British Dark

Two men are found dead in London's Battersea Park. One of the bodies has been laid out like a crucifix—with his eyes removed and placed on his open palms. Detective Inspector Grace Archer and her caustic DS, Harry Quinn, lead the investigation. But when more bodies turn up in a similar fashion, they find themselves in a race against time to find the sadistic killer.

To celebrate his 65th birthday, Mr. Lidman and daughter are throwing a small party at their cozy home in the countryside, only to discover an uninvited stranger among the guests. When confronted in private by Lidman, the stranger explains he has been hired to murder him, but offers more time as a birthday present (until the end of the party).

Joe Dobson left his wife and kids when his young girlfriend, Nina, discovered she was pregnant. Now he feels like a cliche and Nina feels like a drudge, swapping her wild nights out with friends for mild nights in wiping baby sick off the carpet. So when Joe announces that he's booked a week's luxury holiday in Italy, Nina is thrilled - until she realises Joe's kids, Saul and Tabitha, are coming along for the ride.

A collection of stories of the depraved or disappointed, haunting or haunted, seeking love or redemption. Infused with the dark humor of a twilight zone, these contemporary fairy tales expose the hearts of quirky characters in transition. Serving offbeat narratives, edgy realties, shifting identities, the stories blend the ironic with the erotic, nature and rural environments with the paranormal and surreal. Blending the minimalist aesthetic of Carver with the macabre touch of Saunders, this is “standout fiction... subtle and altogether lovely... impressionistic, quiet and very real” (...