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Thanks to all who voiced their opinions and voted.

My favorite was "Burden of a Soldier" because it really affected me emotionally more than the others. That is not to say the others were not a good. I honestly liked all of the stories so much. I was really impressed with Maggie Stancu's "Running with Guilt" as well, so it was hard for me to pick a favorite.

Having to choose one is not easy all of these were very good and a few stood out. My first choice would have to be Running with Guilt. I say that because it seemed very short sweet and to the point. I haven't read any short stories in a long time and this one just opened the door for me into wanting to explore more. I admit it may be because it was the first one in the book. Either way I really enjoyed it and am now a lot more open to trying short stories again.

I voted for Ghostwriter. Two reasons. One, it has an actual ghost haunting the person who killed her! And it was so just too, and justice was pretty swift. Secondly, it was just really well-written, the way the character of the narrator was revealed even though he was unaware of his own bad character.

I really struggled with two stories but chose "Do Seconds Even Matter?". The way the main character struggles with identity and nearly loses everything keeps you locked into the story. The ending was a bit of a surprise, it didn't follow the normal pattern of the other stories.

It isn't easy to select just one story as my favorite. They all are unique in themselves, and each stands out. These stories are so well written. I would not have picked this book on my own to read. I am glad I read all the stories. All of them qualify as favorites.

I'm only half way through right now, but my favorite thus far is "Vindictive" by Isobel Sheene. In just the first two paragraphs, I felt I knew the characteers, their situation, and what was going to happen next. At the end, I made this note: "DID HE DIE?!" I wanted more! I still want more! This story was too short!

My second fav was "Death's Door". I also loved the banter between the Noah and Q. It reminded me of a Poirot story; also felt very much like "Murder in the Rue Morgue", the impossible murder.

My least favorite (so far at this point) is "The Unsuspecting Nature of Grief." I still don't know what the mother's purpose was in the story, and I didn't like nor care for any of the characters. I think there was so much effort put into setting the prison meeting up, that what happens after just falls in to the WTH void (but not in a good way). And, I have to get this off my chest because I won't include it in my review, the author states in her "About me" section that she has been writing "since I knew how to," and she is pursuing a degree in english. I expected better. She ended that sentence with a preposition.

I really loved "Ghostwriter". I thought that it was a very well written story and I loved that Karma is something that everyone learns.

I was obsessed with Ghostwriter but wished for a different ending.
I absolutely loved the easy flow of Running with Guilt.
Vindictive was such a strong read.
Then The Unsuspecting Nature of Grief read like a movie to me.

It is certainly death's door. It was a really fantastic book but this story is the best in my opinion.

Each of the ten short stories were written by a different author and were very different in their styles, but were all linked by the common theme of self destruction. There were diary and letter styled first person narratives as well as many third person narratives. Most of the stories were contemporary, but there was one that had a medieval feel to it and another with a touch of the paranormal. One of the stories was reminiscent of a classic Agatha Christie tale and on reading the author bio at the end, I saw that he was an International Goodwill Ambassador for Agatha Christie Ltd. I loved how each author interpreted the theme in their own way. Many of the stories ended with a character being consumed by their self destructive obsession, but some left you with a feeling of hope and the joy of seeing a character grow and heal.

"Life is a Great Teacher" is my favorite Topic in this book