Psychological Thriller Short Stories

The award-winning master of psychological suspense is in top form in this collection of diverse and diabolically clever stories. In the never-before-published “Just One More,” a married couple—longing for that old romantic spark—creates a playful diversion that comes with unexpected consequences.

From the incomparable master of horror and suspense comes an electrifying collection of contemporary literary horror, with stories from 25 writers representing today’s most talented voices in the genre. Horror writing is usually associated with formulaic gore, but New Wave horror writers have more in common with the wildly inventive, evocative spookiness of Edgar Allan Poe than with the sometimes-predictable hallmarks of their peers. Showcasing this cutting-edge talent, Poe’s Children now brings the best of the genre’s stories to a wider audience.

Join Dr. Amelia Mercer as she navigates a nightmarish city engulfed in collective agony, where every scream resonates in your VERY BONES! Feel your pulse quicken as you experience the relentless tide of shared suffering, forcing you to confront the darkest corners of human empathy. This isn't mere fiction; it's a gripping exploration of what it means to truly feel the pain of others.

A deadly black widow has eliminated three husbands and counting. But Nameless knows her one weakness. To bring truth and its consequences to her crimes, the vigilante must spin a web of his own in part three of the Nameless series. Lucia - current last name, Rickenbah - has made a fortune by marrying rich men who tend to drop dead. But the superstitious blonde believes in more than money and murder. Nameless’s job is to scare a confession out of Lucia, and as the psychological warfare escalates, even he may be in for a shock.

Are you ready to confront your deepest fears with "The Mourning Choir"–a bone-chilling horror experience that will HAUNT YOUR VERY SOUL?! Step into the eerie world of Emma Winslet, where every shadow holds a secret and the night air is thick with a haunting melody that beckons her closer to eternal darkness. As the clock strikes 3:33 AM, you’ll be drawn into a realm where the past and present collide, and the whispers of lost souls echo in the stillness.

After almost twenty years, Mary Ellen’s return to her hometown is like entering a surreal and haunting nightmare. She had thought she left this all behind for good. The reason for her return? Her father’s funeral. But this trip back is more than just grieving and receiving condolences - it’s a reckoning with the ghosts of a past she worked hard to forget.

In a world obsessed with the pursuit of immortality, a brilliant scientist unveils a secret elixir that promises eternal life. As billionaires vie for this coveted prize, their desires set in motion a chain of events that will expose the dark consequences of unchecked ambition. In The Elixir's Curse, the boundaries of human existence are redefined, and the price of immortality is revealed in a gripping tale of power, vanity, and wisdom.

When Taylor, a professional writer, discovers that others have been plagiarizing her work, she gets even in her own way—by writing their fake obituaries. Nobody knows about her favorite pastime, and she wants to keep it that way. Then, one day, the unthinkable happens: One of the plagiarists turns up dead. Taylor tries to put it out of her mind, until two detectives come knocking on her door. Author Linda Smolkin delivers a gripping audiobook filled with suspense and an ending listeners won’t see coming.

Step into the decaying halls of Grimwood and feel your grip on reality slip away. Every whisper, every shadow, every creaking floorboard will set your nerves on fire! A sweet warning: This psychological thrill ride will shatter your perceptions and leave you questioning everything you thought you knew! Is it real? Is it delusion? You won't know until it's far too late! Face the horrors lurking in the depths of your own mind! But remember - in Grimwood, escape is just another cruel illusion. So are you brave enough to lose your mind?

Mitchell Dupree has finally landed his dream job: compliance director for the Latin American division at Union South Bank. It's a comfortable place to work, with a family-like atmosphere. Except this family has secrets. Mitch quickly notices a string of suspicious transactions that he worries may be coming from a notorious Mexican drug cartel, the brutal and fast-growing New Colima syndicate. As he probes deeper into the bank's dealings, Mitch must play a dangerous and complicated game, figuring out who to trust and how safe his job and life really are.

In these psychologically daring, chillingly suspenseful pieces, the author of We Were the Mulvaneys and Blonde writes about women facing threats past and present, once again cementing her reputation for "great intelligence and dead-on imaginative powers" (Los Angeles Times Book Review).

A Short Walk to the Other Side is a second short story collection of supernatural, metaphysical, science fiction, and horror stories following "The Small Dark Room of the Soul" by award-winning author Matthew J. Pallamary that examines the shadow side of human nature.

From the world's number one best-selling writer - three pulse-pounding novels in one audiobook! This collection includes The Family Lawyer, Night Sniper, and The Good Sister.

Perfect for fans of Carmen Maria Machado and Kelly Link, Jo Paquette’s Stories I Told My Dead Lover contains eight searing tales of psychological horror that probe the darkest and most deeply buried parts of the human psyche. A child is forced to grow up too soon. A woman trusts her doctor too much. An abandoned woman isn’t as alone as she thinks. An idyllic holiday masks an unspeakable act of violence. Driven, desperate, fighting for the power to choose their own fate, Paquette’s characters dare to push back at the walls that hold them in.

Sisters, Strangers and Slaughter is a psychologically thrilling collection of short stories focusing on the remote and inchoate hollows of the human condition. Each of the three stories features a narrator battling inner separateness, an arcane secret that threatens an otherwise healthy existence. In their suffering, the subjects are unable to tell physical pain from its mental shape.

"Searingly honest, brilliant and disturbing. Brad Phillips peels back the skin and bone and stares right into the human soul." (Anthony Bourdain) Brad Phillips' collection of short stories adeptly walks a very thin line between taboo and propriety, with rigorous self-awareness and generosity. By confusing ideas around fiction and autobiography, Phillips writes with painful sincerity about shame, addiction, trauma, and the more troubling outreaches of sexual desire, with wit that is at odds with the subject matter. Brad Phillips is a well-known Canadian artist.

In this psychological short thriller, an elderly loner, who spends most of his days at home, becomes the subject of a home invasion. A young and unmasked man with a gun soon arrests the elder to a chair, beginning a daylong ordeal that both men will never forget.

In this gothic, virtuoso debut collection, Mike McCormack dispenses nightmares both stylish and macabre. "A Is for Ax" offers alphabetized look at the killing of a parent, while the title story tracks a chilling sibling rivalry. Other works here offer multiple-quiz on the road to Calvary, a door-to-door saleswoman trafficking in strange and menacing feats, and a self-mutilating artist pushing himself to the limit. These sly and dangerous stories show us a young writer who was already a master of wicked formal play, and whose sly takes on life and death remain profoundly unsettling.

Join Lyla’s therapy sessions and step into her mind. Come on in and hear her story, but be warned - you will not be able to leave until she has answers. Told by Lyla herself, she is ready to disclose all to her psychiatrist - in return for his help. A last attempt to heal her soul. Meeting the love of her life, Peter, seemed the perfect escape.

It's been said that all great literature boils down to one of two stories—a man takes a journey, or a stranger comes to town. While mystery writers have been successfully using both approaches for generations, there's something undeniably alluring in the nature of a stranger: the uninvited guest, the unacquainted neighbor, the fish out of water. In the newest collection of stories by the Mystery Writers of America, each author weaves a fresh tale surrounding the eerie feeling that comes when a stranger enters our midst, featuring stories by prolific mystery writers.