Short Thrillers

Fans of mysteries, thrillers, and suspense will enjoy these fast-moving stories of murder, greed, and treason, the cast of colorful characters, and their setting in and around historic St. Paul, Minnesota. This bundle includes First Case, The St. Paul Conspiracy, and Deadly Stillwater.

Featuring North America's foremost thriller authors, Thriller is the first collection of pure thriller stories ever published. Offering up heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises are 32 of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning names in the business. From the signature characters that made such authors as David Morrell and John Lescroart famous, to four of the hottest new voices in the genre, this blockbuster will tantalize and terrify.

Lily Young is fighting a war on two fronts. One is against Mussolini's Blackshirts, who hunt her relentlessly, and the other is against her own body, as she carries Luigi's child in the midst of war-torn Italy. Living in hiding at Casa del Sole, Lily is determined to protect her unborn child and maintain her love for Luigi. But when an unexpected accident forces her to deliver her baby prematurely, Lily's world turns upside down. As she navigates the difficulties of motherhood in a war zone, Lily begins to realize that even the innocent are not safe. The horrors of war threaten to consume ...

+++++++++18 YEARS AND UP++++++++ On a bus for Richmond, Virginia to stay with her old friend, Gemma can’t help feel lonely, hurt, and a fool. Her mind and heart battle for the right thing to do while Will relentlessly tries to get in touch with her. After weeks go by Will breaks down the wall that Gemma has built and they reunite briefly and everything changes. The truth reveals it can be deadly. CODE BLUE……………

Eleanor Marsh never asked to be a protector of Brookhaven, a small town steeped in history and haunted by secrets. As a librarian, she’s always believed in the power of stories, but when she uncovered a cursed relic capable of predicting—and causing—deaths, she learned that some stories have the power to destroy. After a harrowing battle to sever the shadow’s influence, Eleanor thought the nightmare was over. But the shadow’s whispers linger, its fragments scattered and stirring in the forgotten corners of Brookhaven. When strange occurrences ripple through the town—a creeping ...

Here is LAPD Detective Harry Bosch as we've never seen him before, in three never-before-collected stories. In "Suicide Run", the apparent suicide of a beautiful young starlet turns out to be much more sinister than it seems. In "Cielo Azul", Bosch is haunted by a long-ago closed case: the murder of a teenage girl who was never identified. In "One Dollar Jackpot", Bosch works the murder of a professional poker player whose skills have made her more than one enemy.

In this 5th novel in the UNDERCOVER HILLBILLY MYSTERY SERIES, Billy Hill's new girlfriend becomes frantic with worry about her half-brother who has gone missing. Billy drives to the bayous of Pecan Island, Louisiana to investigate. Danger tends to stick to Billy like an unwanted hemorrhoid and this latest mystery is no exception. Billy soon finds himself immersed in a confusing and perilous predicament as he is inadvertently scooped up in the Joe Biden administration's latest illegal plot to change the very fabric of American society. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donald W. Desaulniers is a retired ...

THIS IS A SHORT STORY It's 2009 and Bill Jedburgh, formerly of the Royal Hong Kong Police but now a gun for hire, is asked to find a young Danish man who has gone missing in China. When the Reliable Man meets one of his old contacts across the border it appears this might be more than a missing person investigation. In the end somebody will have to pay.

When the treasured 15th century Cherringham Chalice is stolen from St. James, it looks at first like the work of a professional gang, robbing local churches. But Jack and Sarah realise that there must have been someone on the inside, helping the thieves - and they start to investigate. Can it really be possible that a member of the church council is guilty? Soon Jack and Sarah discover that even in this world of trust and faith there can be secrets, lies ... and real danger.

He wakes in a white room with no doors, no windows, and no memory. Silence presses in from every side. Objects appear and vanish. Time bends. And something unseen is watching. As strange visions bleed through the walls—a shadow, a chair, the smell of toast—he begins to remember fragments of a life just out of reach. Outside the room, voices call his name. A flatline echoes. The world is slipping away, but he’s still here.

No one could understand why Colin and Roy were best friends. Colin was so shy; Roy was so popular. Colin was fascinated by Roy - and Roy was fascinated by death. Then one day, Roy asked his timid friend: “You ever killed anything?” From that moment on, the two were bound together in a game too terrifying to imagine - and too irresistible to stop.

Along Route 116 where the state road weaved its way through the backwoods of Massachusetts was the lane leading to Ravenwood. It was easy to miss. The only travelers in that area were either lost or looking for the old Europeanesque inn. The only people who traveled west of Ravenwood were the people who had grown up there. They knew the woods, feared the creatures who dwelled there, but they respected them. They had made friends with the woods for it were the trees who wouldn't let you leave. This is a collection of short stories taking place around a central theme: Ravenwood. Each chapter ...

GARDENS IN THE SKY - THE FINAL CHAPTER In the quiet, familiar town where nothing out of the ordinary ever happens, a storm arrives, bringing with it a group of enigmatic strangers. Their arrival coincides with a series of inexplicable events that sow fear among the town's residents. Could it all just be a fluke? Or is there something more sinister at play? The strangers seem to have settled in a forbidden location, arousing suspicion and concern among the townsfolk. Meanwhile, a mysterious little girl, unknown to anyone, ventures into forbidden gardens, revealing an uncanny knowledge of ...

A collection of horror/thriller stories with surprise endings to chill you and thrill you to the bone. The creepers include: JIMMY SAID IT WAS THE BOOGEYMAN: His mother and older brother have been brutally murdered, and Jimmy says the boogeyman did it. CREATURE FEATURE: Bruce has always dreamed of becoming an actor, but his nose is too big for leading roles. He agrees to have plastic surgery to become the star of a monster movie. VESPA: Kurt marries a beautiful woman who prefers to dress as a goth and live in a house suitable for the Munsters and The Addams Family. THE AMATEUR: A mild-...

In "Presence in Prague", Father Thomas O’Neill is enjoying a solitary evening in his top-floor apartment in Rome when he receives a troubling call from a Cardinal at the Vatican. There's a crisis at St. Bede's College in Prague involving disturbing supernatural phenomena—grotesque manifestations, eerie sounds, and a series of incapacitated priests. As reports reveal walls screaming and strange writing appearing in ancient catacombs, the church's usual methods have failed, necessitating Thomas's unusual expertise in confronting genuine evil. Recalling his own past encounters with ...

Chizmar assembles 35 stories, including a previously unpublished novella, and presents us with A Long December. This massive new collection features more than 150,000 words of Chizmar's very best short fiction and includes 8,000 words of autobiographical story notes. Eerie, suspenseful, poignant, the stories in A Long December range from horror to suspense, crime to dark fantasy, mainstream to mystery.

"The Deadman's Gift" is the story of Rudy Sarabelli, an orphan whose poetry strips him of everything he cares about and drives him to suicide. The more beautiful the words the darker his life becomes until he can't take it anymore and so decides to end it all with one last poem and a leap of death.

A short read cozy series filled with mystery, romance, and a touch of magic. This is the story of Paul Madison PI, an idealistic cop turned private investigator. He will not rest until he figures out the real reason so many “accidents” are happening in his neighborhood. To his way of thinking, these “accidents” are too coincidental and need to be taken seriously. Travel back to Chicago in the 1970s and 1980s and step into the lives of… A handsome and determined Private Investigator protected by a rather unique spirit guide. A smart and beautiful Medical Examiner who won’t give ...

Her: Curvy brilliant and pure Him: Older, rough, sexy tough. When I took an internship at my best friend's father's company, I never expected it to change my life. She said his testosterone is low. I want to help out. Late nights at the office became something more when I found Jack, my best friend's incredibly attractive dad, in a compromising situation. Unable to resist, I decided to help him, and our professional boundaries quickly blurred into a world of heated moments and stolen glances. The chemistry between us is undeniable, and every touch, every look, ignites a fire I can't put out...

Dive into a world where danger lurks in every shadow and secrets are hidden in plain sight. In this gripping thriller anthology, you'll journey through the darkest corners of the human psyche, where the truth is a shifting enigma. Prepare to be on the edge of your seat as each story unfolds, pulling you deeper into a web of suspense, intrigue, and pulse-pounding action. From espionage in a post-apocalyptic world to a young man's desperate attempts to clear his name, these tales will keep your heart racing, your mind guessing, and your instincts sharpened. In this single-author anthology, ...