Classic Suspense Fiction

M.R. James (1862-1936) was provost of King's College, Cambridge, and Eton College. He was a highly regarded scholar and academic in his time but today is remembered for his ghost stories, which are considered among the finest in the genre. The seven stories in this Volume One are: "A School Story", "Rats", "A Warning to the Curious", "Two Doctors", "The Haunted Doll's House", "Casting the Runes", "There Was a Man Dwelt by a Churchyard".

This is a story from the Murders in the Rue Morgue (The Dupin Stories) collection. Auguste Dupin, investigator extraordinaire, was the remarkable creation of Edgar Allan Poe. Written in the 1840s, Poe presented the acutely observant, shrewd but idiosyncratic character who, with his chronicler, provided the inspiration for the more famous Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.

Sheltered by the Catholic church for over 40 years, Pierre Brossard suddenly finds himself on the run when a new police investigation is opened. But someone else is after him too, and Brossard finds himself out-witting his many persuers while figuring out who they are - and whether they want him dead or alive.

Homicide detective Kara Gillian has a special talent: she can sense the "arcane" in our world, and there's quite a bit of it, even in Beaulac, Louisiana. She's also a summoner of demons, and works on a task force that deals with supernatural crimes. Her partners are attractive and smart FBI agents, but they're not summoners, and they're not telling Kara why they are on this special force with her.

Welcome to Hemlock Cove, where the town is magically rebranded - but real witches aren't necessarily welcome. That makes things hard for the Winchester witches - including local newspaper reporter Bay. She's got a persnickety family - wait until you met Aunt Tillie - and a penchant for stumbling across trouble.

When a murder shatters the tranquility of the luxurious Blue Train during its journey from Calais to Nice, shocking its wealthy passengers, the renowned detective Hercule Poirot is called upon to solve the case. However, this won't be an easy case; Poirot must navigate through a web of deceit, secrets, and a cast of intriguing characters on board the train. As he delves deeper into the intricacies of the case, he uncovers a surprising parallel storyline that connects to the central mystery.

Action thriller about security consultant Max Stafford, set in the Sahara. Written by the classic adventure writer. Why is Max Stafford, security consultant, beaten up in his own office? What is the secret of the famous 1930s aircraft the Lockheed Lodestar? And why has accountant Paul Bilson disappeared in North Africa? The journey to the Sahara desert becomes a race to save Paul Bilson, a race to find the buried aircraft, and - above all - a race to return alive....

The author’s birth name was Alan Alexander Milne, but his pen name used only the initials A. A. Milne. He eventually won worldwide acclaim for his renowned youth-oriented stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. However, he tried something different a few years before that, a story based on parental devotion.

In this short story, Hercule Poirot is asked to attend a Christmas celebration in order to apprehend a jewel thief who has taken advantage of an unwary Eastern prince.

Newly moneyed Jimmy can’t seem to get a certain girl out of his head. He’s never even spoken to her—the two have merely shared looks and smiles while traveling on an ocean voyage. But when he takes a bet to break into a house, and is caught by the owner of the house, (the chief of police, no less), a series of complicated events is set in motion. The first of which is the unaccountable appearance of his mystery girl. Soon Jimmy must show his true mettle, while demonstrating his singular gift for intrusion.

These six cases are among the last undertaken by Sherlock Holmes before he retired to the Sussex downs. However, the problems facing the sleuth are as diverse and challenging as ever. What with seeking the whereabouts of the stolen Mazarin Diamond, discovering the importance of being called Garrideb, encountering a mysterious murder on Thor Bridge, searching for eternal youth and the threat of a vampire in Sussex, there is no sign of Holmes' deductive powers slowing down.

Athol Dickson, Christy Award-winning author of The Cure, delivers riveting suspense. In this tantalizing gothic tale, a 15-year-old autistic savant vanishes from his Texas home without a trace. Thirteen years later, Siggy Gamble's body washes ashore on a remote island off the rocky coast of Maine. Arriving at Winter Haven to claim her brother, 24-year-old Vera is shocked to see Siggy hasn't aged at all.

The hero of The Pilot - modeled on John Paul Jones - leads the American Navy in dangerous raids on the English coast. James Fenimore Cooper's fourth novel, published in 1823, helped start the genre of sea novels. Cooper's other major works include the renowned Leatherstocking Tales: The Pioneers, The Last of the Mohicans, The Prarie, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer.

Confessions of a Thug is an English novel written by Philip Meadows Taylor in 1839 based on the Thuggee cult in British India.This book is a tale of crime and retribution. Set in 1832 in India, the story lays bare the practices of the Thugs, or deceivers as they were called, who lived in boats and used to murder those passengers whom they were able to entice into their company in their voyages up and down the rivers.

Vanessa Davis Griggs’ Blessed Trinity novels tackle tough questions of faith with humor and honesty. The sixth entry in the series, The Truth Is the Light features the return of the always-entertaining Followers of Jesus Faith Worship Center congregation. Here, the flock’s newest member is causing quite a stir, but he’s not the only one bringing drama into the church house.

All life on Earth is about to be terminated by an entity as old as the galaxy itself. To make matters worse, Simon has broken everything already. In a future world that is run by computer systems and that is without want, how can a man find his role? Then, if the very computers he works on to try to make them more human suddenly try to kill him, revealing a secret so vast that it affects every living soul on the planet, can that man be a hero?

After losing his parents in the Floating Castle Incident, the sensitive and mannered Chris Buckley has spent six years raising his magically talented little sister, Rosemary, on the savings that his once-wealthy family left behind. But that money is drying up, and Chris finds himself with no choice but to seek out work in Darrington City as it spirals into a depression. The only employer willing to consider his empty resume is Olivia Faraday, the manic Deathsniffer.

While on a sailing trip in the Baltic Sea, two young adventurers-turned-spies uncover a secret German plot to invade England. Widely recognized as the first modern spy thriller, this 1902 lone masterpiece by World War I Royal Navy officer Erskine Childers was written as a wake-up call to the British government to attend to its North Sea defenses. It accomplished that task and has been considered a classic of espionage literature ever since.

The House of the Seven Gables was Hawthorne's follow-up to The Scarlet Letter. The book tells the story of an evil house, cursed by a man who was hanged centuries before for witchcraft. The house is haunted by the ghosts of its past, and wrapped in the fear of the living.

When New England's premier powerbroker dies, his 28-year-old son, Jason, is surprised to find he is the sole heir. At first, Jason angrily rejects this billion-dollar bequest. But he's gradually seduced by the very power and prestige he despises. When he finally starts to right past wrongs, however, a series of murders sends him fleeing for his life.