Book picks similar to
Pay The Ghost by Tim Lebbon


horror
short-story
short-stories
ebook

The Moving House


Duncan Ralston - 2020
    Since Christopher's ancestor Oliver Hedgewood built the house in the 1800s, many spirits have taken up residence in "the Moving House," including horror author Rex Garrote, who'd burned to death in his private library. Christopher Hedgewood and Sara Jane Amblin, inventor of the Recurrence Field, return to Garrote House one final time before it's relocated to Ghostland.They've both witnessed its ghosts many times. But neither of them have come at night, when the Moving House's most dangerous hauntings come alive.

Blackwater Lake


Maggie James - 2015
    His father, Joseph Stanyer, has been struggling to cope with his wife Evie, whose dementia is rapidly worsening. When their bodies are found close to Blackwater Lake, a local beauty spot, the inquest rules the deaths as a murder-suicide. A conclusion that's supported by the note Joseph leaves for his son. Grief-stricken, Matthew begins to clear his parents' house of decades of compulsive hoarding, only to discover the dark enigmas hidden within its walls. Ones that lead Matthew to ask: why did his father choose Blackwater Lake to end his life? What other secrets do its waters conceal?A short (25,000-words) novella, Blackwater Lake examines one man's determination to uncover his family's troubled past.

Night of Cake & Puppets


Laini Taylor - 2013
    Her best friend, Karou, calls her "rabid fairy," her "voodoo eyes" are said to freeze blood, and even her older brother fears her wrath. But when it comes to the simple matter of talking to Mik, or "Violin Boy," her courage deserts her. Now, enough is enough. Zuzana is determined to make the first move, and she has a fistful of magic and a plan. It's a wonderfully elaborate treasure hunt of a plan that will take Mik all over Prague on a cold winter's night before leading him to the treasure: herself! Violin Boy is not going to know what hit him.New York Times bestselling author Laini Taylor brings to life a night only hinted at in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone trilogy—the magical first date of fan-favorites Zuzana and Mik. Originally published as an ebook, this new print edition will include breathtaking black and white illustrations, plus bonus content in a gorgeous package perfect for new and current fans of the series.

Gilded Ashes


Rosamund Hodge - 2014
    And though her family has turned her into a despised servant, Maia must always pretend to be happy, or else they'll all be struck dead by the curse.Anax, heir to the Duke of Sardis, doesn't believe in love either—not since he discovered that his childhood sweetheart was only using him for his noble title. What's the point of pretending to fall in love with a girl just so she'll pretend to fall in love with him back? But when his father invites all the suitable girls in the kingdom to a masked ball, Anax must finally give in and select a wife.As fate would have it, the preparations for the masquerade bring him Maia, who was asked by her eldest stepsister to deliver letters to Anax. Despite a prickly first encounter, he is charmed and intrigued by this mysterious girl who doesn't believe in love. Anax can't help wishing to see her again—and when he does, he can't help falling in love with her. Against her will, Maia starts to fall in love with him too. But how can she be with him when every moment his life is in danger from her mother's deadly bargain?

The Great God Pan


Arthur Machen - 1890
    A version of the story was published in the magazine Whirlwind in 1890, and Machen revised and extended it for its book publication (together with another story, "The Inmost Light") in 1894. On publication it was widely denounced by the press as degenerate and horrific because of its decadent style and sexual content, although it has since garnered a reputation as a classic of horror. Machen’s story was only one of many at the time to focus on Pan as a useful symbol for the power of nature and paganism. The title was taken from the poem "A Musical Instrument" published in 1862 by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, in which the first line of every stanza ends "... the great god Pan.

The Audition


Rachel Hartman - 2012
    It takes place a few weeks prior to Seraphina, covering Seraphina Dombegh's audition to become Viridius's assistant and thus Glisselda's music tutor.

The Nekkid Truth


Nicole Camden - 2014
    Soon she finds that the wonders of Detective Marshall Scott's body never cease...and that he needs her to help catch a dangerous killer. The Nekkid Truth also features an exclusive excerpt from Nicole Camden’s erotica e-serial, The Fetish Queen. * Originally published in the 2005 anthology, Big Guns Out of Uniform.

After the Bridge


Cassandra Clare - 2013
    Short Story about Tessa, Jem and what happened after that meeting at Blackfriar's Bridge at the Epilogue of Clockwork Princess.

The Fallen


Dale Bailey - 2002
    Life is good, folks live to a ripe old age, and there hasn't been a violent crime in nearly a generation. It's almost as if some force were protecting the God-fearing folk of the Run from harm... Henry left the quiet town almost a decade ago-after his mother's tragic death and a terrible falling-out with his father. Ever since, he has shut out his memories of the Run. He has tried to not think about the day his mother died. But now-after the startling news of his father's suicide-Henry is coming home... Home, where his former girlfriend is waiting on her dying mother and her living dreams. Home, where his boyhood friend is mysteriously drawn to something inside an abandoned mine.

The Lady on the Road: An Urban Legend Short Story


Nick Herntier - 2019
    After leaving her friend's house, she decides she's going to prove to her brother that "The Lady on the Road " urban legend is just that...

Ghosts of a Beach Town in Winter (Halcyon Beach Chronicles, #1)


Kathleen Valentine - 2011
    The arcades, food stands, souvenir shops and tattoo parlors are boarded over for the winter but the bungalows tucked in the dunes are occupied by artists and transients looking for cheap rentals. She faces a long, cold, lonely winter but a bunch of old guys, that she calls The Geezers, begin regaling her with stories about the "old days" and about an ill-fated romance between the beautiful wife of a Boston mob boss and The Great Hercules, a sideshow strongman. She is also increasingly fascinated by an elusive roustabout who flirts with her and shows her the secret spaces in an old beachfront ballroom. As winter gets darker and deeper Layla's husband is both struggling with his writing and becoming suspicious of her behavior. What Layla doesn't know is that nothing is what it seems and her options are growing fewer every day. (Volume One of the Halcyon Beach Chronicles. Volume Two is Ghosts of a Lighthouse in Autumn.)

Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell


Brandon Sanderson - 2013
    Amid a forest where the shades of the dead linger all around, every homesteader knows to follow the Simple Rules: "Don't kindle flame, don't shed the blood of another, don't run at night. These things draw shades." Silence Montane has broken all three rules on more than one occasion. And to protect her family from a murderous gang with high bounties on their heads, Silence will break every rule again, at the risk of becoming a shade herself.

This Little Piggy


Craig McGray - 2012
     From the AuthorI use my wife as a sounding board, and sometimes she just looks at me with an I-love-you-but-now-I'm-kind-of-scared-of-you look. I definitely received that look more than once for this story. That usually means I got it right. Enjoy, and let me know what you think.

The House Next Door


Tom Coleman
    Spaulding looks like an ordinary old grumpy neighbor with a penchant for growing roses, but he has a dark secret hidden deep inside of his house. A secret no one knows about. Sarah decides to find out if he is just a sweet lonely widower or a twisted man with a mysterious past. What she encounters at his house is beyond her wildest dreams, but this is a nightmare which she can’t wake up from.

The Aberration (Aberrant Nightmares #1)


Bard Constantine - 2012
    A threshold opens. Unearthly abominations emerge. What follows is called an Aberration. For thousands of years, appointed Wardsmen gave their lives to keep us safe. But over the ages, their numbers have dwindled. Now, one man may be all that stands between us and the terrifying world that lies beyond our own.When a coworker inexplicably commits suicide on the job, Guy knows the tragedy is just the start of terrors to come. A freak storm quickly follows, engulfing his milling facility and trapping the workers, who quickly learn there is much more to fear than just heavy rain. Something else arrives with the storm—monstrosities that alter their shapes and features to match your fears. Guy’s coworkers will be forced to rely on him to survive grisly attacks on both body and mind.Author Bard Constantine takes readers on an unnerving ride, combining physical and psychological terror in the vein of Stephen King and Dean Koontz.