This reprint anthology showcases the best Holmes short fiction from the last 25 years, featuring stories by such visionaries as Stephen King, Neil Gaimen, Laura King, and many others.

    Nelly Huggett swears something took her mother, brother, and father. She doesn’t know what, or when, or how. And she needs Hyla and Lizeth Frontenac to bring them all back. Trouble is, her story doesn’t make sense. Though one thing is certain: something evil has infected the Huggett house. And when Nelly reveals her sinister side, the sisters wonder if the monster they seek is masquerading as a little girl. But Hyla won’t accept that. She can’t lose another child to darkness. She knows Nelly’s just different, wild, misunderstood. But what if she’s wrong? Wherever this evil comes from, it’s dragging Hyla into the abyss faster than she can chase the clues. And she may lose herself before she can save anyone else. Wicked Innocents is the first, free installment in a series of three books that combine a good old-fashioned amateur sleuth (two, in fact), with spine-tilling suspense, just enough horror to keep you on the edge of your seat, and the heart-pumping adrenaline of a fast-paced thriller. Sleuths and sisters Hyla and Lizeth Frontenac run their own unique private investigator business from a small town in the Adirondacks. But they’re more often in their 1972 Ford Econoline van, driving across rural America to investigate their next case. They’re not technically professionals, not really. The crimes they investigate are more dark and disturbing than the average. More…bizarre. Criminals are cloaked as supernatural creatures, occult forces threaten them at every turn, and the confused victims demand justice. Lucky for the victims, when these women sleuths are on the case, no monster is safe. For Kindle readers who enjoy a strong female lead protagonist, this thrilling series of paranormal private investigator mysteries will have you hooked from the first word. From the twisted imagination of mystery, suspense and thriller writer S.H. Livernois.

    A man who just might be a vampire.The Vampire Club, a group of misfits who meet regularly in the basement of Western Virginia University’s library, think that they might have found their first documented case of a real vampire. Better yet, the Club thinks that the vampire might still be alive to this day, lying comatose in a hidden grave. And this is good news indeed for a group of vampire lovers.The hunt begins, and as they close in on their immortal prize, they soon realize that they aren't the only ones interested in the vampire; indeed, a powerful group of killers will use whatever means possible to keep the vampire permanently in its grave.The first in a series that features The Vampire Club, a group of lovable, laughable, larcenous college students turned vampire hunters.

    In 1972, twenty-five people were brutally murdered in one of the bloodiest massacres in Texas history. The mystery of who committed the killings remains unsolved.Over forty years later, Sarah Donovan is dating an exciting man, Dean Stratton. Sarah's scared of just about everything--heights, tight places, the dark--but today she must confront all her fears, as she joins Dean and another couple on an exploring adventure. The old abandoned Blevins House, the scene of the gruesome massacre, is rumored to be haunted.The two couples are about to discover the mysterious house has been waiting all these years, craving fresh prey. And down in the cellar they will encounter a monstrous creature that hungers for more than just human flesh.

    And when Maurice turns Reginald to save his life, it's just Reginald's own further bad luck that he wakes up to discover he's become the slowest, weakest, most out-of-shape vampire ever born, doomed to "heal" to his corpulent self for all of eternity.As Reginald struggles with the downsides of being a fat vampire -- too slow to catch people to feed on, mocked by those he tries to glamour, assaulted by his intended prey and left for undead -- he discovers in himself rare powers that few vampires have… and just in time too, because the Vampire Council might just want his head for being an inferior representative of their race. Fat Vampire is the story of an unlikely hero who, after having an imperfect eternity shoved into his grease-stained hands, must learn to turn the afterlife's lemons into tasty lemon danishes.

    Ex-cop turned private eye Jack Nightingale is used to dealing with tricky situations. He's faced down the powers of hell a couple of times, too. In this new short story, he's called in to help a policeman who's lying at death's door. The doctors can't work out what's wrong. But the dying man's colleagues swear blind that he was cursed by a gypsy during the Dale Farm clearance. And Nightingale could be his only hope. Jack Nightingale is the hero of Stephen Leather's supernatural detective novels. There are five books in the critically acclaimed series: NIGHTFALL, MIDNIGHT, NIGHTMARE, NIGHTSHADE and LASTNIGHT.

    But it,s totally worth it.In these supernatural stories by five of today's hottest writers—Melissa Marr (Wicked Lovely), Scott Westerfeld (Specials), Justine Larbalestier (Magic or Madness), Gabrielle Zevin (Elsewhere), and Laurie Faria Stolarz (Blue is for Nightmares)—love may be twisted and turned around, but it's more potent than ever on its quest to conquer all.From two students who let the power of attraction guide them to break the hard-and-fast rules of their world to the girl who falls hard for a good-looking ghost with a score to settle, the clever, quirky characters in this exciting collection will break your heart, then leave you believing in love more than ever.

    Seven ancient demons known as the Fallen have awakened in New Jersey after a hundred years. Fortunately for Mike and Ann, so has the one man who can stop them, Joseph Miller. Trapped in a hospital filled with mythical monsters, only together can they unravel the mystery of the Cursed and escape with not only their lives but their very humanity. Ancient Awakening is a Horror/Action novel with just the right touch of comedy. It is the first book in the series The Ancient which follows the adventures of eccentric demon hunter Joseph Miller. His job is to defend the human race against seven mythical demons and their offspring. Unfortunately for us, he has been dead for the last hundred years. Ancient Awakening will be followed by Ancient Enemies and Ancient Revelations. The second edition of Ancient Awakening is re-edited, re-cut, and re-"vamped" for maximum monster hunter action.

    She has been dubbed “one of our most important writers,” (Junot Diaz), with “an imagination that most of us would kill for” (Los Angeles Times), and her work has been called “stunning,” (New York Times) “rich in voice, humor, and dazzling imagery” (Kirkus), and “simply triumphant” (Dorothy Allison).Falling in Love with Hominids presents over a dozen years of Hopkinson’s new, uncollected fiction, much of which has been unavailable in print. Her singular, vivid tales, which mix the modern with Afro-Caribbean folklore, are occupied by creatures unpredictable and strange: chickens that breathe fire, adults who eat children, and spirits that haunt shopping malls.

    Collected in this chilling volume are some of the famous Japanese mystery writer Edogawa Rampo's best stories—bizarre and blood-curdling expeditions into the fantastic, the perverse, and the strange, in a marvelous homage to Rampo's literary 'mentor', Edgar Allan Poe.

    A new outbreak is about to begin. The world's most deadly disease is loose, and anyone who catches it is doomed. Symptoms include coughing, sneezing, abdominal pain, and rotting of the flesh. There is no cure. Infection is 100% fatal. Stay calm. Please do not panic. The situation is under control. It is under control. The Peeling & Other Terrifying Tales is a collection of novellas and short stories from bestselling horror author Iain Rob Wright. It begins with the 80-page novella THE PEELING, and also includes several short stories, most of which have never been published before. Full table of contents below: 1. THE PEELING 2018 (novella) 2. THE PEELING OF SAMUEL LLOYD COLLINS 3. THE PEELING OMNIBUS (5 previously released novellas set in The Peeling universe) 4. EHLLF (short story) 5. VLOG LIFE (short story) 6. HEIRLOOMS (short story) 7. THE EAGLE & THE WOLF (short story) 8. CHICKEN BOY (short story) 9. THE WITNESS (short story) 10. THE BOB SAGA (1 previously released short story & 1 previously unpublished) "Iain Rob Wright scares the Hell out of me!" - J. A. Konrath "Iain Rob Wright is sick and twisted." - David Moody "A master of the genre." - Matt Shaw

    The stories traverse the magical and the mundane, where supernatural beings are indistinguishable from their mortal counterparts in their complexity and complicity.

    You know what you’ll find has been hidden away for years and will be horrible, but you can’t stop yourself. Human curiosity demands you step into the darkness—even though you may never reemerge.William McNally offers up four distinct pools of darkness, each with its own macabre attraction. In “Engine Eighteen,” Anna Sanchez and a scared group of Mexican immigrants put their trust in one of the human border smugglers known as coyotes. Anna knows trusting a coyote is risky; smugglers sometimes leave their cargo to die in the desert wastes of the border between Mexican and the United States. She’s willing to take that risk, but is she willing to hazard her soul?“Return to Nowhere” tells the story of Jack Reynolds, a huckster and card cheat with a unique ability. When his cheating attracts unwanted attention, Jack escapes by jumping to a different version of his life. But what happens if his new life turns out to be a dead end?New homes often have hidden flaws, but none as fatal as those found in “The Raven Mocker.” Terry and Abby James have more to worry about than faulty wiring or foundation cracks. Their new mountain property includes the grave of a vengeful and still-active witch, and she’s hungry.Finally, McNally reminds us it’s possible to find light even in the darkness. “The Spinning Wheel” tells the tale of John Roberts, whose love for his son leads to a fate-changing decision.Some react to the darkness with fear and panic, while others respond with bravery and self-sacrifice. Four Corners Dark invites you into the darkness. Don’t bother bringing a flashlight; you’ll have to find your own way out.

    New friends introduce him to legends and rumors that have swirled around the inn since time-immemorial, and he finds plenty of proof to believe them as strange noises and twisted shadows stalk the halls.Worst of all, his estranged grandfather has invited himself to join them at the inn. Creepy doesn't begin to describe that black-cloaked gentleman with the pale skin and weird, ever-constant glasses. Old secrets, mysterious sealed-up rooms and creeping shadows abound as Jack tries to manage his new life at Hawthorn Inn.

    P. Lovecraft, published his first story, the monstrosities that crawled out of his brain have become legend: the massive, tentacled Cthulhu, who lurks beneath the sea waiting for his moment to rise; the demon Sultan Azathoth, who lies babbling at the center of the universe, mad beyond imagining; the Deep Ones, who come to shore to breed with mortal men; and the unspeakably-evil Hastur, whose very name brings death. These creatures have been the nightmarish fuel for generations of horror writers, and the inspiration for some of their greatest works.This impressive anthology celebrates Lovecraft's most famous beasts in all their grotesque glory, with each story a gripping new take on a classic mythos creature and affectionately accompanied by an illuminating illustration. Within these accursed pages something unnatural slouches from the sea into an all-night diner to meet the foolish young woman waiting for him, while the Hounds of Tindalos struggle to survive trapped in human bodies, haunting pool halls for men they can lure into the dark. Strange, haunting, and undeniably monstrous, this is Lovecraft as you have never seen him before.Contents"Only the End of the World Again" by Neil Gaiman"The Bleeding Shadow" by Joe R. Lansdale"Love is Forbidden, We Croak & Howl" by Caitlín R. Kiernan"Bulldozer" by Laird Barron"A Quarter to Three" by Kim Newman"Inelastic Collisions" by Elizabeth Bear"That of Which We Speak When We Speak of the Unspeakable" by Nick Mamatas"Red Goat Black Goat" by Nadia Bulkin"Jar of Salts" and "Haruspicy" by Gemma Files"Black is the Pit From Pole to Pole" by Howard Waldrop and Steven Utley"I've Come to Speak with You Again" by Karl Edward Wagner"The Sect of the Idiot" by Thomas Ligotti"The Dappled Things" by William Browning Spencer"The Same Deep Waters as You" by Brian Hodge"Remnants" by Fred Chappell"Waiting at the Cross Roads" by Steve Rasnic Tem"Children of the Fang" by John Langan