Love a well known character such as Lord Peter Whimsey, in a scenario that's more simplictic than the books, thus making a great read in a much shorter period of time.
Hate the stereotypes - in short stories or long, actually.
I agree that lengthy descriptions are out. This is often accomplished using stereotypes which are the quickest way to build characters & scenes, to a point. Too typical is boring, but it's a good base. The short stories I like the best have a good twist; a plausible answer, but not the one I expected.
Hate the stereotypes - in short stories or long, actually.