Crime Suspense Anthology

"Get in. We're goin' for a ride." Art grabbed Eddie's left arm, while his partner, Gordo took the other arm. They hurried Eddie along the sidewalk and nearly threw him into the back seat. Eddie quickly scooted across the seat and cowered in the corner near the opposite door. Gordo crawled in next to him while Art slid in behind the wheel. The car squealed away from the curb and headed out of town on the Old Plank Road. Eddie has a fifty-fifty chance of coming out of this alive.

A major casino robbery turns sour when the getaway car breaks down in the desert. The robbers come across a nearby cabin but it is inhabited by an old loner. The three robbers try and hold him hostage, but he escapes. It becomes their biggest mistake.

You are a huge fan of author Lawrence Block and you would do anything to meet him and get his autograph. Would you die for it? That's probably carrying things a bit too far, but hey, this is fiction. Let's see what happens at one of Lawrence Block's book signings...

Tim Murphy is a television newscaster who specializes in stories from the streets. After a long day on location, his cameraman drops him off at the studio, but it's closed for the day. He heads for his car but finds that someone has stolen it. Now, he has to walk home late at night on the same streets he's been reporting on. Can he make it home safely even though the only weapon in his pocket is a microphone? Let's find out.

Betty and Frank live a normal married lifestyle. She's a homemaker and he owns a third generation butcher shop. He's content with his life, but it seems Betty is not. She's been seeing Frank's friend, Bruce on the sly for afternoon delights. As long as Frank doesn't find out, what's the harm? Frank finds out.

He knows exactly how to get what his clients need. All he requires is the involuntary company of a young child. This short story of a professional kidnapper will take you on a long ride.

Based on a chilling true crime story. Just how far some people are willing to go to make ends meet depends upon their moral compasses, or lack thereof.

Lillian opens the door and a man is standing there with a gun. He forces his way into her home and tells her he plans to kill her husband when he gets home. Why? What'd he ever do to this punk? Uh-oh, here comes her husband. Now what?

I sat on the passenger's side in the front, next to Lou. Frankie sat directly behind me, keeping his gun at my neck. My reasons for being in this spot in the first place are unimportant. Let's just say that these two thugs had their orders and their orders included taking me for a ride. I always thought there'd be big money in being a mobster. It never dawned on me that what I knew would lead me to the predicament I now found myself in.

You agree to meet with a hit man, but the person you want him to kill is... YOU. You're dying of bone cancer and this is the only way to make the insurance company pay so you can take care of your family when you're gone. This cat-and-mouse story is not all it seems, but the hit goes down exactly as planned.

Every community, including Delbert, Alabama, has its share of bullies. Jasper McKeever was the local bully and everyone knew they'd better give a wide berth to Jasper wherever he went. Jasper comes upon a roadside fireworks stand and requisitions, shall we say, his share of explosives. Now, what will he do with them? Will he terrorize the citizens of Delbert? Or will he keep this entertainment all to himself? Find out as Jasper meets his match.

Matt's in line at the bank, trying to cash the check from his latest client. He's carrying his .38 in the holster under his arm, when suddenly, the man in line ahead of him turns around and yells to the customers that this is a holdup and that everyone should hit the floor. A fast-thinking clerk hits the silent alarm, trapping the robber in the bank. Now, in order to get out, he's gonna have to take a hostage, but who will it be?

Gloria and Elliott are on their way to Las Vegas to get married, but will they make it? A lot of things can happen between Los Angeles and Las Vegas. To make matters more hectic, they've just taken on two new cases. How to fit it all in?

This story takes place in 1944, two years before Matt leaves the L.A.P.D. to start his own investigations business. He and Sergeant Dan Hollister are on patrol when they get a call about a dead woman hanging by her heels from a fire escape. The murderer was easy to catch - he was asleep in that same building. Finding the murder weapon, however, proves to be a little more of a challenge for Matt and Dan.

Elliott is hired to find a witness to a fatal auto accident that happened right outside his office building. Matt is hired to get the goods on a nasty neighbor who seems to be vandalizing his own property in an effort to frame his neighbor. But why?

Twenty years earlier, Clay and his father, Matt Cooper, purchased a fully restored 1940 Oldsmobile sedan, just like the one Matt drove when he ran Cooper Investigations all those years ago. With Matt gone all these years, Clay decides to sell the vintage automobile on one of those online auction sites. Something goes terribly wrong and Clay can't stop it, not that he hasn't tried. Someone's going to get killed, and all over an old car.

A palm reader notifies Lord Arthur that murder is in his future. But not his murder - he’s the murderer. This really throws a wrench into his wedding plans, for Lord Arthur is soon to be married to the most beautiful lady in London. In fact he loves her so much, he decides to postpone the wedding until his business is done. Now, for a tasteful homicide....

Son todos los abogados honrados? En principio queremos creer que si, pero... El Criminal Perfecto Troy Goldbeater es un abogado de reconocido prestigio en la sociedad londinense, especializado en Derecho Civil y más concretamente en Derecho de Familia, en especial: herencias. Una ciente suya de antiguo, la Sra Pallin, acaba de emprender un viaje sin retorno, y uno de sus familiares visita al Sr. Goldbeater, poniendo en duda no solo su profesionalidad, sino algo más....

There is a killing spree in the small town of Avery, Texas. A shroud of fear and suspicion falls over everyone in town. Shortly after it begins, an intern at the local paper finds a mysterious letter.

Mathilda lebt mit ihrer Mutter in einer heruntergekommenen Wohnung im Londoner East End. Die Mutter versucht, ihr ein möglichst normales Leben zu geben, was mit dem gewalttätigen Vermieter und ihrer Arbeit als Prostituierte nicht einfach ist. Nach dem Tod von der Mutter rutscht das Mädchen tief in das schlechte Leben zwischen Huren und Lodging Häusern hinein.