Short Stories | Free Online Suspense & Mystery Novels by Robert Burton Robinson

Horrors of Memory

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Suspense. LENGTH: 1612 words. SYNOPSIS: 90-year-old Mildred Applee is thankful she still has an excellent memory—until a surgical procedure makes her blessing seem more like a curse.

“Mrs. Applee, have you had anything to eat or drink since midnight?”

“Well, let’s see. I had steak and eggs and two biscuits for breakfast,” [...]

GENRE: Suspense. LENGTH: 5,629 words. SYNOPSIS: A young woman offers a ride to a stranger, knowing she may regret it. He’s good-looking. But he could be a criminal. He could be dangerous. So could she.

The young clerk smiled at Obadiah as he entered the convenience store. He already felt guilty about what [...]

Prince of Pumpkinshire

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Humor. LENGTH: 1,898 words. SYNOPSIS: Chip’s life is changed forever after an encounter with bullies in the woods on Halloween night.

Click here to listen to the audio version, read by the author

Today I turned 13. My birthday party was cool. I got a lot of stuff I wanted—and one thing [...]

Smiley Frowner

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Fantasy/Horror. LENGTH: 1,908 words. SYNOPSIS: Five-year-old Jessica doesn’t go anywhere without Smiley—the handmade doll that protects her from the evils of the world.

Amber had been driving to Wal-Mart with her five-year-old daughter, Jessica, when she spotted the garage sale sign.

“Why are there so many dolls?” said Amber.

The woman sighed. [...]

Margin of Error

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Suspense/Crime. LENGTH: 2,863 words. SYNOPSIS: An ambitious campaign manager claims she can deliver a victory every time—once she gets the poll numbers within the Margin of Error. But she learns too late that not everything in life works like an election. And that statistics can only be carried so far…before you become [...]

Mary Goldalore

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Suspense/Crime. LENGTH: 3,525 words. SYNOPSIS: Mary Goldalore is very attractive, wealthy divorcee in her mid-thirties. She’s also a bit naive—making her a prime candidate for a con artist’s scheme.

A tall, slender woman in her mid-thirties spotted the two wealthy-looking women about her age at the end of the bar. She picked [...]

Your Personal President

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Suspense. LENGTH: 2,457 words. SYNOPSIS: The year is 2018. Television is obsolete. Everything is web-based. Watch any show whenever you want. And thanks to massive computer databases and powerful processors, all data is now saved. Place your grocery order. You don’t have to specify what you want—they already know. Fries with that? [...]

Kory Mantra

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Adventure/Suspense. LENGTH: 6,136 words. SYNOPSIS: Kory Mantra is a 32-year old computer programmer who, after losing his job and his girlfriend, went on a diet and took up yoga. And to help him stick with it, he made weekly videos of his progress and posted them online.By the time he reached his [...]

Road Rage to Nowhere

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Suspense/Crime. LENGTH: 1,264 words. SYNOPSIS: Road Rage can take you on a trip to somewhere you’ve never been. And make you wish you hadn’t gone.

Miguel pushed his cart to the front of the small grocery store. Just as he reached an empty checkout lane and began to place his items on [...]

BuckThirsty

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Suspense/Crime. LENGTH: 2,128 words. SYNOPSIS: Some people will do anything for a buck. You might call them buck-thirsty.

Travis and Tara were thirtysomethings who lived in an affluent suburb. Travis spent most of his time on the road. But when he did come home to his live-in girlfriend, he brought major cash. [...]

Sun-Powered Car

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Humor. LENGTH: 1,364 words. SYNOPSIS: A washed-up TV reporter sees a chance for a big story when he discovers an amazing invention while passing through a small town.

It was just another lousy day in the life of a has-been TV news reporter.

It was just another lousy day in the life [...]

Governor Hooks a Lady

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Humor. LENGTH: 762 words. SYNOPSIS: The new governor is flying high—until a certain lady brings him back down to earth.

“I’m just not comfortable with this, Lucas.”

“Look, Henry, it’s just another task. You’ve always done everything I asked of you without question. This should [...]

Layoff Rumors

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Humor. LENGTH: 636 words. SYNOPSIS: And you thought your job sucked.

“Have you heard?” said Lance.

“What?” said Mary.

“There’s a new owner.”

“So?” said Tony.

“Are you kidding me?” said Lance. “Don’t you know what that means?”

“No. I just started here.”

“It’s not good,” said Mary.

“Why?” said Tony. “What’s [...]

Classical Revenge

by Robert Burton Robinson

GENRE: Humor/Horror. LENGTH: 2,398 words. SYNOPSIS: A woman ventures out at night during a snow storm into a dangerous part of town to get the last item on her Christmas list.

Amy took the ring of keys out of the drawer and walked toward the front door.

The door burst open, and a [...]