Crime Without Corpses Anthology

A project of Level Best Books (see other related projects).

About

No dead bodies. Not one.
We want stories where the tension, the stakes, and the fallout hinge on crimes other than murder. Think high-stakes deception, white-collar treachery, heists gone sideways, blackmail, sabotage, cons, property crimes, revenge plots, mistaken identity, secrets traded like currency…
If your story could plausibly unfold in a world where the police blotter is dominated by “everything but homicide,” it belongs here.
Not every crime story needs bloodshed to deliver suspense, wit, danger, or emotional punch. This anthology welcomes both gritty crime writers and cozy authors whose worlds operate without overt violence. If you can make us laugh, make us tense, make us think—or all three—without a corpse, we want to read it.
Think of the spirit behind the movie Trading Places, where revenge, financial schemes, and social engineering collide without a murder in sight. Or imagine the thrill of watching a clever grift unfold, a power imbalance corrected, or a secret leveraged in exactly the wrong (or right) way.

Country of Publication & Year Established

United States

Established in 2026

Publication Media & Frequency

Electronic Publication Electronic Publication: One-time publication
Print Publication Print Publication: One-time publication

AI Policy

Unknown AI policy

2 members set this anthology as a Favorite.

Fiction Open

Deadline:

31 December 2026* (approx. 107 days from now).

Audience:

Open to a broad Audience.

Genres:

Mystery/Crime Open to all/most Subgenres, including: Crime, Noir, Police Procedural

Lengths:

Short Story: 2,000 - 5,000 words.

Styles:

Open to all/most Styles, including: Mainstream.

Topics:

Other: See guidelines.

Theme:

Crime stories without overt violence (31 Dec 2026*)

Payment:

Token payment (under 1 US cent per word) to Semi-pro payment (1-4.9 US cents per word) Pay ranges from Token payment to Semi-pro payment. Details: USD $25-$50 depending on number of stories chosen.

Submissions:

Method: Online form.
Reprints: Reprints are NOT allowed.
Simultaneous submissions: Unknown.
Multiple entries: Unknown.
Media: Text.

Always check guidelines for details and restrictions. If you aren't familiar with these terms, see our glossary.
* We do not know the time and/or timezone, so we cannot be more precise. Submit early to avoid disappointment.

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Crime Without Corpses Anthology Submission Statistics

The statistics in this section are compiled from submission reports sent to us through our submission tracker. They are not provided by the publication's editors/staff or by Duotrope's admins. Information in this section is updated a few times per day. Learn more about the statistics.

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Accuracy:

We have not received any complete reports within the past 12 months.

Pending

4 responses are pending (8 min | 10.5 mean avg | 10.5 median | 13 max days waiting | 2.1 std dev) from 4 different members

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Before Submitting

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Dates

Last Updated: 02 Sep 2026

We check their guidelines for changes every four weeks, and we audit the listing twice a year.