Short Mystery Collection

Lawrence Block's 17 Matthew Scudder novels have won the hearts of readers throughout the world - along with a bevy of awards including the Edgar, the Shamus, the Philip Marlowe (Germany), and the Maltese Falcon (Japan). But Scudder has starred in short fiction as well, and it's all here, from a pair of late-'70s novelettes ("Out the Window" and "A Candle for the Bag Lady") through "By the Dawn's Early Light" (Edgar) and "The Merciful Angel of Death" (Shamus), all the way to "One Last Night at Grogan's", a moving and elegiac story never before published.

A phone call from Belfast shatters Isobel McKenzie’s sleep and her peace. Her nephew, Jack, is safe but two of his friends from Queen’s University are not. Michael is dead and Charlene is in a coma. Isobel leaves for Belfast immediately. The PSNI suspect theft as the motive for the crime but, as Isobel and Jack investigate, they uncover other possible motives: an online bully, a drug connection and ultimately a web of organised crime. A cross-border drug task force is set up and, amidst politics and talk of corruption, the case becomes more and more complicated. Help arrives from London...

The transporting stories in this year’s The Best American Mystery and Suspense are populated by those who exist on the fringe of our society and want more than what life has dealt them: A haunted veteran turned career criminal is on the run. An injured fighter turned bouncer seeks vengeance for his lost love. An assassin on his last job finds himself questioning his life choices and breaks all the rules to understand his final victim.

"What could go wrong?" is what a group of teenagers wonder about before breaking into an abandoned house at the edge of town. They seal their fates on the darkest night of the year, Halloween. Listen as history comes alive in front of their own eyes in a series of terrifying events. Broken families, lives tortures by those that had happened in the past. And in the middle of it, is the one person that was never supposed to come back in the first place. Allowing her to roam free is what will cause the demise of them all. But what if there is a way?

Spanning from a mediocre spa in Florida, to New York’s gritty East Village, to death row in Alabama, this collection reveals boundless suspense in small, quiet moments, offering startling twists in the least likely of places. From a powerful response to hateful bullying, to a fight for health care, to a gripping desperation to vote, these stories are equal parts shocking, devastating, and enthralling, revealing the tension pulsing through our everyday lives and affirming that mystery and suspense writing is better than ever before.

Heather Clemens never thought that life would turn out like this. Single, alone, and stuck fortune telling out of her house for a meager living, Heather could really use some good news. So she does what she vowed never to do: Read her own fortune. What she sees is shocking and impossible… but that’s when the impossible happens, and Heather finds herself looking into the eyes of Rhys Vandell, a fierce and sexy warrior prince from another world. Heather is his fated prize, the key to completing his rite of passage and earning his royal birthright: the power of the dragon shift. Now, ...

Matchmaker Eve Brantley, who happens to be a billionaire in her own right, likes all of her ducks in a row. She’s knowledgeable, has an innate knack for reading people and is generally successful at matching people with potential partners; except for when it comes to herself. Hannah Dillard hasn’t been to Aruba since her high school graduation trip. During her stay she bumps into a beautiful woman who definitely makes her look twice. Deciding a matchmaker’s conference might be fun; she pays the fee at the door and roams the halls, where she finds the beautiful woman again. Can these ...

Neighbors are shocked when Harold Pardee reports his wife dead. No one even knew the eccentric TV repairman was married. Within hours, horrible rumors spread about what that poor woman must have endured for 30 years. Until the Pardees' carefully guarded world is exposed. New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Haigh delivers an endearing short story about our misguided perception of strangers, the nature of love, and the need for secrets.

When I was a child, one of my favorite stories was about a haunted house on the edge of town. The tale was embellished with gory details and bone-chilling twists, leaving me both terrified and fascinated. Despite the fear that crept into my bones, I couldn't get enough of these gruesome tales. As I grew older, I found myself seeking out horror stories in books, movies, and even podcasts. The adrenaline rush that came with each jump scare and the thrill of being transported to a world of darkness and terror became almost addicting. I reveled in the feeling of being scared out of my wits, yet...

Five fun cozy mystery books with pet-sitter Polly Parrett.

This is a collection of Merryville Mystery Books 1-3 and includes Brownies & Betrayal, Cupcakes & Contempt and Daiquiris & Death. Book 1: Meredith is a divorced empty-nester who bakes brownies for cash. In her tiny rural town of Merryville, the last thing she expects is to stumble upon a dead body. But that’s what happens. And what’s worse is she dreamt about it the night before it happened. To avoid being a suspect, she must figure out who wanted the town’s general contractor dead. And it would be great if she could wrap things up before Christmas! Luckily she’s not alone. She’s ...

Bringing together six short stories - two of which are previously unpublished - One Last Dram Before Midnight is perfect for fans of Denzil Meyrick. These tales take us from Jim Daley's early days pounding the beat in Glasgow as a young constable to a lighthearted whisky smuggling romp involving Hamish and some ghostly pipers.

These are 20 new crime mysteries together in one large collection, taken from a string of short stories set in the late 19th century. No fictional characters are more renowned for their powers of thought and observation than Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion, Dr. John Watson.

From mystery and crime to romance and tragedy, in this collection you will discover award-winning writing that effortlessly spans genre and style. Witness the excess and luxury of 1920s America in The Great Gatsby, experience profound meditations on death in The Bridge of San Luis Rey, as well as Poirot's very first murder case in The Mysterious Affair at Styles.

Dive into the eerie and captivating world of C.W. Blackwood's "Whispers from the Beyond: An Anthology of Ghostly Encounters and Supernatural Mysteries." This spine-tingling collection of short stories will lead you on a journey through the darkest corners of the human spirit and awaken your deepest fears. Unravel the secrets of forgotten villages, explore the haunted halls of abandoned manors, and confront the restless spirits that linger in the shadows. Each tale is masterfully crafted, weaving together elements of suspense, horror, and the supernatural, leaving you with a sense of unease ...

Some of the best-known and most influential pieces of crime fiction have been from African American writers. Be it Walter Mosley's great Detective Easy Rawlins, or the mean streets of Harlem at the hands of Chester Himes, the stories and characters in this anthology have shaped the mystery genre with their own unique viewpoints and styles. Contributors to the collection include Robert Greer, Chester Himes, Walter Mosley, Cary Phillips, Frankie Bailey, and Richard Wright.

Sixteen delightful holiday short stories by some of your favorite Soho crime authors! This captivating collection of short mysteries and crime capers - which features New York Times best-selling authors, Crime Writers Association Gold and Diamond Dagger winners, and Edgar Award nominees - contains laughs aplenty, the most hardboiled of holiday noir, and heartwarming reminders of the spirit of the season.

Cassidy Kincaide runs Trifles & Folly in modern-day Charleston, an antiques and curios shop with a dangerous secret. Cassidy can read the history of objects by touching them and along with her business partners Teag, who has Weaver magic, and Sorren, a 600-year-old vampire, they get rid of cursed objects and keep Charleston and the world safe from supernatural threats.

Of the real-life serial killers whose gruesome acts have been splashed across headlines, none has reached the mythical status of Jack the Ripper. In the Ripper's wake, terror swept through the streets of London's East End in the fall of 1888. As quickly as his nightmarish reign came, Saucy Jack vanished without a trace - leaving future generations to speculate upon his identity and whereabouts. He was diabolical in a way never seen before - a killer who taunted the police, came up with his own legendary monikers, and, ultimately, got away with his heinous crimes.

Book Two in the Series: A must-read for mystery and imagination fans of all ages. New from the San Francisco Bay Area's Broadwayworld nominee director, author, and award-winning artist. Nine new Sherlock Holmes adventure stories are published by John DeGaetano. These new adventures, like his his best-selling Sherlock Holmes 10 Minutes Plays Collection, are adaptable for the stage as well as the books in the story series. The books also include a stunning gallery of full-color images to follow along with as the stories unfold. Based in part on the career writings of Holmes' long-time friend ...