Book picks similar to
Cold Comforts by Marianne Halbert


horror
short-stories
short-story-collection
dark-fiction

Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories


Doug MuranoPaul Tremblay - 2016
    Awe meets ache. Terror becomes transcendence. Regret gives way to rebirth. Fifteen short stories and one poem span nearly every twisted corner of the horror and dark fiction genres:A woman experiences an emotional reckoning inside a haunted house. A father sees his daughter rescued after a cold case is solved, only to learn the tragic limits of his love. A man awakens a vengeful spirit and learns the terrible price of settling scores. A boy comes of age into awareness of a secret universe of Lovecraftian scale. A young woman confronts the deathly price of existence inside a German concentration camp during the Holocaust. And much, much more…Gutted: Beautiful Horror Stories features the most celebrated voices in dark fiction, as well as a number of exciting, new talents, including: Clive Barker, Neil Gaiman, Ramsey Campbell, Paul Tremblay, John F.D. Taff, Lisa Mannetti, Damien Angelica Walters, Josh Malerman, Christopher Coake, Mercedes M. Yardley, Brian Kirk, Stephanie M. Wytovich, Amanda Gowin, Richard Thomas, Maria Alexander and Kevin Lucia. With a foreword from Cemetery Dance magazine founder Richard Chizmar.

The Blue Moon Day


Santhosh Sivaraj - 2018
    They had no other choice but to take a plunge into their deepest fear and leave the rest to destiny. Their characters was tested out of their comfort zone and it witnessed abstruse results; a PhD scholar fights to win a pizza making contest and a tennis prodigy running for his life in a war torn, bloodied Island. Extreme circumstances and their consequences made these ordinary individuals extraordinary . Was the test imposed on them by someone? Or did they invite it on themselves. The Blue Moon Day is that Once in a Blue Moon day story which questions an individual's priorities, ridicules the worldly routines and finally redefines happiness.

The Call of Cthulhu and Other Tales


H.P. Lovecraft
    The books penned by him are well known all over the world, although they were not so popular during Lovecraft's life. The main theme of his creativity is the Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft created an entire fictional world; his tales are even classified into a subgenre known as Lovecraftian horror. The tales The Call of Cthulhu, The Color Out of Space, Dagon and others are among the most famous works of Howard Lovecraft.

Are You Loathsome Tonight?: A Collection of Short Stories


Poppy Z. Brite - 1998
    Brite, author of Exquisite Corpse and Love in Vein, among others, features anew story, Monday's Special. Poppy contributed story notes as well as the Preface.

Free Five: Flash Fiction


Paul D. Dail - 2011
    

cold, thin air: Volume 2


C.K. Walker - 2015
    Curl up in front of a warm fire on a silent night and choose your poison.

Nightmare Soup: Tales That Will Turn Your Stomach


Jake Tri - 2017
    Each story is accompanied by a ghastly illustration from the mind of Andy Sciazko... the kind of illustrations that will disturb you in the best way possible.

The Red Death


Birgitte Märgen - 2018
    The question is: How do you stop something that you can't see? AN ANCIENT DISEASE re-emerges in the heart of New York City—a deadly bacteria that gave rise to the Black Death. Maggie De Luca, an epidemiologist who is fighting her own demons, works to uncover clues to contain the disease, but is always one step behind—her fate determined by the flip of a coin. Microbiologist Michael Harbinger believes he can make a vaccine that can stop the disease, but to do so would require an elusive plant that only grows in a remote region of the Amazon. With the help of J.D. Stallings, a paleoanthropologist, and Samantha Boutroux, a bacteriologist, they set out to find the plant that holds the key before the Red Death pandemic grips the world—or has the First Horseman of the Apocalypse, Plague, already opened the gates to our final annihilation? The mother of all plagues is back . . . Let the death toll begin . . . “RING AROUND THE ROSIE, POCKETS FULL OF POSIES, ASHES . . . ASHES . . . WE ALL FALL DOWN.” Praise for The Red Death"The Red Death is a bone chilling look at a worst case scenario plague outbreak. You’ll want to keep some hand sanitizer and a medical mask nearby as you enjoy this pandemic medical thriller." --Jennifer Jackson, Indiestoday.com*"It is a story that is chilling because of how easily we could see this happening today. Excellent read." -- Terri, Mayhem and Magic*"The Red Death is a thrilling tale of a deadly pandemic. Recommended." --Robert D. Yee, Monster Librarian*"What scared me the most about this book was that it could happen in real life. There is always a threat of a pandemic sweeping the country and then the world — scary stuff." --Jolie, Read With Me *What Amazon reviewers are saying:*"Even better than the first part of The Stand." *"Gripping"*"This is the best pandemic novel I have ever read."*"A very plausible story line! SCARY!"* "Read this, you won't be disappointed."*"It was hard to put down." --Amazon.co.uk reader*"Loved every minute of it."*"That the book is extremely well structured only adds to the intensity."*"This book had engaging characters, lots of action and a good plot."*"The characters were believable." --Amazon.co.uk reader*"I will be looking out for more by this author."*"...expertly written characters and a story structure that keeps the reader on edge."*"If you like books of this genre I am sure you will enjoy this one."*"...being invested in the characters and wanting them to live is what drives a lot of the reader's drive to keep going to the next chapter."*"Pulls you into a story of people, and life. ."*"The first instances of the spread of the disease were unusual and gave the start of the book a slightly different twist." --Amazon.co.uk reader*"...Birgitte Märgen is able to write each person with a distinct voice and personality so no two people feel the same; no matter how long the reader spends with that individual." * Plague, Medical Thriller, Pandemic, Thriller, Fiction, Medical Fiction, Mystery, Horror, Action & Adventure

A Christmas Cowboy to Keep: A Contemporary Western Romance Collection


Kristy McCaffrey - 2018
    How do you keep a cowboy at Christmas?Don’t miss this holiday collection of modern-day cowboys and the women they love, featuring the same USA Today, Amazon Bestselling, and Award-Winning authors from “A Cowboy to Keep,” which garnered 55 reviews with an average rating of 4.5 stars.CHRISTMAS, LIBERTY, AND THE THREE MINUTE MAN by Carra CopelinDaniel Dylan Layman is determined to show headstrong city girl Liberty Ann Hart that a country life in Mistletoe, Texas, is the perfect Christmas gift.A CHRISTMAS CAROLE by Andrea DowningCarrie Matheson and her son are trying to settle into a new life in Wyoming. Tate Schrugge is trying to ditch his Scrooge and play Santa to the young boy. But will there be a Dickens of a romance by Christmas?THE PEPPERMINT TREE by Kristy McCaffreyLawyer Skye Mallory returns home for the holidays due to an unexpected inheritance, and cowboy Joe Carrigan stands in her way.THE DEVIL’S CHRISTMAS KISS by Devon McKayWhen Kristen Kelly receives a Christmas kiss from Cole Lawson, she doesn’t believe it means anything. But Cole sets out to make things right with the woman of his heart.SLAY BELLS by Hildie McQueenAt a small-town Christmas festival sparks fly between Carmen Dias and Detective Jared Bowden, but a dead body and a pesky ex-girlfriend don’t exactly spell romance.THE BEST CHRISTMAS by Hebby RomanAll Sofia Rossi wants is to re-connect with her estranged son. But can Gar McCulloch, a handsome cowboy who runs a juvenile rehab ranch, be the answer to her problems?COUNTING DOWN TO CHRISTMAS by Patti Sherry-CrewsWedding planner Melody Evans views happily-ever-after endings with a skeptical eye. Veterinarian Leland Jennings IV thinks Christmas is for kids. Can the holiday spirit bring them together?

Shadows on the Highway


C.S. Valentine - 2016
    This collection of delightfully twisted, supernatural short stories will captivate your imagination and entertain your darker side. A monster with a love of bakery, an old woman living in fear with her ex-con nephew, a widow with only one chance left, and a demon with a dark and powerful heart, are some of the characters wrestling with their darker selves in this enjoyable collection.

The Club


Kyle M. Scott - 2017
     "Now start sawing..." Meet Jason. With his loyal band of maniacs by his side, he's living the dream - torturing, raping and slaughtering his way across the sunshine state. Depravity, debasement and death are his mantras. Meet The Girl. Abducted by Jason's freewheeling gang of murderers, she's found herself trapped in an unending nightmare of atrocity and torment. The charismatic Jason is a psychopath with a sense of purpose - to bring his victims down to his level - and The Girl is his new favourite project. But his prisoner has plans of her own... With a statewide manhunt closing in fast on Jason, he and his gang are running out of time. Their killing spree and their lives are in danger of coming to a bloody end. Sanctuary is their only hope... And they're about to find a place...a secret place, known to only a very select, esteemed few. A place that never closes its doors. A place that welcomes all, regardless of their sins. Soon The Girl, Jason and all his devoted followers will come to learn that once you've walked the hallowed, ornate halls of The Club, there's only one way out. And it'll be hell to pay...

Things Undone


Travis Liebert - 2020
    All things unknown and unknowable are coming to light... Strange creatures wander the dark canopies of Germany's Black Forest. A young boy harbors something both dark and divine within him. A man learns to control his dreams, only to find an ancient evil imprisoned within them. Something lurks in the shadows of a woman's house, and it wants her baby. All of these things and more in this riveting new collection of 18 terrifying cosmic and paranormal tales. Get it now and discover the terrors that lurk within.

The Mark of Vishnu: Stories


Khushwant Singh - 2011
    This selection includes ten of his best, bearing testimony to the author's remarkable range and his ability to create unforgettable characters out of everyday lives.

Condemned


Michael McBride - 2015
    As the body count continues to rise, he and Detective Aundray Rogers must embark upon their own descent into the underworld, one that mirrors the decline of the Motor City, if they’re to have any chance of stopping the murderer before it’s too late. With the city deteriorating around them, they learn that the abandoned buildings aren’t the only things that have been condemned.

Beast


Anna Willett - 2020
    They supplement their income by selling pics of themselves as stock photos online.The abandoned Red Water Hotel is the perfect location for a shoot. But when they enter the decrepit building, Dursha begins to feel a strange presence. Jackie dismisses her concerns and they head further in.Strange moths have clustered, and the light filtering through has an eerie shimmer. The young women see a telephone number scrawled on the wall.By now Dursha is totally creeped out. But Jackie is already calling it...THE WIDOWDan decides to go to a party held by an old friend. It’s a no-good group, but it might help him put his worries aside. His life is spiralling and he has a serious toothache to add to his woes.At the party he strikes up a conversation with an enigmatic man who has excellent whiskey, and promises him a quick way to make money.In all honesty, Dan just wants enough cash to pay for a dentist, but he journeys with his new friend to a house deep in the country. The hazy plan is to rob it of a known stash of money.It sounded good in theory, but now his friend is nowhere to be seen and Dan is stuck inside the house, face to face with the widow who lives there...