Menu

Menu
Prompts
Contests
Stories
Blog
Featured stories
Activity feed

Discover weekly, the best short stories

Looking for a steady supply of crime short stories? Every week thousands of writers submit stories to our writing contest.

4810+ Crime Short 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.

Crime Short Stories – Page 230 of 321

Trick or Treating Gone Wrong

Submitted to Contest #93

It was Halloween, and everyone was excited in Mayontown. The adults would take their kids to each house hoping for the best for each of the child so they aren’t sad that their child came home crying because they got suckers instead of chocolate. No one wanted their child to come home with less than any other child because they would have to hear it at the annual Mayontown Halloween party every year and everyone knows that the Stevenson family gets their children the most candy. Everyone thinks that they put extra in there, but...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

False Murderer, Dead Soldier, and Mr.Nobody

Submitted to Contest #93

(Copied and Paste, This work is mine I created this story for speech and debate class) (also any feedback is helpful) First Story Criminal… That's exactly what they think of me, around 3 months ago I was accused of second-degree murder, I now stand in court trying to be acquitted, my lawyer next to me. I saw the murder, but I didn’t do anything myself, but nobody believes me. Every day I see people looking at me disgusted I hear people whispering… Delinquent… Murderer…Put him in jail. The main reason people think it wa...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Party Day

Submitted to Contest #93

Six days after Party Day July 17th, 11:00 a.m Ellie McClellan was fishing below us, hanging out by the bend in the river with the deepest mud and the biggest trout, with nothing but a handmade rusty fishing pole and a big mouth when she overheard me say to Jake Miller on the bridge that I had nothing to do with the murder of his girlfriend, Maggie Williams, who had dissapeared six days ago on Party Day and reappeared three days later on the edge of BlueBell Bay when it was too late. I had punched that Jake square on the nose and a part ...

12 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Happy Birthday

Submitted to Contest #93

  TW: self harm, violence We were all having fun. It was my boyfriend's 30th birthday party. I spent a lot preparing for It. The party was indoors since Jason's house was a really big one and we wanted to keep it simple and formal. Everyone who meant anything to us was there. Everything was going just fine but I never expected the horrible twist that came after.    Jason and I have been dating for 5 years now. We met at a birthday party just like this, he was funny and easy to converse with and not to forget drop dead gorgeous...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

The Celebration

Submitted to Contest #93

The place was a mess: tables overturned; broken glass; food scattered across the floor; decorations heaped in piles around the room.Marge and Fran surveyed the ballroom from the top of a wide staircase.Fran squinted until her eyes disappeared into the deep sockets below her bushy, gray brows. “I don’t even want to see what’s under those piles.”“Are we it?” Marge’s tone held a modicum of hope, despite the disdainful twist of her mouth. “I mean, we could use the help.”Fran shook her head. “In maybe an hour.” She descended three steps and stopp...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

The Invitation

Submitted to Contest #93

Amy woke up on a Monday morning with lots of energy. It was the last week of high school. She would go to college shortly afterwards. She brushed her long red hair. She put on a long sleeve dark green button up shirt to match her sparkling green eyes with a black skirt coming down to her knees. She drove to school in her blue mini van. She got to school and talked to her best friend Lucy. Lucy followed Amy to her locker. Amy opened the door to her locker ro get her books for her first class. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a black enve...

11 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Quod est Necessarium est Licitum

Submitted to Contest #93

TW: violence, murder, blood The harder Jill scrubbed, the more the crimson stain bled into the carpet.   “This is never going to come out,” she sighed, leaning back and taking another swig of her whiskey. She let the warm liquid rest on her tongue, relishing the aromatic burn, Jack Daniels, her father’s favorite.   “Hey now, I can’t have you drinking alone. Cheers,” her brother, Kent, called out behind her, tipping back his own glass of the same. “At least it was a killer party.” “It’s not over quite yet,” she replied, flashing him...

17 likes 18 comments 18
Read story

The Wind's Silent Voice

Submitted to Contest #93

EVERY one has a secret that will die with them. For me, it’s Bianca.  Dr. Gordon glanced up from her clip board, positioned on her lap. Her glasses gliding down to her angular nose. It was just like her personality, sharp, unconnected. “August,” She reached down and pulled her leg up into a crossed position. “have you noticed a change in your behavior recently?” I just stared at my fingers, looping a hairband through them again and again until it was so tight it cut off the passageway for blood to run through my fingers. Then, I pulled ...

12 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Masks party

Submitted to Contest #93

  TW: violence Every muscle of my body brings me pain, yesterday I started doing my “1 hour a day of running” program, last year when I began this program it only lasted a week, and I plan to make it last more this year. It’s 6am and I have to go take a quick shower and go run. I’m running for 20 minutes and I cannot do this anymore, I breathe very jerkily and my legs are shaking, I take a sit on a bench and think of all the motivational quotes I’ve ever read. After a few minutes, I get my strength back and continue my run without a sto...

8 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Posthumous Memoirs of a Man at the Window

Submitted to Contest #93

JacobFirst, let me introduce myself. My name is Jacob. It was my first company's party. We rented a house further away from the city to celebrate. At the beginning of the party, I was very nervous because it was on that day that I would tell a girl that I was in love with her. I drank a lot to build up courage, but the only thing that made me want was to go to the bathroom every ten minutes.It was on one of those trips to the bathroom that I met him. He was dead in the bath. The smell was horrible. It looked like he had been drowned, as ther...

6 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Backyard parties are deathtraps

Submitted to Contest #93

"What?" "I'm getting dressed." "Meet you on Natalie." Almost ready to go. I've been waiting to wear this outfit. This party in this backyard was the most talked about event of the week. My outfit was set. My sneakers were clean. My crew was going and we were deep. I could hear Hip-Hop and reggae thumping from up the street. Guzzle 40's like water. And girls from different high schools always looked better than the ones I already knew. Mostly everyone knew my crew; hustlers, gang members, and gamblers. I was a hustler who enjoyed the co...

10 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

Real Trouble

Submitted to Contest #93

Henry looked into the dusky night. Fireflies flashed. His eyes tracked one, then another. Mysteriously there and gone. There and gone. ‘Could soon be me,’ he thought. He knew his deep trouble. Could be life and death. Frenchie, in the driver’s seat didn’t care. No one understands when you lose your mind. You’re expected to keep tabs on such things. Not like telling your Mom you lost your sweater at school. ‘Where did you last see it…?’ Regardless, Henry amused himself. He kept quiet, though.   Frenchie, parked the limo and idled the ...

18 likes 2 comments 2
Read story

The Lost Carnival of Leviosa

Submitted to Contest #93

 The different colored lights flashed against my face as I walked hesitantly down the road. On each side of me were people screaming out of fear or excitement. Roller coasters blared by on their tracks while I tried to hold back the tears. Most people would describe coming to the county fair to be exciting or fun, but for me, it's a nightmare.   I’ve already tried everything to wake myself up. To think of my deepest, darkest, fear. Nothing worked. My friends left me out here. “Some friends they were.” I thought to myself. I ch...

7 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

Resort party at the forbidden forest

Submitted to Contest #93

Resort party at the forbidden forest  It was a huge resort near a dark forest that was said to be haunted and no one dared to visit that forest and the one who visited it never comes back alive and if he returns alive, he dies in a weird manner. Roney was trying to sleep, it was 12:00 night wolves where hauling and the door opened slowly. Roney was in the peak of fear then suddenly a music and that where his friends outside. A night party was arranged in the occasion of Schai festival celebrated by the local tribal which was spon...

11 likes 0 comments 0
Read story

After Prom

Submitted to Contest #93

The two-storey Victorian-style house stood blue and lonely on its plot. No neighbouring homes, just surrounding forest and a glittering lake. It was a 20-minute drive from the town square and the perfect place for teens to throw a house party. 150 teens, to be exact.  Zora arrived at 8pm, right on time for the party, only to realize that she was the only one there, aside from the host and his friends who were finishing setting up the drink table on the outside wrap-around veranda. "Um, hi, is this where Saint Joseph's after prom party...

18 likes 1 comment 1
Read story
RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

Bring your short stories to life

Fuse character, story, and conflict with tools in Reedsy Studio. All for free.