Judith D Collins

Jan 19, 20236 min read

We Could Be Heroes

AMAZON ORIGINAL STORIES

ORDINARY PEOPLE, EXTRAORDINARY STORIES

Publisher: Amazon Original Stores

Publication Date: 02/07/2023

Format: e-book and audio

My Rating: 5 Stars

FEB 2023 MUST-READ BOOKS

Ordinary people, extraordinary stories

How do you know whether a real-world situation calls for a storybook hero? Is there such a thing as a knight in shining armor, or does every good deed come with unintended consequences? With chilling insight, five bestselling crime writers explore what it means to rise to the occasion—and the space between intentions and results.

5 Kindle short stories with audio narration

Buy the Books

Pigeon Tony's Last Stand

By Lisa Scottoline

101-minute read

Narrator: Edoardo Ballerini

1 of 5

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this emotional short story by number one bestselling author Lisa Scottoline, one man’s past drives him to take a stand against his neighborhood’s criminal underbelly, whatever the personal cost.

When amiable Italian immigrant Pigeon Tony discovers that local drug dealers are pressuring his young neighbor into joining their ranks, he resolves to put an end to the crime wave before it can take over the community. Pigeon Tony knows the law isn’t always on the right side, but it takes only one person to rally a revolution.

Lisa Scottoline’s Pigeon Tony’s Last Stand is part of We Could Be Heroes, a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

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Unknown Caller

By Lisa Unger

92-minute read

Narrator: Reba Buhr

2 of 5

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From New York Times bestselling author Lisa Unger comes the haunting short story of how one woman’s heroic vocation hides the secret guilt she’s tried to bury.

Charlie Kroft’s job at the crisis center means she’s often seen as a hero: she’s helped countless people climb out of the deepest pits of personal despair. But when one phone call thrusts Charlie into the spotlight, she must contend with the hidden pain that drives her…and with the mysterious stranger who knows the truth.

Lisa Unger’s Unknown Caller is part of We Could Be Heroes, a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

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Trouble

By Janelle Brown

50-minute read

Narrator: January LaVoy

3 of 5

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What does it take to be a good mother? A good neighbor? Straight answers are hard to find in this keenly observed short story by New York Times bestselling author Janelle Brown.

Polly’s fourth-grade daughter has been spending a lot of time with her classmate Sylvie—maybe too much. Sylvie’s clothes are a little…flashy…and her phone (a ten-year-old with a phone!) doesn’t seem to have any parental controls. It seems that Sylvie’s mother, with her vape pens and her too-high heels, may not be making good choices. As Polly tries to exert a positive influence, she discovers just how little anyone can tell about a family from the outside.

Janelle Brown’s Trouble is part of We Could Be Heroes, a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

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These Cold Strangers

By J.T. Ellison

88-minute read

Narrator: Brittany Pressley

4 of 5

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

From New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes a chilling tale about how a reporter’s deep dive into a viral video challenges her preconceived notions of what being a hero really means.

When she recognizes the heroic stranger in a sensationalized news video, Addison Blake plans to use the information to her career’s advantage. That means returning to the hometown she left behind ten years ago, but her ambitions are more important than the ghosts of her past. She’s focused on breaking this story—as long as it doesn’t break her first.

J.T. Ellison’s These Cold Strangers is part of We Could Be Heroes, a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

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Kill Night

By Victor Methos

81-minute read

Narrator: Ryan Burke

5 of 5

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In this moody short story, bestselling author of The Secret Witness Victor Methos weaves a psychological legal thriller about one lawyer’s quest for a fair trial when the only suspect is his client.

Nick Collins vows to uncover the truth behind an accusation of murder, but as the trial progresses, the only truth he discovers is that his big-city client doesn’t stand a chance against small-town beliefs. If the accused is found guilty until proven innocent, the real killer could still be out there, and there won’t be any heroes left to catch them.

Victor Methos’s Kill Night is part of We Could Be Heroes, a darkly inquisitive collection of short stories that examines heroic intentions versus their real-life consequences. Read or listen to each in a single sitting.

BUY THE BOOK

Meet the Authors

Lisa Unger

Lisa Unger is the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of twenty novels, including SECLUDED CABIN SLEEPS SIX, LAST GIRL GHOSTED, and CONFESSIONS ON THE 7:45 — now in development at Netflix, starring Jessica Alba. With books published in thirty-three languages and millions of copies sold worldwide, she is regarded as a master of suspense.

Unger’s critically acclaimed novels have been featured on “Best Book” lists from the Today Show, Good Morning America, Entertainment Weekly, People, Amazon, Goodreads, L.A. Times, The Boston Globe, Sun Sentinel, Tampa Bay Times and many others. She has been nominated for, or won, numerous awards including the Strand Critics, Audie, Hammett, Macavity, ITW Thriller, and Goodreads Choice. In 2019, she received two Edgar Award nominations, an honor held by only a few authors, including Agatha Christie. Her short fiction has been anthologized in The Best American Mystery and Suspense, and her non-fiction has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR, and Travel+Leisure. Lisa is the current co-President of the International Thriller Writers organization. She lives on the west coast of Florida with her family. WEBSITE

Lisa Scottoline

Lisa Scottoline is a #1 bestselling and Edgar Award-winning author of 33 novels. Lisa's books are book-club favorites, and she and her daughter Francesca Serritella have hosted an annual Big Book Club Party for over a thousand readers at her Pennsylvania farm, for the past twelve years. Lisa has been President of Mystery Writers of America and she reviews fiction and non-fiction for the New York Times, Washington Post, and The Philadelphia Inquirer. She also writes a weekly column with her daughter for The Philadelphia Inquirer entitled Chick Wit, a witty take on life from a woman’s perspective, which have been collected in a bestselling series of humorous memoirs.

Lisa graduated magna cum laude in three years from the University of Pennsylvania, with a B.A. degree in English, and cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, where she taught Justice & Fiction. She has over 30 million copies of her books in print and is published in over 35 countries. She lives with an array of disobedient pets, and wouldn’t have it any other way.

WEBSITE

J. T. Ellison

J.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 25 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes urban fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.

With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, been optioned for television, and has been published in 28 countries.

J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, where she is hard at work on her next novel. WEBSITE

Victor Methos

At the age of thirteen, when his best friend was interrogated by the police for over eight hours and confessed to a crime he didn’t commit, Victor Methos knew he would one day become a lawyer.

After graduating from law school at the University of Utah, Methos sharpened his teeth as a prosecutor for Salt Lake City before founding what would become the most successful criminal defense firm in Utah.

In ten years Methos conducted more than one hundred trials. One particular case stuck with him, and it eventually became the basis for his first major bestseller, The Neon Lawyer. Since that time, Methos has focused his work on legal thrillers and mysteries, earning a Harper Lee Prize for The Hallows and an Edgar nomination for Best Novel for his title A Gambler’s Jury. He currently splits his time between southern Utah and Las Vegas. WEBSITE

Janelle Brown

Janelle Brown is the New York Times bestselling author of PRETTY THINGS, WATCH ME DISAPPEAR, ALL WE EVER WANTED WAS EVERYTHING and THIS IS WHERE WE LIVE. Her work has been translated into nineteen languages, and her journalism has appeared in publications such as Vogue, The New York Times, Elle, Self and The Los Angeles Times. She spent seven years as a staff writer at Salon and Wired during the first dot-com boom in San Francisco; and launched one of the very first Web zines for women, Maxi.

She currently lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children. WEBSITE