Themes of the apocalypse, mental illness, thwarted love, and revenge are explored in the most macabre manner. First of all, after reading the introduction I applaud the author for writing this collection at what must have been a difficult time. Each short story begins with an explanation for the inspiration and I enjoy that, especially the Nottingham based ones! The Lion at the Gate, in which a group of teens find a giant lion’s head graffitied on a gate, and the graffiti seems to be able to move.

You’re not going to love every single story, but if at least a few resonate within you, then it’s a win.The good news is that not only will there now be a different novel number five ("The Drift") being published in 2023, but there there is also the bonus of this volume of eleven short stories under the title, "A Sliver of Darkness" in the meantime. In The Block, a story oozing with references to the popular supernatural/horror television show Stranger Things, a group of teenagers in Nottingham resolve to enter an abandoned building just for the kicks of it, but something truly malevolent awaits them inside. Told with real heart along with demonic savagery, these are stories to luxuriate with in the tenebrous. I did like how the author inserted introductions before each story, it helped clear my mind of the previous story and set the stage for the next one.

Overall, I found this collection to be varied, unpredictable, well-written, engaging and it definitely gave me a lot to think about.I liked pretty much all of these short stories (more detail to come) and that's almost JD Salinger level for me. The Lion at the Gate – You’ve never seen graffiti like this and if you get too close you might end up like my mates: Carl, Stiff, and Fallow. I loved her debut novel, "The Chalk Man" and the three novels she has had published since then have been getting better and better.