“ALL HAIL the Short Story!”These 15 short stories come from those shaded corners; the shadowy recesses of our minds where deceit and revenge take refuge. Only to surface when we choose to be most unpleasant to our neighbors, our colleagues, our lovers, and to our families—and even our species. Above all, it's the unpredictable kinks that catch you unaware that make the ‘CROOKED TALES’ anthology such a wicked delight.‘CROOKED TALES’ gathers the talent of 15 of the hottest authors around to thrill you with their visions of mayhem, in places exotic, bucolic, other-worldly, or simply sinister. With the resurgent interest in the Short Story, due to us having busy lives with only micro-moments of calm to read, the editorial team of READERS CIRCLE OF AVENUE PARK (#RCAP) curated this unique short story anthology. You have the itch to read, but have only a long moment to indulge, so ‘hail a short story!” and immerse yourself in brief adventures of the imagination. Each author has been challenged to describe their tale in a single line:‘Death of Sparrowman’ – Eric J. Gates: 'From chirrup to croak, why we should beware of benches.'‘A Crooked Mile’ – Fiona Quinn: 'Straying down a bleak path, lost doesn't mean gone forever.'‘Squatter’ – Ulla Hakanson: 'This story is nuts – no, really, quite nuts.'‘Nothing But the Truth’ – Joseph Mark Brewer: 'What he saw changed everything…'‘Angel Heart’ – Michelle Medhat: 'A spot kill from drug-pushers to detectives— how Hz hurts.'‘The Scream of Silence’ – Pamela Crane: 'Sticks and stones you may atone, but lies come back to haunt you…'‘Mark of the Hyena’ – Mark Fine: 'When civilizations collide N!xau’s click ticks tsk tsk tricks a surprising vultured culture.'‘Beneath’ – Anita Kovacevic: 'The most surreal bun fight: beware of fiery coiffure justice!'‘Ubiquitous’ – Geoff Nelder: 'There’s no escaping the near future until you realize how to play the system.'‘Keeping It in the Family’ – Traci Sanders: 'Hots for a firefighter cause icy cold amnesia in a comeuppancy family affair.'‘Set for Saturday’ – Keith Dixon: 'In the company of thieves, it’s all about loyalty.'‘Cold’ – Lubna Sengul: 'The mother of all arguments, taken to the grave, and beyond.'‘Confessions’ – Julie M. Brown: "He who seeks vengeance must dig two graves - one for his enemy and one for himself." ~ Chinese Proverb‘Terrestrial Traitor’ – Jeremy Croston: 'Nested deceit – aliens, humans – who’s worse?'‘Red Queen Check’ – Elizabeth Horton-Newton: 'Revenge for sins of the past is best dished up hot, lusty and electric.'"CROOKED TALES” is a sequel to the successful ‘TWISTED TALES’ short story collection published by Readers Circle of Avenue Park in 2015.