This is the sixth volume of a collection of stories that are like "Final Destination" meets "The Monkey's Paw" (W. W. Jacobs, 1902). They are a little bit Roald Dahl with a hint of Poe, and a touch of Edward Gorey. In each story, a protagonist (usually a rotter), makes a wish that comes true with fatal results for someone, often the person making the wish. Sometimes the victim is just a nice person with bad luck. Nothing supernatural, but just how things work out. (Or is it?)

Similar to the other collections in "The Screw Turns" series, the stories in this collection do contain murders and somewhat nasty deaths, but are not heavy on gore, and there are no heavy sex scenes and no gratuitous violence towards women or animals in the plots. Coarse language is avoided unless the plot really and absolutely needs it. The stories typically have a medical or healthcare related angle, and many of the actors in them are employed in healthcare or are patients or caregivers.

Most of the stories were published in Physician's Weekly in 2024 as part of a medical fiction collection, but this volume contains several other pieces that I hope you will like. About half of the stories started their life as a three-paragraph flash fiction piece during a LightHouse Writers Workshop session.

A special note of gratitude to the physicians and medical researchers who help me keep my facts straight, and to the beta readers who make sure everything is accurate, flows, and makes sense. Any remaining errors are my own. If you like this collection, please consider reviewing it, which will help other readers like you to find it.

Thank you

Humphrey Archer

June 2024