Series in Noir
Books in Noir
A Paler Shade of Death
A taut psychological crime story, A PALER SHADE OF DEATH was nominated for a 2017 Edgar Award for Best Short Story. Becca is starting a new life in the city, miles away from her elegant St. Louis suburban home. Things were never the same with her husband after she was found not guilty of the death of their four-year-old son, and they are now separated. She drinks too much, and daydreams too much, and now there’s a ten-year-old neighbor boy dogging her every move. Heartbroken and desperately focused on the past, Becca is driven to commit a crime that will bring to light the truth about her young son’s death, and change both the boy's life, and hers, forever. A PALER SHADE OF DEATH was originally published in the anthology, ST. LOUIS NOIR. (Akashic Books) E-book includes a bonus Laura Benedict short story, THE HOLLOW WOMAN, which was originally published in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. Laura Benedict is the author of The Bliss House Trilogy (The Abandoned Heart, Charlotte’s Story, and Bliss House), and other novels of dark suspense. Her stories and books evoke a powerful sense of place and take the reader on an in-depth journey into the darkest corners of her characters’ minds. When she’s not writing, she’s reading, watch crime shows on television, playing with her two dogs and two cats, or homeschooling her teenage son.
A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night
Assassination is Maureen Eckles’ business. Vengeance is her quest. When Maureen learns that Leo “Riddles” Ridley is back in Chicago, the screaming harridan of violence and vengeance is unmuzzled in Maureen’s troubled head. The harridan only quiets when fed steady doses of death, which Maureen is only too happy to provide, especially if Riddles is the on the menu. She’ll make him suffer for his betrayal, for abandoning her to the fate of prison for her work as a member of Riddles’ outfit. But first she has to find him. Maureen’s furious night of violence and vengeance begins at a mysterious, gun-selling taco truck in a dark vacant lot and ends in the broken quiet of a dark alley. In between, she hunts down past associates who could help her find Riddles: the lawyer who wronged her, the failed comic with the analytical mind, the racketeer who runs a shadowy poker game, the woman who shares Riddles’ bed. But Riddles is slippery, always just ahead of Maureen’s Beretta. With each close call of finding Riddles, the harridan in Maureen’s head screams louder, the demand for death more insistent. As Maureen guns her T-Bird through Chicago’s crime haunted shadows, her hunt for Riddles grows desperate, her need for vengeance claws deeper. Her wild quest ends in a climax of exploding emotions, memories, heartbreak and violence. Vengeance has its price. Praise for A TACO, A T-BIRD, A BERETTA AND ONE FURIOUS NIGHT: “Ann Aptaker’s latest noir masterpiece grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. Stylish and unputdownable, written with an edge sharp enough to make Dashiell Hammett wince.” —John Altman, bestselling author of False Flag “Ann Aptaker’s A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night is a fun, welcome dose of classic noir with plenty of bite. I enjoyed the hell out of this one.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night
Assassination is Maureen Eckles’ business. Vengeance is her quest. When Maureen learns that Leo “Riddles” Ridley is back in Chicago, the screaming harridan of violence and vengeance is unmuzzled in Maureen’s troubled head. The harridan only quiets when fed steady doses of death, which Maureen is only too happy to provide, especially if Riddles is the on the menu. She’ll make him suffer for his betrayal, for abandoning her to the fate of prison for her work as a member of Riddles’ outfit. But first she has to find him. Maureen’s furious night of violence and vengeance begins at a mysterious, gun-selling taco truck in a dark vacant lot and ends in the broken quiet of a dark alley. In between, she hunts down past associates who could help her find Riddles: the lawyer who wronged her, the failed comic with the analytical mind, the racketeer who runs a shadowy poker game, the woman who shares Riddles’ bed. But Riddles is slippery, always just ahead of Maureen’s Beretta. With each close call of finding Riddles, the harridan in Maureen’s head screams louder, the demand for death more insistent. As Maureen guns her T-Bird through Chicago’s crime haunted shadows, her hunt for Riddles grows desperate, her need for vengeance claws deeper. Her wild quest ends in a climax of exploding emotions, memories, heartbreak and violence. Vengeance has its price. Praise for A TACO, A T-BIRD, A BERETTA AND ONE FURIOUS NIGHT: “Ann Aptaker’s latest noir masterpiece grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. Stylish and unputdownable, written with an edge sharp enough to make Dashiell Hammett wince.” —John Altman, bestselling author of False Flag “Ann Aptaker’s A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night is a fun, welcome dose of classic noir with plenty of bite. I enjoyed the hell out of this one.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night
Assassination is Maureen Eckles’ business. Vengeance is her quest. When Maureen learns that Leo “Riddles” Ridley is back in Chicago, the screaming harridan of violence and vengeance is unmuzzled in Maureen’s troubled head. The harridan only quiets when fed steady doses of death, which Maureen is only too happy to provide, especially if Riddles is the on the menu. She’ll make him suffer for his betrayal, for abandoning her to the fate of prison for her work as a member of Riddles’ outfit. But first she has to find him. Maureen’s furious night of violence and vengeance begins at a mysterious, gun-selling taco truck in a dark vacant lot and ends in the broken quiet of a dark alley. In between, she hunts down past associates who could help her find Riddles: the lawyer who wronged her, the failed comic with the analytical mind, the racketeer who runs a shadowy poker game, the woman who shares Riddles’ bed. But Riddles is slippery, always just ahead of Maureen’s Beretta. With each close call of finding Riddles, the harridan in Maureen’s head screams louder, the demand for death more insistent. As Maureen guns her T-Bird through Chicago’s crime haunted shadows, her hunt for Riddles grows desperate, her need for vengeance claws deeper. Her wild quest ends in a climax of exploding emotions, memories, heartbreak and violence. Vengeance has its price. Praise for A TACO, A T-BIRD, A BERETTA AND ONE FURIOUS NIGHT: “Ann Aptaker’s latest noir masterpiece grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. Stylish and unputdownable, written with an edge sharp enough to make Dashiell Hammett wince.” —John Altman, bestselling author of False Flag “Ann Aptaker’s A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night is a fun, welcome dose of classic noir with plenty of bite. I enjoyed the hell out of this one.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night
Assassination is Maureen Eckles’ business. Vengeance is her quest. When Maureen learns that Leo “Riddles” Ridley is back in Chicago, the screaming harridan of violence and vengeance is unmuzzled in Maureen’s troubled head. The harridan only quiets when fed steady doses of death, which Maureen is only too happy to provide, especially if Riddles is the on the menu. She’ll make him suffer for his betrayal, for abandoning her to the fate of prison for her work as a member of Riddles’ outfit. But first she has to find him. Maureen’s furious night of violence and vengeance begins at a mysterious, gun-selling taco truck in a dark vacant lot and ends in the broken quiet of a dark alley. In between, she hunts down past associates who could help her find Riddles: the lawyer who wronged her, the failed comic with the analytical mind, the racketeer who runs a shadowy poker game, the woman who shares Riddles’ bed. But Riddles is slippery, always just ahead of Maureen’s Beretta. With each close call of finding Riddles, the harridan in Maureen’s head screams louder, the demand for death more insistent. As Maureen guns her T-Bird through Chicago’s crime haunted shadows, her hunt for Riddles grows desperate, her need for vengeance claws deeper. Her wild quest ends in a climax of exploding emotions, memories, heartbreak and violence. Vengeance has its price. Praise for A TACO, A T-BIRD, A BERETTA AND ONE FURIOUS NIGHT: “Ann Aptaker’s latest noir masterpiece grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. Stylish and unputdownable, written with an edge sharp enough to make Dashiell Hammett wince.” —John Altman, bestselling author of False Flag “Ann Aptaker’s A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night is a fun, welcome dose of classic noir with plenty of bite. I enjoyed the hell out of this one.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night
Assassination is Maureen Eckles’ business. Vengeance is her quest. When Maureen learns that Leo “Riddles” Ridley is back in Chicago, the screaming harridan of violence and vengeance is unmuzzled in Maureen’s troubled head. The harridan only quiets when fed steady doses of death, which Maureen is only too happy to provide, especially if Riddles is the on the menu. She’ll make him suffer for his betrayal, for abandoning her to the fate of prison for her work as a member of Riddles’ outfit. But first she has to find him. Maureen’s furious night of violence and vengeance begins at a mysterious, gun-selling taco truck in a dark vacant lot and ends in the broken quiet of a dark alley. In between, she hunts down past associates who could help her find Riddles: the lawyer who wronged her, the failed comic with the analytical mind, the racketeer who runs a shadowy poker game, the woman who shares Riddles’ bed. But Riddles is slippery, always just ahead of Maureen’s Beretta. With each close call of finding Riddles, the harridan in Maureen’s head screams louder, the demand for death more insistent. As Maureen guns her T-Bird through Chicago’s crime haunted shadows, her hunt for Riddles grows desperate, her need for vengeance claws deeper. Her wild quest ends in a climax of exploding emotions, memories, heartbreak and violence. Vengeance has its price. Praise for A TACO, A T-BIRD, A BERETTA AND ONE FURIOUS NIGHT: “Ann Aptaker’s latest noir masterpiece grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. Stylish and unputdownable, written with an edge sharp enough to make Dashiell Hammett wince.” —John Altman, bestselling author of False Flag “Ann Aptaker’s A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night is a fun, welcome dose of classic noir with plenty of bite. I enjoyed the hell out of this one.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night
Assassination is Maureen Eckles’ business. Vengeance is her quest. When Maureen learns that Leo “Riddles” Ridley is back in Chicago, the screaming harridan of violence and vengeance is unmuzzled in Maureen’s troubled head. The harridan only quiets when fed steady doses of death, which Maureen is only too happy to provide, especially if Riddles is the on the menu. She’ll make him suffer for his betrayal, for abandoning her to the fate of prison for her work as a member of Riddles’ outfit. But first she has to find him. Maureen’s furious night of violence and vengeance begins at a mysterious, gun-selling taco truck in a dark vacant lot and ends in the broken quiet of a dark alley. In between, she hunts down past associates who could help her find Riddles: the lawyer who wronged her, the failed comic with the analytical mind, the racketeer who runs a shadowy poker game, the woman who shares Riddles’ bed. But Riddles is slippery, always just ahead of Maureen’s Beretta. With each close call of finding Riddles, the harridan in Maureen’s head screams louder, the demand for death more insistent. As Maureen guns her T-Bird through Chicago’s crime haunted shadows, her hunt for Riddles grows desperate, her need for vengeance claws deeper. Her wild quest ends in a climax of exploding emotions, memories, heartbreak and violence. Vengeance has its price. Praise for A TACO, A T-BIRD, A BERETTA AND ONE FURIOUS NIGHT: “Ann Aptaker’s latest noir masterpiece grabs you by the throat on the first page and doesn’t let go. Stylish and unputdownable, written with an edge sharp enough to make Dashiell Hammett wince.” —John Altman, bestselling author of False Flag “Ann Aptaker’s A Taco, A T-Bird, A Beretta and One Furious Night is a fun, welcome dose of classic noir with plenty of bite. I enjoyed the hell out of this one.” —Alex Segura, author of Blackout and Miami Midnight
Anna Hoyt
Anna Hoyt is in the enviable position of owning and running her own tavern; in 1745 Boston, Massachusetts, women had to be granted the legal right to run a business alone. The Queen's Arms is located on the busy Boston waterfront and the thriving tavern's location makes Anna a target for the toughs who want her to sell the place to them. The tavern is Anna's only security, and she's stubbornly determined not to sell, despite the threats of her abusive husband and the thug he wants to impress. There's no one to turn to, no organized police force to protect her, and while the law may be on her side, a piece of paper won't stand in the way of dangerous men. Faced with the choice of a quick and brutal death or enduring misery in poverty, Anna takes matters into her own hands.
Backlash
Harry Starke is at it again… So are his enemies. Backlash is an action-packed, high-intensity crime fiction thriller that will keep you turning the pages. Kidnapping. Murder. Revenge… The world around him is full of misdeeds and misfortune. It’s an all or nothing battle that Harry must win… or die.
Backlash
Harry Starke is at it again… So are his enemies. Backlash is an action-packed, high-intensity crime fiction thriller that will keep you turning the pages. Kidnapping. Murder. Revenge… The world around him is full of misdeeds and misfortune. It’s an all or nothing battle that Harry must win… or die.
Bang!
In this anthology of twenty-two crime stories there are crooks and crooked cops, lost and missing persons, those running and those hiding, femme fatales, avocados, downbeat PIs, deadbeat insurance investigators, hotel detectives and unsavory gangs, those doing wrong and those done wrong by, fated lovers and failed robberies; even Inspector Maigret at the infamous château in Roissy. Why not take a shot? FEATURING BRAND NEW STORIES FROM: Mia Dalia / Roxanne Dent / Yvette Viets Flaten / Gary Fry Jamey Gallagher / Leif Hanson / Gabriel Heller Brian Howell / Rhys Hughes / Andrew Humphrey Maxim Jakubowski / Benedict J Jones / Tim Lees Song Gao Lei / Jenean McBrearty / Cate Moyle Mike O’Driscoll / Melissa Pleckham / Douglas Thompson Grant Tracey / Saira Viola / Charles West
Blood Business
Two books, one anthology. The grift. The scam. The double-cross. Blackmail and burglary; murder and larceny. Blood Business tracks the underbelly of human nature as it drags itself through the muck of our lesser angels in twenty-seven crime stories set in this world... and beyond. "Blood Business is as satisfying as a stiff drink after a tough case. Deliciously gritty, and dark as a day-old bruise, these stories will thrill any noir fan." —Jaye Wells, USA Today bestselling author "In Blood Business, duality is a theme but nuance reigns. Honesty won't save you. Virtue is subjective. And what if the only difference between appearance and a reality is what we choose to believe? Cinematic at times, uncomfortably intimate at others, Blood Business is a visceral delight." —John Wenzel, The Denver Post “Blood Business compiles an absolutely stunning collection of talent." —Brian Keene "Editors Acevedo and Viola offer an anthology of noirish tales exploring the dark recesses of both real and supernatural worlds... Two sharp, distinctive, and complementary clusters of stories." —Kirkus Reviews "In this uniformly good anthology of noir stories, the authors are able to inject some life, of the supernatural variety, into a genre usually rife with clichés." —IndieReader "Take horror writing at its best and add a crime/mystery spin. Then pair this with psychological depth for the foundation of the special atmosphere and focus of Blood Business, where every story is powerfully wrought, filled with satisfying twists, and presented with a flair of originality and surprise not typically seen in crime story collections. For all these reasons, Blood Business is a unique, compelling, dark production very highly recommended for fans who like their crimes tinged with psychological depth and horror, and who look for original, unique, compelling productions where every story is a gem and no 'filler' is allowed." —D. Donovan, Sr. Reviewer, Midwest Book Review Table Of Contents From This World FOREWORD Gary Phillips INTRODUCTION Mario Acevedo DOUBLING DOWN ON DEATH Edward Bryant BONE ON WOOD Mark Stevens BLACK AND BLUE Carter Wilson GIRLS GONE WILD Cat Rambo NIGHT IN TUNISIA Manuel Ramos AN OFFICER AND A HITMAN Gary Jonas SLUG Paul Goat Allen MORPHING Alvaro Zinos-Amaro THE PLEDGE Mark Stevens & Dean Wyant SHADOWS WITHIN SHADOWS Mark Stevens & Dean Wyant IT DOESN’T MEAN ANYTHING Shannon Baker THE GUESSING GAME Sean Eads STRAIGHT TO THE TOP Trevor Jones Table Of Contents From Beyond BITTEN OFF Edward Bryant A CLAMOR OF BONES Alyssa Wong DIVIDED THEY FALL Patrick Berry JANE DOE MUST DIE Angie Hodapp OUTSORCERY Joshua Viola DO IT ALREADY Stephen Graham Jones LUNCHTIME Jeanne C. Stein NUMERAL ELEVEN Jason Heller A ROSE BY ANY OTHER NAME Betsy Dornbusch SHOE Aaron Michael Ritchey CARD SHARP Kat Richardson TAKERS FIND GIVERS Mario Acevedo THE COMBO Warren Hammond THE GROUP HOME Chris Holm AFTERWORD Christine Goff THE ASH OF THE PHOENIX: REMEMBERING EDWARD BRYANT Sean Eads