A magic trick with horrific consequences. An apartment with a...unique roach problem. Finding a serial killer's cell phone. Visiting a childhood friend who insists you really must see what's in a nearby tunnel. This book contains twenty-five terrifying new horror stories by Brandon Faircloth, all of them short enough to be enjoyed a bite at a time...if you're able to put them down at all.

    

    It's a hell of a time and place for a young cop to be trying to make his way in the world. Joe Quinn's first case is one that could put his name up in lights; a banker takes a dive from a tall building onto Wall Street. All the signs point to murder. Pretty soon, the dead man has company; a group of old buddies is being eliminated, in a particularly gruesome manner. For the young detective a case that starts as an opportunity swiftly becomes a nightmare from which he cannot escape. Joe Quinn is about to discover just how tough being an honest cop in a dishonest world can be...

    And Earth’s about to be blindsided with annihilation...It’s up to Emma to rise up.Her problems go far beyond carb-counting mean girls. She’s got ears pointy enough to pass for an elf and a stuttering problem brought on by anxiety. A mother not of this world is about to enter her life with dire news. And by “dire news,” we mean Earth is about to get an atomic wedgie by the bully of the universe. If Emma is going to step up and help her home planet survive the oncoming invasion, she’s going to have to say, “#byefelicia” to unicorn Frappuccinos and gluten-free pizza and “Heyo” to new blasters and ancient martial arts.

    That is, until she found herself dumped, suddenly single, and mystifyingly...mostly attracted to dudes. Like any good comic, she was inspired to investigate, and thus ensued her hilarious, sometimes high-stakes personal research into the world of men, culminating in a beautiful, difficult romance. Featuring insightful interviews with comics and experts like W. Kamau Bell, Margaret Cho, Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, and Kate’s dad and close friends, this exploration of modern masculinity delves into how to be a good guy and how to be in love with one...and when that isn’t quite enough.

    Though accomplished at managing risk professionally, Jeanne realizes her skills don’t extend to her personal life, where she has allowed the professional and the personal to become intertwined. She’s not even sure which of two men in her life is the father. Worse yet, a previously undisclosed family secret reveals that she may carry a rare hereditary gene for early-onset Alzheimer’s―and it’s too late to get genetic tests. This leaves Jeanne to cope with her intense fear of risk without the aid of the mountain of data she’s accustomed to relying upon. Wrestling with the question of whether her own needs, or those of her child, should prevail takes Jeanne on an intensely emotional journey―one that ultimately leads to growth and enlightenment.

    He’s investing heavily in so-called “death bonds,” which allow investors to purchase cut-rate life insurance policies from the living, collecting the full amount when they die. Rory, a true entrepreneur, takes matters—and lives—into his own hands, ensuring a faster payout and sending him down a rabbit hole of sociopathic amusements. But even murderous madmen want love, and Rory has his heart set on impressive public-relations expert Dawn Knight. There’s just one problem: Clay Harbor, a Navy SEAL turned doctor who has been carrying a torch for Dawn, is back in town. Clay has chosen to put his energies toward saving lives for the moment, but deep down, he is as skilled and ruthless a killer as Rory.The acclaimed author of Odd Jobs returns with a twisted romp through the dark side of Wall Street.

    She feels middle-aged, bored and frumpy, and it doesn't help that PJ, her friend and colleague at the hospital where she works, has compared her to a comfy old armchair! Her marriage to the so-predictable Barry seems to be hurtling towards the rocks, and when the new consultant, Mr Ashley Connor, seems to be taking an interest in her, the temptation to have a little fun certainly appeals. But where is this going to lead her? Surely not anywhere that a sensible, mature, medical receptionist and mother of three ought to be going! Would she, and her marriage, be able to survive the Ashley Connor experience? To say nothing of the hospital gossip! Or should she forget it and stay safe, comfortable and bored ... with her body and soul intact?

    But this is no ordinary girl And her kidnapper is no ordinary man.In Delhi, Admiral Nirbhay Rana, India’s most strong-willed naval officer, watches as the consequences of a lethal operation from his past crash into the present, holding both his daughter and his country hostage. In New York, as the Indian prime minister plays a delicate game of politics with Pakistan’s prime minister and the US president, Admiral Rana must assemble the only team he trusts to get his daughter back – the very same group of commandos he had led into the heart of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir years ago. Will they make it back alive this time?

    Lowri is pregnant, looking forward to a new life with her lover, Simon. But her plans are shattered. She finds herself alone, her face scarred, her future uncertain Her estranged husband, Jack, proposes they “settle” for each other, and raise Lowri’s unborn child on the Isle of Wight, in the idyllic village of Elmstone. Lowri is befriended by Carina, the beautiful Italian woman living in Elmstone Manor, and Heather, the popular local café proprietor. However, she soon discovers that no-one is the person they appear. What dark secrets is Heather hiding from her family and from the village? Why is Carina desperate for Lowri to fail in her new life and prepared to go to increasingly desperate lengths to destroy her? As she confronts her own insecurities, and faces another devastating loss, will Lowri find the courage to be proud of the person she is hiding behind the smile? Will she find true love amid the confusion and intrigue?

     Simon delivers live bodies to a psychic creature in the water. He has a natural ability for the work and is even beginning to think he might enjoy it, until the creature asks for the life of his sister. He has less than 24 hours to save both their lives.

    Both of them are loners, damaged by tragedy in their lives, both sceptical about love. But they have a connection that can't be broken, which takes them from their separate lives to Norfolk, where they both end up at the same time, bound together by a family event that neither of them knew the other was connected with.Romantic, elegiac, absorbing and quixotic, this love story for difficult people is a testament to the power of attraction. It's about the sea and land, about the past and how it shapes our futures, about how we find the right person to be with - a truly universal story.

    The author has put together promising stories for every alphabet that are guaranteed to scare you out of your wits and question the presence of the supernatural.Pick up the book as the night crawls by for feeling those chills creeping up your skin and your heart beating out of your chest.

    Whether it is the three headed guard dog Fluffy in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series, or even the story of Smaug in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle Earth in The Hobbit; all these pop culture mythical creatures have a deep connection to the mythologies and folktales of ancient cultures.Where did they come from? What relevance do they serve in mythology? Why are some so obscure, while others become pop-culture enigmas? Get the answer to these questions, and learn about beasts from different world cultures.Folklorist Zayden Stone dives deep into the stories of these magical beasts and providesa fictional anecdote,a retelling of the original myths,an analysis of the symbolism and relevance of the creatures,and then pairs it with some beautiful black and white illustrations reimagined by artist Herdhian.In the Mythical Creatures and Mythological Beasts book, the illustrated guide takes you through six themes that have been specifically chosen since they are consistent across cultures. The categories include:arthropods for insects, crustaceans, and arachnids;avian for birds;canines for wolves and dogs;serpents for snakes and dragons;ungulates for hooved animals like horses and cows; andaquatic for water dwelling beasts.Presenting the creatures in categories makes it easier to see what the beasts have in common. You will find some overlapping themes across ancient cultures that point to universal ideas in how humans perceive the world.If you wonder where your favorite creature is, you will probably find them within these pages, even if they do not have their own chapter. For example, the ever-popular Pegasus can be found in the tale of the Gorgon sisters. He also had a half-brother, Arion, who features in the ungulates section. There is also a brilliant white-winged horse from Islamic tradition which may sound very familiar to Pegasus as well.If you have a love for the myths and want to learn about the unique beasts that dwell within them, this book is a great way to do it. Not only will you learn about ones you may have never heard of, but you will also be able to draw parallels between cultures and see how they interpreted their surroundings through stories of mythical creatures and magical beasts.

    A direct descendant of the legendary mountain man Smoke Jensen, he is destined to continue his ancestor's legacy of heroism. For the courage, strength, and honor of a man never dies... Into The Dark Lieutenant Colonel Art Jensen finds himself a soldier without an army after he is caught on tape killing an Iraqi terrorist in a Baghdad firefight--only to have the media make him out to be a murderer. A career spent serving his beloved country now seems to be over... Until Jensen receives a new set of orders--secret orders. He is promoted to brigadier general, and placed in charge of the Special Function Unit--a new, covert "black ops" team. A team of one. The terrorists are already here. Financed and trained by a billionaire Saudi prince determined to bring the infidel America to its knees, a number of sleeper cells within the U.S are being activated. Officially, the politically protected prince is untouchable, and his campaign of terror stands ready to begin. But Art Jensen is no longer a soldier bound by orders--he's a weapon, bound by duty and honor, and he has one mission: to destroy the enemy within.