Thank you Scribner, #partner, for the finished copy of After Midnight in exchange for my honest review. I borrowed the audiobook from the library.
Publisher: Scribner / Simon & Schuster Audio
Published: September 30, 2025
Summary:
Introduced by international bestseller Stephen King, a stunning new hardback collection of Daphne du Maurier’s darkest stories
Amid the reflections and twisting alleyways of Venice, a grieving couple are haunted by the past. On a sharp December day, the wind changes – and the birds begin to gather. A group of wartime scientists attempt to capture the power of death, an eye operation reveals a monstrous reality, and a woman returns home to find she doesn’t exist. From murderous desires to supernatural forces, du Maurier’s masterful short stories stare into the dark heart of our between men and women, humanity and nature, love and obsession, the future and the past. Whatever you do, don’t look now . . .
This brand new collection brings together thirteen of du Maurier’s greatest uncanny stories for the first time – including ‘The Birds’ and ‘Don’t Look Now’.
My thoughts:
When I heard about this collection of short stories, I had to have it. I’m a huge fan of Daphne du Maurier’s book, Rebecca…I reread it every year and fall more in love with both it and du Maurier’s writing with each read! But, sadly that is the only book I had read of du Maurier’s…until now! This short story collection was just what I needed to push me to try more of her writing and I loved it!
As with most short story collections, I did have favorites out of the collection, but overall, I really enjoyed all the stories. The way she is able to build atmosphere and tension, even in a short story is unreal. I was drawn into each and every one of these stories, on edge and completely unsettled…these are definitely not the stories to read at night before bed!
If I had to pick, my favorites of the collection would be:
🥀 The Alibi
🖤 The Birds
🥀 The Doll
If you are looking for unsettling reads, want to give Daphne du Maurier a chance or just try something different, then I highly recommend picking this up!
Audio thoughts:
I alternated between the print and audio with this…and liked that there were different narrators for the stories. It allowed you to keep each story separate if you read them back to back.
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