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There is a short story that I'm sure I own but cannot find because my collection is too huge. I have the feeling it was only about 20 pages worth of story but I'd really like to read it again. I'd like the title of the story but also the collection it was in if possible. I can't think of any of the other stories that were collected with it.

I have the feeling I read it roughly 10 years ago and it was a fairly new publication at the time, although the work itself may have been older. The detective may have a series based around their exploits but I've never run across them myself in other works.

It involves a supernatural police detective who investigates a murder by getting a sample of the ghost of the victim, (a child maybe?), that's for sale at some kind of supernatural market.

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  • If nothing else to rule them out: Timeframe and tone could fit a Harry Dresden story. I haven't read the books with the short stories yet; however, a glance through short descriptions doesn't turn up any obvious matches. I'm not aware of any short stories featuring Glen Cook's fantasy PI, Garrett, but something like this could match his stories as well.
    – RDFozz
    Aug 28, 2018 at 22:51
  • @RDFozz Thanks that at least jogged one detail loose for me, he's a police detective not a P.I. Apparently there's only one Garrrett P.I. short Shadow Thieves in the collection Down These Strange Streets.
    – Ash
    Aug 29, 2018 at 18:00
  • @Ash Might your collection include "Adventures in the Ghost Trade" by Liz Williams. This Chinese themed short story features Detective Inspector Chen who is investigating the death of a young woman in Singapore 3. But he visits a funeral parlor not a shop. He is more interested in why her ghost is in hell, rather than the heaven for which her parents have paid. Ms Williams expanded the short story into a novel and later a series of 4 further books. It isn't a perfect fit, but is certainly a supernatural police detective. The story was collected in "The Banquet of the Lords of Night &..."
    – user23087
    Nov 18, 2021 at 0:29
  • @user23087 The name Detective Inspector Chen jumped put at me, I have read that story and the character flavour is similar but it isn't the one I'm looking for here. Thanks for making the suggestion.
    – Ash
    Nov 18, 2021 at 3:10

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