Anthologies

Say their names: Sandra Bland. Philando Castile. Daniel Shaver. George Floyd. And too many others. They died, the victims of a justice system which, for many people in our country and around the world, is seldom just. In this anthology, our authors explore the darker side of the badge, where a traffic stop can go one of two ways—bad or worse. Where evidence can and will be forged. Where the Blue Wall of Silence closes ranks, and accountability becomes a four-letter word. At the end, you’ll wonder—is the system broken? Or more chillingly, is it operating just the way it was always intended, and are we meant to live our lives Under the Thumb? Guest-edited by New York Times Bestseller S.A. Cosby, with stories by: Travis Wade Beaty Andrew Case Hilary Davidson Hector Duarte Jr. Michael Downing Jeffrey Eaton Michael A. Gonzales James D.F. Hannah Zakariah Johnson Preston Lang Bobby Mathews Mike McHone Richie Narvaez Oluseyi Onabanjo James Queally Keith Rosson Jeff Soloway Joseph S. Walker and Tim P. Walker

WIN, LOSE, OR DIE. Whether it’s child’s play or for the highest stakes, whether we stick to the rules or cheat, we all play games — for fun, for thrills, for love or money, to prove we’re the best or make an opponent knuckle under. And the games we play, with cards or dice or nothing but our wits, reveal something deeply personal about the players. In this powerful new anthology, Mystery Writers of America Grandmaster Lawrence Block has assembled an all-star team for the ultimate game night. Sit down at the checkerboard with S.A. Cosby, assemble jigsaw puzzles with David Morrell, or play marbles for the fate of the world with Joe R. Lansdale. In Jeffery Deaver’s hands, an innocent game of Candyland takes twists the Parker Brothers could never have imagined. Science-fiction grandmaster Robert Silverberg uncovers painful truths about destiny while betting on the turtle races in a Caribbean resort. And Lawrence Block himself out-Hitchcocks Hitchcock with his classic story of murder victims swapped by strangers on a handball court. From hide-and-seek to Russian roulette, from mahjong to Mouse Trap, it’s a game lover’s dream — but beware: your turn is coming, and while winning isn’t everything, sometimes losing can be deadly… And here's the starred review from Publishers Weekly: One of the most impressive of the 17 crime stories involving games in this stellar anthology from MWA Grand Master Block ( In Sunlight or in Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper ) is Block’s own “Strangers on a Handball Court.” It riffs on Patricia Highsmith’s Strangers on a Train , as the title suggests, and provides a wholly fair plot with a gut-wrenching surprise. Even knowing that multiple twists are coming doesn’t negate their impact in Jeffery Deaver’s devious “The Babysitter,” which opens with a classic trope: the innocent everyperson who stumbles on a deadly secret. When the charges of 17-year-old Kelli Lambert get bored playing Candy Land, Kelli’s search for another board game leads her into peril after the parents of the kids she’s watching suspect she’s spotted their secret plans to torch a casino so they can establish their own casino. David Morrell shines with the subtle and creepy “The Puzzle Master,” in which a couple become addicted to jigsaw puzzles by a particular artist, only to find potentially ominous clues linking disparate bucolic scenes. The wide range of stories and games in them begs for a sequel.

The fifth installment of the Shotgun Honey Presents anthology series. In this special edition, 20 authors present tales featuring female protagonist who navigate the precarious boundaries of the darker spaces of humanity. With stories from Francelia Belton, Jason Butkowski, James D.F. Hannah, Karen Harrington, Curtis Ippolito, Meagan Lucas, Bobby Mathews, Cate Moyle, Jonathan Newman, Lori Robbins, J. Rohr, Jessica Slee, Rob D. Smith, Mary Thorson, Julie Tollefson, Ilyn Welch, Holly West, Michael Wiley, Maura Yzmore, and editor Ron Earl Phillips. All proceeds of this anthology will donated to benefit breast cancer research. This collection is dedicated to Carolyn Jean Phillips, and to those who fought.

Taking the revolver was their first mistake. Using it was their second. Marlin Hattenburg has no idea of the mayhem he’s about to unleash when he discovers an ugly gun while at work. Holding the snub-nose revolver fills him with hope that his marital problems will soon melt away. He’s dead wrong. The same pistol soon winds up in the hands of a junkie, followed by a mother, a spy, and even a failed clown. Each of them believes a found revolver to be good fortune or a solution to their problems. They, too, are wrong. How does one discarded revolver lead to so much trouble? Follow the gun through one Pacific Northwest summer and find out. Lost and Loaded: a Gun’s Tale is a collection of fourteen stories from crime fiction’s freshest voices. Get your copy today and experience a summer of broken dreams and murder.