Funny Suspense

This collection of the best crime and mystery short fiction of 1999, gathered from around the globe and including more award-winners and stories than any other comparable volume, fills the void for those with a hunger for the best international mystery and suspense stories.

When you wake up dead and your dog is the only one who can see you...Daisy Montgomery lived her best life. She treated people well, was kind to animals and didn’t have any enemies. Or so she thought. Then she was attacked by a force so powerful that it separated her body from her soul, and she found herself stuck somewhere between life and death. Unfortunately for Daisy being a spirit had its limitations. Luckily her little dog Alfie leads her to sexy Charlie O’Sullivan, a man who can not only see her spirit and open doors for her, but makes her question everything she thought she knew ...

ORGINAL STORY - WRITTEN BY A HUMAN This intriguing prequel novella introduces Detective Ange Watson, tracing her first steps into the world of crime-solving and revealing how she became the tenacious investigator readers will grow to love. A Routine Case… or the Start of Something Deadly? Constable Ange Watson’s policing career is fast unravelling. After calling out a superior for recklessly putting her life at risk, she’s been sidelined, labelled as a whinger, left questioning whether she even belongs in the force. With her resignation email drafted and her finger hovering over "send...

Thrift shop til someone drops... Going on the television show Trinket Traders was never plan “A” for thrift store owner Jessica Braun. But when business slows down, Jess agrees to one episode in hopes of picking sales back up. When a blizzard strikes and everyone is snowed in, trouble arises with the crew. By the time one of them is dead, no one can get in or out of Pine Grove. And Jess can’t get out of the mystery without getting her friends into more danger. What will she discover—about a murder and herself—as she takes on this investigation alone?

K.T. Tomb introduces three new heroines: bounty hunters Roberta, Riley, and Ricki Vaughan. All sisters. And all tough as nails. When a new client hires the streetwise Vaughan sisters to find and recover a stolen diamond that’s worth millions, the recovery fee alone could save their struggling business. However, their new client refuses to call the police, so the sisters have to keep this case on the down low. And when the prime suspect turns up dead, things really start to heat up in the Deep South. When an unexpected event threatens more than the recovery of the one-of-a-kind gem, all ...

Grab a flashlight, crawl under the covers and dive into the twisted, unexpectedly hilarious world of Rowley Jefferson's imagination. You'll meet zombies, vampires, ghosts and much more in these comically terrifying tales. Rowley's spooky stories might leave you laughing, but beware - you could end up sleeping with the lights on!

I thought my days of unraveling mysteries were behind me, but when the Mayor of Picklesquare calls me in the dead of night, I'm plunged into a new enigma that sends chills down my spine. A murder has tainted the hallowed halls of the Picklesquare Museum of History, and a priceless artifact has vanished without a trace. The chilling detail? The killer used magic, a shapeshifter's spell, to infiltrate the museum. As Detective Grey Thompson and I delve into the heart of this perplexing case, we discover a world teeming with historic secrets, a cast of eccentric characters harboring their own ...

Jasmine After four years of college and a bit of heartbreak, I find myself in my small hometown of Beverly Falls once again. Thanks to my best friend Mabel, I've got a job and a morsel of independence. However, after the boyfriend that moved back with me suddenly takes off, I'm stuck with both halves of the rent. With mere days before it's due, I scramble to find a replacement. Lo and behold, like an angel from on high, Brandon Romano enters my life. He tosses his portion of rent in hundreds onto the coffee table like it's pocket lint then undresses down to his underwear to pass out on the ...

There is a harvest moon over Toulouse, but it’s going to be a very dark night. Eleven-year-old Micah Stevens intends to free the dogs from a puppy mill in the woods outside of town. Teenager Jenny Allard and her boyfriend Michael Kennedy have come up with a plan to get even with two of the school’s most notorious thugs. Gloria Downing is coming home after a decade running from her past. On this Indian summer evening in October of 1981, the little town is about to add several chapters to its long and bizarre history. Come along as award winning novelist, Chris Morrow, gives you the grand...

Meet Mason Ezekiel Barnes, former NFL tackle turned successful author. Mason is obsessed with winning a Pulitzer and is thwarted by his fellow author and nemesis, the twerpy little gnome Conrad Bancroft. Mason spends his days writing at a local cafe, Perk Noir, the one-of-a-kind jazz coffee shop. He's obsessed with the life of jazz great Earl "Lightning" Perkins, former owner of the Perk Noir. One day, unexpectedly in walks Shelly, a fan of Mason's books. Shelly has a mysterious pocket watch she recently inherited. She convinces Mason to assist her in unraveling its history.

Arlie Biggar is back in Alaska with his new family. Life is nice and boring ... until his pregnant wife is kidnapped! Copycat terrorists have recruited local thugs to help them steal guns from the sporting goods store. When his wife gets in their way, will Arlie be able to get her back or will a ringer come in and save the day? Clean action adventure with a smattering of humor.

I was living the life of a normal ten-year-old until it all changed. The very moment it changed you ask? I would say it was the moment I escaped my bully Bull, but it could be the moment I ran through Binx. One moment I was just Rocky and the next I was the savior of humanity. Join us as we travel through time to collect all the pieces to lock up Mr. Moon the diabolical genus. If we fail life as we know it will be gone… Oh, and mystical creatures, Zombies, and the Angel of Death is all a part of the journey.

Die Welt des Waldes ist voller außergewöhnlicher Abenteuer, aber auch mysteriöser Verbrechen. Deshalb entscheiden sich zwei Freunde – der findige Hund Lassdas und die zutrauliche Katze Miezmiez – ein Detektivbüro zu eröffnen. Dafür ist es auch höchste Zeit!

Thirty-two-year-old Lexi O’Malley, a boring software programmer by trade, was out of work, out of money, full of attitude, and looking for a new career. When her eccentric Aunt Scarlet calls and shames her into helping search for Bubba, her missing, big, dopey, black Lab, she figures she might as well add out of luck to the mix since dog detective wasn’t exactly the great new profession she had in mind. In the process of tending to her familial obligation, she finds Bubba beaten nearly to death and after Aunt Scarlet’s home is ransacked she accidentally learns her aunt’s handyman is...

Jenica has her life planned out. Study abroad in China for a year, complete her degree in international studies, then maybe become a professor. What Jenica doesn't foresee is Woon. Maybe he’s good-looking and sweet, but from the moment they meet it’s obvious he’s in trouble, and Jenica doesn’t do trouble. If only his face isn't plastered all over billboards, magazines, and every television in the whole of China, she might be able to forget him. It’s not until they meet again that Jenica realizes her position as a civilian makes her the best person to help Woon out of trouble. Now ...

In Romance: Quickies (Brooke's Encounter - 8), Brooke has a rendezvous with an alluring Frenchman who speaks the language of love...which sometimes gets lost in translation. When their encounter takes an unusual turn, Brooke wonders if she can salvage the evening. Luckily, her determination to win the bet leads her into the arms of the perfect hookup: her former flame. Seven friends living in New York City. One unusual competition. Who can have the most intimate encounters in a month? Ten thousand dollars is on the line... Quickies are bite-sized steamy stories that follow a group of women ...

A lot can happen on the open road… Wade I’ve earned more than my fair share of regrets on the road. You'd figure I'd be ready to dodge out of the way when trouble comes barreling down the highway marked clear as kerosene and just as dangerous. … You don’t have to take me far … I'd never seen Olivia de Los Santos before she ran in to me, literally, in a diner at three am. I didn't need trouble. Or more regrets. I've never been very good at avoiding either. Liv Trouble seems to follow me around, no matter how hard I try to outrun it. And I've been trying damn hard for the past week....

The Mayor’s Missing Message A Birdie Lou Baxter Mystery – Book Two In the charming Southern town of Haven Hills, where sweet tea flows and gossip travels faster than high-speed fiber, Birdie Lou Baxter just wants a smooth installation job. But when her crew uncovers a decades-old confession tape hidden inside the walls of the mayor’s historic home—and the newly elected mayor vanishes the very next day—Birdie finds herself tangled in a web of long-buried secrets, political cover-ups, and a scandal that threatens to rewrite the town’s history. With the help of her loyal dispatch ...

In Romance: Quickies (Shae's Encounter - 10), Shae goes on a glamorous date with a world-famous actor. Their sizzling-hot encounter is enough to make her forget a certain billionaire…for now. But does her foray into the movie-star lifestyle come at too high a price? Seven friends living in New York City. One unusual competition. Who can have the most intimate encounters in a month? Ten thousand dollars is on the line... Quickies are bite-sized steamy stories that follow a group of women living in New York City who compete to see who can have the most casual hookups in a month. Which woman...

Santa Claus has had enough of mischievous elves wreaking havoc at the North Pole. Banishing them to the bustling streets of New York City, these rogue elves find themselves in a world far removed from the snowy serenity they once knew. Struggling to adapt to their newfound urban surroundings, the misfit elves hatch a devious plan to sustain themselves—stealing food and toys from unsuspecting homes. With a stolen truck as their makeshift headquarters, the naughty elves embark on a spree of festive thievery, leaving a trail of chaos in their wake. Can the spirit of the season prevail over ...