Stephen King

Bill Pronzini

Kelley Armstrong

Stephen King, Kelley Armstrong, Bill Pronzini, Simon Clark, and Ramsey Campbell are the first contributors to a mind-bending new series of short-story collections that push the boundaries of horror and dark suspense to the bleeding edge. From Brian James Freeman and Richard Chizmar of the acclaimed Cemetery Dance Publications, Dark Screams: Volume One reaches across genres to take readers beyond the precipice of mortal toil and into the glimmering void of irreality and beyond. WEEDS by Stephen King When a meteorite lands on his property, Jordy Verrill envisions an easy payday. Unfortunately for Jordy, this is no ordinary rock—and the uncompromising force inside has found its first target. THE PRICE YOU PAY by Kelley Armstrong Never pay more than you owe. Sounds like easy advice to follow. But for Kara and her childhood friend Ingrid, some debts can never be repaid . . . especially those tendered in blood. MAGIC EYES by Bill Pronzini Edward James Tolliver has found a weary sort of asylum among the insane. He knows he’s not one of them—but how can he tell anyone about the invaders without sounding that way? MURDER IN CHAINS by Simon Clark Imagine awaking to find yourself in an underground vault, chained by the neck to a murderous lunatic, a grunting goliath who seems more animal than man. What would you do to save yourself? THE WATCHED by Ramsey Campbell Little Jimmy gets a glimpse of the cold truth when he finds out that it’s not always what you see that can get you into trouble; it’s who knows what you see. Praise for Dark Screams: Volume One “A wicked treat [featuring] some of the genre’s best . . . Dark Screams: Volume One is a strong start to what looks to be an outstanding series.”—Hellnotes “A solid collection of quick reads, a nice selection of appetizers that represent the horror genre and many of its incarnations well.”—October Country “These tales are well written, fun to read, and a great way to kill a winter afternoon. Recommended for fans of short-story collections and dark fiction!”—Horror After Dark “If Volume One is any indication of quality, I’m all in for the rest of the series.”—Not Too Terrible “The editors have set themselves a high bar to meet in future volumes. . . . It’s going to be a solid series.”—Adventures Fantastic

Dark Screams: Volume One

Marcia Muller

A first entry in a new series by two Grand Master Award winners is set in 1890s San Francisco and finds former Pinkerton operative Sabina Carpenter and her detective partner, ex-Secret Service agent John Quincannon, tackling two seemingly unrelated cases that are complicated by two murders and the interference of Sherlock Holmes.

A Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery

The Bughouse Affair

Martin Harry Greenberg

Barry N. Malzberg

Offers horror stories by Poe, Stoker, Wells, Bierce, Lovecraft, Faulkner, and modern writers such as King, Sheckley, and Joyce Carol Oates

The Arbor House Treasury of Horror and the Supernatural

A would-be Sherlock Holmes assists a dual investigation in 1895 San Francisco that finds Sabina Carpenter struggling to solve the disappearance of a suicide-victim debutante's body and John Quincannon hunting down a murderous gang of bank robbers.

The Spook Lights Affair

A collection of tales about voodoo, ghouls, and the mummy's curse by such authors as Stephen King, Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Bloch, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Robert Louis Stevenson

Tales of the Dead

Deadly Anniversaries celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Mystery Writers of America with a collection of stories from some of the top names in crime fiction. An anniversary can honor many things: a birth, a wedding and sometimes even a death. In Deadly Anniversaries, editors Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini present new stories from some of the best contemporary authors to honor the diamond jubilee of the Mystery Writers of America, an organization founded on the principle that "Crime Doesn't Pay--Enough." Each author puts their own unique spin on what it means to recognize a certain day or event each year. These nineteen stories travel across a wide range of historical and contemporary settings and remind readers of how broad the mystery writing tradition can be, encompassing detective tales, domestic intrigue, psychological suspense, black humor and thrilling action. By the time this group of bestsellers and award-winners is through, none of us will ever look at anniversaries the same way again. Deadly Anniversaries is sure to shock, scare and delight mystery and suspense fans of all kinds, featuring the following contributors: Sue Grafton Laurie R. King Lee Child Margaret Maron S.J. Rozan Max Allan Collins Wendy Hornsby Jeffery Deaver Bill Pronzini Carolyn Hart Peter Lovesey Meg Gardiner Marcia Muller Julie Smith William Kent Krueger Peter Robinson Naomi Hirahara Doug Allyn Alison Gaylin Laura Lippman

A Collection of Stories from Crime Fiction's Top Authors

Deadly Anniversaries

Investigating the death of a woman that has been ruled accidental by the police but that her sister insists had been a murder by a known perpetrator, a reluctant Nameless begins to suspect that the victim's sister is telling the truth when he learns unsettling facts about her life. 25,000 first printing.

A Nameless Detective Novel

Savages

Conducting a dual investigation in the opium dens of Chinatown, Sabina Carpenter and John Quincannon search for missing millionaires against a backdrop of a brewing tong war. By the award-winning authors of The Bughouse Affair.

The Body Snatchers Affair

Sabina Carpenter and John Quinncannon are no stranger to mysteries. In the five years since they opened Carpenter and Quinncannon, Professional Detective Services, they have solved dozens, but one has eluded even them: Sherlock Holmes or, rather, the madman claiming his identity, who keeps showing up with a frustrating (though admittedly useful) knack for solving difficult cases. Roland W. Fairchild, recently arrived from Chicago, claims Holmes is his first cousin, Charles P. Fairchild III. Now, with his father dead, Charles stands to inherit an estate of over three million dollars-if Sabina can find him, and if he can be proved sane. Sabina is uncertain of Roland's motives, but agrees to take the case.John, meanwhile, has been hired by the owner of the Golden State brewery to investigate the "accidental" death of the head brewmaster, who drowned in a vat of his own beer. When a second murder occurs, and the murderer escapes from under his nose, John finds himself on the trail not just of the criminals, but of his reputation for catching them.But while John is certain he can catch his quarry, Sabina is less certain she wants to catch hers. Holmes has been frustrating, but useful, even kind. She is quite certain he is mad, and quite uncertain what will happen when he is confronted with the truth. Does every mystery need to be solved?

The Plague of Thieves Affair

For the firm of Carpenter and Quincannon, Professional Detective Services, stopping extortionists is not only grand, but excitingly lucrative. When a pleasant afternoon’s bicycling through Golden Gate Park with a friend ends with the revelation of threatening letters, followed by a gunshot in a mansion garden, Sabina Carpenter knows this is a case that demands her immediate and undivided attention. The questions her partner John Quincannon has to unravel are not difficult: Wrixton, a wealthy banker, has met his extortionist's first demand, but the order to pay another $5,000 is too much to face. The banker’s real problem is something he doesn't want to reveal. That was fine with the detective, and when he was informed that some private letters were involved and Wrixton absolutely needed them back, there was nothing more Quincannon needed in the way of background. As with so many of San Francisco’s elite, the bedroom doors never seemed to stay shut. That was the easy part; far more difficult was the matter of the dead courier, murdered most foully in a locked room within a locked room, creating a trail that will take John Quincannon through most of San Francisco’s less savory places and end with a riverboat trip that is anything but a relaxing cruise. The Dangerous Ladies Affair is the next thrilling installment in this charming historical mystery series from MWA Grand Masters Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini.

The Dangerous Ladies Affair

Martin H. Greenberg

The Giant Book of War Stories

The Ghosts of Ragged-Ass Gulch

On his third day in Death Valley, Rick Fallon comes upon a deserted Toyota Camry, and soon thereafter, the almost-dead body of Casey Dunbar. Having rescued her, Fallon soon learns what had driven her to give up on life--and, his own life on hold, he resolves to unravel the twisted and dangerous strands of hers, a quest that leads him to the glitter-dome of Las Vegas.

a novel of suspense

The other side of silence

Horror and Supernatural Stories by Women

Witches' Brew

A San Francisco private detective becomes involved in a kidnapping case when a young boy's abductor demands that a third party deliver the ransom.

The Snatch

The deadliest sin of all is betrayal. For the detectives at the agency, betrayal is the driving force behind an investigation.Tamara's investigation of a former lover uncovers a charity-biking scam.

Betrayers

Eleven years after their supposedly-perfect robbery three ex-servicemen discover that they are being pursued by a deadly agent.

The Stalker

Features detectives, private eyes, cops, insurance investigators--all female

Lady on the Case

A collection of forty-two of the best stories of the mystery and suspense genre.

The Arbor House Treasury of Mystery and Suspense

Gathers forty-two stories by Poe, Twain, Ambler, Queen, Carr, Ellin, Macdonald, Marsh, McBain, Oates, and Malamund

Bill Pronzini

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