Short Thrillers

A collection of horror/thriller stories for readers who would enjoy a stroll through a graveyard after midnight. Hark! Don’t read this book if a deranged maniac has escaped from the local asylum. Otherwise, enjoy the horror. The creepers include: BABY FRANKENSTEIN:The last descendant of Victor Frankenstein seeks to create an innocent child untouched by human frailty rather than a monstrosity built from body parts like his relative. THE TWELVE-DAY NIGHTMARE: Jessica wakes up twelve days in a row, reliving a terrifying nightmare of death and dismemberment. THE TOOTH COLLECTOR: The deaths of...

"Somewhere, there’s a way out. But first, you have to prove you exist." Daniel Young is trapped in a reality that no longer feels like his own. A freelance journalist known for exposing hidden truths, he always thought he was in control. That was before the glitches started—the strange messages, his laptop predicting what would happen next in his life before he even knew. Then he finds the encrypted files. Dr. Andrew Moostaaf—a scientist who vanished six years ago—left behind a warning that was never meant to be heard. The world is not what it seems. And Daniel was never meant to ...

"I believe there is another man inside every man, a stranger...." writes Wilfred Leland James in the early pages of the riveting confession that makes up "1922", the first in this pitch-black quartet of mesmerizing tales from Stephen King. For James, that stranger is awakened when his wife, Arlette, proposes selling off the family homestead and moving to Omaha, setting in motion a gruesome train of murder and madness.

Nothing is as it seems. A man wakes in a dilapidated apartment, hooked to a strange machine, with a dead body in the next room—and no memory of who he is or how he got there. As he unravels the mystery of his identity over the next forty-eight hours, he discovers he may be one of the most influential figures of the twenty-first century. But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes that some truths are better left untouched.

What if Edgar Allan Poe's masterpieces happened in our world? Step into five chilling retellings that transport Poe's most terrifying tales into the 21st century, where ancient horrors take on frightening new forms. From sterile hospital corridors to corporate boardrooms, from contaminated mansions to digital graveyards, these stories prove that the human capacity for guilt, obsession, and revenge transcends any era. "The Monitor" - A night-shift nurse's paranoia spirals into murder, where the tell-tale heart becomes the relentless beeping of medical equipment, and guilt echoes through ...

Wayne Sharp newer expected his life to turn like that... Dishonorably discharged, he tries to build his life from the beginning in Clayton, New Mexico. He never expected to be attracted so deeply to the woman in trouble, in trouble beyond hope... Trying to help her, he becomes involved in the dark secrets of the town. The deeper Wayne got, the crazier it became. Can he eventually free up himself and start to live a normal life? Book 5 of the Dishonorably Discharged Series.

A collection of twenty-five horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The creepers include: BLACK AS NIGHT: THE SEQUEL: Norman's two sons disappeared on Halloween; the same night, a masked rider carries a screaming woman in a burlap sack from the abandoned house next door. DISTURBING ELEMENTS: A chemistry prof has a phobia of seeking vengeance on any student who reminds him of the jocks who bullied him in college. CHARLEY REVISITED: Mandy's new book about an invisible playmate jeopardizes her marriage and her life. THE NECKLACE: Hazel inherits ...

I didn’t know what I was walking into that night. A friend’s birthday, a high-end club, and there he was—a shadow in the corner, all piercing eyes and lethal charisma. I knew Marcus was trouble the moment he looked my way, but something in his gaze was calling me to him, despite the warning etched into every line of his face. He told me to stay away. Told me his world was too dark, that I was too good for him. But even then, I could feel it: a pull that went deeper than reason, tethering me to the danger he carried. Soon, it wasn’t enough to just watch from the sidelines—I wanted ...

A Spooky Halloween Short Story - The Perfect Treat. Being eleven has its perks. Jimmy is more than ready to head out of his first solo Halloween trick-or-treating adventure. But his mom and dad have laid down three inviolable rules: 1. Stay close to home. 2. Don't go into anyone's house if invited. 3. If you see mean older kids causing trouble, run home and don't get caught. On a perfect Halloween night, Jimmy sets out after an unbeatable prize: full-size candy bars from the rich neighborhood of his Michigan suburb. But along the way he will learn a valuable lesson: maybe Mom and Dad's ...

My self-help tape told me to kill myself. It was the best advice I've ever received. My reflection smiles more than I do, but maybe his world is better than mine. It wasn't a hit and run murder. I reversed too. Your dead dog might not do tricks, but I'm teaching mine to speak. My soul is in a paper lantern. My life hasn't been the same since it sailed away. Over 50 unique and chilling horror stories include haunted houses, gothic Hellscapes, murderous psychopaths, human experiments, alien abductions, alternate dimensions, mind-warping drugs, terrifying paranormal encounters, and so much ...

A dark sky grumbled over the town of St. Francis, Louisiana. Storm clouds morphed overhead, dimming the sun. Crispy autumn leaves whooshed across the cemetery, while tall trees creaked in the wind. Among the headstones, crazy-eyed crows cawed, pecking the ground for earthworms. Some observed the comings and goings perched on gravestones. A booming crash of lightning sizzled to earth, piercing the ground with a loud CRACK. Moments later, a white fog ghosted into the air. Picked up by the wind, the mist quickly spread, and within moments, day turned into night. Alarmed by the sudden change in...

THIS IS A COLLECTION OF SHORT STORIES PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED INDIVIDUALLY. Filling in some of the gaps between the full-length novels, this collection of short stories starts in 1987 when Bill Jedburgh is still in the Royal Hong Kong Police and first meets some of the key characters that appear later in the books. The final story is set in 2009 when Jedburgh gets help from an unexpected ally freeing a Danish diplomat who has been arrested in Shenzhen. Along the way we find The Reliable Man tasked to kill the Mayor of Davao (unsuccessfully, since he’s now the President of the Philippines) ...

Grace had never been more terrified...the pain was relentless. Nothing in her life prepared her for this. She desperately needed somewhere safe...someplace she could hide. Someone she could trust with her life. It was dark...and getting darker. Ronan Hendricks didn’t recognize her voice. Not family...not friends. Probably not an enemy. But he didn’t need the years he’d spent as a detective to recognize what he did hear... Fear. In a desperate moment of hope, a single number saved her life. Then a complete stranger opened his home offering safety yet Grace knew danger surrounded them.....

Ella's life takes a horrifying turn when she encounters a crazed man in a dark cave. As she fights for her survival, she discovers a shocking truth about her own past. Can she escape the clutches of her own twisted memories? Prepare for heart-pounding suspense and mind-bending twists as you delve into the depths of Ella's fractured psyche. Beware, for not everything is as it seems. Will you dare to uncover the secrets hidden within the "Cave of Terror"?

Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses books have fascinated fans and critics alike with their irresistible blend of fantasy, romance, and adventure. Now in Quatrain, she weaves compelling stories in four of the worlds that fans love in "Flight", "Blood", "Gold", and "Flame".

Acclaimed author Richard Prosch won the Western Writers of America Spur Award in 2016 for his short fiction. This volume of stories from old Wyoming and Nebraska brings the best of his westerns together under one cover for the first time. A wrecked wagon spells trouble for a Niobrara river man; the leader of a roadhouse band needs a tough man for a dangerous job; a gambler bets on the outcome of a western showdown; a pulp fiction character haunts a woman's memory of her husband. Old gunnies, laconic lawmen, John Coburn, Whit Branham, and a host of villains bring the action, humor and irony ...

From serenity to chaos in an instant. A mission that could change everything. A desert where danger lurks at every turn. Chris "Magic" Kassner's peaceful retreat is abruptly interrupted by an urgent call to duty. Deep in Mali's desert, Magic must infiltrate a Wagner Group stronghold exploiting the country's gold resources to fund the conflict in Ukraine. Leading Night Team, which includes his steadfast partner Echo, skilled Ukrainian operatives, and Tuareg rebels, Magic navigates a treacherous web of intrigue. Each move brings them closer to dismantling a dangerous network and weakening ...

A master storyteller at his best - the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, why, and how he came to write (or rewrite) each story. Magnificent, eerie, utterly compelling, these stories comprise one of King's finest gifts to his constant fan. "I made them especially for you," says King. "Feel free to examine them, but please be careful. The best of them have teeth."

#1 internationally bestselling author Don Winslow–America’s King of Crime Fiction–is back and he’s better than ever in this intense, deeply felt, gripping collection of six all-new, never-before-published short novels.

***A new beachside thriller novella written by bestselling author Vanessa Jones*** When Emma flees her past to Safety Cove, she settles in to finish writing her breakthrough book. She grows fond of the small beachside town, getting to know the neighbours, even the distressing ones that threaten her to leave. But when she finds something unspeakable in the shed, she realises that there is more than just heavy morning mist that hangs over the small town. There are secrets that, once uncovered, are dangerous to know. This is a short story/novella. Praise for The Tens - a gripping thriller ...