Paranormal Ghost Mystery

For more than 30 years, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. Now, with the 11th volume of the series, Daltow's back again to bring you the stories that will keep you up at night. With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. This light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows.

A woman named Maria Gomez is murdered in Miami, apparently by her husband - who'd been presumed dead, slain by a crime boss. FBI agent Brett Cody can't believe it; dead or alive, the man had loved his wife. He also can't help feeling guilty, since he was responsible for protecting Miguel and Maria Gomez.

History says it was suicide... Carly was thrilled to inherit her ex-husband's Victorian after he died. Of course, that was before she knew she was also inheriting his ghost, a 100-year-old curse, and the kind of strong mediumship skills that has every spirit in town begging for her to solve their mysteries. And Bessilyn Hind is first in line. According to history, in 1906 suffragist and local women's rights leader, Bessilyn Hind, committed suicide at her thirty-fifth birthday party after her fiancé broke up with her. Only one problem: her ghost doesn't remember it that way. And, she ...

Claire has absolutely no interest in the paranormal. She's a scientist, which is why she can't think of anything worse than having to help out her dad on one of his ghost-themed Chicago bus tours. She thinks she's made it through when she sees a boy with a sad face and dark eyes at the back of the bus. There's something off about his presence, especially because when she checks at the end of the tour...he's gone.

In a haunting tale of suspense and secrets, an elderly woman's serene life is upended when a malevolent figure from her past reemerges in her stately, enigmatic home by Snake River. As family bonds and dark legacies intertwine, this gripping narrative delves into a world where every corner of the house whispers of hidden truths and unresolved mysteries. The story escalates to a heart-stopping conclusion, leaving readers captivated by the chilling revelation of what truly lurks within its walls.

Where is Lara Mayhew? Lara, a congressman's media assistant, suddenly quits her job - and disappears on the way to her Washington, DC, apartment. Novice FBI agent Meg Murray, a childhood friend of Lara's, gets a message from her that same night, a message that says she's disillusioned and "going home." To Richmond, Virginia. Meg discovers that she never got there. And bodies fitting Lara's description are showing up in nearby rivers....

It’s Halloween in Abbott Cove, and Grandma Grant is keen to win the pumpkin pie competition. In fact she’s so eager to win, Harper suspects her grandmother may have used magic to enhance her entry. Already concerned and on the lookout for odd signs of magic, Harper’s stress levels shoot through the roof when someone is poisoned during the competition. Fearing her grandmother may be the number one suspect, Harper gets to work, determined to solve the mystery of the poisoned pumpkin pie. Note: this is a 15,000 word short story.. This story was first published under the name D. S. Butler...

Faced with the challenge of building a new team, Sierra and Joshua accept a landmark paranormal activity case. After receiving Midas's blessing, the McBrides quickly call in favors to meet the deadline so the new owners of Wayland Manor can safely open the historic home to the public. The new paranormal investigators include Macie Graves, the sister of the late Jocelyn Graves. Everyone brings their A-game to discover who or what may be haunting the historic home, but will it be enough?

L.J. Carter’s move back to Julep, Mississippi has been much more complicated than she ever imagined. She discovers that her momma’s death was actually a murder, and Momma’s ghost is still hanging around to talk about it. The Deputy Sheriff tried to kill her, various dead people keep showing up unannounced at her house, and the hunky shrimper, Vandergast, turns out he’s not exactly who she thought he was. But the good news is that the salon is busier than ever, now that Kyle is there to keep everyone on their toes. And there is a bakery right down the street from the salon – so ...

Vincent Banecroft, the irascible editor of The Stranger Times, has never believed his wife died despite emphatic evidence to the contrary. Now, against all odds, it seems he may actually be proved right; but what lengths will he go to in an attempt to rescue her?

With her relationship with writer Jack Treholm as shaky as the foundation of her family home, Melanie’s juggling a number of problems. Like restoring her Tradd Street house...and resisting her mother’s pressure to "go public" with her talent - a sixth sense that unites them to the lost souls of the dead. But Melanie never anticipated her new problem. Her name is Nola, Jack’s estranged young daughter who appears on their doorstep, damaged, lonely and defiantly immune to her father’s attempts to reconnect. Melanie understands the emotional chasm all too well.

On the night Miles Abernathy—sixteen-year-old socialist and proud West Virginian—comes out as trans to his parents, he sneaks off to a party, carrying evidence that may finally turn the tide of the blood feud plaguing Twist Creek: Photos that prove the county’s Sheriff Davies was responsible for the so-called “accident” that injured his dad, killed others, and crushed their grassroots efforts to unseat him. The feud began a hundred years ago when Miles’s great-great-grandfather, Saint Abernathy, incited a miners’ rebellion that ended with a public execution at the hands of law enforcement.

A sassy-mouthed cat. A vengeful witch. And a mystery that could turn a recent divorcée into the next victim… In 1987, forty-year-old Milly Miller’s life is as dull as her orthopaedic sandals. Her marriage is passion-free, her job in a shoe shop is sole-destroying, and excitement is nowhere to be found. But on divorce day, everything changes when Milly inherits a fortune and a swanky London pad. Goodbye boredom, hello glamour, adventure… Milly’s fresh start takes a paranormal turn when she discovers her new home comes with a resident ghost—her no-nonsense ex-boss who insists ...

Abby Kimball has slowly accepted her recently discovered ability to see the dead, but none of the harmless sightings she's experienced could have prepared her for the startling apparition of a centuries-old courtroom scene - where she locks eyes with a wicked and gleeful accuser. Thrown back more than 300 years, Abby realizes she's been plunged into a mystery that has fascinated people throughout American history: the Salem witch trials.

A hot-ticket charity fashion show is the perfect chance for Cookie Chanel, proud owner of It's Vintage Y'All, to show off her stylistic savvy for a good cause. But when a famous fashionista is fatally flattened, and the ghost of a former private investigator asks for Cookie's help, she has to scurry to sew up a solution. With clever clues from Wind Song, her psychic cat, and sassy suggestions from Charlotte, her ghost-in-residence, Cookie must unravel the sinister stitches of a deadly design - before she becomes the next fashion victim....

When Sawyer learns what I am—a mermaid—he isn’t sure what to make of the fact. Worse, it seems distance is what he needs most. Even though things might be less than ideal between Sawyer and me, at least I still have a friend in Wendy. But, soon, even that relationship will see its own crisis when posters appear throughout town proclaiming I’m a criminal on the run. Although the rumors are a hoax, I feel the whole town is turning against me, Wendy included—and I can only wonder who’s to blame for the lies. Luckily for me, there’s a new man in my life named Marshall. Having just...

Ghosts, specters, wraiths.... Restless undead spirits wail beneath the full moon and reach out for you from the swirling mists. The pain and loneliness of death drives them to seek the one thing they cannot have - the spark of life within your soul.... Scare Street presents volumes seven through nine of Terror in the Shadows, gathered into one spine-tingling tome. More than 30 stories of supernatural fear and suspense lurk with this macabre collection. Each one packed with a ghoulish assortment of creatures from beyond the grave.

Moving from the heart of the city to the Sussex countryside is a big undertaking for born townies, Ollie Harcourt, his wife, Caro, and their twelve-year-old daughter, Jade. But when they view Cold Hill House – a huge, dilapidated, Georgian mansion – they are filled with excitement. Despite the financial strain of the move, Ollie sees Cold Hill House as a paradise for his animal-loving daughter, a base for his web-design business and a terrific long-term investment.

It should’ve been the sale of a lifetime… Bridal boutique owner (and secret witch) Aria Whitmore has hit the jackpot: dress designer to the rich and famous, Zola Cates, will be holding her first ever sample sale... at Aria's store! "Winters will have you giggling into your book!" Aria prepares tirelessly for the showing, with the help of her assistant Sarah, and her wise-cracking parrot Kiwi. (Ok, so maybe Kiwi’s “help” isn’t quite so helpful…) However, when the day of the sale arrives, Aria discovers a nightmare in her normally glamorous store: the shop wrecked, the sale ...

It was supposed to be a banner day for Alyssa’s gourmet pet food business—until the magic hit the fan. Just as Alyssa is about to launch her premium line of pet snacks, a magical tremor rocks Largo Island, uncovering long-buried secrets—and a dead body. Worse, the cops seem more interested in pointing fingers than finding answers, and Alyssa’s bank account is hanging on by a paw-shaped thread. Enter Malachite, her ex-fiancé, whose specialty is breaking hearts and stirring trouble. Teaming up with him to solve a murder and save her business feels like the worst idea since gluten-...