One interesting adult suspense short story is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. It's about a narrator who tries to convince the reader of his sanity while describing how he murdered an old man because of his 'evil eye'. The growing sense of guilt and paranoia makes it a great suspense piece.
Young adult suspense stories usually have protagonists who are in their teens or early twenties. Their challenges are often related to school, family, and peer pressure. In contrast, adult suspense stories can have a wider range of protagonists in terms of age and background. Also, the language in young adult suspense is generally more accessible and less graphic compared to adult suspense. The violence and sexual content, if any, are toned down in young adult suspense to be more appropriate for the younger audience.
There's 'Big Little Lies', which is set in a seemingly idyllic community but hides many secrets and a murder mystery beneath the surface. The characters are complex and the suspense builds as the story progresses. 'The Silent Patient' is another great one. It involves a famous painter who goes silent after being accused of murdering her husband, and a psychotherapist who tries to uncover the truth.
First, create an interesting and mysterious character. For example, a detective with a troubled past. This character can drive the story forward. Then, set up a tense situation like a locked room mystery or a series of unexplained disappearances. Make the reader ask questions.
The 'Gossip Girl' series can be considered in a way. It has elements of suspense as the anonymous blogger 'Gossip Girl' reveals secrets about the rich and privileged young adults in Manhattan, keeping readers on their toes. 'Pretty Little Liars' is also a great example. It's full of mystery and suspense as four friends are haunted by a mysterious 'A' who knows all their secrets and seems to be out to get them.
Suspense in short stories can be created through various means. One way is by withholding key information from the reader. For example, the author might not reveal the true identity of a mysterious character right away. Another method is to build up a sense of impending danger or conflict. This could be done by describing a tense situation like a character being trapped in a spooky old house with strange noises. Also, the use of cliffhangers at the end of sections or chapters can increase suspense, leaving the reader eager to find out what happens next.
You can start by leaving some key details mysterious or hinting at something without revealing it all. Build up the tension gradually through the characters' actions and reactions.
'The Hero of Time Travel' and 'Spirit Sealer' were both short stories with suspense! Among them,"The Traversing Hero" told the story of the protagonist traveling through time and space to find the memories buried in the depths of his soul, but he did not know that he was walking step by step into a trap set by others."The Spirit Sealer" involved the protagonist Zhang Lin in a dangerous puzzle through a childhood friend he had not seen for many years. The atmosphere of horror, suspense, and supernatural was soul-stirring. I hope you like this fairy's recommendation. Muah ~😗
A young female detective receives a strange mission: investigate an abandoned house where a mysterious murder is said to have occurred.
When she arrived at the house, she found that it had been vacant for a long time. The surrounding buildings had been demolished. She pushed open a shabby door and entered the house.
The house was very gloomy and there was very little light. She could only grope her way forward in the dark. When she reached the center of the room, she found an old sofa. There seemed to be something under it.
She carefully stepped under the sofa and there was indeed a box. She opened the box and it was filled with documents. The document recorded the history of this house and the strange events inside.
When she was looking through these documents, she suddenly heard a voice. She was very afraid, but she insisted on continuing to look through them. When she opened a door, she was shocked to find a man wearing a mask standing at the door.
This person told her that this house used to be the secret base of a mysterious organization. They carried out all kinds of mysterious experiments here, but this person suddenly disappeared, and so did all the experimental subjects.
The female detective was shocked and decided to investigate the house in hopes of finding clues about the organization. She spent several weeks in this house, constantly looking for clues. Finally, she discovered something very surprising: there used to be a huge laboratory in the house, which was filled with all kinds of strange equipment and experimental products. However, she did not find the list of members of this organization or any other clues.
The female detective was very depressed but she decided not to give up and continue to look for clues. In the end, she found a mysterious box in the basement of the house. The box contained a list of members of a mysterious organization.
The female detective finally found a clue to the organization. She successfully exposed the secret of the organization and rescued the experimental subjects inside. In the end, she handed the list of members of the organization to the police, hoping to help them find the whereabouts of the organization.
There was a small town where people said that there was a mysterious murder case hidden here. Every time a resident passed by, they would hear some strange sounds and terrifying legends.
One day, a young woman named Emily passed by the town and heard these legends. Her curiosity was piqued and she decided to explore this mysterious place.
Emily came to the edge of the town and saw a dense forest. She heard some noise and thought it was a mouse or a bird. But when she walked into the forest, she found that the situation was not as simple as she had imagined.
During her exploration, she met a local resident named Tom. Tom told her that there had been a murder here. The murderer was a rich businessman who was found dead in the forest. But he didn't leave any clues and every time someone passed by, they would hear some strange sounds and terrible legends.
Emily was very interested in the story and decided to investigate the case with Tom. They arrived at the merchant's office but did not find any useful clues. They went to the forest again to try to find the clues left by the murderer.
In the forest, they heard some strange sounds and thought it was a mouse or a bird. But when they got closer, they found that the sound was not made by these animals.
They continued to explore and discovered an ancient building. They thought that this might be a clue left behind by the murderer. They entered the building but found that it was very mysterious, as if there were some kind of mechanism and puzzle.
During the exploration, they found some strange items that seemed to be related to the case. They gradually uncovered the truth of this mysterious case. It turned out that all of this was related to the residents of the town. It turned out that these residents had once done something inappropriate to the merchant, so the merchant held a grudge and planned to take revenge.