Twisted Psychological Thriller

As I hear the words every mother dreads, my pulse races, and I go cold. But even as my world turns upside down, I know the things I’m being told just don’t add up. I have to find out what really happened the night my beautiful boy died. The police tell me it was a tragedy no one could have prevented. But then they reveal the terrible things Tom was keeping from me. The person they describe is nothing like the decent, honest man I raised.

When Karen Finch's 17-year-old daughter, Sophie, arrives home after a night out drunk and accompanied by police officers, no one is smiling the morning after. But Sophie remembers nothing about how she got into such a state. Twelve hours later Sophie's friend Amy has still not returned home. Then the body of a young woman is found. Karen is sure that Sophie knows more than she is letting on. But Karen has her own demons to fight. She struggles to go beyond her own door without a panic attack.

Twisted Tales returns with a second volume of psychological mayhem and disturbing supernatural encounters. If you're into screaming trains, vengeful clowns, the terror of online dating, remorseful ghouls, pandemic-spreading ghosts, murderous mansions, and seriously sick restaurants, then these Twisted Tales are the short stories begging to be read.

A stranger arrives in the Texas town of Calvin where he fast establishes himself as a favorite. Because of this, the town leaders invite him to take up the role of Mayor, a position he accepts and prospers in. And when Kilbride marries, his seems the idyllic existence. However, there's another side to Mayor Kilbride, which bride and parents-in-law will soon find out. The Two Faces of Killer Kilbride is a superb tale of psychological manipulation from award-winning author, Robert E. Kearns

A more-than-meets-the-eye housekeeper. An unrelenting and demanding feminist boss. The question is, who is actually using who? When their worlds eventually clash, only one can come out on top! Eliska Hudakova is from Slovakia. Hired to work as a housekeeper for a demanding and bitter academic, there's a lot more to her and her past. Not quite the delicate nobody her boss assumes, she will not stand idle when push comes to shove. Elizabeth Clement-Walters is a hyper critical, acerbic former feminist icon. Determined to make the work as arduous as possible for the seemingly inoffensive ...

A luxury sailing trip is the perfect escape from Palmer’s shattered marriage. Until the Pacific Coast cruise—a chance for old friends to mend old wounds—descends into a harrowing fight for their lives. Twenty years ago, the five of them were inseparable. But after a rafting accident their senior year, only four of them returned. Volleyball captain Courtney’s body was never found. And their lives were never the same. Now Palmer, her ride-or-die Beth, and home renovator Emma are on an all-expenses-paid trip with mega-influencer Gigi.

The tape records both the truth and the lies… “Amelia, I am Doctor Gabriel Paul. You may be wondering: how did Amelia Larkin come to be in a place like this? It is entirely in your hands how far you are willing to go to remember.” What is this strange place? What has she done to end up here, cut off from the rest of the world? All Amelia knows is that whatever happened was so bad, her shaken mind has buried all traces of it. And she is determined to go back there, whatever the cost. But something feels off. As Amelia responds obediently to the benevolent psychiatrist’s questions, ...

By day, Judge Julia Remington hands down justice from her marble throne. By night, unseen crimes haunt her dreams and never stay buried. Whispers echo from courtroom corridors, clawing at the edges of her perfect world. Julia Remington built her life brick by legal brick, hiding cracks beneath polished stone. When a forgotten cold case returns, her veneer begins to shatter. Tangled secrets, coercion, and betrayal tighten around her like a noose. The same system she loves turns its back, threatening to expose every lie and truth she's sworn to protect. Truth claws up from the shadows, ...

For Chris, it’s love at first sight. After their grocery store meet-cute, it’s easy to get her name from a fallen receipt: Serena. A quick online search reveals Serena’s status (single mom), address, and workplace. And once he discovers she’s a Realtor, Chris schedules a house showing right away. But he isn’t pushy—he’ll wait to ask her out. In the meantime, he’ll just watch. And listen in. He wants to learn everything about her, so he can make her happy. It’s not creepy; it’s true love.

Half a dozen more terrifying tales of suspense and horror! A Night at the Movies (another post-apocalyptic story with a twist), Speaking of the Dead (when a seance goes bad), Carnival Clowns (three teenagers set out for the fair seeking fun), Killer Concert (a young woman goes to see her favorite band with murderous results), The Quitter (what could happen when you try and kick the habit), In Dreams (are recurring nightmares more than just dreams, or is someone trying to tell us something?)

After the death of her adoptive mother, Ava Saunders comes upon a peculiar photograph, sealed and hidden away in a crawl space. The photo shows a shuttered, ramshackle house on top of a steep hill. On the back, a puzzling inscription: Destiny calls us. Ava is certain that it's a clue to her elusive past. Twenty-three years ago, she'd been found wrapped in a yellow blanket in the narthex of the Holy Saviour Catholic Church - and rescued - or so she'd been told. Her mother claimed there was no more to the story.

It’s the fourth of July and the whole town is gathered at the local pool. Through the sweltering afternoon, we single mothers don’t mix with the other women - the ones with the perfect lives and happy marriages. Women like Sabine Miller. But when Sabine shoots me a desperate look across the water and suddenly disappears, my blood runs cold....

When someone tells you who you are, do you believe them? The first question the cops asked me was if anything out of the ordinary happened to me lately. When I woke up this morning in the room of a mental institution I couldn’t remember a thing – not my name nor how I got there. Not how I left or how I ended up in that interrogation room.

"Schoolgirl missing", the ticker reads, and the camera cuts to a girl’s face. Blonde hair waterfalling over her shoulders, serious eyes, lips a little parted like she’s about to speak. That’s when I realize I’ve been holding my breath, because the gasp when I inhale almost chokes me. Sadie Kelly has lost her job. Until last month, she was a teacher at Horton College - the same high school she went to 10 years ago along with her best friend, Fiona.

When Tessa hires a babysitter Annabelle to help cover her evening shifts, her seven year old son Charlie’s behaviour changes. He asks chilling questions about his father’s disappearance, details he should never know. Then come the accusations. The voice that isn’t quite his. Gone are the cute animals he used to draw. In their place: twisted faces, the hangman's noose, and doors with the same dark-haired woman standing outside. Through his sketches, Charlie opens a gateway that should be left closed. A child’s drawings become a portal for something unspeakable. As the shadows tighten...

Can you ever run from the past? Faith thought she knew the answer to her darkest problem, but her biggest mistake cost two lives. Can she find the courage to make things right again? After escaping from Little Lake State Hospital, Faith realizes that no matter how far she runs, he will always follow her. There's only one way to rid herself of this ghost from her past. But her journey to redemption won't be easy. With the police hunting her, Faith turns to a familiar face to find her way back to where her pain began and confront a past determined to bring her down. Will Faith have enough ...

Could you take a life to save your own? Faith's world will never be the same again. Not after he took everything from her. Now, there's only one way to stop the man who murdered her sister, and it will push her to the edge. After coming to terms with her involuntary commitment to Little Lake State Hospital, Faith discovers the monster who fractured her life is posing as her psychiatrist. Dr. Robert O'Reilly has only one promise: tell anyone about the horrible things he's done, and he will kill her mother. With no choice but to keep O'Reilly happy, Faith must suppress her desires for revenge...

Sophia's world is a tapestry of secrets, lies, and haunting memories. At just 20, she's determined to unravel the tragic events that have shadowed her family for generations. On the glittering French Riviera, amidst the luxurious backdrop of Cannes, Sophia's journey to uncover the truth about her mother's suicide, her grandmother's poisoning, and her grandfather's imprisonment takes her down a dark and dangerous path. Despite a tumultuous and ill-fated love affair that leaves her heartbroken, Sophia finds an unexpected ally in a sophisticated nightclub owner. Together, they delve deep into ...

Violet Woods buries her firstborn child. Not lacking in fortitude, she soon produces five replacement boys. Violet, a matriarch with barely concealed neurotic psychosis, stifles the Woods brothers under her protective wing, and keeps them safe from wanton girls. As her hotel empire grows and the decades pass, the boys coerce their way into adulthood, each with his secrets and flaws. And Julie Spencer is pulled into the depraved family dynamic—trapped in their world. Through Katherine Black’s signature style of probing the darkest depths of twisting suspense, The Last Matriarch is a ...

What has given Greg an obsession with suicide? Why is Helen afraid of her past catching her? When did Phillip start to collect useless trinkets? Who in the British Government want all three dead? When journalist Helen Taylor lands her dream job on a national newspaper, she could never have imagined that her first assignment would become her worst nightmare. Travelling to France for a simple story, Helen encounters Phillip, a puzzling Englishman who avoids contact with anyone. When she meets him, she feels there is something dark about him, which may provide her with a major scoop. Greg, an ...