Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Longest Single Note | 1994 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 2 | Lonesome Roads | 1999 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 3 | Cities | 2003 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 4 | Songs of Leaving | 2004 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 5 | The Spaces Between the Lines | 2007 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 6 | Jewels in the Dust | 2013 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 7 | Cold Comforts | 2014 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 8 | Hornsea Hauntings | 2014 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
| 9 | Things I Didn’t Know My Father Knew | 2021 | Peter Crowther | Buy |
Peter Crowther’s short story collections are the best way to experience the full range of his fiction. The Longest Single Note (1994) was his first collection and established his reputation as a writer of literate, emotionally resonant horror. The stories in that book set the tone for everything that followed: small-scale, character-driven tales where the horror comes from loss, loneliness, and the gaps in what we understand about the world around us.
Later collections like Cities (2003), Songs of Leaving (2004), and Jewels in the Dust (2013) refined and deepened his approach. Cities explores urban life through a dark lens, while Songs of Leaving returns to the theme of departure and absence that runs through much of his work. His most recent collection, Things I Didn’t Know My Father Knew (2021), is among his most personal, drawing on family and memory. Across nine volumes spanning nearly three decades, these collections trace the development of one of British horror fiction’s most consistent and thoughtful voices.