In the titular novella, a former serial killer suffering from memory loss sets his sights on one final target: his daughter’s boyfriend, who he suspects is also a serial killer. In other stories we witness an affair between two childhood friends that questions the limits of loyalty and love; a family’s disintegration after a baby son is kidnapped and recovered years later; and a wild, erotic ride about pursuing creativity at the expense of everything else.

    But the scenic Villagio Hotel hides a dark and bizarre secret. Check-in Checkout is the story of those secrets. Behind the renovated majestic façade, laminated polished exteriors, fresh-smelling and brightly painted rooms lie old, rotting innards, musty corners and creepy crevices. The place houses some chilling horrors, seething in unknown corners, which stir to life in the darkness of night. Between check-in and check-out, the guests of the Villagio Hotel experience blood-curdling horrors.This book will take you on a thrilling ride, with ten gripping stories depicting different genres of horror – urban legends, revenge spirits, gore, modern-day haunting, psychological horror & satanicpractices. Come uncover the grisly and ghastly tales of the travellers who visited the Villagio Hotel from different parts of the world.But remember! In this hotel, you are not alone…someone somewhere is always watching you!WOULD YOU DARE TO STAY A NIGHT?

    Enigmatic, brooding, and darkly handsome, Thomas Cresswell has always been the one mystery Audrey Rose has never been able to fully solve. As brilliant partners in crime investigation, they understand each other perfectly...but as young lovers, their passionate natures have led to both euphoria and heartbreak throughout the Stalking Jack the Ripper series.This novella features a collection of scenes that takes place during and after the pair's horrifying Atlantic voyage in Escaping From Houdini. Experience new and familiar scenes from Thomas's unique point of view, including an intensely personal look into his plea for Audrey Rose's hand in marriage.With a romance for the ages, Audrey Rose and Thomas reach the conclusion to their epic, irresistible partnership in their final adventure, Capturing the Devil.

    This tree has bitter-sweet memories, just like the fruit it bears.” If the apricot trees of Soweto could talk, what stories would they tell? This short story collection provides an imaginative answer. Imbued with a vivid sense of place, it captures the vibrancy of the township and surrounds. Told with satirical flair, life and death are intertwined in these tales where funerals and the ancestors feature strongly; where cemeteries are places to show off your new car and catch up on the latest gossip. Populating these stories is a politician mesmerised by his mistress’s manicure, zama-zamas running businesses underground, a sangoma with a remedy for theft, soccer fans ready to mete out a bloody justice, a private dancer in love and many other intriguing characters. Take your seat under the apricot tree and be enthralled by tales that are both entertaining and thought-provoking.

    With very little options available in her small town of Bainsville, Tennessee, Mandy lets her best friend Shawna persuade her into joining and online dating site.Feeling she has met someone she can really connect with, Mandy decides it's time to meet face to face with her new suitor, unaware of his true plans for her. Dark, sinister plans that will test Mandy's physical strength, mental fortitude and will to survive.Will Mandy prevail or will she become number seventy-five?

    But, as Cabal is to discover, the future may not be the most reliable informant after all. "Ouroboros Ouzo" is a short tale of Johannes Cabal wherein he learns both too much, and too little.

    That is, his specialty is opening safes. Every job is a little mystery, and he has yet to encounter a lock he can't break or a box he can't crack. But the day Holloway gets called in to open a rare, antique safe in a famous author's library, his skills open a door that should have remained closed.In this haunting and singular story, previously published anonymously, Michael Connelly proves once again that he is "superb at building suspense.... the reader can never be sure what sudden turns the plot may take" (Wall Street Journal).

    Lavery comes a collection of darkly mischievous stories based on classic fairy tales. Adapted from his beloved "Children's Stories Made Horrific" series, The Merry Spinster takes up the trademark wit that endeared Lavery to readers of both The Toast and his best-selling debut Texts from Jane Eyre. The feature become among the most popular on the site, with each entry bringing in tens of thousands of views, as the stories proved a perfect vehicle for Lavery’s eye for deconstruction and destabilization. Sinister and inviting, familiar and alien all at the same time, The Merry Spinster updates traditional children's stories and fairy tales with elements of psychological horror, emotional clarity, and a keen sense of feminist mischief.Readers of The Toast will instantly recognize Lavery's boisterous good humor and uber-nerd swagger: those new to Lavery's oeuvre will delight in his unique spin on fiction, where something a bit mischievous and unsettling is always at work just beneath the surface.Unfalteringly faithful to its beloved source material, The Merry Spinster also illuminates the unsuspected, and frequently, alarming emotional complexities at play in the stories we tell ourselves, and each other, as we tuck ourselves in for the night.Bedtime will never be the same.The daughter cells --The thankless child --Fear not: an incident log --The six boy-coffins --The rabbit --The merry spinster --The wedding party --Some of us had been threatening our friend Mr.Toad --Cast your bread upon the waters --The frog's princess --Good fences make good neighbors

    What is fate, in a culture of free will and self-determination? Where do we project our doom, that ancient and evolving belief in predestination? In this issue of Granta, twenty-two writers meditate on fate in all its many forms.Includes contributions by Anjan Sundaram, Andrea Stuart, Fatima Bhutto, Sam Coll, Joanna Kavenna, Joseph Roth, Michael Cunningham, and Will Self.

    Unfortunately for Margot, her parents decide to extend their trip to the Florida Keys where they sign up for a kooky tour of historic Key West. Margot is horrified to have to traipse around hotter-than-Hades Old Town with her embarrassing parents until she meets Sam, an enigmatic local, who convinces her to embark on a spooky adventure that will inevitably lead to discovery and heartache. ONE NIGHT IS ALL YOU NEED is a 5,000-word YA short story that will appeal to both romance and mystery fans.

    From video game characters seeking civil rights and a cave dragon loan shark pondering an investment, to Santa Claus's Australian vacation and an enemy of Sam Spade's out for revenge, plus visits to the Nightside and Sookie Stackhouse's hometown, these stories will take readers around the world on a magical mystery tour."Lucky" by Charlaine Harris -- a Sookie Stackhouse short"Bogieman" by Carole Nelson Douglas"Looks are Deceiving" by Micheal A. Stackpole"the House of Seven Spirits" by Sharon Shinn"Glamour" by Mike Doogan"Spellbound" by Donna Andrews"the Duh Vice" by Michael Armstrong"Weight of the World" by John Straley"Illumination" by Laura Anne Gilman"the House" by Laurie R. King"Appetite for Murder" by Simon R. Green -- a Nightside short"A Woman's Work" by Dana Stabenow

    do you? The masters of horror are waiting to take you on a terrifying ride, and there are 13 stops.Meet the new guy in town, very handsome, very sexy, and very deadly. Dine on sweet and wonderfully inviting confections - they're good to the last breath. Learn that some spells can never be broken...Inside you'll find the works of 13 masters of horror. Let Christopher Pike, R.L. Stine and the rest of our macabre crew show you the beauty in your worst nightmares - and the terror in your most exquisite dreams.... * viii • Introduction (Thirteen) • (1991) • essay by T. Pines * 1 • Collect Call: The Black Walker: Part I • (1991) • novella by Christopher Pike * 49 • Lucinda • (1991) • novelette by Lael Littke * 73 • The Guiccioli Miniature • (1991) • shortstory by Jay Bennett * 83 • Blood Kiss • (1991) • novelette by D. E. Athkins * 103 • A Little Taste of Death • (1991) • novelette by Patricia Windsor * 127 • The Doll • (1991) • novelette by Carol Ellis * 149 • House of Horrors • (1991) • shortstory by J. B. Stamper * 165 • Where the Deer Are • (1991) • novelette by Caroline B. Cooney * 183 • The Spell • (1991) • novelette by R. L. Stine * 205 • Dedicated to the One I Love • (1991) • novelette by Diane Hoh * 231 • Hacker • (1991) • novelette by Sinclair Smith * 257 • Deathflash • (1991) • novelette by A. Bates * 279 • The Boy Next Door • (1991) • novelette by Ellen Emerson White * 305 • Collect Call: The Black Walker: Part II • (1991) • novella by Christopher Pike * 331 • About the Authors (Thirteen) • (1991) • essay by uncredited

    But throughout the island's history, its isolation also made it the perfect place to hide things the world was never meant to see.As Laurel finds herself entangled in the island's newest and most bizarre chapter, she must not only solve its mysteries, but also survive long enough to pass them on.This short story (about 7,500 words) mixes science fiction and horror with endearing and enigmatic characters who can only solve the mysteries of Anansi Island by facing their worst fears.

    Even in the costume her curves are obvious. All I can think about is ripping off the bunny suit and giving her some joy. I do women, not relationships. Besides it’s forbidden. But she makes me feel ways I’ve never felt. I’m the doctor but somehow she’s healing me. Forget the rules - she’s mine ***Sizzling hot alpha romance holiday novella with no cliffhangers, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after***

    To get away and relax with friends, forget everything happened, get her life back on track.A stop to seek shelter from a passing storm changes everything. With the weather too intense to continue travel, they pull their Jeep up to the only home around in hopes that the farmhouse's owner would let them rest awhile until the tornado warning passes and the winds and rain have settled. But when the owner of the property answers the door with a shotgun aimed to fire and orders them inside, Samantha can only watch, unseen, as her friends are taken inside to meet an unknown fate.As the only hope for her friends getting out alive, Samantha must figure out what to do, and do it soon. The storm is only getting worse.CALM BEFORE THE STORM is a suspense thriller, a fast-paced journey of horror for a dark and stormy night.