Each story is accompanied by a ghastly illustration from the mind of Andy Sciazko... the kind of illustrations that will disturb you in the best way possible.

    Sigrid Harald and the winner of the Edgar Award for Best Novel, Margaret Maron writes with sensitivity about how time and place influence people and events, and how the domestic situation can breed both warmth and quiet despair. Shoveling Smoke contains 22 of Margaret Maron's best short stories, including all of the short cases of Sigrid Harald and Deborah Knott. The book concludes with a new story about Deborah Knott and a checklist of Margaret Maron's mystery novels and short stories. Introduction and prefaces to each story by the author.

    Now their client can cozy up to the money. But there are too many beautiful women in the mansion, and the slimy little parasite is confused when he should be scared. After Archie Goodwin drops the ball, Nero Wolfe is ready to break a few laws--like extortion.

    From "'Twas the Night Before Christmas," Clement C. Moore's classic depiction of St. Nicholas at work, to O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi," which embodies the very spirit of Christmas, Favorite Stories of Christmas Past has something for everyone.

    G. WellsThe Middle Toe of the Right Foot • (1890) • short story by Ambrose BiercePickman's Model • (1927) • short story by H.P. LovecraftYours Truly, Jack the Ripper • (1943) • short story by Robert BlochThe Screaming Laugh • (1938) • novelette by Cornell WoolrichA Rose for Emily • (1930) • short story by William FaulknerBianca's Hands • (1947) • short story by Theodore SturgeonThe Girl with the Hungry Eyes • (1949) • short story by Fritz LeiberShut a Final Door • (1947) • short story by Truman CapoteCome and Go Mad • (1949) • novelette by Fredric BrownThe Scarlet King • (1955) • short story by Evan HunterSticks • (1974) • novelette by Karl Edward WagnerSardonicus • (1961) • novelette by Ray RussellA Teacher's Rewards • (1970) • short story by Robert S. PhillipsThe Roaches • (1965) • short story by Thomas M. DischThe Jam • (1958) • short story by Henry SlesarBlack Wind • (1979) • short story by Bill PronziniThe Road to Mictlantecutli • (1965) • short story by Adobe JamesPassengers • (1968) • short story by Robert SilverbergThe Explosives Expert • (1967) • short story by John LutzCall First • (1975) • short story by Ramsey CampbellThe Fly • (1952) • short story by Arthur PorgesNamesake • (1981) • short story by Elizabeth MortonCamps • (1979) • novelette by Jack DannYou Know Willie • (1957) • short story by Theodore R. CogswellThe Mindworm • (1950) • short story by C.M. KornbluthWarm • (1953) • short story by Robert SheckleyTransfer • (1975) • short story by Barry N. MalzbergThe Doll • (1980) • novelette by Joyce Carol OatesIf Damon Comes • (1978) • short story by Charles L. GrantMass Without Voices • (1979) • shortfiction by Arthur L. SamuelsThe Oblong Room • (1967) • short story by Edward D. HochThe Party • (1967) • short story by William F. NolanThe Crate • (1979) • novelette by Stephen King

    His life, his family, his nation and the world stand on the brink of the abyss.Join Bodie and Brock Thoene in the unfolding serialization of their new, contemporary political-thriller ICON, downloadable SOON to a computer near you!

    Early in his career, he came up against the Soviet Union's deadliest agent three times, finally killing the man in a flooded tunnel beneath the ruins of a castle in Portugal.Years have passed. The Russian's brother, Kurshin, a Spetsnaz operator twenty-five years younger than McGarvey, vows revenge. He and McGarvey are both shadowmen--living between the real world, and the world of the deep cover spy and assassin. To get McGarvey's attention, Kurshin desecrates the grave of the American's wife. McGarvey pits himself against the Russian--the man of vast experience versus the bold young man who believes he is invincible. The mano a mano begins at Arlington Cemetery and moves across Europe, from the baccarat tables of Monte Carlo to the same the Portuguese castle where the Russian's brother was killed so many years ago. Only one shadowman will be left standing.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

    In her new collection, gifted poet and novelist Kim Addonizio uses her literary powers to bring to life a variety of settings, all connected through the suggestion that things in the known world are not what they seem.In “Beautiful Lady of the Snow,” young Annabelle turns to a host of family pets to combat the alienation she feels caught between her distracted mother and ailing grandfather; in “Night Owls,” a young college student’s crush on her acting partner is complicated by the bloodlust of being half-vampire; in “Cancer Poems,” a dying woman turns to a poetry workshop to make sense of her terminal diagnosis and final days; in “Intuition,” a young girl’s sexual forays bring her closer to her best friend’s father; and in the collection’s title story, a photographer looks back to his youth spent as a young illusionist under the big tent and his obsessive affair with the carnival owner’s wife.The stories in this collection have appeared in journals ranging from Narrative Magazine to The Fairy Tale Review, and include the much loved "Ever After," which was featured on NPR's "Selected Shorts."Distracted parents, first love, the twin forces of alienation and isolation: the characters in The Palace of Illusions all must contend with these challenges, trafficking in the fault lines between the real and the imaginary, often in a world not of their making.

    Contains "The Jackthief," "The Screaming Orchard," "Glowers Point," "Cruel Women with Whiplike Smiles," "The Smoke of Samuel," "Sad Clown, Kentucky," and "Sunruined."

    Each volume helps the reader to encounter the original more fully by placing it in historical context, focusing on the important aspects of the text and posing key questions.

    This new series aims to reprint the best short stories published in the previous calendar year by British writers, whether based in the UK or elsewhere. The editor’s brief is wide ranging, covering anthologies, collections, magazines, newspapers and web sites, looking for the best of the bunch to reprint all in one volume. Neither genre nor Granta shall be overlooked in the search for the very best new short fiction.The first book of the series includes stories published in 2010 by the following authors: David Rose, Hilary Mantel, Lee Rourke, Leone Ross, Claire Massey, Christopher Burns, Adam Marek, SJ Butler, Heather Leach, Alan Beard, Kirsty Logan, Philip Langeskov, Bernie McGill, John Burnside, Robert Edric, Michèle Roberts, Dai Vaughan, Alison Moore and Salley Vickers.Table of Contents:Flora – David RoseWinter Break – Hilary MantelEmergency Exit – Lee RourkeLove Silk Food – Leone RossFeather Girls – Claire MasseyForeigner – Christopher BurnsDinner of the Dead Alumni – Adam MarekThe Swimmer – SJ ButlerSo Much Time in a Life – Heather LeachStaff Development – Alan BeardThe Rental Heart – Kirsty LoganNotes on a Love Story – Philip LangeskovNo Angel – Bernie McGillSlut’s Hair – John BurnsideComma – Hilary MantelMoving Day – Robert EdricTristram and Isolde – Michèle RobertsLooted – Dai VaughanWhen the Door Closed, It Was Dark – Alison MooreEpiphany – Salley Vickers

    This reader offers students and scholars a plethora of his speeches, interviews, correspondence, one-act plays, and other materials, as well as lengthy selections from all of Frost's books of verse. Though many have been drawn to his seemingly old-fashioned simplicity, this wide-ranging reader in fact reveals that Frost's work was often dark or ironic in tone—and always subtle and complex.

    Springtime is about renewal, second chances and getting a new lease on life - which is what these stories are all about! Be swept away by love! Falling for the Earl - by Arietta Richmond. A grieving Earl with a lost heir, a lonely woman, unsure of her place in life, an accidental meeting amongst the spring flowers, a secret in the woods, a love that transforms everything. Shopping for a Gentleman - by Isabella Thorne. An accidental meeting while shopping brings widow, Mrs Mildred Stelter and Mr Leighton together. They discover that they have very different views on life. Can disagreement lead to love, and a new view of the world? A Duke for the Dowager - by Catherine Windsor. Widow Lady Elizabeth has finished mourning. Still young, she hopes to love again. Her friend’s suggestion seems good until she sees the obnoxious Duke mentioned. Can she find another love? And what of the handsome Earl she met on the road? The New Governess of Chiswick - By Grace Austen. Letitia takes a role as a governess, when her family is impoverished. The Earl is cold at first, but Letitia comes to love his daughter, and him. Dark secrets from the past threaten them. Can love win out? The Earl’s True Love - by Katherine Keats. Lord Worthington faces the scandal of divorce, blames himself, remembers the girl he once loved. Joanna, a village girl is scorned as a spinster, because only one man ever held her heart, and he left. Can they find love? The Unforgettable Duchess by Charlotte Darcy. Lady Daphne Kenswick gave her heart to Lord Stephen Graves but they are torn apart by an obsessed Duke, a manipulative family, and duty to country. Will fate give them a second chance to find true love? The Earl’s Healing Heart – by Eleanor St Clair. Sarah Lyons is a widow. Many men only want her for her money. But Lord Davenport seems different. Can she bring herself to love again, or will her suspicious mind ruin any chance of finding a lasting love? The Duke’s Obsession - by Regina Darcy. Lady Desdemona’s husband died leaving her penniless. She flees to her brother-in-law, the Duke of Danberry who once courted her and still cares for her. When a debt goes unpaid the Marquis de Chambray threatens her son - can the Duke prevent the disaster? And what of love? The Reclusive Duke’s Second Chance - by Lydia Pembroke. A Duke deeply hurt in the past, and suspicious of all women, a woman who needs to marry money, to save her family, a house party, a spiteful meddler. Is love possible, or will they be forced apart? A Daughter for the Duke - by Kelly Anne Bruce. Widow Hannah Winters has only her daughter, Miriam. Things improve when they meet Lord Dearly but he has a title and nothing else to offer them. When duty takes him away, their friendship seems over. Will the unexpected allow love to flourish? Claiming the Duke’s Heart - by Sophia Wilson. A bereaved Duke, a motherless baby, a grieving young woman. A position caring for the child exposes Emily to the Duke, and attraction stirs – but will the secrets of the past force them apart? Or can love win? The Earl’s Treachery - by Sophia Ansley. A charming Lord, a merchant’s daughter who struggles to be ladylike, an unpleasant Earl, a conspiracy to defraud.

    Co-author with his brother Frederick of the brilliant and devastating casino memoir, Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss, Steven Barthelme seems to cast an eye at his own history and the characters he's known. These are men and women who are down --- but stirringly, not quite out. An unmissable, arresting book from one of the most seminal short story writers of the last twenty years.

    Louis Registered Nurse Shannon Johnson desperately needs a break from her hectic job and an unsatisfying long-term love affair. The parcel of Texas land she recently inherited is just the refuge she craves--that is, until fellow landowner Matt Taggart challenges her to prove she has what it takes to work the sprawling ranch. Shannon's pride makes her accept his dare--so does her attraction to the arrogant and utterly irresistible rancher... Engineer Madelyn Taggert was accustomed to going after what she wanted. But she never expected that a chance encounter with family friend Daniel Falcon would lead to a passionate night together--and that after the special moments they'd shared, he would walk away without a single regret. Hurt and angry, Madelyn is making plans to get on with her life and fulfill new dreams, despite the newly awakened desire she denies, but can't resist. Beautiful and wealthy socialite Dominique Falcon appears to have it all. But behind the glamorous image, Dominque feels worthless. After falling for a suave charmer who was only after her money, she vow that her next lover will be richer, more handsome, and higher up on the social ladder. But when a rough-around-the-edges guy from the school of hard knocks, enters her world, she breaks her promise and embarks on a torrid love affair. But can true love flourish between an unlikely pair from opposite ends of the social register?