"Shoot me." Ruth, a gaunt, haunted Jew who had miraculously survived the atrocities of the German concentration camps, ordered the young doctor in front of her. It was a few months after the end of World War II and she was adamant with her request. "Shoot me, I said," she told the doctor when he informed her that she could not seek refuge in Palestine, but had to go to a camp in Cyprus. "I'd rather die than go in another camp."

Did the doctor pull the trigger? The answer lies in Innuendo - Merlin Publishers' new collection of short stories, co-authored by veteran playwright Anthony Portelli and young adult fiction writer Antoinette Borg.

Both Portelli and Borg are award-winning authors in their own fields, but got together for this book a quattro mani, to explore adult fiction for the first time. The result is 12 gripping short stories which take the reader across the world from Malta and Gozo to Venice, Palestine, Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Vienna and Sri Lanka.

It is the perfect book to dip in and out of; each story is a stand-alone, with immediately identifiable characters, shocking twists and intriguing plots. The story lines are at times mysterious, obscure, at others humorous or sensual but the common factor throughout is the fast pace which keeps the reader hooked, captivated and absorbed, page after page.

Portelli, twice winner of the Francis Ebejer Award, and Antoinette Borg, winner of the National Book Award and Best Emerging Author, both found the project a challenge, but a diverting one. The writing process was kicked off by Portelli, who then passed on the baton to Borg.

"I needed a new challenge," said Portelli. He wanted to write something different from radio, television or theatre dramas. "I wanted to write stories that make you laugh, or make you cry, or make you shudder with fear..." he said.

Short stories was the ideal format for the four hands to explore different periods of history and characters with different life patterns. According to Portelli: "Antoinette breathed new life in the stories when she came on board."

Borg was equally ecstatic with the end result. "This was out of my comfort zone, but it was so refreshing to explore new territory - and of course it was an honour for me to work with Anthony."

Innuendo was launched at the Offbeat Music Bar during a night of music, reading and stimulating conversations. Guests could enjoy a taster of the stories while enjoying their wine - among them the story of Ruth, the Jewish girl who wanted to be shot. An extract of this story can be read for free on merlinpublishers.com

'Innuendo' is available for sale from all leading bookshops or directly from merlinpublishers.com