This thriller marks the debut of Mechelle Deakes, a hard edged African-American detective who is assigned to Atlanta's Cold Case Unit - and a partner who is determined to find a twisted serial killer - no matter what the cost.

    A pair of petty criminals... A young man... And a peverse serial killer... Strangers with seemingly little in common with one another, are inextricably linked through a series of macabre events. In one explosive night, these people's lives will change forever. Their stories are all different, but their plans are all the same: Stay the night at the Lodgepole Pine Motel and leave the next morning. The only problem is that one night at the Lodgepole Pine Motel can be a lifetime. The Last Motel is fun; a thrilling, white-knuckled suspense read. Mcbean's voice is one that should be heard - a hint of Laymon and Koontz, yet distinctly his own. Genuinely creepy stuff ! Brian Keene, Author of No Rest For The Wicked and The Rising

    He has been wildly praised for a series of bronze sculptures that group families together, depicting them in moments of excruciating physical and emotional pain-but the art world has no clue as to how he creates such authentic, gruesome, seemingly tortured human representations. He assigns each family a number, and now he's up to number nine. What's in store for family #9? Cruelty and savagery that you can't even imagine.... The Bone Parade introduces a villain who is as methodical, calculating, and detached as any found in the best fiction. It's gripping. It's chilling. You might be too afraid to read on, but you'll never be able to tear your eyes away.

    Living there are men who have committed all manner of moral crimes. Deceived by an elaborate ruse, they wake deep within fortress walls where they are tortured, brainwashed, and then trained to physical perfection. When they are finally released to the island's hills and abandoned streets, they are told one simple rule: Survive long enough and you will be sent home. The island's only other inhabitants are women. In "Man Hunt", survival of the fittest means being literally hunted. It is "Lord of the Flies" meets hard-core feminism, because it tells both sides of the story.

    Konrath: "Crouch is one of the best thriller short story writers I know. He uses words like an artist uses a paintbrush; to hurt, to stun, to shock, to provoke, to touch. This collection also features my very favorite short story of all time. Not just my favorite by Crouch, but the best one I've ever read by anyone. It's called "Unconditional." It is flat-out brilliant and unforgettable, and that one tale is worth the price of this entire collection." From the author of DESERT PLACES and LOCKED DOORS comes this complete collection of short stories and novellas. *69 - Tim and Laura West receive a bizarre voicemail on their answering machine that seems to have unintentionally recorded a brutal murder. But what happens when the killer realizes their mistake? This story develops over one terrifying evening, and this young couple will never be the same. REMAKING - Tragic events unfold in a snowy, sleepy Colorado town. From the first scene, in which a man sits alone in the cold, watching a father and son in a diner, you know something is about to go horribly wrong. You may think you know what's happening, but in this thrilling, heartbreaking story, nothing is as it seems. ON THE GOOD, RED ROAD - A group of four hard men trying to reach a remote 19th Century mining town become stranded in an early blizzard and resort to drastic, terrifying measures, to stay alive. SHINING ROCK - An older couple encounter a strange and menacing visitor during a camping trip in the North Carolina mountains. Friendly at first, this stranger seems to know them, seems to know their secrets, and as things escalate, they become convinced that they may never leave these mountains alive. PERFECT LITTLE TOWN - Ron and Jessica Stahl are a power couple from California, on a Christmas holiday in Colorado. When they stop for the afternoon in sleepy Lone Cone, they're charmed by the quaint tourist town. But the folksy hospitality will vanish as the sun drops behind the mountains. The Stahls couldn't have picked a worse night of the year to get snowed into this perfect little town with a dark, dark secret. SERIAL - The classic horror short I wrote with J.A. Konrath, in which we turn our attention to the twin golden rules of hitchhiking: # 1: Don't go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy. # 2: Don't pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be a raving nutcase. So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2? THE NEWTON BOYS' LAST PHOTOGRAPH - At 25 words, the shortest story I ever wrote. But it packs a wallop. THE METEOROLOGIST - Peter, a disgraced meteorologist and chronic wanderer, has traveled the country for years in his Winnebago, in search of the only thing that gives his life meaning. He's just arrived in the middle of nowhere-Hokie, Kansas-for the same purpose, but when he meets a waitress named Melanie, another sufferer, he's faced not only with his first real human contact in years, but perhaps someone who can save him. UNCONDITIONAL - A conversation between two people-devastating, tragic, and beautiful. THE PAIN OF OTHERS - Letty Dobesh, a gorgeous, degenerate thief, is fresh out of the clink and back to her old tricks-in this case, burglarizing suites at a luxury hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. But when she's surprised by returning guests on her last room of the day, she's forced to hide in the closet to avoid getting caught, and inadvertently overhears a hitman being contracted to murder the wife of a wealthy lawyer. This 60,000-word short story collection also contains a foreword by J.A. Konrath and introductions to each story by the author. BLAKE CROUCH is the author of four novels and numerous short stories, including "Serial" which he co-wrote with J.A. Konrath and has been downloaded more than 300,000 times. He lives in southwest Colorado, where he is at work on a new book. His website is www.blakecrouch.co

    Tales of their grisly conquests have kept us cowering under the covers, but still turning the pages.Psychos is the first book to collect in a single volume the scariest and most well-crafted fictional works about these deranged killers. Some of the stories are classics, the best that the genre has to offer, by renowned writers such as Neil Gaiman, Jack Ketchum, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch, and Thomas Harris. Other selections are from the latest and most promising crop of new authors.John Skipp, who is also the editor of Zombies, Demons and Werewolves and Shapeshifters, provides fascinating insight, through two nonfiction essays, into our insatiable obsession with serial killers and how these madmen are portrayed in popular culture. Resources at the end of the book includes lists of the genre's best long-form fiction, movies, websites, and writers.

    The human body is a canvas, and as an undertaker, Harold considers himself an artist. His expertise is bringing the appearance of life back to the dead for their wakes. But when his ex-lovers start arriving in body bags, Harold believes he’s receiving a message to create a new masterpiece. Rutger and Kandi also make their art with flesh. The duo found fame in the golden age of pornography, releasing huge hits in the ’80s and living extravagant lives. Now under the pressure of a new market, one that craves more vile and taboo movies, Rutger hires Kandi once again. this time the Job is to create the most shocking porno imaginable. They even draw in two curious teenagers, Toby and Jessica, whose cabin vacation has landed them in the wrong place at the wrong time. Attracted by all of these creations, a mysterious red dust surrounds these unique artists, bringing their worlds together. Soon they'll all learn that art truly does imitate life.

    Just spend a night alone in an empty, deserted house. There's nothing to be afraid of. It's only another one of Lyle's silly night games.Or is it?

      Kelly Pratihari-Reid and her husband sail their yacht into Antarctic waters, thinking their gravest concerns will be ice and storms—and their cracked marriage. A British girl shrieking across a short-range VHF frequency ends that illusion. It’s coming, she screams. It saw us and it’s coming back! Her voice is drowned by a tide of signal-jamming static, and Kelly sees a target on the radar screen: A ship is coming for them.   Thus begins an unforgettable cat-and-mouse game across stormy polar seas and dire landfalls. Kelly’s pursuers will test her to the limits of her endurance—and beyond. For the ship in her wake is crewed by pirates, with a young leader trained to use the most sadistic tortures in pursuit of his ultimate objective . . . a goal as shocking as it is horrific.Praise for Close Reach  “This is the kind of horror that will make your heart race.”—Examiner.com   “Mind-blowing . . . I started reading it and didn’t stop till I finished.”—Cabin Goddess   “A visceral edge-of-the-seat roller coaster ride.”—The Novel Pursuit   “A book that will appeal to sailing enthusiasts, horror enthusiasts or both!”—To Read or Not to Read Is Not a Question   “Pure adrenaline . . . definitely recommended for fans of dark thrillers.”—Pamelibrarian“Set on the icy polar seas, bristling with suspense, Jonathan Moore’s Close Reach is as horrifying and claustrophobic as any haunted house story. The plot pitches and yaws with twist after twist, and by midpoint the reader is a goner. Leave the lights on, lock the doors, feed the cats, this is an irresistible page-turner of the first order. Highly recommended!”—Jay Bonansinga, New York Times bestselling co-author of The Walking Dead: Fall of the Governor, Part Two and author of The Sinking of the Eastland“Readers will need their sea legs for this hugely enjoyable, roller-coaster voyage of a novel. Close Reach is a brutal tale of redemption and revenge with a heroine to root for at every shocking twist and turn. Jonathan Moore’s writing is as rich as it is raw and thrilling—and storms along at a breakneck pace that will leave you gasping for air.”—Frazer Lee, Bram Stoker Award–nominated author of The Lamplighters, Panic Button, and The Jack in the Green

    The tension escalates as the survivors realise there is a murderer among them, who is preparing to strike again and again…With mounting desperation, people begin to turn on each other. While they struggle to identify who is responsible, each must contend with their own past and the secrets they are hiding.But who is who? And which of them will be next to die?

    One dies in a horrible accident.Nine realize they are all past survivors, alive only because they’ve beaten incredible odds once before. One by one, their hidden secrets are revealed.Eight discover they are trapped. Caught in a game so deadly that the most terrifying experiences of their lives were only its qualifying round, they must now face the greatest danger on the island… each other. There’s nothing deadlier than a survivor-type whose back is against the wall. And one of them is not who he or she claims.Seven fight to escape. Six try to solve the mystery of who lured them there and why.Five… Four… Will anyone survive New Year Island?

    But the discovery of a woman's dead body, bound and covered with snakes, sends panic through his community and ignites his investigative instincts.As the serial killer continues to target his prey, Herne must confront his haunted past to uncover the pattern in the deaths. He soon discovers that every victim suffers from a phobia. And every murder transforms the victim’s worst fear into reality.Tormented by his personal demons, Herne is forced to face his own fears as he hunts for a murderer who uses terror for a weapon.

     My life is shattered. Everything I've ever known is gone from me, yet I've discovered something beautiful. I didn't expect to be taken. I never dreamed that love would find me while my life was slowly stripped away. With him something new and alive stirs within me, and I am completely changed. Though battered and broken-down, I'm not alone. The most unlikely man protects me and gives me strength. I will survive this for him. I will find a way to save us both. While they hold me, he holds my heart, and I'm not willing to pay the price to get it back. WARNING: Beyond Ransom is a New Adult Romantic Suspense novel intended for mature audiences 18+. It contains disturbing situations, graphic violence, strong language, and sexual content. The Ransom Series concludes in Beyond Revenge, available February 8, 2014.

    Murder. Rape. Absolute brutality. When civilizations ends...when the human race begins to revert to ancient, predatory savagery...when the world descends into a bloodthirsty hell...there is only survival. But for one man and one woman, survival means becoming something less than human. Something from the primeval dawn of the race. "Shocking and brutal, The Devil Next Door will hit you like a baseball bat to the face. Curran seems to have it in for the world ... and he's ending it as horrifyingly as he can." - Tim Lebbon, author of Bar None "The Devil Next Door is dynamite! Visceral, violent, and disturbing!." Brian Keene, author of Castaways and Dark Hollow

    Or at least they think they do. Lately, things on Hewitt Street have been strange. There have been a number of mysterious deaths and disappearances. The neighbors have become suspicious of one another. Fear takes hold and fights ensue as they race to learn the truth behind these strange occurrences before the killer can strike again.So who among them is the murderer?That's what the residents of Hewitt Street are dying to find out...* For mature audiences only.REVIEWS"...just like an Alfred Hitchcock thriller!" -- Independent Review"Brilliantly written. Never saw the end coming. Well done as that is rare these days. Loved it!" -- Independent Review