Twisted Psychological Thriller

Twisted Tales returns with a second volume of psychological mayhem and disturbing supernatural encounters. If you're into screaming trains, vengeful clowns, the terror of online dating, remorseful ghouls, pandemic-spreading ghosts, murderous mansions, and seriously sick restaurants, then these Twisted Tales are the short stories begging to be read.

Camille and Will Prescott have relocated from San Diego to Phoenix for a fresh start in a quiet gated community. After the traumas Camille’s marriage survived, it’s just the sanctuary she needs. As for her new neighbors, there’s Sozi, seemingly well intentioned if not for her invasive meddling and her desperate overtures to make a friend. And Mara and Oscar, an unstable couple around whom troubling rumors swirl. Patiently listening to Sozi’s gossip and watching Mara and Oscar ever so closely has become something of a hobby for Camille.

I stand in the mortuary and take a deep breath before identifying the body of the man I’ve been married to for 26 years. Victor and I built Serenity Falls, a successful couples’ retreat, together. Honesty and trust were the bedrocks of our marriage, and we helped other couples repair their relationships too.

The drive should’ve taken three hours. Four, if he stopped for coffee. Cal Morrin stared out at the two-lane road stretching endlessly before him, the kind that seemed to unravel like old ribbon through the forest. His hands rested loose on the steering wheel, eyes flicking between the trees and the dashboard clock. He was supposed to be at the cabin by now. The cabin. A quiet retreat deep in the woods—no cell service, no meetings, no expectations. He'd booked it on impulse during a sleepless night. A last-ditch attempt to clear the fog in his mind before Monday. Behind him: the city. ...

Half a dozen more terrifying tales of suspense and horror! A Night at the Movies (another post-apocalyptic story with a twist), Speaking of the Dead (when a seance goes bad), Carnival Clowns (three teenagers set out for the fair seeking fun), Killer Concert (a young woman goes to see her favorite band with murderous results), The Quitter (what could happen when you try and kick the habit), In Dreams (are recurring nightmares more than just dreams, or is someone trying to tell us something?)

From the bestselling author of HER and Water Under the Bridge comes a razor-sharp psychological thriller about obsession, deception, and the terrifying ease of watching—and being watched. A flawless couple walks into the coffee shop where Izzy Lewis works. They're perfect—effortless, enviable, everything she's ever wanted. So, she does what she always does: she stalks them on social media. Just like that—with the tap of a screen—she's inside their world. Their glamorous life, their intimate moments, their secrets. But this time, watching isn't enough. This time, she'll do whatever ...

Ella thought she was alone. Her quiet townhouse was her sanctuary, a place where she could curl up under her favorite blanket, lose herself in her favorite shows, and forget the world outside. But someone else has been watching. Someone who knows her routines, who whispers along to the lines she’s memorized, who moves her things just enough to make her doubt her own sanity. As the days blur together, her sense of safety unravels, each creaking floorboard, each misplaced mug, each shadow stretching a little too long becoming a reminder that she isn’t as alone as she thought. Because ...

I thought our marriage was perfect. I thought our love was unbreakable. I was wrong. I had it all—Dayo, my brilliant lawyer husband, a penthouse dripping with luxury, and a life my father’s money made possible. But then I noticed the late nights, the locked phone, the way his eyes avoided mine. Suspicion became my shadow, and her name was Dora—a psychiatrist too beautiful, too close, too dangerous. I couldn’t let her take him. I dug deeper, and the truth cut like a knife: I’m not the first wife he’s betrayed, not the first life my father’s empire has caged. Now, I hold a gun ...

I’ve worked so hard to be the lawyer I am today. Helping as many women as I can—including my sister—escape toxic marriages makes it all worth it. But as I stand in the courtroom, listening to this poor woman break down sobbing, my stomach twists. I can’t look. Her husband says she can’t be trusted. Her child is about to be taken away from her. And it’s all my fault.

A stranger arrives in the Texas town of Calvin where he fast establishes himself as a favorite. Because of this, the town leaders invite him to take up the role of Mayor, a position he accepts and prospers in. And when Kilbride marries, his seems the idyllic existence. However, there's another side to Mayor Kilbride, which bride and parents-in-law will soon find out. The Two Faces of Killer Kilbride is a superb tale of psychological manipulation from award-winning author, Robert E. Kearns

What’s that noise outside the window? Maybe some endings should be left alone. What was that bump I felt? What’s that crawling in your underwear? Take a look through Dark Windows: More Twisted Tales to find the answers to these questions and more in this collection of short stories of dark fiction, supernatural, suspense and psychological horror all bound together with a black sense of humour. Why not take a look through these Dark Windows… you never know what you might see?

Since Katie’s dad left, it’s just been the two of us, but we’re a team – singing in the kitchen at cheesy pop songs, tackling her homework. My teenage daughter is everything to me. But one night, as we’re curled up in front of the TV, the messages start. I keep my phone away from Katie so she can’t see the terrifying words: I know what you did. Now you’re going to do something for me....

A record New York Powerball. A psychotic IRS agent. A closet genius and his beloved Painted Lady. When Gus Fludd wins the lottery, his dream of restoring the ancestral Victorian--set deep in the Adirondacks--seems at hand. But just as the scaffolding rises and work begins, a psychotic IRS agent appears on his tumbledown porch, spouting demands and casting a deadly shadow over all his hopes. As Gus grapples with this sinister agent, his estranged wife suddenly returns, acting like an angel. His Dickensian brother first cajoles and then blackmails him for his 'share' of the money. Unwelcome ...

When Congressional staffer Ben Walsh receives this cryptic text from his wife he initially doesn’t think much of it. But while waiting to hear from her again, Ben discovers that the text came an hour before a shooting that occurred along her daily running route. Veronica won’t pick up her phone, and when she doesn’t return home, he knows she is somehow involved. If she isn’t one of the victims, then where is she, and what did she know? While Ben searches for his wife, he stumbles upon another violent death, with clear connections to the shooting.

My baby is due in two weeks. Hand on my bump, I swear to my little girl, I won't be anything like my mother. I'm walking home after the perfect baby shower, enjoying the cool summer evening breeze. I can't wait to rest my aching feet. I'm almost at my door when the world goes black.

Steph spent months planning her perfect birthday celebration. Five days in an idyllic setting with her best friends. Long lazy lunches, crisp white wine by the pool and a climb up the beautiful Mont Ventoux. She couldn't wait. They’ve been there for each other through the good times and the bad. This was the break everyone needed. After their first night partying, they begin their hike. But as the lavender-scented air turns acrid from local wildfires, fierce winds whip up smoke–and tensions in the group. They become separated.

The people who call End of the Line need hope. They need reassurance that life is worth living. But some are unlucky enough to get through to Laura. Laura doesn’t want them to hope. She wants them to die. Laura hasn’t had it easy: she’s survived sickness and a difficult marriage only to find herself heading for forty, unsettled and angry. She doesn’t love talking to people worse off than she is. She craves it. But now someone’s on to her—Ryan, whose world falls apart when his pregnant wife ends her life, hand in hand with a stranger. Who was this man, and why did they choose to die together?

Could you take a life to save your own? Faith's world will never be the same again. Not after he took everything from her. Now, there's only one way to stop the man who murdered her sister, and it will push her to the edge. After coming to terms with her involuntary commitment to Little Lake State Hospital, Faith discovers the monster who fractured her life is posing as her psychiatrist. Dr. Robert O'Reilly has only one promise: tell anyone about the horrible things he's done, and he will kill her mother. With no choice but to keep O'Reilly happy, Faith must suppress her desires for revenge...

A scientist suffering from PTSD is faced with the terrible knowledge of the impending destruction of our species. In his desperate attempts to prevent humanity's fate, he commits violent acts and is branded a terrorist. How far would you go to save the planet from annihilation? Where do humans come from and how did we get here? Scientists have theorized about the human race's origins for many years. But no one was prepared for what was found in orbit, seven ancient alien probes that have been monitoring the planet for billions of years. The data and video images recorded inside them show ...

La personne que vous aimez le plus au monde est en danger... Il y a trois ans, la petite Evie, 5 ans, a disparu en sortant de l'école. La police n'a jamais réussi à la localiser. Aucun indice, aucune piste. Rien. La petite s'est évaporée. Mais Toni le sait : sa fille est vivante. Encore faudrait-il qu'elle puisse l'exprimer ! Car Toni est enfermée dans un terrible silence. Personne ne l'écoute, personne ne l'entend. Pourtant, Evie a besoin d'elle. Toni doit réaliser l'impossible si elle veut la sauver.