This title reveals the endless stuggle between the forces of darkness and its opponents, from the vampires and werewolves of old England, to villains in pop culture and serial killers who prowl the streets.

    But ailing finances have forced her to accept a lucrative case that could save her firm - if it doesn't kill her first. Shiarra has signed on to work for a high-level mage to recover an ancient artifact owned by one of New York's most powerful vampires. As soon as Shiarra meets sexy, mesmerizing vamp Alec Royce, she knows her assignment is even more complicated than she thought. With a clandestine anti-Other group trying to recruit her, and magi being eliminated, Shiarra needs back-up and enlists her ex-boyfriend - a werewolf whose non-furry form is disarmingly appealing - and a nerdy mage with surprising talents. But it may not be enough. In a city where the undead roam, magic rules, and even the Others aren't always what they seem, Shiarra has just become the secret weapon in a battle between good and evil - whether she likes it or not...

    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.

    It features some of the very best short stories and novellas by today's masters of the macabre — including Neil Gaiman, Glen Hirshberg, Tanith Lee, Ramsey Campbell, and Charles Coleman Finlay.Contents: Summer / Al Sarrantonio --Digging deep / Ramsey Campbell --Night watch / John Gordon --Luxury of harm / Christopher Fowler --Sentinels / Mark Samuels --Saffron gatherers / Elizabeth Hand --What nature abhors / Mark Morris --Last reel / Lynda E. Rucker --American dead / Jay Lake --Between the cold moon and the earth / Peter Atkins --Sob in the silence / Gene Wolfe --Continuity error / Nicholas Royle --Dr. Prida's dream-plagued patient / Michael Bishop --Ones we leave behind / Mark Chadbourn --Mine / Joel Lane --Obsequy / David J. Schow --Thrown / Don Tumasonis --Houses under the sea / Caitlín R. Kiernan --They / David Morrell --Clockwork horror / F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre --Making cabinets / Richard Christian Matheson --Pol Pot's beautiful daughter (Fantasy) / Geoff Ryman --Devil's smile / Glen Hirshberg --Man who got off the ghost train / Kim Newman --Necrology: 2006 / Stephen Jones & Kim Newman.

    Two magics. One world.There’s nowhere in America like the Big Easy. Just ask Jane Yellowrock, shapeshifting vampire killer, whose hunting grounds run the length and breadth of the Bayou.Just ask Joanne Walker, whose shamanic magic has drawn her to the heart of American Weird.But it’s not Joanne’s world, and it isn’t Jane’s either. In a New Orleans where Katrina never hit and supposedly-dead vampires stalk the streets, Jane and Jo have to find and defeat the magic that brought them there–or they just might find themselves…EASY PICKINGSfan fiction by the authors themselves!

    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

    This title features over twenty tales that transport you to the worlds in which mythical beasts, magical creatures of various shapes and sizes, heart-stoppingly handsome ghosts, angels and mortals with extra-sensory powers live out extraordinary desires.TO HELL WITH LOVE by Jackie KesslerPRINCES OF DOMINION by Ava GraySPIRIT OF THE PRAIRIE by Shirley DamsgaardTHE DEMON’S SECRET by Nathalie GrayMARINE BIOLOGY by Gail CarrigerZOLA’S PRIDE by Moira RogersIN DREAMS by Elissa WildsTHE GAUNTLET by Karen ChanceTHE GETAWAY by Sonya BatemanMR SANDMAN by Sherri Browning ErwinTHE SIN-EATER’S PROMISE by Michele HaufFRAGILE MAGIC by Sharon AshwoodNIGHTDRAKE by Lara AdrianTHE SONS OF RA by Helen Scott TaylorEVE OF WARFARE by S.J. DayTHE MAJESTIC by Seressia GlassANSWER THE WICKED by Kim Lenox

    Even so, when she somehow acquires a stalker, Layla Rue is surprised to find that Sean is the only one she can trust.Her Best Enemy by USA TODAY bestselling author Maggie ShayneKiley Brigham refuses to believe there's a ghost in her house, but when an unseen hand leaves a bloody message on her bathroom mirror, she's forced to turn to local psychic Jack McCain. As the two work to uncover a long-buried secret, Kiley finds that she's haunted not by spirits, but by thoughts of Jack.Someone Else's Shadow by Locus Award-winning author Barbara HamblyMaddie Laveau worries about her young roommate, Tessa, when she stays late to practice ballet in the old Glendower Building -- and when Tessa goes missing, Maddie enlists mysterious tenant Phil Anderson to help. But is Phil the white knight she needs, or the predator she fears?

    These beings are part human but under certain conditions transform into formidable creatures that prey upon humans and animals. This is a reference to these entities.

    He is absolutely indestructible... He changes with the styles in fiction but he never goes out of fashion. He is the really permanent citizen of the earth, for mortals, at best, are but transients' - Dorothy ScarboroughThis new selection of ghost stories, by Michael Newton, brings together the best of the genre. From Elizabeth Gaskell's 'The Old Nurse's Story' through to Edith Wharton's 'Afterword', this collection covers all of the most terrifying tales of the genre. With a thoughtful introduction, and helpful notes, Newton places the stories contextually within the genre and elucidates the changing nature of the ghost story and how we interpret it.

    Features stories by Neil Gaiman, Melissa Marr, Cassandra Clare, Holly Black, Garth Nix, and many more.

    Chase Tallman is the newest member of Shadow Falls, but what made him into the sexy, mysterious vampire he is today? And what led him to Della Tsang? And for Miranda Kane, magic has always been something she's struggled with, but when an opportunity to test her powers takes her to Paris, she'll have to prove that she's a witch to be reckoned with and belongs at Shadow Falls.Fans won't want to miss these four remarkable stories of love, magic and friendship.

    Some live boring. Some even die boring. Fred managed to do all three, and when he woke up as a vampire, he did so as a boring one. Timid, socially awkward, and plagued by self-esteem issues, Fred has never been the adventurous sort.One fateful night – different from the night he died, which was more inconvenient than fateful – Fred reconnects with an old friend at his high school reunion. This rekindled relationship sets off a chain of events thrusting him right into the chaos that is the parahuman world, a world with chipper zombies, truck driver wereponies, maniacal necromancers, ancient dragons, and now one undead accountant trying his best to “survive.” Because even after it’s over, life can still be a downright bloody mess.

    First crushes and last rites; dark spells and bright magic; forbidden lovers and enchanted beings -- and always, always the hungry games of desire. Pucker up for a darkly sweet collection of ghosts, shape shifters, fairies, unicorns, vampires, and demons in tales from today's biggest writers of the paranormal persuasion.

    14 sleuths are gathered together for the first time in all-original tales of unusual cases which require services that go far beyond mere deduction!Meet our detectives, from these fine agencies.Danny Hendrickson—from Laura Anne Gilman’s Cosa Nostradamus series.Kate Connor—from Julie Kenner’s Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series.John Taylor—from Simon R. Green’s Nightside series.Jill Kismet—from Lilith Saintcrow’s Jill Kismet series.Jessi Hardin—from Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville series.Quincey Morris—from Justin Gustainis’ Morris/Chastain Investigations series.Marla Mason—from T.A. Pratt’s Marla Mason series.Tony Foster—from Tanya Huff’s Smoke and Shadows series.Dawn Madison—from Chris Marie Green’s Vampire Babylon series.Pete Caldecott—from Caitlin Kittredge’s Black London series.Tony Giodone—from C.T. Adams and Cathy Clamp’s Tales of the Sazi series.Jezebel—from Jackie Kessler’s Hell on Earth series.Piers Knight—from C.J. Henderson’s Brooklyn Knight series.Cassiel—from Rachel Caine’s Outcast Season series.Demons may lurk, werewolves may prowl, vampires may ride the wind. These are things that go “bump in the night,” but we are the ones who “bump back!”