1730+ Short Crime Stories to read

Submitted by writers on Reedsy Prompts to our weekly writing contest. Feed your fascination with the latest crime short stories. From thrilling accounts of lovable burglars to chilling tales of stone-cold murderers, these bite-sized pieces are so addictive, they should be illegal.

🏆 Winning stories

“unoccupied” by R E

Guest rooms were always hiding things. No one starts out wanting a guest room. It’s usually an office first, but then you got fired and can’t look at it anymore, so you throw a bed in it that you’ll never sleep in. Sometimes it’s a kid’s room, but they’ve moved out into a college dorm room. It used to be storage but then the divorce happened leaving it depressingly empty. A studio for recording music but the bass player ...

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“When a Door Closes” by Elizabeth Motes

Sidra crouched by the windowsill with the wind tousling her hair and a gun in her hand. It was late now, just around midnight, and she knew her target would soon reveal herself on the street below. Still, she sat ready in case she arrived early, with the night air cooling her skin even as she kept her face pressed along the wall to keep hidden. Just a few more minutes, and then she could go home. The cit...

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“Alt-Defenestration” by Denman Netherland

I threw him out the window. I shouldn't have, but my mind boiled with anger, my body went hot, and my vision went white. And the next thing I knew, I was propelling him back with my hand around his neck, his body hit the glass, and all I could see were his feet flying out the opening.  The Cloud Towers are a thousand meters tall, and his apartment was near the top. He had a long, long way to fall.  Even as my breathing slowed and my vision returned to normal, I couldn't help but smirk. Mr. Gonaviz's plummet wasn...

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“New Recruit” by Sylvia Lucas

Michael had gone to bed at ten but he had not been able to sleep. He had lain on his back and rerun the day's events over and over, then he had spent an hour or so turning from side to side until the bed was in total disarray . Finally, he had got out of bed and walked to the window, through which a beam of moonlight was illuminating the room well enough to make out all the furnishings. He stood looking out at the full m...

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“The Robbed Cafe” by Vena Rose

I awake to the sound of glass shattering from my cafe downstairs. No louder than a plate slipping from someone's hands, crashing to the floor.    Struggling to get out from my heavy blankets, I grab the small metal bat that my father gave me after telling him I was going to start my cafe. My grip around it trembles.   I pause, maybe I had dreamt the sound?   My hopes are cut off by light footprints t...

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“Fatal Path” by Freya Cullen

Plumes of dust and moisture radiated from the weathered path as a sudden rush of footsteps disturbed the calm; the scent of petrichor enveloping the desolated street. Today was a holiday. An annual event which saw thousands of citizens flock towards the coast, abandoning the drab inner-cities and flooding the beaches like weeds, taking any available space for themselves and rooting deep into the sand. A lack of people made room for ample opportunity. Entire buildings were painted in shades of coral and pink, which were dappled by the towe...

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“Fate’s Painting ” by Tia Jackson

It’s strange, isn’t it? How Fate’s mood swings can make your life Heaven one minute and hell the next. It’s crazy how you can have an oil painted veduta of the life you wish for in mind yet Fate can have a water colour abstract piece in store instead. Neither one is necessarily prettier or better and the way you feel about it solely depends on your attitude towards each. Just like in art, when you take the time to understand the piece and learn to appreciate every aspect of it — it starts to make sense. I think the life Fate’s planned is ...

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“THE WINDOW BEYOND ” by Vickie Culbertson

                            THE WINDOW BEYOND  Looking out the window in the middle of the night, I felt that the troubles in my life were righted. The solution developed over a crisis that nearly devastated me. Emily became bored with an emotionally unavailable spouse, as I provided a comfortable living for both of us. Brazenly unfaithful she desecrated our marital bed as I silently ...

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“Plate of Cookies” by Emmanuella Ameevor

I wonder how I must have looked to my unseen eye. Thinking back, if anyone was watching, they would have found it extremely odd to see a skinny brown skinned boy with a pair of binoculars peering out of the window so late in the night. They might say I was spying on the Andrews' girl, Tracy, across the street. I wonder why people of today think that way. It's strange. Anyways, I wasn't spying on the girl across t...

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“Ten Percent” by Dozzy Nika

Fear, boredom and restlessness made her look out of the window. The full moon reflected more light than usual to the earth. She could even see objects several metres away, and it made her more scared. She couldn’t help it, but to continue looking out for strange movements and figures.Lilian had never tried so hard to stimulate sleep until that night when her parents sent her away because of her staying out late. It was due to her promiscuity. Before as usual, it used to be her mother’...

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“I Know Who You Are” by Kat Stokes

“Come on, don’t be scared. All the children sing here. You can sing, too.” - All The Children Sing, Rick Larson.Friday, 8:53 p.m.The stranger“I know who you are.” The stranger stood before Amy Larson, soaked to the bone from the torrential downpour.It was almost nine p.m. on a Friday night when Amy heard a series of knocks bash against the window of her front door, knocks she would soon regret—r...

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“The Final Escape” by Lauren Eason

“So, the culprit entered through the kitchen window connecting to the fire escape,” the detective said into his recorder. Bending down, he examined the broken glass scattered around the worn wooden floor. The crime scene photographer placed a numbered card near the evidence and flashed a picture. The detective waved for the young man to follow behind him as he walked throughout the small apartment, taking...

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“When a Door Closes” by Elizabeth Motes

Sidra crouched by the windowsill with the wind tousling her hair and a gun in her hand. It was late now, just around midnight, and she knew her target would soon reveal herself on the street below. Still, she sat ready in case she arrived early, with the night air cooling her skin even as she kept her face pressed along the wall to keep hidden. Just a few more minutes, and then she could go home. The cit...

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“Death becomes her” by Leseka Senyolo

A quote comes to mind during yet another night of unwelcome wakefulness. It is triggered by the view that has graced my sight from the moment I opened my unwilling eyes."These trees are dark and old. In solitude, unified. Licking the ground, tasting the rough, cold wind, so man can breathe."It's a quote from my favorite band. My love for poetry and raw, creative expression has molded me inextricably to their art. I'm in awe of the manner with which the consistent and unchanging efforts of Gaia to sustai...

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“Alt-Defenestration” by Denman Netherland

I threw him out the window. I shouldn't have, but my mind boiled with anger, my body went hot, and my vision went white. And the next thing I knew, I was propelling him back with my hand around his neck, his body hit the glass, and all I could see were his feet flying out the opening.  The Cloud Towers are a thousand meters tall, and his apartment was near the top. He had a long, long way to fall.  Even as my breathing slowed and my vision returned to normal, I couldn't help but smirk. Mr. Gonaviz's plummet wasn...

2 likes 0 comments 0

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“Thank You For The Window ” by Bonnie Seach

“I love the night, the night sky. It soothes the pain in my heart and the consternation in my mind.” Joe, a, mild mannered, ordinary looking man of average height and build was in anguish. He was imprisoned in a small cell; it was smaller than the bathroom in his small flat.  There was a window with bars above his head. He couldn’t see out to anything below. But he could see up to the star...

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“Someone Special” by Tamanna Banerjee

Looking out of the window Violet was absorbed in deep thoughts. She still had the question in her mind "why have those boys from the roadside stopped following me? They would always follow me or try to take away all my money, but past these days they have stopped following me, they don't even look at me. I know I should be happy but still it feels a little awkward."Violet works in an insurance company for the past 4 years. She lives in an apartment which she shares with her best friend Eric. Violet had adopted siblings but she neve...

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“The Sparrow” by Stephanie Mariani

Frank Barbera watched the sparrow dip its tiny legs into the ceramic bird bath he had in his back yard. It bathed its wings and frolicked nonchalantly. Some more sparrows came to join it. He felt the wind brush against his face but the sudden change in weather did not deter the sparrows. They stayed, content in their surroundings and enjoyed each other’s company. The last of the sun had disappeared behind the he...

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“View from a Window” by Milena Furtado

I was sound asleep when I was abruptly disturbed by a sound outside the window of my first- floor apartment. It was eleven thirty and I had just gone to bed an hour prior to that. Still in a daze from my sleep, I stumbled over to the window and looked outside. To my dismay, I saw two men involved in an argument right below my window. I could not hear their conversation, but, all of a sudden, one of the men took a hammer ...

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