Contemporary Dark Mystery

Everyone always says love will find you when you’re not looking. Well, they’re not wrong. Except, the man my heart stupidly fell for was more interested in playing his own twisted game of catch and release. Claiming me for himself, then pushing me away when I got too close, but there was an aura of darkness clouded around him. A darkness that beckoned to me. A darkness I was grateful for when those he thought he could trust ripped me away in the middle of the night to be a pawn in their own sick, twisted game.

I'm known as the Black Widow because the desires I hide inside are pure poison. I was a different person once. Faith, a young wife, hoping to become a mother. My life was pleasant. Stable. It was hell. Until Killian Knight opened my eyes to a world of espionage and intrigue. He saw something in me, something I was too afraid to acknowledge. I didn't want to be excited by the danger. Didn't want to crave the wicked passion only he could provide. But I did want, so now I run. And I pay.

What happens when The Firm meets Anita Blake? You get the Halls of Power - our modern world, but twisted. Law, finance, the military, and politics are under the sway of long-lived vampires, werewolves, and the elven Alfar. Humans make the best of rule by “the Spooks”, and contend among themselves to affiliate with the powers-that-be, in order to avoid becoming their prey. Very loyal humans are rewarded with power over other women and men. Very lucky humans are selected to join the vampires.

What do you do if you witness a murder...but no one believes you? When Kate sees a horrific murder streamed live on her laptop, she calls the police in a state of shock. But when they arrive, the video has disappeared - and she can't prove anything. Desperate to be believed, Kate tries to find out who the girl in the video could be - and who her killer is.

Another work day, another case for the Bloodhound Files. But this time, Jace is truly stumped: How is she, a mere human, supposed to penetrate the dark heart of a child-trafficking ring of pire orphans - one that turns out to be part of a blood-farm operation, in the crime-ridden border city of Vancouver, British Columbia? Jace is in over her head. But with the help of her former lover, Tanaka, - whose family is one of the last samurai clans left in Japan - she stands a chance at seeking justice for the condemned children.... Until the Yakuza tries to put an end to Jace's investigation.

Jace's return to Kansas is an instant reminder that there really is no place like home. The tavern is still brimming with losers, practical jokers, and motorcycle chicks. Even the town's only Goth is still wearing eyeliner. But just as Jace is about to click her heels and hightail out of there, she's roped into a brand-new case. Somebody is possessed. And the bodies are piling up....

Because of my abilities, they’ve made me one of them. Five men and one woman - secret agents working against corruption. The locations of the six training bases have been revealed, and now it’s down to us to make sure the people there stay alive. Special Agent Hollan, the man who killed my father, always seems to be one step ahead in this deadly game of chess. Will we reach the other bases in time to warn them of an imminent attack? I have my five guys by my side as we travel, and stolen glances and secret kisses hold promises for our future...assuming we all live long enough.

Ten years ago, Stacy Buchanan's mother—the mayor—was found dead in Coldwater Cove, Maine. Her death was ruled an accident, but Stacy never got over the feeling that something was off. Her father's health takes a turn for the worse, and she is forced to pass up a dream job to return to the cove. After Stacy finds a key piece of evidence that proves her mother's death was no accident, the case gets reopened. She can't move on with her life or find closure until justice is served, but a desperate killer is still out there and will do anything to keep the truth buried in the past.

Chon Ko Gonin, Captain of the Green Jinn, ventured into unexplored territory in search of a wanted interplanetary criminal with the best of intentions. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Right from the start, the Green Jinn found itself dragged into battle to save an ancient people from Merc invaders. Ancient forces of good, and evil fought for control of Sibyl's Orb and dragged Chon ko Gonin into the middle of it.

One family across two generations. A marriage marred by trauma and infidelity. Lives marked by death, divorce and a shattered family. A dark secret at the heart of a tragedy. Now the Pengelly family reunites around the sickbed of David, a beloved husband and father, to confront the emotions and the secrets that have divided them over the years.

A fast-paced thriller set on the streets of a London rife with undercover magic. Abras, as they are known, can harness these illegal powers, but for con artist Amanda Coleman - whose father was a powerful and abusive practitioner - magic is anathema. When her criminal crew decide to hire an Abra to help with their heists, they don’t expect to raise a demon, or to quickly lose control of it. Now Coleman and her crew must travel across Siberia to a remote stone circle in order to kill this murderous creature, who has destroyed everything they hold dear.

When Jared refuses to kill for his gang, they beat him nearly to death. Comatose, his world splits in two. In one, Jared battles to wake from unconsciousness. In the other, he becomes a ruthless gang member known as J-Rock. After three years in darkness, Jared finally opens his eyes and is bombarded by visions of the horrible crimes J-Rock is committing in a parallel world. As Jared struggles to wake, he realizes his soul has been switching places with his criminal counterpart. Jared must find a way to eliminate J-Rock before the next switch.

Evil men conspired to have a starship destroyed to hide the evil they had done. They intended for its crew to disappear forever without a trace. They flew an unmarked ship into space docks and marked it for destruction. They thought that was the end of it, but in all of that chaos, the anoza found me. They chose me to save the Five Moons. I didn’t know any of that when I bought a ship that was never meant for sale. I didn’t know any of that when I first stepped foot upon its decks and changed everything.... But I know it now. And save the Five Moons? Damned straight I will. I am Dallas Blake, outworlder to the nines.

The long hidden heart of the Twisted Curse had been found, concealed in a realm that no angel can enter, where magic runs wild and time is just another direction. The Twisted Curse is the key to ending the Eternity War and it can only be broken by someone willing to traverse the depths of Faerie. Unfortunately, Mitch has other things on his mind.

My name is Mike Raven. I hunt nightmares. Demons murdered my parents when I was eight. Turns out my folks were paranormal investigators, and hell always settles its scores. Naturally I decided to join the family business. For two decades, I've studied the occult and traveled the world fighting monsters. But my biggest challenge lay ahead. From the moment Celeste stepped into my office, I knew she was in trouble. Her father had promised her soul to a powerful demon on the day she was born. Now, 21 years later, the forces of darkness were gathering to collect their long-awaited prize.

By the end of the Corporate War, Dallas Blake had lost everything: his wife, his daughter, his whole family. He was a man in need of far more than just a new beginning. What Dallas needed was a resurrection. Dallas went to the Union Fleet space docks to buy a war-surplus scout-class ship. Instead, he unknowingly buys the Tesseract, a ship with many secrets. It does not take Dallas long to find out that its crew of artificials seems way more human than they should be and every bit as much in need of a resurrection as Dallas.

Tiger has lost almost everything. Her village. Her community. Her father. But her brother, Tarren, who has been kidnapped by the deadheads that razed her village, still lives. With only the loyal but enigmatic old man, Sai, to guide her into the nightmare-jungle that was once North America, Tiger must face her greatest fears in a race to save her brother before he is lobotomized, even while the world around her is bled dry by Those That Watch.

Despite her amazing abilities, all Sun Song Shia ever wanted was to be loved. But it's hard to find love when you don't even know who you really are. Little Bird is an expansion of In Her Eyes, originally published in F&SF, a nominee for the Sturgeon award, an honoree for the James Tiptree award, and included in the 2015 Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novellas (edited by Paula Guran).

Framed for a casino massacre, Harmony and Jessie are on the run - in the real world and in their own. From the seedy casinos of Atlantic City to the steamy bayous of Louisiana and the imposing facades of Washington, DC, there's not a soul on earth they can trust. The only way they can clear their names is to take down the conspiracy from within and uncover the truth behind a secret that both the government and the powers of hell want to keep buried.

When Michael "Blue" Whitley -- a former party boy turned up-and-coming Brooklyn chef -- returns with three friends to the remote Canadian commune of his birth, he discovers that his entire life has been a carefully orchestrated lie. He is in fact someone else altogether, a replacement for a local child who disappeared twenty-five years earlier. He is something not quite human.