"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...

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...

Mighty Tighty Whitey and Amazing Techno Dude have to stop the world's worst underwear-stealing superslimeball ever!LaundroManiac has the Battlin' Bra of Birmingham and Jumpin' Jack Jockstrap in his supersecret lair! It's up to the Super Goofballs to save them and stop LaundroManiac's plan—before they're all shredded!

In his second collection of stories and essays, author Steve Berman once more guides readers through the dark paths of his imagination with such tales as a nursery rhyme tempting a young lover, the ghost of the corpse in the trunk of the car demands the hustler behind the wheel finds a proper burial spot, the scent of loneliness enticing children to eat away a caretaker's historic house, and a pair of Victorian-era burglars seeking their fortune in a fey-filled London."Each of the ...

The city of Arcana sits on the edge... of this world and the next... of magic and physics... of everything you wish for and everything you fear.It is a wonderful place, full of sorcerers, magical creatures and even the occasional god.It is a terrible place, full of sorcerers, magical creatures and even the occasional god.Everything that has ever terrified anyone from under a bed or the creepy house at the end of the street or their own nightmares has passed through ...

CAN YOU TAKE THE HEAT?From street-smart kid to respected cop, Killian "Chili Pepper" Cray had left her old life behind eight years ago and never looked back. But after an attempted murder left her foster father in a coma, Killian was forced to wade through the bitter memories back home in Syracuse and dig up evidence that would bring down the killer. Facing her past had never been easy, but it was reuniting with the man who'd loved and betrayed her that really shoo...