But Tom's demons return with a vengeance as he discovers the baby is possessed by the spirit of another girl, who went missing 10 years ago - the night Tom had his last drug-fuelled blackout.

    The Spot and Smudge series explores the love of a unique family, the loyalty of their very special dogs, and the perils of underestimating them. These smart, imaginative stories weave together elements of horror, thriller, mystery, espionage, crime, medical drama, and genetic engineering. Note: This series contains some colorful language and mature themes. "Shove over brother, let me show you the proper bloody way to strangle someone." The Hogans weren’t looking to start a war. They just wanted to leave their troubles behind, move closer to grandma, and let their kids adopt some damn puppies. But their quaint new town is harboring some gruesome secrets… …and their strange new pups are not what they appear to be. There’s a dark connection between these mysterious orphaned canines and the town’s twisted criminals…and that connection is dragging the Hogans into a ruthless fight they aren’t prepared to win. But the grit of a devoted family, like the loyalty of a faithful pair of dogs, shouldn't be underestimated… …Especially when those cunning dogs are the most significant leap forward in the forty million years of canine evolution.

    On Valentine’s Day, while conducting an opinion poll, the call connects her to Patrick Walsh. When their ten-minute call turns into a three-hour discussion, both Callie and Patrick wonder if the other is their soulmate. But before they can exchange names and make plans to meet, the call cuts out when a massive power outage blacks out Manhattan. With no way to recover the call, they each set out to find the other using the information they shared during their conversation. Soulmates are meant to find each other, right? Guess again, the universe has its own plan…

    Why else would he be so talented at expertly crafting stories that defy expectations? For me there is no greater joy than seeing an artist excel at his craft." - Aintitcoolnews.com Quite literally, no escape. Because he's always with you. And in the real world -the world of you, the reader - HE WAITS will stay in your mind in a way that you won't expect ...PLUS THE SECOND STORY, 'KEEP YOUR CHILDREN CLOSE'A campsite. A family holiday. A broken down car. And an approaching breakdown truck that is just the start of Shelley's nightmare. By the time the sun sets, someone in that field will be dead, and Shelley must somehow make sure it isn't one of her children ... KEEP YOUR CHILDREN CLOSE is a story that you will find impossible to predict.PRAISE FOR LUKE SMITHERD'S WRITING:"... a novel that intrigues, enthralls, horrifies, thrills, and hits the reader with an emotional resonance as only the best stories can." - Ain't It Cool News.com"... strong characterization, moral quandaries, mystery, and a whole lot of tense moments. Reading the final sentence was truly a bittersweet moment." - SFsignal.com, Hugo award-winning websiteWant to download the first few pages of this book for FREE so that you can try before you buy? Click the 'Send sample now' button on the upper right hand side of this page to do just that!AMAZON REVIEWS OF LUKE SMITHERD'S WORK:"I couldn't help myself and read this is one sitting." - simon211175, Amazon Vine Voice"It was one of those books where you tell yourself you will read just one more page, then look at the clock and realise that it's 2 hours later. I would thoroughly recommend it." - Elaine Hosegood"I have owned a Kindle for about 2 years and downloaded some excellent books for very little cost but Luke Smitherd's works beat the lot." - Silversmith, Amazon UK Review"As soon as I started reading I was completely sucked in, which very rarely happens for me. I couldn't wait to get home and read it each night. I laughed. I cried. I did actual real life gasps of horror." - Katie, Amazon Review

    Collecting the cards and imagining himself in the wild world the monsters exist, has become his favorite pastime. Depressed that the fictitious monsters don’t exist in his world, a thought occurs to him. Maybe they don’t just have to be fiction. Maybe the fantasy can become real. But at what cost?

    The tiny mountain town of Vesper Falls knows it, but more importantly, his son Kevin knows it. Haunted by soul-ripping guilt and fiercely despised by his son, Jack turns to the bottle while Kevin turns to crime. But three years behind bars does nothing to dull the hate he feels toward his father. Desperate to reconnect, Jack takes Kevin on a hunting trip to Scar Lake, arranged by a preacher with his own emotional scars. But there is something wicked in the woods that doesn’t care about emotions—it only cares about death and torment. The hunters become the hunted as small town secrets are dragged from the darkness and Jack finds himself facing an impossible choice as his son’s life hangs in the balance. Gristle is a brutal, bloody, briskly-paced novel of redemption, sacrifice, and backwoods horror in the classic tradition of The Hills Have Eyes and Wrong Turn.

    It might make you uncomfortable. If it does—if your stomach knots or your skin prickles—then your answer is yes. You probably don’t want to admit it. I get that. But it doesn’t change the fact that deep down you’re a killer. Like me. My name is Mia Sanguine. I’m a 17-year- old girl, living in Australia. I go to school, play percussion in the orchestra, and study when I have to. I like horror movies, comic books, and punk music. Oh, and yeah, a group of teenagers has ruined my life. So I’m going to kill them. But don’t get me wrong—I’m not talking about some Columbine-styled rubbish. No offense, but this isn’t the United States. All I need is a mask, an outfit, and a pair of knives. You see, I’m going to become a slasher movie villain. Like Jason, Mike, or Ghostface. In real life. Not because it’s right. But because of what I am. A YOUNG SLASHER.

    Nearly a century later there are those who still report seeing the children swimming beneath the surface like elusive dolphins. After losing her husband in a violent car crash, Rachel King and her two young sons venture to Arrowhead Lake to heal. When Rachel discovers that Great Woods Timber is planning to clear-cut this beautiful wilderness she enlists the help of Lilly Bowman and her mysterious father, chief and shaman of the Wabanaki nation. But dark events have been set in motion and Arrowhead Lake is under siege by a sinister force of mercenaries. When Chief Neptune vanishes, Rachel and Lilly call on Seth Ferguson, the local deputy sheriff for help. Together they discover an astonishing truth; a shadowy cabal that will stop at nothing to obtain the secret of Arrowhead Lake, a secret that if unearthed could have far-reaching consequences. When one of Rachel’s sons vanishes in the Lake, she and Lilly embark on a harrowing journey to find him. What they discover is a mind boggling truth that will change their lives forever. *

    Blood. On his sheets. His pillowcase.Then he gets a call: his ex-wife was murdered last night.He desperately tries to piece together what happened. But he can’t explain how he got the scratches on his arms, the police want to know about the domestic violence report his ex filed against him, and his buddies say he was raging against her last night before he stormed off on his own. Right about the time she was murdered.

    Reckless, dangerous games. Games you might even want to play yourself if you're with the right people. But shouldn't. Not ever. In a small Maine town, a group of thrill seeking college kids finds a game of hide and seek in an abandoned house turning into a reality of stark terror.

    Everyone around him is dead. He has no idea where he is, or who shot him and his squad down.He soon discovers he’s on one of the moons orbiting Mars, not far from the main colony and his transport back to Earth. Two members of a mining team stationed on the moon come out to investigate. They take Miller back to their base where he manages to send out a call for help.He has ninety minutes to wait for rescue.But those ninety minutes are going to feel like a lifetime.Miller quickly realises that something in the station is wrong.There seems to be more to this place than meets the eye.Strange and unsettling events suggest things are not quite as they appear.As the minutes until his rescue tick by and he begins to finally figure out what is going on, Miller is forced to confront echoes from his past as well as his deepest fears in a situation that is becoming more terrifying by the second.And he soon learns that some nightmares don’t stop when you wake up.

    When Roger Huntington comes home from college for the summer and is met by his best friend, Tooth, he knows they're going to have a good time. A summer full of beer, comic books, movies, laughs, and maybe even girls. So much pain. The sun is high and the sky is clear as Roger and Tooth set out to shoot beer cans at Bobcat Mountain. Just two friends catching up on lost time, two friends thinking about their futures, two friends-- So much blood. --suddenly thrust in the middle of a nightmare. Forced to fight for their life against a sadistic killer. A killer with an arsenal of razor sharp blades and a hungry dog by his side. So much death. If they are to survive, they must decide: are heroes born, or are they made? Or is something more powerful happening to them? And more importantly, how do you survive when all roads lead to death!

    It can't turn back. And the fuel's running out.Reaching the end of a four hour flight, the crew of Phoenix Flight 375 find themselves facing an impossible dilemma: terrible weather, a natural disaster and a silent killer force them to decide not how to live, but how they might have to die. Half of the passengers want to survive. The others want a quick and painless end. They have one hour of fuel remaining, and then their choices will be over.At thirty-seven thousand feet and five hundred miles per hour, you're not in control of anything. On this flight, neither are the pilots...

    This is the tale of a deadly conspiracy, an all-consuming obsession, and an unlikely heroine.Michael Aldridge, talented architect and devoted family man, has built his dream home on the Isle of Wight, but when strange coincidences take a sinister turn, he must uncover a long-forgotten secret before it’s too late.A wonderfully sinister new novella from the master of the chilling ghost story, The Going and The Rise questions how far you would go to realise your dream… and what you would risk to protect the one you love.

    King’s mysterious and thriller packed story vaults. Open up your imagination and let the vivid writing and frightening tales awaken your mind. Scream late into the night with more great horror for all your senses. Evil comes in many forms. Travel through the desert, speak with others from another world, and smell the roses in these incredible journeys and wild realities. WARNING: Not the famous Stephen King from Maine.