Jeffery Deaver is a mystery and crime writer known for thrilling stories with lots of twists and turns. You’re sure to find an entertaining Jeffrey Deaver short story here.
Jeffery Deaver Short Stories
“Without Jonathan”
Marissa is driving to Green Harbor on a road that she drove many times with Jonathan. Now, she thinks about her life without him. She doesn’t want to speculate about his death. She’s on her way to meet Dale. She’s looking forward to dating again. Thoughts of Jonathan can be overwhelming, but Marissa’s determined to start a new life.
This story can be read in the preview of Twisted: The Collected Stories of Jeffrey Deaver. (22% in)
“Chapter and Verse”
Detective Silverman visits Reverend Lansing for his expertise. Silverman’s in charge of the county’s witness protection program. They’re protecting a man who’s going to testify against Tommy Doyle, a gang boss. They got word from an informant that a hit man has been hired to get rid of the witness. The informant was murdered before he could convey the details. Before dying, he was able to leave a note with a Bible verse on it.
This story can be read in the preview of More Twisted: Collected Stories Vol II. (16% in)
“The Commuter”
Charles is getting the train to work when he gets a call from his wife. She’s worried about him because another body was found—a victim of The South Shore Killer. He’s not concerned and is annoyed by the call. His loud talking disturbs the other passengers. He also calls Carmen, his mistress, and a competing company about selling insider information.
This story can be also be read in the above preview of More Twisted: Collected Stories Vol II. (54% in)
“The Weapon”
On Monday afternoon, a government man meets with Colonel Peterson. There’s intel on a weapon that can do significant damage, and it’s going to be used on Saturday morning. The government is looking to IAS, run by Peterson, to get the information they need. An Algerian professor and journalist is the best lead—he’s recently been in contact with the group in question. He’ll need to be taken to a black site.
This story can be read in the preview of Thriller 2: Stories You Just Can’t Put Down. (17% in)
“The Bully”
Henry is in the Eagle tavern when he spots his bully, Stan Whitcomb, a very big man. He wants to get out of there, and hopes his friend Larry won’t notice any problem. Henry has complained to the Sheriff’s Department about Stan and now he has to again after Stan confronts him.
This story can be read in the preview of Exit Wounds. (22% in)
“The Weekender”
The narrator and Toth are driving fast on an empty road. There’s no cops yet. They’ve just come from robbing a drugstore, and it didn’t go well. Complications led to them taking a hostage. They see pulsing lights up ahead. They turn off and head for a town that Toth knows where they can find an empty house and wait it out.
This story can be read in the preview of The Best of the Best American Mystery Stories: The First Ten Years. (52% in)
“Turning Point”
Michael sits in the back of a taxi. He has his backpack and wears a stocking cap and gloves. He’s unemployed but there’s still work to do. He gets out at a dark, empty lot. His real destination is about twenty minutes away. He’s checked his backpack; he has everything he’ll need.
The beginning of this story can be read in the preview of “Turning Point”
“Fast” (A Kathryn Dance Story)
Kathryn and her young daughter are about to see the octopus exhibit when she gets an urgent text from work. Monitoring has picked up news of an impending terrorist attack in about two and a half hours. The location isn’t known, but the number of potential victims is—about two hundred. They have the make on a car and a last-seen location.
Most of this story can be read in the preview of Trouble in Mind: The Collected Stories. (9% in)
“Beautiful”
Kari Swanson looks through a crack in her blinds. She sees the familiar old Ford pickup. She feels sick and tries to hold back tears. He’s found her already, even though she’s surreptitiously moved to Massachusetts. She put two thousand miles between them and it’s only been a week, but David Dale has found her. He became obsessed with her from her modeling work.
“Triangle”
Pete and Mo Anderson sit on their front porch. Mo’s boss, Doug, has invited them both to his place in Baltimore for the weekend. Mo has a baby shower to go to, but Pete is thinking of going to visit. Mo pretends to be indifferent but Pete knows she wants him to go. He overheard them talking about him, saying that something had to be done. Pete has been reading and rereading a true crime book he stole—so nothing could be traced back to him. It’s about a man who killed his wife’s lover and almost got away with it. Pete plans to learn from the man’s mistake.
I’ll keep adding Jeffery Deaver short stories as I find more.