Anthologies
In this second of Wolfmont's anthologies to benefit the Toys for Tots, fifteen talented authors have contributed wonderful holiday-themed short stories in crime, suspense and mystery. Contributors include the Edgar and Barry award-winning author Thomas Cook, Anthony award-winner Chris Grabenstein, Derringer-award winner Earl Staggs, Sue Ann Jaffarian, Austin S. Camacho and ten other fantastic authors who will make you gasp, shudder and laugh with these tales of holiday fear and cheer.
Deadlines is a nightmarish excursion into fear featuring stories from 20 up-and-coming authors of horror and dark fiction. From serial killers to zombies, from sinister dolls to malicious cats, this collection is a veritable a-z of evil and a deadly trip down the darkside of human nature. Sonar4 Publications Review: Deadlines has some of the scariest stories wrapped together in one convenient package. Stories that grab a hold of your breath refusing to give it back until you turn the next page. Authors such as Michael A. Kechula, Shaun Ryan are just two of the twenty that appear with their gruesome, thrilling and amazing stories in this Anthology. Contents: BRUTAL ASSAULT by Garry Bushell THE COWBIRDS NEST by Clinton A. Harris MADONNA OF THE BLACK MOUNTAIN by Tessa Johnstone STRIPTEASE ON MOUNT RUSHMORE by Ed Lynskey MYSTERIO AND GALATEA by Michael A. Kechula HARRY by Doug Murano IN YOUR WARM AND DARKENED GRAVE by Frank Zafiro GIRL IN THE TUB by Cameron L. Mitchell FRAZZLED by J.R. THE GIFT OF THE BONEFLOWER by D. Alexander Ward AS CLOSE AS IT GETS by Karina Berg Johansson GOOD BOYS by Shaun Ryan SILENCE by Christopher Allan Death VISITING HOUR by Michael Pelc THE DEATH OF LESTER WILLIAMS by Ty Johnston LA NUIT DU LA CHAT NOIR by Nora B. Peevy WHITE by David Richards STREET WALKING by Jason Jeffery WILL'S LITTLE BLACK FLOWER by Brent Meske MALRATS by Walter Payne
Twenty of the country's top crime writers walk into a bar... Yonder: Southern Cocktails & Brew, specifically. They each leave a tale spun in a way that only they can. Over twenty endearing stories of degenerates, criminals and regulars just itching for something to happen.
There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. Episode 1: “Tacos de Cazuela con Smith & Wesson” by Gary Phillips. Episode 2: “Three Brisket Tacos and a Sig Sauer” by Michael Bracken. Episode 3: “A Gyro and a Glock” by Frank Zafiro. Episodes 4-6 of Season One are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 2 .
Revenues from anthology sales will be donated to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. Film and recording artists the world over are broadcasting from home, doing their share to raise money for COVID-19 relief. And now the literati has picked up the gauntlet. Bestselling and award-winning authors have contributed their short stories and essays to inspire one and all during this challenging time, to enlighten the mind and raise the spirits. The Benevolent Contributors: Brendan DuBois Jonas Saul Barry Lancet Bruce Robert Coffin Zoë Sharp Ed Aymar Charles Salzberg Cheryl Bradshaw Vincent Zandri Debra Goldstein Beth Terrell W/A Jayden Terrell Frank Zafiro Shawn Reilly Simmons Cathy Cobb Phillip Bowie Warren Moore Marvin Wolf Tom Wood Lynn Chandler Willis Diane Capri Lawrence Kelter Diane Kelly Chris Knopf Jill Fletcher Karen McCullough Jennifer Delozier Alexia Gordon Gabriel Valjan Richard Helms J.D. Allen Tim Cavines W/A Ross Cavins Julie Bates Jeff Hargett Agnes Alexander Micki Bare Karen Fritz
With blistering stories from Hector Acosta, Mark Bergin, Joe Clifford, Paul J. Garth, Carmen Jaramillo, Dana King, James L'Etoile, Gary Phillips, Matt Phillips, Tom Pitts, Travis Richardson, John Shepphird, Holly West and Frank Zafiro. It’s eviction day for the Hope Apartments. The residents have known about it for over a year. It’s too bad they ignored all the warning signs. More than a century ago, developer Elijah Hope constructed a state-of-the-art hotel. As the generations passed and tastes changed, The Hope spent two decades as an underutilized office building before conversion into a low-income housing project. Rundown by years of human occupation, the Hope has become a hollow shell of its once great self. It is home to drug addicts, petty criminals, and those hiding from others. The city has long turned a blind eye to The Hope as surrounding neighborhoods gentrified and pushed their disaffected in its direction. But now the Hope is preparing a return to its original glory. The current owners plan to convert it into a boutique hotel. The only thing standing in their way is the eviction of over one hundred units. Each resident knew this fateful day was coming, yet most chose to believe it would never arrive. They ignored the posted signs, the hand-delivered warnings, and even the actual notices. Many stayed until the bitter end. These are their stories. The Eviction of Hope is a collection of fourteen short stories from crime fiction’s freshest voices. Get your copy today and experience the 509 in a completely new way.
Gritty and unflinching morsels of crime fiction rage across these pages. There's nothing warm and cosy here, but then that's not the reality of policing: cops deal with the darkest aspects of humanity and then have to live with that exposure. Some of those cops become writers. When crime fiction is penned by authors who have worked and risked their lives as cops at the coalface, the stories that emerge deliver exquisite realism and brutally honest emotions. The fifteen authors featured in this first-of-its-kind anthology have variously worn their uniforms and carried their badges across law enforcement in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia, as they have served and protected their communities. These short stories are as varied and vivid as the hard-earned experiences of their creators. The settings include the past, the present, and the future. The plots have murder aplenty, corruption, drugs, paedophilia, mental health, and suicide. The line-up of protagonists includes uniformed officers, detectives, and criminals, amongst others. The actions, the observations, the reminiscing, and the self-reflection of these fictional characters bring the reality of the police experience alive on the page. It is those brushstrokes of daily police life that bring a special and unique flavour to this assortment of crime fiction.
Policing today is challenging and different from any other time in our history. Men and women who have worn the badge have a unique perspective on those challenges. This collection features a diverse roster of former law enforcement officers turned crime fiction authors... diverse in every sense of the word -- age, gender, race, nationality, geography, type of agency, size of department, role within law enforcement, and political beliefs. The one thing they all have in common is a desire to share a single slice of the contemporary policing experience with you, and to join the ongoing, larger conversation in the best way they know how -- by telling a compelling crime story. Note: Contains the 2022 PSWA Award-winning story (first place) "One Fine Day," and the 2023 PSWA Award-winning stories "Officer Safety" and "Convict Code." Note: The Tattered Blue Line was selected by the Independent Fiction Alliance as one of the best "truly independent" titles of 2022!
The last word has been a common element of mysteries going back to the emergence of the genre. In Hercule Poirot’s first case, The Mysterious Affair at Styles , Mrs. Emily Cavendish Inglethorp’s last word was “Alfred.” But did she say her husband’s name for comfort . . . or as an accusation? In Nayland Smith’s first engagement on British soil with The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu , Sir Creighton Davey’s last words were “the red hand.” Was there meaning to the enigmatic phrase, or was it a symptom of a dying mind? Then, of course, there is the greatest last word ever, Citizen Kane ’s “Rosebud.” A Word Before Dying presents nine mysteries, with nine different phrases arranged for you to race against the detective. After the case is laid out, there is a break titled “Deliberation.” That is your cue to lock in on your suspect. Then comes the big reveal.
Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two things: each other and the grift. On the run from the mob, the two lovers move from one con to the next, winning some and losing others, but always finding a way to survive. Season Four begins with Episode 22, Dracula Wine by David Housewright. Business mogul Trey Osborne has money, power, and worst of all, a desire to beat all of his competitors at anything and everything. When an enterprising con artist offers him a way to show up John Frye, his chief business rival, Osborne leaps at the chance. She brings Sam and Rachel into the mix, and the pair suddenly find themselves in a battle of money and wits amidst the world of stolen artwork. Gabriel Valjan penned Episode 23, Diamond Dogs . When an unexpected Nor’easter crushes their holiday getaway and leaves Sam and Rachel stranded at the Newark airport, they befriend a mysterious, sophisticated stranger. They quickly recognize him as one of their own, a veteran grifter who poses no threat. When he extends them the hospitality of his hotel suite, they quickly decide it's a much better option than sleeping at the airport. But there’s a catch. Their new friend is a Diamond Dog and he wastes no time asking if they’ll run with him. Episode 24, Dusty and Bent by Trey R. Barker, finds Sam in a difficult place. His mentor Porter once tried to convince him that a grifter’s conscience was like an appendix—useless most of the time and painful, even deadly, when it flares up. Drawn back to Colorado on a personal matter, Sam and Rachel must confront a formative event from Sam’s past, facing a man he did wrong. And unlike the long trail of marks they’ve left in their wake, this one wears a badge. The prolific Vincent Zandri weighs in with Episode 25, Concrete and Cocaine . While visiting Albany, Sam overhears two big Russian twins spouting off about their cash cow concrete business along with their desire to make a pulp fiction flick just like the great Tarantino. He can't help but smell a grift. With Rachael by his side acting as co-producer, Sam transforms himself into Francis Strazzella, famed Italian-born movie producer who wants to make the twins’ movie. This ruse provides the perfect cover Sam and Rachael need for infiltrating the concrete plant and getting their hands on the stacks of cash that are no doubt to be found there.
Long time grifters Sam and Rachel love two things: each other and the grift. On the run from the mob, the two lovers move from one con to the next, winning some and losing others, but always finding a way to survive. Episodes 26-28 of Season Four begin with Ghost Image by Kat Richardson. In an eerie lodge in the Pacific Northwest, Rachel poses as a medium with Sam as her technician, as the pair target the wealthy Axel Strauss. Strauss has some deep secrets of his own that are dangerously close to spilling over and the “supernatural” events that Rachel and Sam must manage for him only heightens the tension. Old and new betrayals, longstanding alliances, and unspoken agendas all come to a head as the snow flies, trapping everyone at the lodge. Can Rachel and Sam manage to con an angry skeptic and escape with the money? Or will their efforts fall short, adding their ghosts to the ones supposedly haunting this ancient location? Paul J. Garth penned Episode 27, The Low White Plain . Terrified and on the run after a disastrous con in Dallas, grifters Sam and Rachel find themselves trapped by a blizzard in Nebraska. Low on cash and nerve, they find a local job that seems easy enough: orchestrate the fake kidnapping of a down-and-out academic, then split the ransom with the "victim." But underneath all that open space, malice and hate breed quickly. Sam and Rachel soon discover everyone is lying, and that this simple job is a lot more complicated—and dangerous—than either of them expected. The duo can only rely on their skills, and each other, or see their own blood spread atop the constantly falling snow. Episode 28, Dangerous to Know , closes out Season Four in spectacular fashion. Hilary Davidson takes us into the world of fake artifacts and their collectors. Rachel poses as a museum curator while Sam takes on the role of rogue archaeologist, targeting Robert and Evie Malvern, a wealthy couple who are known to quietly collect ancient artifacts via illicit means. But the grift hits a snag immediately when Robert Malvern turns the tables on them at gunpoint. The threat of death or prison is very real but he offers them a way out: if Rachel will pose as his missing wife for the next few days, he will call it even. This seemingly easy task turns out to be a most dangerous one, leaving the grifters to wonder if this is the end of line.