Something that I consider to be fact is that Ronald Malfi is the best horror author that most people haven’t heard of. It’s a shame, too, because he’s a great writer and a master storyteller. Some of his books, which I’ve recently read and reviewed, have been impossible to forget, and have also stood as some of the best I’ve read.
Several years ago, Ronald Malfi released his debut short story collection, entitled We Should Have Left Well Enough Alone. In early 2026, that set of stories will be reissued by Titan Books. They were nice enough to send me an early copy, and I devoured it over Christmas. Now, I’m here to share my thoughts.
Over the last few years, I’ve read some of this author’s works, but there’s a lot more that I’ve bought and been meaning to get to. Looking back, We Should Have Left Well Enough Alone was one such book. I’d picked it up on sale for a couple of dollars, but hadn’t read it. I also hadn’t clued in that this was a reissue until I looked it up and recognized the cover. So many books, but so little time.
During that time, I must admit that I enjoyed the author’s novels more than his shorter works, although the latter were also good, and a couple have stuck with me. They come to mind from time to time. That opinion has followed through to this collection, which I enjoyed but perhaps expected too much from given how much I like his work. In my opinion, We Should Have Left Well Enough Alone is a good, quality, short story collection, but it’s not one of the best I’ve read. I wouldn’t call it great, but I would recommend it to fans of the genre.
This assemblage of short stories doesn’t overstay its welcome, and doesn’t feature any overlong tales. That’s one thing I appreciated. There are around twenty tales, and none are all that long. The author even mentions (in his new afterword) that he considered adding new stories, but didn’t want to make those who bought the first release feel like they had to buy it again. That’s respectable.
Things begin with a bang, with the short ‘The Dinner Party,’ which centres upon a young mother who’s dealing with post partum depression and paranoia. The following stories are about things like:
- A soulless hitman who unexpectedly gets his due.
- A groundskeeper who believes that God is talking to him through an old and decrepit car.
- A strange older lady who loves to stare at birds.
- A couple vacationing in Boston during a snowstorm.
- An older man who believes that people are being replaced, and enlists the help of a young boy whose mother isn’t well.
- Kids who trick a special needs boy into going into a haunted house on Halloween night.
- A teacher who dreams of a scarecrow, and looks for a missing girl in a massive field.
- A magic book with blank pages.
- A couple who go on a shark tour while on vacation.
- A recovering addict who sees an angel on a certain street.
At least most of the aforementioned tales were previously published in magazines, then collected for this book. That’s usually the case with this genre, and similar collections. However, the stories were apparently hand picked by the author, who decided not to invoice certain ones.
One fact is that Ronald Malfi can write, and can do so very well. Another is that he’s really imaginative, and is quickly becoming one of my favourite authors. That said, this collection seems to be filled with a lot of his earlier works, and he, himself, states that he doesn’t think he’s as good of a short story writer as he is a long form author. I also prefer his novels, but I like his shorts too, and this is no different. I might have gone in with expectations that were too high, though, as I didn’t adore it like I’d expected to. It’s good, but not great, and (obviously) some of the stories are better than others. Certain ones, like ‘The Dinner Party’ will stick with me.
If you’re looking for a good collection of short stories, and happen to be a horror fan, you should check out We Should Have Left Well Enough Alone. You may have already read it, though, especially if you happen to be a fan of Ronald Malfi’s (as anyone who’s read his work should be, given how good and under-appreciated it is). After all, it’s several years old at this point. It’s great that Titan Books is reissuing it though, because it’ll provide more/new attention, and hopefully get more people reading his books.
This review is based on a copy of the book that we were provided.