brushed to the side and I couldn't connect to any of them. I would be interested in trying a full length novel by Liv Constantine though!

The Other Side of the Road by Andrea Bartz // 4 stars
I enjoyed this one more than I thought I would. It's a well-written short story / novella about a new house, a previous death in said house and potentially creepy stalker-ish neighbour. I loved getting to know our two main characters, Kelsey and Lauren, and how they dealt with the older man over the road who was apparently always watching the house. I won't reveal how it ends, but I will say that this one is definitely worth reading!

The Ghost Writer by Loreth Ann White // 5 stars
I really liked this story! It was so fascinating to follow Grace, a true crime ghost writer, who is invited to a private island to write the memoir of Claudia Blackwood, a well-known horror author who was accused of murdering her high-school boyfriend. The setting was delightfully gothic, and there were such interesting secrets threatening to be revealed. I did not see the ending coming and oh boy, this is my favourite story in the Never Tell collection.

Scorpions by Rachel Howzell Hall // 3 stars
After enjoying the first three stories in the Never Tell collection, this was the first one that I actually somewhat disliked. Overall, it was about a bitter girl providing end-of-life care to an old man in his own home. He ends up dying and leaving her a letter about some old supposedly-secret treasure he stole in a bank robbery with some old friends, and he wants her to have it. There are too many conflicting desires in this one, and too many betrayals, which makes this story feel too complex for the 50 pages it takes up, and I wanted more details from the story, rather than it being rushed through like it was. Still a three star though, because it was an interesting read still.

Jackrabbit Skin by Ivy Pochoda // 3 stars
This one took a long time to get going. We follow Swan, a tattoo artist recently separated from her partner, who ends up moving out to a tiny town in the desert to try and get back on her feet. She ends up tattooing her next door neighbour, and learning the story of what happened to his late wife. It was definitely an interesting ending, though I'm somewhat frustrated by the open ending. I want to know what happened next! But because it took a long time to get going, I struggled a little and wished it would just get to the point faster (which is somewhat annoying with something that's less than 50 pages long).

The Bad Friend by Caroline Kepnes // 2 stars
This was my least favourite of the Never Tell collection. After the other stories in this collection, I wanted and expected a short story with crime elements, and there were far less of those elements than I'd expected. This one was way more about changing romances and the two marriages of the main character and her relationship with her best friend, and the crime element wasn't introduced until far later in the story, and even then it was a 'maybe this crime happened'. Yeah, I just didn't like this one.

If you are a fan of thrillers, and if you like short-ish stories, this book is perfect! it’s packed with stories from those great authors, each one unique in her own way, yet together this works like charm, creating this addictive page-turner of a book.

I enjoyed this collection as it’s made up of many great authors in my preferred genre. However, I’ve found I prefer novel length work better so I have the opportunity to fully delve into the plot and characters.

3.5★ overall, from 2.5★ - 4★
I have written separate reviews for each story on Goodreads and Amazon. I will do my best to combine reviews here, and will add individual links below.

EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK by LIV CONSTANTINE
2.5~2★
“I should just turn around and go. But I need answers. My stomach is in knots, my heart beating furiously.”

Sorry to say, I felt the same – except for the stomach and heart part. The first half of the story is about having substituted an absolute p*ick of a lover as the male figure in her life to stand in for her late, much-loved father.

“Benedict was the bad habit I couldn’t break, but I absolved myself by believing that everyone has a bad habit. I don’t smoke or do drugs. My addiction is the need to feel special.”

It is obvious to the reader that the only thing Benedict thinks is special is in his mirror.

Why did I continue? It’s short, and in the opening scene, she is dining alone on her birthday and suddenly sees her father looking in the restaurant window. Impossible! He’s been dead for 10 years. Is she nuts? Ask Aunt Sally, his sister? So… on I went.

The answer is a good twist that deserved a better story to lead up to it. Surely the Constantine sisters (who write as ‘Liv’), must produce better work than this to be best-sellers.
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THE GHOST WRITER by LORETH ANNE WHITE
3★
“They found her body battered and floating in the sea five days later. “

Welcome to the island. The body that was found in the sea was that of the previous ghostwriter hired by a successful, reclusive thriller author, said to be dying. The opening is stormy and atmospheric.

“ ‘There—you can see it through the gap in the fog.’ The old ferryman points. I lean forward to peer through the wheelhouse window streaked with seawater. Rain and wind lash at us as we buck into the whitecapped surge of a West Coast winter storm, cutting an erratic path toward Blackwood Island. It’s as though the sea itself is holding us back from the bleak private estate of the infamous and reclusive Gothic horror novelist Claudia Blackwood.”

Claudia has requested that Grace Logan come to the island and ghostwrite the true story of the murders she was accused of committing. At the time, she had no memory, but she says she finally remembers and wants her story told before it’s too late

There’s little, if any, phone coverage on the island, making this something of a locked-room mystery. Grace isn’t happy about that.

“Claustrophobia is my Achilles’ heel.”

Nevertheless, Grace is also a writer who came from the same town, so it’s a credible request, and if she can get the real story about the day of the murders, what a scoop it would be.

Everything about the island and the visit is straight out of one of Claudia’s thrillers.

But – I don’t know what happened with the editing. Claudia Blackwood is Claudia Blackwell. The island has both names as well, and it was certainly distracting because it made me wonder if I’d missed something. I’m reading an advance copy, so I hope it’s been fixed in the final one.

I enjoyed this one in the Never Tell collection. I have since seen some reviews that say the plot has been borrowed from a couple of other books, but since I’m unfamiliar with them, I can judge it only on what I read here, and it entertained me.
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THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD by ANDREA BARTZ
4★
“ ‘Having trouble?’
We both jump at the gruff voice, then whip around to see a man on the front porch, a few feet behind us. His eyes flash when they meet mine—sometimes, from far away, people mistake me for a dude—and he quickly looks away. He’s in his late sixties or so, with a rind of gray hair and a fat mustache.”

That’s Hank, who lives with his wife on the other side of the road. He seems kind of nosy to Lauren and Kelsey, who’ve just moved into Lauren’s dream house. Hank says all the right things about city folk not being used to country ways, but he grabs Kelsey’s phone and puts his number in before she has a chance to object.

He seems to be giving Kelsey the once-over, too, as people often do. It makes Lauren nervous, but Kelsey reminds her why that might be.

“ ‘ Was he actually hostile, or does he make you nervous because he’s a big, brawny dude?’

‘Fair point.’ I’m sure a psychologist would point to my childhood: Mom’s rotating door of temperamental boyfriends, ruddy-nosed landlords pounding on the door.

‘I’ll try to be more open-minded about him.’ ”

And she does try, but it isn’t easy. This is the third story in the Never Tell Collection and the one I’ve enjoyed the most so far. Things are not what they seem, and I bet this could become the beginning of a full-length thriller.
======================

SCORPIONS by RACHEL HOWZELL HALL
4★
“I’m sweating and panting, frozen in place, hoping that I’ve blended in with the other frightened brown things in the desert.”

We meet Frankie, alone in the California desert, throwing out cash she had stashed in her bra, but now it’s making her even hotter. “Frozen” may seem an odd word to use, but her condition is so extreme, I think it makes sense here.

Then the story goes back to four days earlier, where we see her life as an aide to a cranky, smelly old man with no redeeming features at all.

“Nothing on Ruben Mayer works, and everything that does work . . . leaks. His blood flows like gravy to a heart that probably resembles a burned meatball. His lungs sound like crumpled paper caught in an engine on a humid day. He has no natural teeth. His prostate is larger than Miami.”

He is demanding and foul (who wouldn’t be, in his condition?), and his wife can’t stand him. Frankie needs the money and had trouble finding a job after a three-month stay in jail for shoplifting. At a job interview, when asked about her strengths and weaknesses, she thinks.

“Strength: I can make a jailhouse McFlurry using ice cubes, powdered creamer, salt, milk, M&M’s, Sweet’n Low, and plastic baggies. This may be a strength 'and' a weakness, depending on the audience.”

But what about that desert? Well, now she’s on a treasure hunt, of sorts, looking for the cash from a heist Ruben and his late friends pulled off years ago. After Ruben dies, Frankie finds a note to her with a map to where it’s buried – in Death Valley.

But she’s no longer alone. There are two other people, and none of this trio is to be trusted. This is the fourth story in the Never Tell collection, and I enjoyed this one. Nobody is likeable, but that doesn’t lessen the suspense as we wonder who’s going to survive the scorpions and “frightened brown things” in the desert.
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JACKRABBIT SKIN by IVY POCHODA
4★
“The ink makes her feel more permanent. More indelible. But also as if she’s looking at someone who isn’t her.”

Swan is a tattooist, separated from her husband who is keeping their house. Fair enough, it was his first anyway. Friends have offered her their container ‘house’ in the desert so she can be alone. So far, that’s not going well.

“Now she’s alone. Not broke, but close. She should have fixed the car when she still had a husband to shoulder the cost.”

When she finds the isolated community, Swan tries to settle in and keep to herself while enjoying a drink at the local bar and watching the locals. She always carries her sketchpad to draw new tattoo designs when something inspires her. Unfortunately, some of the locals don’t like being watched.

Then there’s her next-door (so-to-speak) neighbour, Kurt, who crunches his way through the ashes and remnants of his former home that burned down. He seems okay much of the time but seems to have a frighteningly fiery temper. She hears occasional gunshots.

Swan admires the real desert and is critical of the tourist ‘art’ and the Instagram, Airbnb culture that is making inroads.

“ And at the end of the day, the desert was the new hip frontier:
#wanderlust
#desertvibes
#backtonature
#soundbath
#moonbath
#stargazing
The landscape rolls on, just desolate enough.
Swan takes out her phone.
Click.
#desertescape.”

But she knows that’s only the insta-worthy appeal. Looking out of her container at night, it’s completely black in three directions. Wandering in the dark is dangerous, especially when some locals have threatened her about minding her own business.

“The shadows out in the desert are different. Starker. As if they have an existence independent of the objects that cast them. They move. They watch with an intensity that unsettles Swan. They spider between the chapparal and creosote.”

This is a story that seems to hold more than the 40+ pages Pochoda has used to tell it. I enjoy reading vignettes, slices of life like this. I don’t need to know more about what Swan was doing before, and I don’t feel I need to follow her after the final, terrifying climax. But I can imagine, and that’s half the fun of a good short story.

The author’s latest novel, Sing Her Down, just won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Mystery/Thriller (2023) over some strong competition. I think it sounds a bit too violent for me, but this story was a good one, and I enjoyed the tattooing.

In her acknowledgement, she writes:

“Thanks to Jeremy Swan for the ink and wisdom”

I think she has used his name (and art) well.
==============================

THE BAD FRIEND by CAROLINE KEPNES
4★
“Every so often you think about Tanya.

It’s been a few years since you spoke. There wasn’t some big fight. You got married and you got pregnant. She got into law school. It happens. People drift. She would die if she saw you now. You’re in a yellow sweater and you’re a mom, waiting in the stinky lobby…”

Ellen, Ellie, El talks to herself in the second person throughout her story. I say ‘her’ story, although it’s the story of several people, but with Ellie, everything is about her. At first it seems odd for her to be narrating her story in the second person, with herself as the audience, but then it occurred to me that everything is about her, her, her – or rather – me, me, me, so she doesn’t need anyone else listening.

It opens with her and her brand new fiancé, Mr Nice Guy (Troy) in a booth waiting for Tanya to arrive with her date. As Troy talks, Ellie spots a nice-looking Tall Guy in boots and immediately begins fantasising about him, imagining that he has seen her and is secretly fantasising about her.

“He’s talking to you. Not the tall man. Troy. Your fiancé is talking to you.

‘Fries?’

‘Sure!’

Troy knows you want fries. You always want fries, but he always asks just in case. You run your fingers over your collarbone because of the other man, the tall man.

‘Sorry,’ Troy says.

He says that a lot when you drift, and you say what you say a lot: Me too, babe. I spaced out, but I’m back.’

He loves you more than you love him. You’ve wasted time with the tall guys, and you’re no idiot. You met him two years ago in a dive bar. You were out with Tanya. Reeling from your latest breakup, cursing men. Tanya said that wasn’t fair because your latest ‘obsession’ was like all the guys you go for. Openly, obviously bad. And here was Troy. A human safety net with his puppy-soft hair and his boyish freckles, quick to laugh, to blush, to love. Still the same now, Troy Sweet Troy.”

Ellie recounts her history to herself all the way up to the present, a lifetime later, where we learn she met the Tall Guy again, years after her engagement, in unusual circumstances. Eventually we finally hear a bit of the other side of her me-me-me story and where her self-absorption has led her.

Kepnes certainly covered a lot of territory for a short story, and I enjoyed seeing where she took her characters. It’s a different kind of suspense from the other stories in the collection, but it certainly hides quite a secret. This is my favourite of the six.

Thanks to #NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for a copy for review of the #NeverTell (Can You Keep a Secret?) collection.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy! What a great collection of stories by some truly unique and skilled thriller authors. I enjoyed this immensely! A quick read that is great to read more from favorite authors and discover some new ones. These short stories were engaging and packed a punch!

I only enjoyed a couple of the stories told in this book. I found most of the stories cringy and not considered thriller. Loreth Anne White's was my favorite.

Job well done...some of my favorite authors all in one place. There needs to be a repeat of this...just longer!

Thank you #netgalley for my ARC in exchange of an honest review.
These were some interesting short stories by some of my favorite authors.
I didn’t find them to be exceptional except for the Loreth Anne White’s story which I absolutely loved. It was so spooky and the setting was just brilliant. Would definitely read a longer version of it.

This series was a great concept and one that I was looking forward to. I enjoyed the first one by Liv Constantine but unfortunately they fell flat from there on. I enjoyed the "never tell" theme that ran through therm all.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read these.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

"Never Tell: Can You Keep a Secret?" is a compelling anthology that weaves together the talents of six acclaimed authors of suspense—Liv Constantine, Loreth Anne White, Andrea Bartz, Rachel Howzell Hall, Ivy Pochoda, and Caroline Kepnes. Each author brings their unique voice to the collection, creating a tapestry of tales that explore the depths of human secrecy and the lengths to which people will go to protect their darkest truths.

The anthology opens with "Everywhere You Look" by Liv Constantine, a gripping narrative that sets the tone for the collection with its exploration of the past's persistent grip on the present. The story's New York setting is as much a character as the protagonist, whose chance encounter unravels a lifetime of lies. A 5 star story!

Loreth Anne White's "The Ghost Writer" delves into the Gothic, offering a chilling account of a reclusive author whose decision to reveal her most infamous secret has unforeseen consequences. The atmospheric tension is palpable, making it a standout piece in the collection.

Andrea Bartz's "The Other Side of the Road" presents a cautionary tale about the cost of ambition and the price of a dream house that comes with more than just a mortgage. It's a modern-day fable that warns of the dangers lurking beneath the surface of our desires.

In "Scorpions," Rachel Howzell Hall crafts a narrative rich with intrigue and betrayal. A man's lifetime of secrets becomes a treasure hunt with a venomous twist, showcasing Hall's ability to keep readers on the edge of their seats.

Ivy Pochoda's "Jackrabbit Skin" is a visceral exploration of the rage and secrets that can fester beneath the surface. It's an unsettling story that gets under your skin and stays there (my personal favorite, 6 stars for this one)!

Closing the collection is Caroline Kepnes' "The Bad Friend," a psychological deep dive into the complexities of friendship and the destructive power of secrets. Kepnes' mastery of suspense shines through, leaving readers to ponder the true nature of their relationships.

Overall, "Never Tell" is a masterclass in suspense, with each author contributing a story that is both distinct and harmonious within the collection. The central theme of secrets—how they shape us, haunt us, and ultimately expose us—is executed with precision and depth. This anthology is a must-read for fans of the genre and a testament to the enduring power of a well-kept secret.

Loved this anthology. As with any anthology some of the stories were better than others. But over all it was a good sampler of the different authors. My fave was Caroline kepnes story

Loved this anthology. As with any anthology some of the stories were better than others. But over all it was a good sampler of the different authors. My fave was loreth Anne whites short story

This one was 50/50 for me. Half the stories I loved, the other half I almost wish I hadn't read. Overall a fun concept and I love how the "never tell" concept was portrayed in each story.