A collection of short stories that are pretty hit or miss for me. Joyce Carol Oates is considered one of the best crime fiction authors of our time for a reason - she writes subversive plots in an accessible way, using dimension characters. That is definitely on display here.

I did not enjoy this book. The narration was really good and I enjoyed the narrator's voice. I didn't enjoy the stories. I just thought they were a bit much, especially the story about the guy who left his kid in the car when he was supposed to take her to day care. I just didn't care for this collection.

This was my first dive into any of Joyce Carol Oates’ works and I found myself, unfortunately, a bit underwhelmed. The writing itself was good, but each short story felt very abrupt and almost unfinished. I love a good cliffhanger but it is frustrating as a reader when reading a collection of short stories and each story ends feeling unresolved. I read about half the collection, then put the book down because it just wasn’t doing it for me. Others will likely love this read, but I would have preferred getting more from each short story.

Thank you to Joyce Carol Oates, HighBridge Audio, & NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions are my own.

"Flint Kill Creek: Stories of Mystery and Suspense" is the first work I've read by Joyce Carol Oates. Being a fan of mystery and suspense, I anticipated that this collection of short stories would be engaging. Indeed, I found her writing style captivating, with many stories serving as intriguing introductions to what could unfold into fully-fledged novels. However, the abrupt endings of most stories left me dissatisfied, cutting off just as I was eager to discover the resolution. Despite this, I am eager to explore more of Oates's work, preferably in a longer format, as her talent is undeniable. Additionally, Kelli Tager's narration of the audiobook was exceptional, vividly bringing the characters and narratives to life.
Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC in return for my honest review.

Flint Kill Creek is a collection of 12 short stories by Joyce Carol Oates. Most of the time when I read anthologies there are different authors. This might be the first time I've read a collection that just featured one author. I hadn't read anything by Oates before so I wasn't exactly sure what I would get with her stories of mystery and suspense.

There is a variety of stories, most aren't the classic mystery or crime fiction story. Some of the stories I enjoyed more than others. Some left me wondering what happened as it ended without a satisfying conclusion or I wasn't sure what the story was about.

But then there were the poignant ones like "***" (yes that is the title of the story). The main character (actually he's basically the only character) is an older man who can't remember why he marked the day with three asterisks. In his system of importance when noting important things on his calendar three asterisks is the top priority and rarely used but for the life of him he can't remember what it is supposed to be for. We all have those days when we can't remember what our short-hand coded reminder means. Gradually it becomes evident to the reader that the man suffers from some form of dementia.

There is also a very disturbing story, "Mick & Minn". It features a child abuse case. It was difficult to listen to.

I'm not a huge fan of short stories because I often feel like there isn't enough time to connect with the characters and I love character-driven stories (which is probably why "***" was my favorite in this collection). I didn't love these but they were good - I think it is more just a preference thing rather than anything wrong with the stories themselves.

Kelli Tager is the narrator for these stories and she does a good job with a variety of voices.

My review will be published at Girl Who Reads on Saturday - https://www.girl-who-reads.com/2024/11/flint-kill-creek-by-joyce-carol-oates.html

Has this author goddess ever written a bad book?? No!!!
This book is spectacular! And I HATE short stories but I made an exception here because I love JCO so much!
Highly recommended!!
Thanks so much to Netgalley and the publisher for an early audiobook copy of this book!!

In Flint Kill Creek: Stories of Mystery and Suspense, Joyce Carol Oates weaves her tales of suspense with her characteristic elevated diction and inimitable style. Raw emotions pulse through each story.

Kelli Tager’s voice is perfectly suited for the narration. Her reading made the words come alive!

Some stories seem nuggets of ideas that aren’t fully fleshed out while other stories keep one on the edge of one’s seat in suspense.

The brilliant foreshadowing in “Flint Kill Creek” builds suspense to a boiling point.

Stream of consciousness of “Weekday” mimics the scattered and exhausted thoughts of a new parent.

“Friend of My Heart” has Edgar Allan Poe vibes. The narrator alludes to Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado” when Adra asserts that revenge must be clear to the subject. Adra further invokes Poe when she thinks she “cannot respond otherwise to such an insult.”

“Nice Girl” explores the pain of one sister taking a back seat to the drug addiction of her older sister.

I loved the twist in “Bone Marrow Donor!”

The collection comes full circle with “The Siren: 1999.”

Index:
1. Flint Kill Creek
2. The Phlebotomist
3. The Heiress. The Hireling
4. Weekday
5. ***
6. Friend of My Heart
7. Bone Marrow Donor
8. Happy Christmas
9. The Nice Girl
10. Mick and Minn
11. Late Love
12. The Siren: 1999

Another excellent short story collection from Joyce Carol Oates. Creepy, complex, real, startling and unpredictable. A great read!

Joyce Carol Oates will always be at the top of my list. This is quite the eclectic assortment of stories, Each story somehow has her distinct style while managing to have its own voice.

These stories weren’t for me. Quite boring!

I can see how others may like, as it is ordinary people. But it didn’t have enough action or twists or creepy vibes for me. I was not the target audience.

I enjoyed the narrator, but that was as far as it goes for me.

I DNF at 40% after listening to a few of the stories

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HighbridgeAudio for the book #FlintKillCreek by #JoyceCarolOates. This book is a collection of scary and psychological thrillers. Each one leaves you wondering and also speculating the endings. Such a great listen.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Great collection of scary stories by a phenomenal author. Narrated well and the stories were great.

Many thanks to NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of this short story collection by Joyce Carol Oates, perfectly narrated by Kelli Tager. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

This is a collection of 12 short stories, each with a degree of suspense, fear, terror. What I liked most of all was the fact that most of these were fairly ordinary situations, which to me was the biggest creep factor. There were medical scares, abuses, relationship issues; real situations that you could see yourself in. Life can be scary and disturbing for sure, and some of these will put you well out of your comfort zone. A thoughtful collection of creepy stories!

This gave off “You” vibes. Kinda creepy but also mysterious. It was suspenseful at times.

This is an #ARC audiobook provided by #NetGalley and #HighBridgeAudio. The opinions and views expressed are my own. Publication date: November 5, 2024