Dark Humor Satire

It's the end of the 80s, and Rachael O'Brien's last year of college, but before classes begin, her grandmother's stately home is burgled, and a rare book of prophecies is defaced with a menacing message threatening the family.

A zany twist on the Southern Gothic, Ballad of Jasmine Wills is a wild and heartfelt tale of abduction and revenge, body shaming and media fame. Lee Rozelle’s debut novel is the story of overweight banker Jasmine and her kidnapper, the enigmatic reality TV mastermind Preston Price. Trapped inside an egg-shaped studio in the secluded backwoods, Jasmine is tortured with haute cuisine, brainwashed with self-help videos, and badgered with cardio exercise routines for her growing mass of livestream fans.

George Hall is an unobtrusive man. A little distant, perhaps, a little cautious, not quite at ease with the emotional demands of fatherhood or of manly bonhomie. “The secret of contentment, George felt, lay in ignoring many things completely.” Some things in life can’t be ignored, however: his tempestuous daughter Katie’s deeply inappropriate boyfriend Ray, for instance, or the sudden appearance of a red circular rash on his hip.

The city of Alyon is in trouble. Its citizens are turning into monsters. Not the good kind of monsters—terrifying, bloodthirsty, flesh-rending, citizen-killing monsters. When Grak’s favorite barkeep tells him that he will get a lifetime supply of free alcohol if he can figure out why the bar’s patrons are disappearing, Grak is on the case! Grak - Private Instigator is a humorous supernatural detective fantasy about a down-on-his-luck orc who solves crimes with his fists.

Matilda Dare might be in a new relationship, but she’s not sure. Ever since Boone kissed her, it’s been up in the air if they’re an item or not. Either way, she can’t focus on romance for very long because one of her best friends has been accused of murder, and Matilda is bound and determined to prove her innocence. Matilda and Boone find themselves on the trail of the real killer out in the wilds of New Mexico. But as they’re pursuing the killer, they’re being pursued as well. Jurassic Dark is the third installment of the funny small town mystery romance Goodnight Mysteries ...

Little did the obscure novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton know in 1830 when he penned that most relished, imitated, and lampooned opening sentence in English literature, "It was a dark and stormy night..." that his words would inspire countless aspiring writers struggling incessantly like boats against the current to emulate his unparalleled style and that his name would grace "The Bulwer-Lytton Contest" honoring his most successful followers. Get it? Abounding in shameless sentences, this audio rendition of the original contest is a hilarious - even perversely instructive - collection of skilled, inept writing. Compiler Scott Rice is a professor of English at San Jose State University and the creator of the contest. The narrators include Marni Webb, Ray Nakamoto, Rachel Songer, and Bob Nathan.

The Consultant is very good at his job. He creates simple, elegant, effective solutions for…restructuring. Nothing obvious or messy. Certainly nothing anyone would ever suspect as murder. The ‘natural deaths’ he plans have always gone well: a medicine replaced here, a mechanism jammed there. His performance reviews are excellent. And it’s not as though he knows these people. Until his next ‘customer’ turns out to be someone he not only knows but cares about, and for the first time, he begins to question the role he plays in the vast, anonymous Company.

Heaven has fallen. The legions of Chaos have overrun the world. Uërth is in ruins. With the Heavenly Host’s fall, Angel Swords rained from the heavens, littering the world in what was. Only the most honorable and purest of heart are able to take up the Angel Swords and wield them against the throngs of Chaos. These mighty Empyrean Knights are all that stand between Uërth and annihilation. Saedeus is neither pure of heart nor honorable. Nor does he wish to wield an Angel Sword. He just wants to be left alone with his mushrooms. And his pet rock. But he might not have a choice. When he ...

Cara Foster is, one might say, eco-anxious—perhaps even eco-neurotic. She eats out of dumpsters—not because she wants to but because it’s the right thing to do—does laundry as seldom as possible, takes navy showers every couple of days, and is reevaluating her boyfriend for killing a spider. Then, during a mimosa-soaked Sunday brunch, she meets her boyfriend’s alluring mother, Millie. As they begin spending time together, getting pedicures and drinking martinis, Cara becomes hooked on Millie and this new freedom from the harsh realities of life in the twenty-first century.

When hordes of people descend on the picturesque village of Nasely for the annual celebration of its most famous resident, murder mystery writer Agnes Crabbe, events take a dark turn as the festival opens with a shocking death. Each year the residents are outnumbered by crowds dressed as Crabbe’s lady detective, Millicent Cutter. The weekend is never a mild-mannered affair as fan club rivalries bubble below the surface, but tensions reach new heights when a second Crabbe devotee is found murdered. Though the police are quick to arrive on the scene, the facts are tricky to ascertain as the witnesses, suspects and victim are all dressed as Miss Cutter.

Doctor Fischer despises the human race. When the notorious toothpaste millionaire decides to hold the last of his famous parties - his own deadly version of the book of Revelation - Greene opens up a powerful vision of the limitless greed of the rich. Black comedy and painful satire combine in a totally compelling novel.

Welcome to the shadowy world where your cat’s cuddle might just be a reconnaissance mission. Here, each purr is suspect, every gift a warning, and the innocent act of sleeping on your keyboard? A strategic move in the silent battle for dominance. This isn’t just another day in your cozy, cat-dominated household—it’s an insight into the cunning mind behind those whiskers. Discover the art of survival in a land where being ignored is a power play, and affection could be the prelude to an assassination attempt. With a blend of dark humor and unnerving accuracy, navigate the minefield ...

La oscuridad de Guayaquil que muestra Gabriela Alemán en su novela Poso Wells, parece surgir del sedimento (el poso) del cuento de Wells. El país de los ciegos ambientado en Los Andes ecuatorianos. La novela continúa ese mito, el resabio de ese mito, y hace aflorar del fondo, lo monstruoso latinoamericano, a través de lo grotesco, la fantasía desaforada, el comic.

The Deeper She Goes Undercover, the Deadlier the Truth Becomes. With the truth about HealthSync’s lethal neural implants starting to unravel, the resistance is closing in on their next target: Dr. Anthony Sickle, the mastermind behind the technology’s government approval. The key to exposing the conspiracy? Veronica Lake—a cunning elite escort with a talent for getting the answers no one else can. Tasked with infiltrating Tony’s world, Veronica sets her sights on his one weakness—his favorite restaurant, where she plans to seduce him into revealing the dark secrets he’s been ...

If Asher Hearst had a superpower, it would have to be his ability to take a punch, laugh it off, and keep on swinging. So yeah, immortality comes with a few perks. As a college student slash small-time fixer, he's about to take a job that's best left to the pros. A proposition by a dryad to save witches from the Inquisition is a first, but he isn't one to balk when the odds are stacked against him. Especially not while he's drinking on someone else's dime.

NEIGHBORS TASTE BEST A Story of Sex, Death, and Dinner by Robert E. Andersson The pot roast smells amazing. The kitchen is spotless. And the new neighbor just got invited to dinner. But behind Norma Marsh’s perfect smile and polished silverware, something hungrier is hiding. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, Neighbors Taste Best is a razor-sharp, satirical horror novella that slices into fame, failure, and flesh. Aspiring actor Eric Thomas is barely holding on — until he meets his neighbor. She’s sweet. She’s welcoming. She’s cooking something unforgettable. Featuring dark humor, vintage ...

Don is a clerk in the Quick Stop convenience store with a problem: He suddenly can’t remember his past or what he’s doing here. He thinks maybe he’s an angel sent on a mission. With Sancha, his only friend and fellow clerk, Don and Sancha of the Q set out on a quest to do some good and find out why he’s here. Maybe it has something to do with the stolen atomic bomb in Don Q’s basement. Maybe.

Meet Rowena Halley, a former human rights activist turned academic. Rowena thought teaching on US college campuses would be a lot safer than interviewing torture victims in Russia. Boy, was she wrong. Rowena quickly gets caught up in campus intrigue that threatens to turn deadly. Meanwhile, the life and lover she thought she’d left behind in Moscow might not be so firmly back in the past as she’d believed.

Let's be real: customer service sucks. Being sandwiched between needy customers and incompetent leadership at a greedy corporation sets an impossible expectation. It's Tony's job to "reset the customer experience" with no tools other than his customer-oriented attitude and expression of the company's hip and trendy culture.

And Lead Us Not is a comic novel about Wally Zeringue, a high school dropout who becomes president of the United States. Wally has enemies - among them, Dan Bitterman, a former classmate who is now a reporter for the president's hometown weekly newspaper. Two other bitter enemies of Wally Zerignue become secret informants for the reporter.