Short Thrillers

From the 1965 east-coast blackout to depression-era Nebraska; from the trash-piled streets of Manhattan to rural-South Carolina; here are stories of innocent criminals, guilty bystanders, mob hit men, dead farm girls, and small-town cops. Justice is brutal. Long dead secrets won't stay in the grave. And just about everybody has something real to fear. New tales of crime and suspense join Prosch fan favorites to keep you turning pages well past midnight.

Murder, Masquerades, and a Midnight Rescue! London, 1898: Flynn’s no stranger to danger, but crashing a duchess’s glittering costume ball might be his boldest gamble yet. Determined to help a young friend in trouble, he ignores Becky’s warnings and dives headfirst into the high-society soirée. But when their mission turns deadly and Flynn’s friend is found murdered, the stakes skyrocket. Vowing to finish what they started, Flynn insists Becky stay out of harm’s way. But when he vanishes inside the duchess’s sprawling estate, Becky’s worst fears come true. Trapped in the maze-...

Murderous greed. Shambling corpses. Depraved behavior... It's time for more Twisted Tales. From the far reaches of space, all the way back into shadow-filled closets. This volume of terror and suspense stories has you covered. Have you ever wondered what you might do if you stumbled across a stash of hidden loot? Ever imagine what crimes you would commit to keep it all to yourself? Wonder no longer, and read three horrifying examples of "What if?" right here and now. Also included is a second tale from the Vampire Zombie Ghost Club, for any of the less squeamish readers out there.

When the CIA needed a fall guy, Dugan was the one it betrayed. Forsaken by those he’d trusted and with nowhere to turn, he’s made it his mission to stop the miscreants who ruined his life before they can destroy anyone else’s. From human-trafficking rings and remorseless hit men to byzantine plots to alter the world order, Dugan must outwit those chartered with terminating him while battling overwhelming odds.

A dark sky grumbled over the town of St. Francis, Louisiana. Storm clouds morphed overhead, dimming the sun. Crispy autumn leaves whooshed across the cemetery, while tall trees creaked in the wind. Among the headstones, crazy-eyed crows cawed, pecking the ground for earthworms. Some observed the comings and goings perched on gravestones. A booming crash of lightning sizzled to earth, piercing the ground with a loud CRACK. Moments later, a white fog ghosted into the air. Picked up by the wind, the mist quickly spread, and within moments, day turned into night. Alarmed by the sudden change in...

A Vanished Masterpiece, a Sun-Worshipping Noble, and a Mystery Full of Twists! Sherlock Holmes and Lucy James are called to the crumbling mansion of a bankrupt aristocrat whose only salvation—a priceless painting—has vanished. If the masterpiece isn’t recovered, the bank will foreclose, leaving the family ruined. But instead of helping, the eccentric nobleman is obsessed with his bizarre sun-worshipping rituals. Then the case turns deadly. Two men are found murdered in the mansion’s decaying halls, and the nobleman’s spinster sister confesses, convinced she’s guilty. The police ...

In the third installment of his acclaimed anthology series, master of crime fiction Lawrence Block has gathered together the best talent from popular fiction to produce an anthology of short stories based on masterpieces of American art. Among the star-studded lineup of writers you'll find Jerome Charyn, Jane Hamilton, Christa Faust, John Sandford, Sara Paretsky, Walter Mosley, Charles Ardai, Barry Malzberg, and Janice Eidus.

Meet Harlow Torrent, part-time journalist and full-time Slip Witch and her crazy witch family in this ten-book cozy mystery box set.

Wayne Sharp newer expected his life to turn like that... Dishonorably discharged, he tries to build his life from the beginning in Clayton, New Mexico. He never expected to be attracted so deeply to the woman in trouble, in trouble beyond hope... Trying to help her, he becomes involved in the dark secrets of the town. The deeper Wayne got, the crazier it became. Can he eventually free up himself and start to live a normal life? Book 5 of the Dishonorably Discharged Series.

Seventeen-year-old Amish boy Noah Kline is struck by a car as he walks alongside a dark country road late one night in Painters Mill. Seriously injured, he lapses into a coma. Initially, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder believes it’s a straightforward hit-and-run, a driver that panicked and fled. But evidence soon emerges that the incident wasn’t accidental at all - and Kate uncovers a story of teenage passion and jealousy that may have led to attempted murder.

A collection of horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The creepers include: JIMMY SAID IT WAS THE BOOGEYMAN: His mother and older brother have been brutally murdered, and Jimmy says the boogeyman did it. CREATURE FEATURE: Bruce has always dreamed of becoming an actor, but his nose is too big for leading roles. He agrees to have plastic surgery to become the star of a monster movie. VESPA: Kurt marries a beautiful woman who prefers to dress as a goth and live in a house suitable for the Munsters and The Addams Family. THE AMATEUR: A mild-...

"The Book Case" is a story that features Nelson DeMille's most famous (and successful) character, Detective John Corey, who has appeared in six DeMille novels: Plum Island, The Lion's Game, Night Fall, Wild Fire, and The Lion. In this story, we see John Corey in his early years as an NYPD Detective, before he became involved with the Federal Anti-Terrorist Task Force.

A female CIA team leader in Europe and her field agents work to protect American interests including American military personnel and their families stationed in Europe. After the completion of a successful mission, the team will be assigned to work with Germany’s BND. The culturally diverse agents will then have to figure out how to effectively work together to stay one step ahead of enemies seeking to destroy Western Civilization. Praise for DEFENSE: "I enjoy reading good, quick short stories on my Kindle. This one was just the right length. The terrorist story line felt timely and was ...

In the Florida marshlands, three teenagers uncover a harrowing secret. Val and her brother Shane live a chaotic life with their friend Freddy, distracted from their father's disappearance. After discovering a creature in the marsh, they bring it home, only to realize it craves warm-blooded prey. As a foul odor from a mysterious RV in their trailer park spreads, Val and her friends suspect a connection. During their investigation, they witness a horrific event that sends them scrambling for their lives. With their deadbeat uncle triggering even more danger, the siblings must confront whether...

In "The Abbot’s Shadow," set within the serene confines of the Monastery of Saint-Michel-du-Valais in southern France, Brother Luc, a devout monk, confronts a chilling temptation that shatters his tranquil existence. One fateful night, he is awakened not by sound, but by an otherworldly presence; a succubus, a demon of seduction and desire, who disrupts his peaceful slumber with her intoxicating beauty and allure. As she materialises in his dim cell, her enchanting essence brings forth a conflict between his vows of piety and the primal urges she awakens within him. Despite his training ...

In three beautifully crafted, dramatic acts, James's little-known novel unravels the painfully complicated emotional bonds which exist within a group of friends and lovers connected by two neighboring homes as they fight publicly for preferment, reciprocation, and successful marriage....

#1 New York Times best-selling, Pulitzer Prize–winning author Anthony Doerr brings his“stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) to selecting The Best American Short Stories 2019. Doerr and the series editor, Heidi Pitlor, winnow down twenty stories out of thousands that represent the best examples of the form published the previous year.

When she came to Detroit, Isabella “Izzy” Sage was looking for answers about the death of her parents, who were killed while doing the very job she’s about to take on: managing the death gate - a border between the living and the dead, located on Belle Isle. What she found was a sense of family, a little romance, and a whole lot of adventure. This omnibus includes the first three titles in the Death Gate supernatural thriller series: Only the Lonely, Only the Quiet, and Only the Lost.

Tales the Crows Taught Me Seventeen Supernatural Tales to Make Your Skin Crawl Fans of Ray Bradbury and the Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock, and Lord of the Flies have reason to rejoice! Here are 17 tales with a twist—many of them award-winning: a traveling sideshow, a shadowy something waiting in a deep Oregon forest, an ancient fishing village where there's a price to pay for magic, a strange parcel dragged for miles over ice and snow, a Florida boarding house full of residents who would VERY much like to meet you... The Uncanny waits to make your acquaintance. Included: Protection: ...

When the end of the world arrived, it came not with a bang, as most expected, but with more of a "pfft" instead. Humanity has been torn asunder and brought to the edge of total annihilation in less than an hour. For those who died, it was a quick death, so fast that their brains didn't have time to process the pain signals from their nerves. For those who survived, the true horror is about to begin as they struggle to not only stay alive, but come to grips with the shocking realization about what - and who - was responsible.