A lonely teenage girl falls in love with an older, married neighbor. A woman attends a party at the home of her boyfriend’s ex-wife. A schoolteacher gets fired for teaching time incorrectly to grade-school students. And a young woman recovering from a breakup receives guidance from a drunk therapist. Poignant and sharply rendered, Otis’s stories seek answers to the questions of whom we love and why, how we search for love, lose it, or find it—sometimes at the last moment and in the most unlikely places. Quirky and hilarious, these stories display a knowing affection for human strangeness.

    The investigation into his murder unearths a more than questionable lifestyle where it seems that everyone who knew him had a reason to see him dead. Detectives Steve Rickets and his partner Detective Sarah Branson follow a trail of dead ends that lead them scratching their heads. Is it the disgruntled business partner, the angry and upset daughter, the woman who secretly loves him, of the crime figure he owes thousands to? This classic who done it murder mystery will keep you guessing to the end. An unexpected twist will lead you right to the killer if you spot it. This short story of 12,000 words (appx) is ideal for lovers of hard boiled detective crime thrillers and murder mystery short stories.

    . . Cambridge on the morning of a day in April, the year of Our Lord 1569.And Christopher Radcliff, Doctor of Civil Laws at Pembroke Hall and recruiter of clever young men to the service of the Earl of Leicester, is amongst a crowd of excited townsfolk and university scholars gathered on a field to watch a game of foot ball. It is to be played between the apprentices of the town and pupils of the colleges and it is hoped it will reconcile differences between town and gown. Bets are placed, wagers made. On the field long-standing animosities surface and violence breaks out but not before the college team is victorious, thanks to the skill of a Pembroke Hall man, John Groom.Later that day, Radcliff is summoned to the senior tutor’s rooms. It transpires that John Groom has been locked up on a serious charge of assault – he’d nearly caused a cobbler’s apprentice to drown. If found guilty, Groom would be expelled from college and face imprisonment. But Christopher smells a rat. He believes the charge to be the fabrication of someone with a serious grudge against the young man, and yet it does seem as if Groom is hiding something. Enlisting the help of his friend Edward Allington and his wife Katherine, Dr Radcliff knows the truth lies somewhere within the infamous den that is Slegge’s gaming house…

    Maceo has overlooked the vow of “forsaking all others”, so it’s hard for him to stay faithful. Maceo is extremely sexy, and women are always throwing their goodies at him. He loves his beautiful wife Chrissy, but he keeps a hot thot on standby. He has a weakness for fine, freaky women. Their marriage seems to be perfect from the outside looking in. However, everything that glitters ain’t gold. Big trouble is brewing and Maceo is creeping out the bed to meet up with different mistresses. It’s just sex to him and nothing more; but, what happens when one of his side chicks fall in love? She’s willing to do whatever it takes to make Maceo her man. Chrissy has overlooked her husband’s cheating over the years; but, after learning of a particular mistress, Maceo might have crossed a line she can’t forgive. Maceo is scandalous, but he’s not the only one hiding secrets. Chrissy’s past ain’t pretty, and both of their secrets will be exposed. ​When life changing secrets are revealed…..can Maceo and Chrissy forgive each other? Or will the cheating, lies, and secrets be too much to save this troubled marriage?

    

    -- Presents the most important 20th-century criticism on major works from The Odyssey through modern literature-- The critical essays reflect a variety of schools of criticism-- Contains critical biographies, notes on the contributing critics, a chronology of the author's life, and an index

    He is grieving for the loss of his wife when the tunnel collapses and traps the bus inside. In the darkness that follows, he manages to fumble out of the bus with the only other survivor, an astute and gentle woman who reminds him of his late wife. Without any light to guide them and with only each other to depend on, they try to escape the stifling darkness and along the way find themselves confronted by their pasts and given their last chance at intimacy, and ultimately, absolution.A realist story that plays with surreal elements, the tale poses a simple question: what is the meaning of hope?

    The city is theirs to enjoy as Jack struggles to pursue a writing career and Chloe works downtown, applying herself to the world of high finance. While Jack aspires to be the perfect husband, his own self-doubts and Chloe's office flirtations cast shadows. Jealousy and misbehavior undermine their notions of themselves and of each other, and their lives take on uncomfortable parallels with the volatile, chaotic existence of their raffish, menacing neighbors. In the intense heat of one Chicago summer, Jack and Chloe's marriage roils into a queasy chemistry of vanity, lust, and greed. Thompson writes with piercing insight and emotional truth, setting off literary fireworks.

    Two roughneck hockey players are kicked off the team and forced to join the drama club. A young bartender at a party of coastal aristocrats has to deal with the surreal request to put a rich old coot out of his misery. Can a father defend his family if the diver helping to free the tangled propeller of their boat turns out to be a real threat?With humor, a piercing eye, and a sense that danger often lies just around the corner, Robinson gives us a variety of vivid characters, wealthy and poor, delinquent and romantic, while illuminating the mythic, universal implications of so-called ordinary life. These stories are at once classic and modern; taken together, they bring the good news that an important, compassionate new voice in American fiction has arrived.

    She had the radio on as she danced around the kitchen waiting for Karl to get back from his business trip in New Orleans. They were married almost 2 months and she had missed him. That is when it happened. There was a knock at the door; she almost didn’t hear it as she sang along to the latest catchy tune that was sure to get annoying in the next few days. She ran from the kitchen thinking Karl was going to be his usual sweet self and try to surprise her with a grand entrance – or maybe he had left his keys. She opened the door with excitement only to see two police officers with solemn faces. Her world came crashing down around her as she invited them in and continued cooking. She couldn’t believe it, Karl was going to come through that door any minute and tell them it was all a mistake. He would want dinner when he got back. She needed to keep cooking so he wouldn’t go hungry. Jessica came around and talked her down, told her that she needed to go with the police officers to identify the body. She would be with her every step of the way. What followed was the realization that her husband was dead and their future was no more. All the things they were going to do; getting a chateaux in France, having a family, getting a cat when they moved to the suburbs and bought their own place. The future was full of life and in a split second it became a blank canvas; all because of a stupid accident.

    Follow Max on his lifelong quest to produce the perfect novel. Touching, irreverent, hilarious and sad. Every writer should read this story. Every writer will relate to Max. please note: This is a SHORT STORY consisting of 2,500 words.

    The perfect gift for fans of the hit podcast, Dear Joan & Jericha.

    Millions of readers around the world have relished Jeffrey Archer's short stories. His first collection, A Quiver Full of Arrows, was acclaimed by The Times as 'stylish, witty and entertaining." Of his second collection, A Twist in the Tale, the New York Times said: 'Jeffrey Archer plays a subtle cat-and-mouse game with the reader in twelve original stories that end, more often than not, with our collective whiskers twitching in surprise.' His third, Twelve Red Herrings, was described by the Daily Mail as 'an exemplary collection of short stories.'

    Filled with admiration for his characters and the hope they bring to their day to day dilemmas, Night Swimming has affirmed Pete Fromm's reputation as one of the nation's best writers.

    Featuring his most intriguing character since Edward X. Delaney--Wolf Lannihan--his latest work, Tales of the Wolf, offers non-stop thrills and is sure to please his legions of fans. Original.