Twisted Thrillers

Mothers no longer name their sons ‘Adolph’. Almost everyone knows why. Though all innocent babes do not develop into monsters, all monsters develop from innocent babes. We prefer fiction to reality, because thoughts of the former easily yield to denials of reason, while the latter only reminds us of our common origins in the primitive. Steal a private moment now and listen to your inner voice. It whispers. Of rising mutant domination amid apocalyptic wastes; of grotesque human chimeras practicing ancient arts; of despicable capital criminals kept in unbreakable cages and of the flawed ...

A silly titmouse once sang sweetly to describe love as “a many-splendored thing”. Perhaps this is so. For some. For others, love’s terrible spectacle shines in its many violent twists and unexpected turns. Each feckless angle of its affection or disaffection invariably leaves a disfiguring blemish that renders exquisite facets of character from alternating impacts of tragedy, disaster, triumph and ecstasy. Too briefly, desire’s artistry sparkles the amazed eye with a fateful brilliance before fiery passion fades to leave its victims cold and trembling in its wake. Steal a secret ...

Within each human being lingers a mischievous child, but each of us also cages an unformed primitive. We keep our individual id-monster within the tempered bars of civility, yet it remains our secret delight of a darkened, unobserved evening and we make it our fondest fetish at every available opportunity. No matter how mightily we struggle, history scrawls with endless tales of failed self-control, so each scandal both titillates and disgusts depending upon personal sensibilities. Indulge your inner-beast. How it roars! Of broken souls crushed between despair and revenge; of normalcy ...

While we collectively fear wild animals and muggers, most contemporary plagues come in the guise of unavoidable corporate logos and unforgettable commercial jingles. This new and most modern form of disease presents symptoms that include unhealthy obsessions, unwise compulsions and preprogrammed responses, all accompanied by an irrepressible tune that inevitably drives a rational mind to the very brink of lunacy. Visualize anything except the latest fad slogan while engrossing yourself in a moment of hysteric interest, and then pause to think. Of dreamscape dominions wrought from the felt ...

Boogeymen, banshees, werewolves and vampires; all figments of horror drawn upon parchments of fable, each the scrawl of individual phobias revisited by trembling quills dipped into inkwells of collective nightmare. Despite vaguely amusing caricatures, these monstrous legends probably developed from grisly human origins. Indeed, we confront our violent primitives in every new atrocity, and each murder teaches a simple lesson that humankind consistently resists. Consequently, we forever lack viable means for exorcising so-called ‘inner demons’. Even now, your secret devil whispers into ...

Peddlers and snake oil, pimps and pornography, lunatics and paranoia… each pair travels the same darkened alleyways to service identical shadow-bound gates. We receive them by the backdoor, thank you, and always well into the evening. These are private matters undertaken and clearly marked by clandestine hush and furtive sidelong glance. Sometimes concealed in the open but more often hidden in a fog of disinformation, our every secret contains a kernel of truth wrapped within a burlap of proficient lies. Patience and due diligence may unwrap the enigma to decipher a hidden message, but ...

Greta Pugh is dead. The small village of Bethesda, Wales, is no stranger to tragedy. Once a thriving, prosperous community, the town has been marred by an ever-deepening class divide. But now, with rich and popular Greta Pugh found murdered in the local quarry, everyone in Bethesda is rattled, and all their secrets are at risk.

Olivia Harper plans to take a fun road trip with her new boyfriend, Raife, from Texas to The Cold River in New Hampshire. For her, this would be a test of the relationship to see if it could work. Against the advice of her powerful father, Moses, and her own simmering doubts ringing in the back of her mind, she sets off with Raife and her puppy, Rufus. It isn't long before the alarm bells ringing in her mind become louder as Raife becomes stranger and colder as the trip progresses. When she begins to question whether to continue the trip or go home, Raife convinces her that what she is ...

"Gets you hooked from the start. Keeps you guessing to the end." Who can you trust if you can’t trust yourself? When Scott McCabe’s wife dies tragically he almost loses his mind. And his son. Three years later he’s a struggling lone parent to six-year-old Jae, who longs for a new Mum. So reluctantly, Scott lets his best friend talk him into online dating. And from the minute he publishes his profile, Scott has made his Date with Fate. Underneath his casual exterior Scott is a man with a tormented conscience, a potholed memory and a vivid imagination. Is he plagued by guilt about ...

A small white plane hurtles from the sky, vanishing into the wilderness. Hiker Maggie Roby watches its final descent, certain that no one could have survived. But to her shock, a fifteen-year-old girl emerges from the wreckage, wounded but miraculously, impossibly alive. Maggie approaches with trepidation; she has secrets of her own, a past she can’t escape. Saving the girl means risking her future, but she can’t just abandon her, can she?

YOU CAN'T OUTRUN YOUR DEMONS WHEN THEY'RE LIVING INSIDE YOU. Sage Wellington has built her life around control. As an elite trainer at Manhattan's exclusive Verve Health Club, her carefully structured routine keeps the trauma of her childhood locked safely away—until Vanessa Reid walks through the door. Her new client is everything Sage respects: disciplined, knowledgeable, and eerily similar to herself. When Vanessa shares her story of narrowly escaping a predator who "collected perfect bodies," it triggers something dark in Sage's suppressed past. Then a fitness model is killed, and ...

Bailey Meadows has just moved into the remote Topanga Canyon home of thriller author Jack Beckham. As his writer-in-residence, she’s supposed to help him once again reach the bestseller list. But she’s not there to write a thriller—she’s there to find Sam Morris, a community leader dedicated to finding missing people, who has disappeared in the canyon surrounding Beckham’s property. The missing woman was last seen in the drought-stricken forest known for wildfires and mountain lions.

Emma and Michael's relationship began with a spark, an undeniable connection that drew them together from the moment they met. Over the years, they built a life filled with love, laughter, and companionship. But as time went on, the demands of work and daily routines began to take their toll, and the once-passionate romance started to fade. Determined to save their relationship, Emma made a bold and unconventional suggestion: giving Michael a free pass to sleep with another woman. She believed that this radical idea might reignite the spark they had lost. Reluctantly, Michael agreed, ...

Stella McKinney has a great life. With a Malibu beach house, doting husband, and a flourishing business, everything is coming up roses - until it isn't. When her beloved husband Grant begins behaving out of character and devoting more time to his career, Stella has reason to question his fidelity for the first time in their marriage. As Stella's quest for the truth morphs into a sick obsession, the last thing she expects is a perfect stranger to show up at her door, a beautiful woman who knows intimate details about Stella and Grant that no one else could possibly know.

Arial’s POV A whirlwind romance in Paris, a secret marriage, and a twist I never saw coming. I'm Arial Sinclair, little sister to Simon Sinclair, the powerful owner of the Sapphire Clubs. On my trip to Paris, a daring American hero, Dominic Bennett, rescues me from a thief. My heart races as this handsome man sweeps me off my feet. We fall for each other, and I can't resist his proposal. But back in Las Vegas, strange things start to happen. I begin to question everything. Is Dominic truly my savior, or is he hiding a dark secret? Unbeknownst to me, Simon charges my dear friend and P.I. ...

Lucy Sadler Caldwell is a successful true-crime writer. But the one story she's never been able to come to terms with is the murder of her own mother - until now. She's returned to Dobbs Hollow, Texas, the hometown she fled 17 years ago, to finally expose the real killer. When she starts digging into the past, she unearths a psychotic killer who will stop at nothing to silence her forever.

The first in the GHOSTWRITER MYSTERY SERIES — FUN, FEEL-GOOD CRIME From the Amazon-bestselling author comes ghostwriter Roxy Parker. She has a wicked sense of humour, a taste for cheap plonk and an obsession with crime. It's a good thing, then, that her clients keep getting murdered… In this stand-alone adventure, socialite Beatrice Musgrave is found ripped to shreds below her cliff-top mansion. The police suspect suicide but Roxy smells a rat. She's been writing the heiress's life story and suspects she was hiding a dark secret beneath her twinset and pearls. From the posh suburbs of ...

Cam Derringer sets out on a four-day cruise to Bermuda for a friend's wedding. Little does he know the danger that awaits him. With murder, deception, storms, and human sharks circling the boat waiting for their chance to strike, Cam and Diane must fight side by side to survive. A diabolical cartel leader has his own bone to pick with them also. When Malinda and Kailey show up to assist, some of the pressure seems to be released. Cam realizes what he was feeling is no more than false hope. They fight their battle from Bermuda to Key West and all points between. Cam lays his life on the line...

***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 ...

Kate Rosetti is supposed to be taking the week off. After all, she’s the maid of honor in her sister’s wedding, and Jane Rosetti will kill her if she’s too busy chasing a murderer to participate in the long-anticipated nuptials. Unfortunately, the police chief has news for Kate. When a severed hand shows up in a box at the precinct and a local jewelry store is robbed, Kate is called in to help investigate a not-quite-homicide. But with such a high-profile diamond heist combined with random body parts appearing ad nauseum, this case is unlike anything the department has seen before.