VIRGINIA R. YOUNGREN RELEASES CRIME STORY COLLECTION 'HOMEGROWN CROOKS'

(MENAFN- EIN Presswire) Eight short stories with dark humor follow scammers, schemers, and the ordinary people who catch them

CAMBRIDGE, MA, UNITED STATES, November 11, 2026 /EINPresswire / -- Author Virginia R. Youngren has released“Homegrown Crooks,” a collection of eight short crime stories set in everyday places such as a department store, a rural cabin, a suburban home, and an island hillside. Each story follows a scam, a betrayal, or a cover-up carried out by someone close to home. The wrongdoers in the collection are caregivers, relatives, supervisors, and neighbors rather than shadowy strangers. Their schemes are brought to light by people who are often overlooked, including a store cleaner, a curious neighbor, and a young woman with a troubled past.

The collection opens with“Undercover in Housewares,” in which a cleaning worker sets out to expose a supervisor who is faking a disability claim. In“What's in the Freezer?”, a visit to an old man's cabin ends with a surprising discovery.“Left-Side Neglect” follows a woman recovering from a stroke and the niece who works to protect her from a fake nurse.“The Railing In-Between” takes place during the Covid-19 pandemic and shows two neighbors reaching across a balcony railing to help a frightened child.

“The Shed Next Door” brings a nosy neighbor, her dog, and a pot of very hot sauce into a plot against a house on a small island.“Snake in the Grass” follows three half-siblings fighting over a family trust and a piece of land.“Open House” shows a veteran realtor teaching her apprentice some questionable habits. The final story,“A Thief and a Kleptomaniac,” follows a young home health aide who discovers that her new employer is being taken advantage of.

The stories are told in short, scene-driven prose that moves quickly. Along with the humor, they touch on family conflict over money, the need to protect vulnerable people from fraud, and the way underestimated people often notice what others miss. Several stories also reflect real-world concerns such as caregiver fraud and phone number spoofing, which is when a caller disguises a phone number to look like a trusted source.

“I have always been curious about the people we think we know,” said Youngren.“Most of the crooks in this book live next door, work down the hall or share a family tree. I wanted to write stories that are quick and funny, with a bit of mischief, and that end with someone overlooked getting the last word.”

“Homegrown Crooks” is available on:
Amazon:
Google Books:

About Virginia R. Youngren

Virginia R. Youngren is a clinical psychologist and screenwriter who holds a Master Screenwriter certificate and has received screenwriting awards. Her work in mental health shapes the way she writes about people and the masks they wear in ordinary life. Her fiction looks at the quiet side of everyday wrongdoing, where greed, fraud, and a sense of entitlement turn neighbors into strangers. Her crime stories avoid masked villains and car chases. They focus on familiar people and on secrets that slowly come apart.

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VIRGINIA R. YOUNGREN RELEASES CRIME STORY COLLECTION 'HOMEGROWN CROOKS' News Provided By Beehive Agency November 11, 2026, 18:20 GMT Share This Article Distribution channels: Book Publishing Industry, Culture, Society & Lifestyle, Education, Media, Advertising & PR, Social Media

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