Short Mystery Collection

Death and deception: Appearances are often deceiving and that is the underlying premise in this collection of short crime fiction. In "Live Free or Die" naive 21-year-old Emmy falls hard for 31-year-old Jack, an efficiency expert from New Hampshire who is not all what he seems. In "Murder in the Marsh" cyclist Carrie Anne Camack discovers more than she bargained for in the fertile farmlands of Ontario's Holland Marsh. In the final story, "The Cycopaths", a triathlon team's open-water swim training in Collingwood, Ontario, has deadly consequences.

"Mrs. Latimer Had a Fat Cat" by Bart J. Gilbertson is the first place winner in Cozy Cat Press’s recent Cozy Mystery Poem Contest. This anthology contains this winning poem and all of the many other finalists selected from 266 entries. With over 100 selections, this volume is filled with poems about many different types of mysteries––scary, funny, silly, frightening, sad, and enlightening. The entrants come from around the world and their interpretations of “mystery” will leave you enchanted, delighted, and––hopefully––mystified!

A man takes shelter in an abandoned house, only to find that something hungers within. "Going Green" gets a whole new meaning when a shadowy evil haunts an eco-lodge. And a young boy's mother must protect him from a terrifying monster unleashed upon their home.... Scare Street is proud to present the best in bone-chilling supernatural horror. This volume contains three macabre morsels for your reading pleasure. These pulse-pounding tales are filled with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until you reach the bitter end.

Animals behaving badly. A ghostly hand on the staircase of an old theater. Skunks where no skunks should be. Insider information from the author herself about the strange, absurd, and occasionally even glamorous world of belly dance! In this collection of short stories, there are also more than a few appearances by Ginger and Susan, the main characters in the series The Belly Dance Mysteries. While they’re not stumbling over bodies this time, they do manage to get into quite a few ridiculous situations! This hodgepodge collection has a little something for everyone, so if you need a laugh...

Bad things have been happening since Mia began to mature. Her dad left. Boys at school can’t keep their hands to themselves. A lecherous stepfather has moved in. Her only refuge is an abandoned lot on her suburban cul-de-sac, crawling with feral felines - one of which follows Mia home. Ghostly white and affectionate, she is Mia’s new companion and - as Mia’s tormenters will soon discover - her fierce protector.

It’s bad enough that its venom-dripping chelicerae can slice through flesh like warm butter. Worse? It’s right there under the bunk. It’s a fact now. To make it through the night, the children must obey the rules: don’t get out of bed, stay out of the shadows, and don’t wake the beast. But as the threats multiply, so do the rules of survival. And with the safety of dawn still hours away, the fun is just beginning.

Some of the best-known and most influential pieces of crime fiction have been from African American writers. Be it Walter Mosley's great Detective Easy Rawlins, or the mean streets of Harlem at the hands of Chester Himes, the stories and characters in this anthology have shaped the mystery genre with their own unique viewpoints and styles. Contributors to the collection include Robert Greer, Chester Himes, Walter Mosley, Cary Phillips, Frankie Bailey, and Richard Wright.

Listen and relive exciting tales from Highlights, now on audio! Learn about children who borrow their uncle’s time machine to get desserts and a boy who hunts for his lost teddy bear at bedtime, along with other stories about mystery and adventure.

When I was a child, one of my favorite stories was about a haunted house on the edge of town. The tale was embellished with gory details and bone-chilling twists, leaving me both terrified and fascinated. Despite the fear that crept into my bones, I couldn't get enough of these gruesome tales. As I grew older, I found myself seeking out horror stories in books, movies, and even podcasts. The adrenaline rush that came with each jump scare and the thrill of being transported to a world of darkness and terror became almost addicting. I reveled in the feeling of being scared out of my wits, yet...

Lieutenant Ethan Hendricks’ greatest nightmare just also happened to be his grandfather’s newest business venture. Logan Hendricks is thrilled about his brand new detective agency’s first case, but things weren’t turning out the way they were supposed to, including the attempted murder of one of his brand new employees. But he figures their next case, which involves finding a missing sister, should go a lot smoother. How dangerous could it be? Ethan Hendricks wasn’t quite as confident about his grandfather’s new hobby, or that the supposedly straight-forward case of a missing ...

Embark on a journey where love defies the boundaries of the living and the dead, and mystery shrouds every corner. Step into the captivating worlds of Wandering Spirits I and II, where romance, danger, and the supernatural collide in ten mesmerizing tales. From unraveling decades-old murders to striking deals with the devil, each story promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. Meet Lana, Laura, Rianna, Stacey, Peter, Brace, and Riley—characters whose lives intertwine with the paranormal in ways they never imagined. From private investigators unraveling chilling mysteries to grieving ...

This second volume of a must-listen collection contains 15 bibliomysteries by best-selling and award-winning authors.

When Olivia Dawson returned home one rainy Autumn afternoon, she could never imagine her life as she knew it would change dramatically. She finds an injured and unconscious man close to her cottage and takes him back to her home. After three days of nursing him back to health, a search party arrives at her cottage, and Lord Falmer identifies the injured man as his cousin, the Duke of Penrith. In a surprise decision, the Duke requests Miss Olivia stay at the estate until he regains his memory and recovers completely, as she is the only familiar thing in his life at that moment. When Lord ...

Shea receives a call that completely upends her existence and forces her to return to Sundown, the town she thought she had left behind. Tensions increase as she deals with her brother Donovan's untimely death, and long-buried family dynamics start to show again. Shea's return brings back memories of a town with a troubled past that is racially divided as she makes new connections with her childhood friend Marcus, the town's new police chief, and her elder brother Jay, who is now mayor. The repercussions of the past challenge the ties between family and friends. Angelo, Andy to his friends,...

If you like your cozy mysteries with a bit of humor, small town Canadian life, a hint of romance, a close circle of quirky, lovable characters that you wish you knew in real life, dogs and cats, and free knitting patterns, there's something in this series for you. Download The Knitorious Murder Mystery Books 4- 6, and start unravelling the mysteries today!

In a London choked by The Great Fog, crime finds its perfect ally... and Sherlock Holmes finds his greatest challenge. An unnatural, persistent fog blankets London, turning familiar streets into treacherous labyrinths and empowering the criminal element like never before. Seeking refuge from personal grief, Dr. Watson returns to Baker Street, finding Holmes invigorated by the unique puzzles emerging from the gloom, yet strangely protective of his old friend. Join the world's greatest detective as he pierces the seemingly impenetrable shroud to solve some of his most baffling cases: a ...

A young girl’s dollhouse comes alive at night, and its tiny residents possess a terrifying power. Fate stalks a young cult survivor as she struggles to escape a premonition of her own death. And a beautiful antique jewelry box reveals a dark hunger that threatens to consume its new owner....

In this trio of sci-fi techno thrillers, a female police detective turned Interpol officer with a rare vision mutation is up against a serial killer and potential apocalyptic disaster. This set includes The Dreaming Tree, Meet Your Maker, and Out of Time.

Neighbors are shocked when Harold Pardee reports his wife dead. No one even knew the eccentric TV repairman was married. Within hours, horrible rumors spread about what that poor woman must have endured for 30 years. Until the Pardees' carefully guarded world is exposed. New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Haigh delivers an endearing short story about our misguided perception of strangers, the nature of love, and the need for secrets.

All paths have destinations, just as all choices have consequences. More often than not, however, neither destinations nor consequences are what were expected. Such is the case with the central character in each of the stories in this collection. He or she chooses a path that ostensibly will lead toward the discovery of a perpetrator, a secret, a possession, a missing friend, an ancestor’s grave, redemption, or a new home only to discover the unexpected consequence of someone else’s choice.(Two of the stories in this collection, “A Hint of Chocolate” and “Sins of the Father,” ...