"Think of this collection as a literary grab-bag…chances are there's at least one story you'll like/love/enjoy, others which will amuse you, still others which might disturb, and perhaps one or so which you probably won't like. While the bulk of my fictional output over the years has been roughly divided between horror/dark fantasy, science fiction and erotica (of various types), a few pieces have either slipped through the genre cracks, or simply didn't make it into my...
From the pen of one of America's most talented mystery writers comes a half-dozen fast-paced tales of mayhem and murder on Florida's Gold Coast – the fabulous neon strip that stretches from Fort Lauderdale to Miami. <P> Here, Stuff Driscoll operates out of the Sheriff's Office in Halcyon, a small fictitious resort town about twenty miles north of Miami Beach. He's one of the new breed of police officers – well-read, sophisticated, with a wry, biting sense of humor for...
Master storyteller Lyn McConchie returns with two tantalizing tales for Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. This time our heroes must dig deep to unearth long-buried family secrets in Familiar Crimes.<P> When Bradon Riggston decides to write his family history, he is shocked to find that many of his relatives and their friends have died by unfortunate accidents. Are Riggston family members and their close associates just unlucky, or is there some sinister power working behind the scenes?...
Created by the powerful Hasyisi, yet missing for centuries from its home world, the Lyre just hangs in a willow tree, waiting. Hasyih, the Heart of the Worlds, links contiguous dimensions, many worlds invisible to each other, yet accessible through doors on Hasyih, one of the keys to which is the Lyre. Now danger threatens both Hasyih and Ranuit, the only inhabited worlds in the group, and when a young girl takes the Lyre from the willow tree, a set of interlinked activities is set into motion....
A young Bay Area woman, Sonia Mattingly, goes missing while taking a summer jaunt in an old mining town in California's scenic Sierra Mountains. Gail Brevard and her partners are called in to investigate the case and she decides she must go undercover in order to retrace Sonia’s steps and get to the truth of the matter. <P> Gail soon discovers that a demented mad man has been operating in the town at will, wreaking havoc and heartbreak with each evil act of betrayal. A deadly arson...
The Contessa Lines cruise ship, the Nerissa, is the nexus for a disparate cast of nefarious factions. Two cunning and cold-blooded killers have smuggled themselves aboard, disguised as their murder victims, their motives unknown. And members of the Foundation, a mysterious cult, have infiltrated the passenger list, with their own sinister agenda to take over the ship. When they strike, they disrupt the on-board wedding ceremony of police officer David Spaulding and his fiancee Deborah Corliss. ...
Long-undisturbed Tenebrion Wood, identified in the Domesday Book and named by the Romans after a kind of «night-sprit,» stands in the way of a road development. Environmentalist Steve Pearlman recruits a number of investigators to examine the site in order to find some justification for its defense, including entomologist John Hazard. At first, the wood does not seem to be of any special scientific interest, despite the occasional profusion of its beetle population, but Hazard makes a surprising...
"Fish Out of Water," the fourth installment in the Guppy Anthology series, presents 22 mystery and suspense stories that will hook you and reel you in! These rising stars of the mystery field take you cruising through deep waters teeming with danger, thrills, and the unexpected. Features an introduction by James M. Jackson.<P>Included are:<P> INTRODUCTION, by James M. Jackson<BR> PLAN A: KILL THE FISH, by Beth Green<BR> THE MISSING CONCUBINE, by P. A. De...
In sunshine the old deserted house is a friendly landmark, and Gail even uses a shed on its grounds as a secret haven where she can write her poems. But by moonlight the house becomes eerie and terrifying. One night as Gail walks past it, a sudden sharp sound of knocking makes her whirl around. Someone seems to be trying to catch her attention, yet there is nothing but moonlit lawns and ghostly white walls to be seen. Where did that knocking sound have come from? And the weird voices – whose can...
"Michael McCarty's 'A Little Help from My Fiends' truly shines. His collection of short stories is a lovingly created, watered with blood and harvested at the peak of ripeness kind of work. The approach to the collection is so fresh that – were it a steak – you would note still a bit of warmth and even a faint pulse. You see, each story in this collection is co-authored with another excellent storyteller. Mark McLaughlin, Terrie Leigh Relf and Dave Miller, to name a few, make...
For Ross Elliot, the summer held no promise. With his teaching duties over until fall, he found himself facing boredom, with time on his hands. Which was why he didn’t hesitate to involve himself in the affairs of one Barbara Erickson, ex-student and accused murderess. <P> As far as Elliot was concerned it simply wasn’t possible for one so young – and so lovely – to be capable of such a horrendous crime. And what if he was the only one who believed in her innocence? A couple of months...