A great collection of short stories with different genres - all varied and all with a twist or a surprise element. I love reading but haven't the time to get stuck into a book, so this one was perfect for putting down and picking up at random times (and not just at bedtime). I was sucked in by the first story and just kept going. Oh, and you can also play the game of matching the stories to the pictures on the cover - which isn't as easy as you may think!!

I enjoy a good short story, particularly if the writer knows her stuff – strong characters, no procrastinating, interesting dilemmas, powerful endings. And that’s very much what the reader gets in Tales Beyond Midnight. Kim Gravell is a strong writer who knows how to grab the reader instantly and not let go until the clever twist at the end. I must say, this set of shorts gets off to a flying start (pardon the pun) with The Jumper, the story of a man who’s about to jump to his death – that is until Luci (with an ‘i’) attempts to talk him down. The ending is super-clever, and a little spooky/sick/bizarre too, which is probably why I enjoyed it so much. I also very much enjoyed The Psychic, the author exploring the Council of Ren, a frighteningly powerful body that controls anybody with psychic powers. I’d also recommend the seventh story: Swansong; it’s not very long, but it’s wonderfully clever and rather thought-provoking for us readers in our later years of life. So, anybody looking for an accessible, smartly plotted set of shorts offering a mix of suspense and clever twists, this book is for you. As the title suggests, it’s perfect for a sleepless night, although the resulting dreams might be rather on the spooky side!

This is a collection of short stories by Kim Gravell – it came to me as a review book and I wasn’t previously aware of the author’s work. The tales have occult and paranormal elements, some are more speculative, and one is distinctly Pagan in flavour. There are some forays into darker terrain – the first tale is about a suicide. It’s not a book to read if you are feeling incredibly delicate. The stories range widely and no two are alike. Each one comes with some commentary about when the author wrote it and why, which is interesting. The tone varies a lot across the collection – some are darkly humorous, others deadly serious. Most are to some degree unsettling. Inevitably, some stories grabbed me more than others. I was deeply affected by one of the ghost stories, and some of these tales will haunt me for some time to come. Many of the stories set up scenarios that invite the reader to question and wonder – this is very much a collection for people who like thinking about things.