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

4770+ 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 306 of 318

That’s not how I remember it.

Submitted to Contest #67

Author’s note: I’m dedicating this book to a boy named Aiden, his birthday is on Saturday, November 7th! He was my best guy friend back in kindergarten, but then moved away at the beginning of 1st grade, after five years, he moved back and we were recently reunited! Though we aren’t as good of friends as we were back then I still remember all the fun murder mystery games we used to play with our other friends. Happy birthday Aiden!Two years ago today my best friend died during a so called “shooting” so many people are still muring about what...

25 likes 7 comments 7
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Was it in the air?

Submitted to Contest #67

The air hung heavy in the street; getting off work late was usually a relaxing walk home. The mile walk helped Maisie clear her head, think over her day, and plan her tomorrow. The streets were often empty that late, and the noise was mostly night time creatures and insects. The town was relatively small, and everybody knew everybody else. The ladies in town gossiped, and the Good Ol' boys talked fishing, hunting, and women while throwing back a cold beer. Maisie never worried about her walk home; if you did see anyone, they would wave or sa...

17 likes 1 comment 1
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The Path to Villainy in Ten Easy Steps (You Won't Believe #9!)

Submitted to Contest #66

Promise to play nice? That’s a funny question to ask someone behind bars, isn’t it? What on earth ever gave you the idea that I am capable of playing nice?Come on, Mike, you know I’m kidding. I’m kidding! Yes, I promise, now shoo. Good old Mike - such a card. I hope he and the others were accommodating on your way in. Yes? That’s good to hear. Sometimes, they can be a little surly, but I’ve discovered they respond well to correction.Does that surprise you? Hmm.Right, let’s get to it. Test one two three. Test one two three. “She thrusts her f...

13 likes 5 comments 5
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Now You See It

Submitted to Contest #67

It was just another day. Samuel Elliott Johnson was just another man. He was on his way to just another job. His routine had been the same as every other morning, as well as the route he took to work. He was thinking about the simplicity of life, and how simple it could be to just float through if you had a routine to follow – then everything changed.          As Samuel was strolling down the sidewalk, he glanced through the shop windows. Just as he was passing the butch...

13 likes 2 comments 2
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Fall Of the Stars

Shortlisted for Contest #66 ⭐️

The heavens glittered with stars as the man silently drove over dirt and gravel, the thousand twinkling eyes mocking his desperation.  Muttering a curse under his breath, he slowed down at the rusty security gate at the entrance of the abandoned mines. To an ordinary person it would be a half-broken gate with just a couple of night guards sleeping their shift away. But then again, the average person wouldn’t notice that the old equipment was strewn about almost too cleanly, or that the uniformed guards lacked an identity or a logo. ...

52 likes 8 comments 8
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A Canadian Murder

Submitted to Contest #67

In the northern part of Texas, near the Oklahoma border, sits a small town of Canadian, Texas. With a population of less than three thousand, everyone seems to know everyone, making this story even harder to believe. On a hot summer day in the middle of July, a man named Marcus Dorado was walking on the corner of Main Street and Purcell, a block away from the railroad tracks that passed through town. Marcus noticed a man standing still on the other side of the tracks. He could tell this man was talking to someone, but whoever it was, they ...

11 likes 0 comments 0
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Pretty yet deadly

Submitted to Contest #66

The warmth of it all was intoxicating. Her heartbeat went crazy as the blood was trickling down her face, onto her chin and down onto the marble floor. Why did this feel so good? Why was this easier and easier? Addicting. The crowd cheering made her feel the world spinning around her, like that one time she tried drugs. Would this be just as hard to give up on like the drugs as well? The constant craving for that feeling, but not the aftermath. She wondered what the aftermath would feel like, but for now, there were still four more people sh...

21 likes 6 comments 6
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Stealing is Believing

Submitted to Contest #67

Gusts of thickly humid wind pulsed against my ears just as the waves below me rhythmically lapped against the dampened wooden hull of our ship. A sail far above my head, the smaller of the two which we had loosened on our land-bound approach, flapped wildly, shaking salted drops off its fabric like a dog fresh from the water.  I clasped one hand atop my hat to keep it from flying off as I turned to the captain. “Captain Moodey!” I shouted over the thunderous wind and waves. “Captain Moodey!” I repeated, stepping towards him. His dark ...

10 likes 1 comment 1
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The Missing Piece

Submitted to Contest #67

I never wanted to witness a murder. We had been driving back from my grandparents house on the Fourth of July. It was about eleven o’clock or so, dark enough that you couldn’t see a thing beyond the stretch of the streetlights. There was an accident on the interstate, so Dad had had to cut through a really sketchy town, with rundown houses and the creepy shells of old abandoned buildings. It was interesting at first, because to me, it felt like something out of a crime novel. A stoplight. A single. Red. Stoplight. The car was paused i...

8 likes 0 comments 0
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Winning Edge

Submitted to Contest #66

“I’m going down as a legend, whether or not you like me or not. I am the new Jim Morrison. I am the new Kurt Cobain. I am Warhol. I am Shakespeare in the flesh.” So says my favorite performer and songwriter. When I’m successful, I’ll have to make sure to call him. I’ll let him know how much he inspired me in the lonesome, gloomy days renting a cold basement and filling my notebook with dreams. I used to put his songs on a loop and repeat their affirmations to myself as I worked. No self-pity for me. Thanks, Kanye! Of course, all the stuf...

11 likes 1 comment 1
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Murder At The Circus

Submitted to Contest #66

Day one at the circus.There’s been a murder, at the circus.The circus looks faded and slightly deflated in the morning light as if the night stole some of its glamour.The tents are striped black and red, a few chickens run around in mad circles looking for food, in the distance a women is hanging up washing on a washing line. I cannot see any body else but I can hear lots of voices coming from the biggest tent at the far side of the field. It must be the dining tent; I can smell chicken and oil from that direction.The tent I’m supposed to ap...

13 likes 4 comments 4
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The Tragedy of Ishmael

Submitted to Contest #66

Call me, Ishmael. Some years ago, I lost my left arm in a major car accident. The doctor said that my arm was seriously injured and they needed to cut it off or else... I didn't want to hear it, so I just ignored it. Since then, I have never felt happy again. Whenever I touch my wound, I can't stop thinking about it. The indescribable pain, I'll never forget it. Most people that get into a car accident usually lose their sanity, but not me. Right after I was hit by a car, I realized something. I don't know if it was because of the chaos arou...

9 likes 0 comments 0
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DEMOCRAZY

Submitted to Contest #66

“It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your own defeat. How can you claim you’re protecting everyone when you know what the consequences of your fall will be, sir?” “What do you want from me, Jonah?” Jacob asked forcefully. He was already at his wits end. “I’m doing everything I can – I have done everything I can! I have done everything I need to do. I shook the hands I had to shake, I smiled for the camera for as long as I had to, I said the things I had to say – even if I didn’t like or enjoy saying them! What more do you want from...

14 likes 0 comments 0
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THE BAD BOYS

Submitted to Contest #66

“Will Ben Chemote please step forward?” They pronounced my name wrong, I think as I step forward. Stay calm Ben, stay calm. I glance at my hand to double check that it’s not shaking. You may feel scared on the inside, Ben, but on the outside you are as cool as a cheesecake. You got this. I step through the door and close it behind me.  “Welcome to the first season of The Bad Boys, Ben! First of all, I want to congratulate you on getting in!” “Thank you!” Nailed it. “Gosh, I haven’t even introduced myself! My bad! I’m Rutherford, your ho...

12 likes 3 comments 3
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Over the Edge

Submitted to Contest #66

           “It doesn’t count if you’re already planning your defeat,” Caleb said, eyeing the practically suicidal move Liam made in the hearts game. Nearby, the dying fire cracked and popped, orange embers sparkling, then fading away. The smell of wood burning surrounded the campsite.           “What’re you on about? Of course it counts,” Liam picked up the Queen of Spades he had just put down and slapped it on the table with greater...

15 likes 2 comments 2
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RBE | Illustrated Short Stories | 2024-06

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