"Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, the 19 stories in this new best-of annual anthology feature episodes of graphic gore and violence--including torture, dismemberment, self-mutilation, and home abortion--that are designed to push buttons as well as boundaries...strictly for hardcore horror fans." --Publishers WeeklyExcerpt from the Introduction:Editors Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax put the call out to horror writers and editors of...

Volume Two of an anthology devoted to revenge in all of its nastiest forms. From a house that isn't quite what it seems, to a man and his "love muscle". It is all contained in these blood soaked pages.Sit back and let these twenty two authors take you on a vengeance filled ride straight to man's darkest desire… the desire to get even. Mercy is unheard of, and tolerance is left in the dust.This book will please the darkest of hearts, and ignite feelings once left unexplored....

In the rubble-strewn wasteland of Alphabet City, a squalid tenement conceals a treasure "beyond all imagining"-- an immaculately preserved, fifth century codex. The sole repository of ancient Hermetic lore, it contains the alchemical rituals for transforming thought into substance, transmuting matter at will...and attaining eternal life.When Rose, an East Village tattoo artist has a torrid encounter with Martin, a battle-hardened loner, they discover they are unwitting pawns on opp...

A cop races against time to prevent his own death in this heart-pounding thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz.Harry Lyon is a rational man, a cop who refuses to let his job harden his soul. His partner urges him to surrender to the chaos of life. But Harry believes in order and reason. Then one fateful day, he's forced to shoot a man—and a homeless stranger with bloodshot eyes utteres the haunting words that challenge Harry Lyon’s...

Our world is not as safe and secure as we believe. There are hunters out there, watching us, stalking us, waiting for their moment to strike. They are the predatory kind. Joe McKinney has brought together ten tales of horror and supernatural suspense by some of the todays top thriller writers, including: Scott Nicholson, Joseph Nassise, Simon Wood, Maria Alexander, Lucius Shepard, Nate Kenyon, Kealan Patrick Burke, Lisa Morton and Jeremy C. Shipp

During his son's baseball game a tax attorney catches a glimpse of a birthmark on a man's leg and his blood runs cold with the memories that come. When he was five years old he saw something he shouldn't have, went somewhere he never should have gone and paid harsh consequences. His eighteen year old son knows something is up with his dad and confides in his quiet girlfriend, who suffered early trauma of her own and begins to suspect that her boyfriend's father knows exactly what she went ...

Imaginative, gripping stories, along with the brilliant title novella set in Maine after the 2000 election, carry the weight of real emotion and revelation and showcase the impressive versatility of a rising talent.Owen King is a writer interested in the choices we make when we're most conflicted. A young husband must decide whether or not to commit a ghoulish crime; a baseball player in a fantastic 1930s Coney Island is assailed by the guilt of an illicit romance;...

A Contemporary Alpha Werewolf Shifter Paranormal Mystery Suspense Sexy RomanceA grimy world surrounds Leila Ulric. Gangs roam the streets, her dead-end job has no end, and her apartment isn’t much larger than a walk-in closet. Her life looks to be turning around when a death leads her to a new apartment with a new roommate. The improvement in possessions, however, doesn’t lead to the satisfaction she hoped. A walk in the fresh night air leads her to stumble on a mystery that refuse...

Everyone loves their grandma but these three are just a little...different. They have certain skills in war and strategy developed over forty years through military training and discipline. They are the definition of "never judge a book by its cover." They now work as contractors for the extra money. Follow the hapless Clem as he is hired to drive the three on their latest mission of destruction.

When a fatal fever nearly wipes out the entire world's population, the survivors of what became known as "the Dying" believe the worst is in the past. Little do they know…In the aftermath of the Dying, survivor Jessica Monroe searches for sanctuary in a world unlike any she's ever known before. As fear and isolation envelop her, Jessica encounters the sensitive and helpful Jace, who she believes is another survivor. But Jace has a past and secrets of his own that's he not ready to ...

In this striking novel-in-stories, a series of strange apocalypses have hit America. Entire neighborhoods drown in mud, glass rains from the sky, birds speak gibberish, and parents of young children disappear. Millions starve while others grow coats of mold. But a few are able to survive and find a light in the aftermath, illuminating what we’ve become. In The Disappeared,” a father is arrested for missing free throws, leaving his son to search alone for his lost mother. A boy swells to f...

Edward is nearly four years old when he begins his slow, painful withdrawal from the world. For those who love him -- his father, Jack, and mother, Rachel, pregnant with their third child -- the transformation of their happy, intelligent firstborn into a sleepless, feral stranger is a devastating blow, one that brings enormous ramifications not just for Edward and his parents, but also for their younger son, Matt, and soon-to-be-born daughter.A Wild Ride Up the ...