Mystery Thriller Collection

In his introduction, guest editor S. A. Cosby observes that writing short stories is “a special skill that combines brevity with wit and cleverness and the hint of the existential malaise that imbues crime fiction with its gravitas.” The stories in this collection overflow with gravitas in the most unexpected ways: a cryptic note left on a windshield, a murder for hire meets a game of Mouse Trap, a swipe right on a dating app goes horribly wrong.

The best mysteries have one thing in common: a memorable perpetrator. For every Sherlock Holmes or Sam Spade in noble pursuit, there's a Count Dracula, a Lester Leith, or a Jimmy Valentine. These are the rogues and villains who haunt our imaginations - and who often have more in common with their heroic counterparts than we might expect. Now, for the first time ever, Otto Penzler gathers the iconic traitors, thieves, con men, sociopaths, and killers who have crept through the mystery canon over the past 150 years, captivating and horrifying readers in equal measure.

Spanning from a mediocre spa in Florida, to New York’s gritty East Village, to death row in Alabama, this collection reveals boundless suspense in small, quiet moments, offering startling twists in the least likely of places. From a powerful response to hateful bullying, to a fight for health care, to a gripping desperation to vote, these stories are equal parts shocking, devastating, and enthralling, revealing the tension pulsing through our everyday lives and affirming that mystery and suspense writing is better than ever before.

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, the busiest time of the year at Beechy’s Sweets, where the Amish gifts of love and faith are even sweeter than the home-made candy. This audiobook includes three stories: The Sweetest Courtship by national best-selling author Emma Miller, The Sweetest Truth by national best-selling author Laura Bradford, and Nothing Tastes so Sweet by award-winning author Mary Ellis.

Veronica and Ryan Hartley are the envy of Auburn Drive. When the exclusive neighborhood hosts its annual progressive dinner party, the couple’s perfection is on display. The neighbors are obsessed—entranced by the “it” couple’s movie-star looks and smoldering gazes. But is the perfect pair too good to be true?

Tiana Carter has just started college and is determined to make the most of it. She’s thrilled to be posting videos about dorm-room cooking and campus fashion for a small but loyal band of followers. When she dips into the online dating pool, her first swipe right raises a huge red flag. Tiana’s polite rejection is met with scorn, and now a group of self-proclaimed “high-value men” are hell-bent on ruining her life.

This wry collection of Hanukkah noir features eleven stories by critically acclaimed authors that run the gamut from hardboiled to heartfelt, curated by New York Times bestselling author Tod Goldberg. Across eleven stories, award-winning authors spin tales of family, corruption, buried treasure and delightful yet twisted capers that will entertain listeners through all eight nights of the Festival of Lights.

Des, Virginia's slickest gangsta, is about to become a dad when he is charged with the murder of his own attorney. But with Yarni, his gorgeous wife (and a brilliant lawyer), now calling the shots, Des isn't going back to the slammer without a fierce fight. Even with the heat on, Des manages to take his game to the next level and finds a new hustle, one that will allow him to possess the three things all major players desire: money, power, and respect.

Cari Porter has just woken up in a motel room. She doesn’t remember anything about her past, how she got there, where she’s going, or even who she is. But she does have a list of names that she has a burning desire to kill. But those aren’t her only problems. There are also people after her. She doesn’t know them, either. But they’re coming… and they plan to kill her.

Stefan Korzh’s desire to destroy the lives of everyone around him knows no bounds. His haunted antique collection continues to spread and turn his diabolical plans into reality. Victor Daniels and Tom Crane are the only ones who can stop the madness before it’s too late. This audiobook includes the stories: Hank’s Radio, The Burning Girl, and Knife in the Dark.

With gimlet-eyed cool and razor-sharp wit, these spare, stylish stories from a master of modern-crime fiction assemble a world of gangsters and con men, of do-gooders breaking bad and those caught in the crossfire. The uncle of an FBI agent spends his life as sheriff in different cities, living too close to the violent acts of men; a cocktail waitress moves through several desert towns trying to escape the unexplainable loss of an adopted daughter; a drug dealer with a penchant for karaoke meets a talkative lawyer and a silent clown in a Palm Springs bar.

"The Castle Orphans": "How often does he visit you?" added Watson, producing his pipe from his pocket. He searched the same pocket for a match then lit the device. "He visits every week and every few nights. He likes to sneak in the window and take things back to his castle!" The small girl played with the little tiger upon her knee.

Do you love a good whodunit? Detectives and mobsters, newshawks and murderers–all ingredients for disaster in this murder mystery collection. Whether it was sending a detective after zombie killers on the prowl or chasing down grisly headhunters at a carnival, Ron knew how to thrill readers and keep them guessing until the end.

Tessa Randolph has been dumped. She's jobless and on the borderline of moving in with her overbearing mother. Turns out, her mom doesn’t want that either. She offers Tessa a job. Only Cooper’s Life Insurance, where Tessa’s mom has worked for years, isn’t what it seems to be. Turns out, Cheryl Randolph has been working undercover--under the cover of a hooded grim reaper cloak.

Meet Reverend Annabelle Dixon…. Charming, slightly gauche, very tall, this 30-something vicar has just been appointed to the pastoral St. Mary’s Church, in the picturesque village of Upton St. Mary, Cornwall, England.

The unifying factor of this collection is that, without exception, every author included here was in some way or another involved with or interested in the occult. In some cases, they were members of an occult organization, such as the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Theosophical Society, or similar such groups. Others simply had a strong personal interest in the subject matter or practiced some form of the esoteric sciences in private.

Lost on the streets of a foreign city, Molly Clary is attacked after a book signing. An unknown hero steps in to protect her, but her relief turns to terror when her savior's true intentions are revealed. Connor Reilly doesn't just want to save her. He wants to take her for himself.

In a small town rests an old lodge with a big secret. Maxine Finch and Simon York, a recently married couple with little money, use their limited honeymoon funds to buy a foreclosed inn in the tiny snowy town of Silver Ridge, Colorado, but when strange things start happening in the middle of the night, Maxine and Simon wonder if their investment is a dangerous mistake.

Hillary Jean leads an enviable life. She has a loving husband, a beautiful home, caring friends, and meaningful work planning fundraisers. Yet she’s always felt incomplete. After a DNA website emails her a match, Hillary sets out to find the daughter she gave up twenty-five years ago. But her hunger to reconnect threatens to destroy the very thing she hopes to gain.

Horror and mayhem are everywhere as the number of mysterious deaths increase with every haunted item released into the world. But as Victor Daniels and Tom Crane track down the man responsible for this deadly game, they come face to face with secrets that will change the course of their lives forever. This volume includes the audiobooks: Last Breathe, Ticket to Death, and Death Rattle.