The ten short stories here are a very eclectic mix : from the mysterious yet ultimately uplifting tale of The Apothecary of Joy to the heady bitter-sweet nostalgia of The Perfume of Memory and the terrifying paranoia of Odd BEEhaviour at ApisMel. Cinema is also given macabre and unusual treatment in Critical Murder and Permanently Starstruck whilst delusions and obsessions underlie the deceptively quiet introductions to The Holiday and Dolphin Dreams. Death and dying seem to be the initial focus of Mr Thanatos, Probably? but will the climax bear this out? Dame Thelma's Hat, very loosely based on a real event, offers a comedic interlude