Book picks similar to
The Man Upstairs by Del Henderson


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short-stories
horror
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Shelby's Gift


Mary Jane Morgan - 2011
    He’s all she has left of her sister, Debbie, who was killed in a car accident six months ago. She’s prepared to fight for joint custody even as she battles feelings she knows she shouldn’t have for the man who is Kyle’s father – and her sister’s husband.Ben Martin is outraged that Shelby wants joint custody of his baby. Yet after his initial anger and feelings of betrayal, Ben suggests a marriage of convenience so that together he and Shelby can provide the love and security he and Debbie wanted their baby to have. What first seems like a workable solution quickly turns into a nightmare of grief and guilt when Ben and Shelby find themselves fighting a fierce attraction – an attraction that seems the worst possible betrayal of Debbie. But Debbie has her own opinion and reaches out from the other side to Shelby and Ben, bringing them the love and healing they need to move forward with their lives.

Blood Type Infected 1: No Future For Man


Matthew Marchon - 2018
    This is the epicenter of the outbreak, where your average novel doesn’t dare venture. This is Noah Britton fighting his way through the heart of the zombie freakin’ apocalypse. The high school is on lockdown but the infection has already invaded its borders. It’s too late. Screams echo through the halls, blood stains the lockers, the dead don’t die for long. Mutilated, half eaten corpses wander the halls in search of the living. These aren’t your normal slow moving corpses that trudge along hoping for victims. No. They run faster. Fight harder. Know no pain. Show no weakness. Offer no reprieve. Noah must make the ultimate sacrifice and decide who to save and who to leave behind. What ranks higher in these desperate times; friendship or strategy? Can old rivals put aside their differences and work together for the greater good or will human emotions lead to the end of the world as we know it? The edge of your seat intensity never dies as Noah, his neurotic bus driver, his best friends, his worst enemies, the girl he likes, the girl he hates or loves or who the hell even knows anymore and a power hungry rival desperate for control all try to co-inhabit a school bus in search of a safe haven that may no longer exist. Gruesome. Intense. Graphic and Brutally violent. Yet emotionally driven with enough heart to sustain a dying species taken off life support. The characters tear themselves from the pages, forcing their way into your heart, demanding you continue when it all gets to be too much. This is hope. This is strength. This is the end. And it’s only the beginning.

Children of the After: The Complete Series


Jeremy Laszlo - 2014
    All four best selling novels for one low price! Book One: AwakeningIt has been six months since their father locked them in the security vault with a promise to return. But he never came back. With supplies running out and vital life support systems failing, Jack, Samantha, and Will have no choice but to ignore their father's warnings and leave the vault. With no knowledge of what befell the world outside, or what they might expect once the door is opened, they find themselves in a world they do not recognize. Thrust into the remains of the world they remember, how will they survive on their own, not knowing what or who else remains amongst the ruins?Book Two: RevelationHaving learned of the destruction of their world, Jack, Sam, and Will are forced to flee the security of their Grandparent's home with blood thirsty beasts hot on their trail. Leaving the dark rider and the answers he likely had behind, they again are forced to fend for themselves as they are pursued relentlessly. It isn't until they begin to see signs of life that hope is rekindled, but with the beasts gaining on them, will they reach what surely must be salvation, or will they fall victim to the creatures that destroyed the world they once knew. Book Three: EvolutionHaving stolen the pickup, Ole Bessy, from the Resistance, Jack, Samantha, and Will find themselves on the run once again. Pursued by those who had once kept them as captives, they are forced to flee into the unknown. Now that Tammy's secret has been exposed, she reveals to her friends a prophecy of her people, further complicating the web of fate the siblings find themselves in. Finding both new allies and new foes, revealed secrets will lead them all to 'The City of Angels' to face the ultimate threat by the invaders themselves.Book Four: RebirthHaving located the City of Angels, Jack, Samantha, Will and Tammy plan to destroy the alien creation. Seeking revenge for all the damage done to their worlds, and all the lives lost to the invaders, the companions seek out those responsible. Fighting their way to the enemy, they discover the reason for the invasion, and the truth about both their past and their future. When face to face with the beings responsible for the apocalypse, can the children of the after prevail?

The Skittering


David Haynes - 2020
    But what emerges from the shadows of the town’s waste plant is beyond anything found in nature.Fist-sized cockroaches. Bird-sized wasps. Spiders, millipedes, ticks, all swollen to enormous bulk with vicious appetites to match. And other things, creatures that should never exist.Through the night they come, slithering, buzzing, scuttling, crawling over skin, burrowing into flesh, making the town their nest.Time is soon running out for Crease and the other survivors, as that hideous skittering noise closes in from all around…

The Specialist's Hat


Kelly Link - 1998
    Something is creeping up the stairs, something is standing outside the door. Something is sobbing, sobbing in the dark; something is sighing across the floor... "The Specialist's Hat" by Kelly Link is one of 27 short horror stories in Nightfire's audio anthology.Come Join Us by the Fire S2 is the second installment of Nightfire's audio-only horror anthology, featuring a wide collection of short stories from emerging voices in the horror genre as well as longtime fan favorites. The collection showcases the breadth of talent writing in the horror genre today, with contributions from a wide range of genre luminaries including Laird Barron, Indrapramit Das, Shaun Hamill, Daniel M. Lavery, Matthew Lyons, T. Kingfisher, Seanan McGuire, Nibedita Sen, and Nightfire’s own Cassandra Khaw and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.The full Table of Contents is as follows:Cassandra Khaw- "Some Breakable Things"Sarah Langan- "The Changeling"Shaun Hamill- "Music of the Abyss"Caitlín R. Kiernan- "Standing Water"Tade Thompson- "Bone"T. Kingfisher- "Origin Story"Silvia Moreno-Garcia- "The Sound of Footsteps"Laird Barron- "Jōren Falls"Damien Angelica Walters- "Tooth, Tongue, and Claw"Sunny Moraine- "If Living is Seeing I'm Holding My Breath"Matthew Lyons- "Blood Daughter"Jessica Guess- "Mama Tulu"Daniel M. Lavery- "Prodigal Son"Seanan McGuire- "Emergency Landing"Indrapramit Das - "You Will Survive This Night"‘Pemi Aguda- "Things Boys Do"Kelly Link- "The Specialist's Hat"Clay McLeod Chapman- "The Fireplace"Nibedita Sen- "Pigeons"Camilla Grudova- "Ghost Bread"Catherynne M. Valente- "The Days of Flaming Motorcycles"Brian Evenson- "The Cabin"Maria Dahvana Headley- "The Krakatoan"Craig Laurance Gidney- "Spyder Threads"Mariana Enriquez- "Things We Lost in the Fire"Gabino Iglesias- "The Song of the Lady Rose"Nick Antosca- "The Quiet Boy"

Killer Femmes: 5 Irresistible Crime Novels From Around The World


Libby Fischer Hellmann - 2014
    Between us, we’ve written over 60 novels and have been nominated for (and even won) numerous awards, including the Edgar, the Anthony, the Agatha, the Macavity, the Barry, the Lovey, and the CWA Dagger. Killer Femmes presents: Easy Innocence by Libby Fischer Hellmann Cross Current by Christine Kling The Flower Master by Sujata Massey Killer Instinct by Zoë Sharp Louisiana Hotshot by Julie Smith Easy Innocence by Libby Fischer Hellmann When pretty, smart Sara Long is found bludgeoned to death, it's easy to blame the man with the bat. But Georgia Davis — former cop and newly-minted PI — is hired to look into the incident, what she finds hints at a much different, darker answer: how far teen girls will go for approval from their peers. Winner of the Lovey Award, Best PI novel, 2008. Library Journal (Starred Review): “Hellmann brings to life the reality of bullying among teenage girls with enough twists and turns to keep you reading. Highly recommended.” Cross Current by Christine Kling Fort Lauderdale tug and salvage captain Seychelle Sullivan is en route to pick up a tow when she discovers a swamped boat. Inside are a murdered woman and a half-dead Haitian girl in a blood-stained white dress. Determined to protect the child, and somehow keep her from being sent back to Haiti, Seychelle explores the hidden world of Florida’s Haitian community. Booklist: “Kling adds swift plotting, convincing nautical detail, voodoo lore, and tropical scenery . . . Florida's answer to Grafton and Barr.” The Flower Master by Sujata Massey A suspenseful, hilarious mystery about spirited California girl Rei Shimura on the loose in modern Tokyo. While studying flower arranging at a posh ikebana school. a high-ranking teacher is stabbed to death. Rei is then stalked by the mysterious killer. Winner of the Macavity Award for Best Mystery of 2001. Publisher’s Weekly:“…a harmonious mix … enhanced greatly by the richly detailed Tokyo setting, from ancient tea houses to arcane rituals involving the cherry blossom festival.” Killer Instinct by Zoë Sharp When Susie Hollins dies only hours after foolishly taking on Charlotte ‘Charlie’ Fox at the New Adelphi Club, it gains Charlie attention she well could do without. As a former Special Forces trainee now teaching women’s self-defence, Charlie might seem an ideal target to a lunatic looking for a challenge. But she’s been a victim before and this time she’s not going down without a fight… Marilyn Stasio, NY Times: “Sharp means business. The bloody bar fights are bloody brilliant, and Charlie's skills are both formidable and for real.” Louisiana Hotshot by Julie Smith Talba’s got the beauty, the brains, the computer savvy, the poetic soul, the youth, the right demographic, and the sass. Eddie’s got the detective agency. (Also a short fuse and a bad attitude.) They're the perfect team to ferret out a pedophile on the edge of New Orleans' freewheeling rap scene. The Times-Picayune: “A stroke of genius … Louisiana Hotshot is fresh, fast, and touching.

Forced Entry


Komrade Komura - 2014
    30 months. 8 million dollars. Under the radar, always a denominator, never a numerator. Obsessive planning, powered by a deadly combination of paranoia and greed. That's the life of a southern grower. Only light sleepers survive. The rest get free room and board at Parchment prison. A refugee from a high rise corporate plantation was in his 19th month and sailing safely toward the finish line. The kid was looking for a dry place to stay, away from the cops, away from the shit on the streets. Jackson, Mississippi is a toxic place. Been that way for a long time.

The Light of Cabo Rojo


Austin Star - 2019
    The night of January 5th begins; the air seems heavier, the real and the imaginary is blurred. However, what is really happening?Five teenagers head for a summer vacation to Cabo Rojo and they will be confronted with a presence more terrifying than death itself...a hideously and powerful luminescence that terrorizes and kills everything in its way.These five friends will face a storm of epic proportions, an old legend, a mysterious red light, and as if that were not enough, they must do it in a wood cabin away from any connection with civilization.A threat that looms over reality in a terrifying nightmare.All condiments for an exciting novel of horror and mystery that you will cannot stop reading.

The Cain File


Max Tomlinson - 2016
    But that’s not quite how things play out. The sting is sabotaged. Bullets fly. And Maggie has to run.Then an eco-terrorist group headed up by the notorious Comrade Cain kidnaps a corrupt oil minister and the Agency needs to send Maggie back to clean up Washington’s mess. Another milk run? Maybe—if no one has a secret agenda. Events continue to go off-kilter: the suspicious detainment of a field agent at Bogotá International, leaving Maggie on her own; terrorists who seem more interested in the payoff money than the cause; case handlers with shadowy links that can’t be easily explained; and worse. But Agent de la Cruz will deal with it. Any way she can.

Parker: The Story of an Apocalypse Survivor


Ben Stevens - 2013
    (60,000 words.)Meet Parker.In a world devastated by plague, Parker has to fight everything from mutant vermin to the horrific, hissing 'things' that were once human.Parker also looks out for other survivors, all the while trying to keep clear of the vicious, murdering road-gangs known as 'hogs'.Then he saves the life of a young girl, Abigail - and finds that his life once again has purpose and meaning.But with the odds hopelessly stacked against the mismatched pair, how can they possibly hope to survive...?'A nightmare world... Brutal biker gangs, flesh-hungry zombies and also the occasional 'good guy'... Much better written than the usual 'apocalypse/zombie' slush... Get PARKER...' Cliveinsydney

Spooky Nook


Robert Swartwood - 2011
    Spooky Nook is a 10,000-word "prequel of sorts" to The Calling, a supernatural thriller by Robert Swartwood.

The Nightmare Collective


PlayWithDeath.comJenny Ashford - 2015
    With 12 terrifically spine chilling short stories, this anthology contains contributions from some of the best young horror writing talent out there, and was curated by the editors of the PlayWithDeath.com, the premier destination for online horror entertainment. If you're searching for stories that will frighten you to your very core, look no further. List of Short Story Authors Tom Wortman M. B. Vujačić Manen Lyset Jenny Ashford Kyle Yadlosky G. T. Montgomery Ari Drew Patrick Winters Trevor James Zaple John Teel Dexter Findley Kyle Rader

Shipwrecked


Mishka Shubaly - 2011
    There, Mishka Shubaly learned some valuable life lessons — among them that in the absence of whiskey, wine and water, urine will get the job done.

Devil's Night: A Halloween Short Story


Richard Chizmar - 2012
    It was the night before Halloween, the night we always called Wreck Night or Devil's Night back when we were kids and Halloween was second in our hearts only to Christmas. At least the newspapers got that much right. The day, I mean. They pretty much screwed up the rest of the story. I was there that night. Let me tell you what really happened…

The Turtle Boy


Kealan Patrick Burke - 2004
    For eleven year old Timmy Quinn and his best friend Pete Marshall, the dreary town of Delaware Ohio becomes a place of magic, hidden treasure and discovery. But on the day they encounter a strange young boy sitting on the bank of Myers Pond a pond playground rumor says may hide turtles the size of Buicks everything changes. For it soon becomes apparent that dark secrets abound in the little community, secrets which come cupped in the hands of the dead, and in a heartbeat, Timmy and Petes summer of wonder becomes a season of terror, betrayal and murder.