Showing titles in Anthologies & Short Stories

An imprisoned man is certain that his supposed murder victim is very much alive... a female driver is pursued relentlessly by a menacing figure in another vehicle... a young artist gets the biggest break of her career... a restless beauty manages the perfect birthday celebration... an escaped Iraqi on Saddam Hussein's death list pays an involuntary visit to his homeland... How will they react? How would you? "Twelve Red Herrings" is the third collection of irresistible short stories from master storyteller, Jeffrey Archer.

Of the real-life serial killers whose gruesome acts have been splashed across headlines, none has reached the mythical status of Jack the Ripper. In the Ripper's wake, terror swept through the streets of London's East End in the fall of 1888. As quickly as his nightmarish reign came, Saucy Jack vanished without a trace - leaving future generations to speculate upon his identity and whereabouts. He was diabolical in a way never seen before - a killer who taunted the police, came up with his own legendary monikers, and, ultimately, got away with his heinous crimes.

In the title story, a young boy becomes obsessed with his cousin's doll after she tragically passes away from leukemia. As he grows older, he begins to collect "found dolls" from the surrounding neighborhoods and stores his treasures in the abandoned carriage house on his family's estate. But just what kind of dolls are they?In The Doll-Master and Other Tales of Terror, Joyce Carol Oates evokes the “fascination of the abomination” that is at the core of the most profound, the most unsettling, and the most memorable of dark mystery fiction.

A warning before you proceed. This book contains scenes that may be offensive to some people. If you have a sensitive nature and don't enjoy violence or being grossed out then this is not the book for you. This book is a story about hope and self discovery. Just kidding.. It's a vile little story about a beautiful woman named Lucy who happens to have some absolutely disgusting habits. Derrick, a super great guy-sorry that's also a lie, finds himself in a terrible situation. Having to play witness and unwilling participant to Lucy's foul nature. How can you blame Lucy for what she does, the ...

A truly unprecedented literary achievement by author and editor Lawrence Block, this newly-commissioned anthology of 17 superbly-crafted stories, each inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper. Contributors include Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Robert Olen Butler, Michael Connelly, Megan Abbott, Craig Ferguson, Nicholas Christopher, Jill D. Block, Joe R. Lansdale, Justin Scott, Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Warren Moore, Jonathan Santlofer, Jeffery Deaver, Lee Child, and Lawrence Block himself.

From Lee Goldberg, #1 New York Times bestselling author, comes the darkest, most hard-boiled work of his career... This hand-grenade of pure noir features two, never-before-published crime stories about Ray Boyd, an ex-con traveling the open road in a used, black-and-white, Ford Crown Vic Police Interceptor. Ray is the anti-Reacher. He doesn't help people in trouble. He helps himself. Fair warning, these two violent, sexually explicit stories -- Ray Boyd isn't Stupid and Occasional Risk -- mark a sharp departure from the police procedurals and fast-moving thrillers that Goldberg is known ...

JA Konrath, known for the Jacqueline "Jack" Daniels thrillers set in Chicago, offers this collection of short stories and novellas from the Jack Daniels universe. Join Jack Daniels, her partner Herb Benedict, private eye Harry McGlade, and part-time criminal Phineas Troutt, in this omnibus of 15 stories. These were previous published in magazines and anthologies, and many are long out of print. On the Rocks - Suicide or murder? Lt. Jack Daniels solves a locked room mystery.

“13 Black Cats” — They took my cats. Now I’ll take their lives. They say black cats bring bad luck. In this forgotten village buried under frost and fear, it’s a belief that kills. Spot was the thirteenth. Slaughtered, discarded, and devoured by the things that roam the night. Like the twelve before him, his only crime was being mine. My name is Morana. These cats were my family, my only solace in a cruel, superstitious world. The villagers called them omens. I called them love. Now I call for revenge. Told through the eyes of a grieving and vengeful woman, 13 Black Cats is a dark...

It’s the hottest winter on record, but Raymond’s demanding, bedridden mother doesn’t mind. She likes it warm. Lately, however, control over the thermostat has become a nasty struggle. And each morning that she’s still alive is a suffocating new challenge for Raymond. How high can the mercury climb before he boils over?

An alarming telephone call, in which the phrases “it’s life and death” and “the table with the yellow irises” are whispered, causes Hercule Poirot to rush to the luxuriant restaurant Jardin des Cygnes, desperate to stop an impending murder and find the person behind the voice on the phone. After bumping into an old acquaintance, he is invited to join a dinner party in full swing. But, just as the dancing and champagne are overflowing, a morbid announcement is made and the lights go out.

This is a story from the Fall of the House of Usher collection. The horrors of the Spanish Inquisition, with its dungeon of death, and the overhanging gloom on the House of Usher demonstrate unforgettably the unique imagination of Edgar Allan Poe. Unerringly, he touches upon some of our greatest nightmares: Premature burial, ghostly transformation, words from beyond the grave. Written in the 1840s, they have retained their power to shock and frighten even now.

Inside the exclusive mansions of L.A., where Hollywood's most powerful players willingly risk it all, a killer is playing a deadly game....Drawn into this dangerous world are a high-class call girl looking for a way out, a ruthless agent playing a high-stakes game of greed, and a beautiful journalist going after the story of her career. They are about to discover there are secrets worth killing for - and definite rules of survival.

From the author of the Wayward Pines Trilogy, comes this collection of short stories.

International best-selling author Jeffrey Archer has spent the last five years gathering spellbinding stories from around the globe. There are tales from India, Germany, the Channel Islands, England, Italy, and many other countries, all brought back with care. Some of these stories will make you laugh; others will bring you to tears, but, once again, every one of them will demand that you keep listening until you finally discover what happens to this remarkable cast of characters.

Swan is a tattoo artist new to a community in the California desert when a mourning desert dweller named Kurt requests a tribute tattoo to his dead wife. Swan agrees, but the locals warn her: don’t indulge Kurt in his tragic memories. No wonder. As Kurt returns for more tattoos, the truth about his wife’s death begins to emerge in the ink. And it isn’t pretty.

A thrilling collection of 20 stories - some brand new, some published in magazines, all entirely brilliant and collected for the first time - with a wonderful bonus: in addition to his introduction to the whole collection, King gives readers a fascinating introduction to each story with autobiographical comments on their origins and motivations.

Warning, this story contains graphic scenes of violence, sexual assault and disturbing themes. It is not suitable for everyone. You got Lucy's story in "Please, Pick Me" now our tale continues as we follow Olivia in a gripping tale of betrayal and revenge. It's been 2 years since Olivia's father was tragically killed, while dealing with the aftermath of his death suspicions arise, leading her to confront Lucy, whom she believes is responsible. As the past secrets and long-buried truths come to light, Olivia is torn between seeking justice and facing the unsettling reality of her shattered ...

In this second collection in the Music and Murder Mystery series, nine award-winning, bestselling authors have written their own interpretations of the Thriller song list. With original work from some of the best mystery authors out there, the anthology includes stories from Heather Graham, Jeffery Deaver, William Kent Krueger, Dahlia Rose, and David R. Slayton, among others. With poignant, frightening, and intriguing stories from some of the best writers in the genre, this eerie collection is sure to keep you up at night—and maybe even haunt your dreams.

Charles Dean is retired from the military, determined to be done with that part of his life. But when Julie Giraud, the daughter of his old commander, seeks him out, he can’t say no to a simple lunch. What she has in mind isn’t quite so simple. She wants Dean to help her kill the terrorists who murdered her parents. She offers him three million dollars and the chance to avenge his commander’s death. But all is not as it seems, and before long Dean and Giraud must use all their skills just to stay alive....

It’s bad enough that its venom-dripping chelicerae can slice through flesh like warm butter. Worse? It’s right there under the bunk. It’s a fact now. To make it through the night, the children must obey the rules: don’t get out of bed, stay out of the shadows, and don’t wake the beast. But as the threats multiply, so do the rules of survival. And with the safety of dawn still hours away, the fun is just beginning.