Perfect Little Stitches and Other Stories by Deborah Sheldon
Perfect Little Stitches is a collection of short horror stories by award-winning author Deborah Sheldon. Published on August 11, 2017 by IFWG Publishing International, the paperback weighs in at 250 pages.
I am enjoying going back through Sheldon’s releases, especially having recently read her 2025 poetry collection The Broonie and Other Dark Poems. It takes stories Sheldon has written over her career and weaves them into dark poems, using only traditional forms for each, and I was delighted to recognize some in this collection! Also, a few stories in Perfect Little Stitches were familiar to me, having read them in other anthologies not released by Sheldon. It was a true full circle experience!
There are twenty-one dark tales in this collection. The settings are varied, and the characters had a way of terrifying me and/or pulling on my heartstrings. I love that they can come across as so relatable, yet in an instant transform into true terrors. Sheldon has a way of leading you down dark paths, despite the fact that you know something wicked is waiting for you. One of the things I noticed while reading this collection is her keen ability to make even mundane situations drip with dread and suspense. I spent a lot of time with my breath hitched while reading. I also enjoyed a handful of the stories’ endings which made me stop and ponder the reality of the story versus the characters’ perception of that reality.
I’d like to share some spoiler-free notes I jotted down immediately after finishing each story, listed as they appear in the book.
“Perfect Little Stitches” - A great tale to start with—and name—the collection! Great bits of emotion and humanity mixed with desperation and fear. One of my favorites!
“When This You See, Think of Me” - Quick & haunting story with delicious tragedy!
“In The Company of Women” - Loved the descriptions and the monsters in this one. Great characters and lore.
“Across The White Desert” - Suspenseful story!!! You never know what’s going to happen until the very end!
“Sarah Jane Runs Away With the Circus” - I’m always a fan of a story with a little revenge thrown into it. Creative & fun.
“What the Sea Wants” - Great creatures in this tale. The transitions of the characters are a real treat, too. Human nature vs nature.
“The Sundowners” - Creative story that drew me in until the very end. Nice emotions mixed with psychological horrors & desires.
“Flight Path” - I love the mystery of this piece, and I enjoyed mulling it over after I’d finished reading it. A great story that lingers.
“A Faithful Companion” - Loving the drawn out suspense and building curiosity as a reader until the end. I’m always a sucker for this kind of creepy horror, and it hit the spot.
“Will o’ the Wisp” - Folklore, family, and fear. A wonderful and dangerous combination. Another story that gave me pause at the end to really contemplate the characters.
“Fair-Haired Boy” - Fantastic! Sheldon knows how to craft a tale that lures you to the end with curiosity and suspense, then delivers a memorable ending—and a little gore!
“Species Endangered” - One of my favorite short stories ever by Sheldon. I put myself in the characters’ places, and the thought of this is utterly horrifying. Scary, suspenseful.
“Nocturnal Fury” - Definitely one of the creepier stories in the book! This one will haunt me.
“A Haunting in Suburbia” - I read this the night of a power outage, which made it even creepier! Human tendencies exacerbate the horrors in this one.
“Griselda Gosh” - Creepy, vengeful, and satisfying.
“The Brightest Place” - A favorite in this collection. Such a layered story, and the characters are superb. Emotional.
“Angel Hair” - Love this one!!! So creepy and visceral. Such dread and suspense building with each turn of the page. Suffocating. Found myself holding my breath!
“Stagecoach From Castlemaine” - Intense! The suspense builds from the start. A nice little bit of gore, too, which I enjoyed.
“Delirium of Negation” - The amount of suspense is crazy!!!! I was leaning into the book on the edge of my seat, reading as quickly as I could to find out what was going to happen!!! What a story!
“Post hoc ergo propter hoc” - Full circle story. Interesting title, which added to the experience.
“The Again-Walkers” - Loved the main character and her journey. The story is steeped in Viking tradition, too, which I enjoyed. I’ve read this story before as a stand-alone read and reviewed it here.
I’ve read and reviewed a lot of Sheldon’s books, and I’m still not finished. (You’ll find a list of reviews & links below.) Whether short stories or full-length books, readers are in for a high amount of action, suspense, and enjoyment. I recommend this book as a great intro to Sheldon’s writing.
Need more Deborah Sheldon? Here you go!
Check out my other reviews of Deborah Sheldon’s works:
From Deborah Sheldon’s Website:
I’M AN AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR FROM MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA.
I WRITE SHORT STORIES, NOVELLAS AND NOVELS ACROSS THE DARKER SPECTRUM OF HORROR, CRIME AND NOIR.
MY CREDITS ALSO INCLUDE TV SCRIPTS, STAGE PLAYS, MAGAZINE ARTICLES, AND AWARD-WINNING ANTHOLOGY EDITING AND MEDICAL WRITING.
IFWG Publishing International
IFWG Publishing is a publishing house based in Gold Coast, Australia, specialising in speculative fiction for middle grade, YA and adult readers, sold throughout the world. Its parent company, SQ Mag Pty Ltd, also runs a comics and graphic novel line called IPI Comics, which is global in reach but focuses heavily on the North American market.
***from the IFWG website
