Short Mystery Collection

The ancient jungles of the Yucatan hide a world of secrets ... the secrets of wealth, love, and fate. Now daredevil pilot Kurt Reid is about to tempt fate and fly into the heart of that jungle in search of his destiny—an adventure as daring and dangerous as any undertaken by Indiana Jones. He’s looking for gold, but not just any. He’s after one particular nugget—flying blind into a tropical haystack in search of a very valuable needle.

Mister Tidwell is a scholarly Oxford professor snatched out of his bookish world and pressed into service aboard Lord Nelson’s legendary British fleet - in the position of schoolmaster. Such is the life of the land-loving, seafaring Mister Tidwell, Gunner. Thrust into service at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, Tidwell soon finds himself directly in the line of fire and way out of his depth. Fate has cast him into a terrible and terrifying spot - alone on deck to face the fearsome approach of a French man-o’-war.

The Chinese city of Shunkien is under siege, the Japanese military laying it to waste. In the middle of the city sits the American consulate, a fragile sanctuary packed with refugees, threatened not only by artillery, but by the ravages of starvation and cholera. 200 miles away, on the USS Miami, stands their only hope - Marine Gunnery Sergeant James Mitchell. As tough as Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan - and just as stubborn - if anybody can negotiate a crucial supply of gold and medicine through 200 miles of bullets, bombs and butchery, it’s Sergeant Mitchell.

Flying into action, daredevil photojournalist Johnny Brice is always looking for trouble...and more often than not, finding it. But he doesn’t know what real trouble is until he rescues the beautiful woman he calls Jinx from a sinking ship. They’re made for each other - even if they are a dangerous mix.

As a young man Monte Calhoun was as wild as they come, thinking the measure of a man was how hard he could drink and how straight he can shoot. But several years of schooling back East have changed him. Monte has become The No-Gun Man. The East Coast has civilized him, and he’s bringing some of that civilization home to Superstition, Arizona...even if it means refusing to avenge the murder of his own father.

Stop the presses! One hundred thousand dollar reward offered for the return of George Harley Rockham! That’s more than enough to turn Shanghai newspaperman Jimmy Vance’s head. Throw in the gorgeous dame who’s offering the reward - Rockham’s daughter Virginia - and he might lose his head altogether. Fast-talking Vance jumps at the chance...the money...and the girl. But as Jimmy quickly discovers, there are several billion reasons to watch his back. Because that’s how much Rockham is worth.

This bundle includes Basil and the Lost Colony, Basil and the Big Cheese Cook-Off, Basil and the Royal Dare, and Basil and the Library Ghost.

Winchester Remington Smith is a crack shot. Problem is, surrounded by roller coasters and merry-go-rounds, his talent is going to waste, knocking down ducks in a carnival shooting gallery. Win wants some real action, and he’s running off to join the US Marines to fight a guerilla insurgency south of the border. In the jungles of Central America, Win takes a different kind of roller-coaster ride. Quick and quiet, he’s now a runner. It’s a vital role, but he feels like a messenger boy, unable to put his rifle to good use.

Roland Butler's life is falling apart. He has been fired from his job only to come home to a furious wife. To make matters worse, he discovers his wife's infidelity. Defeated and hopeless, Roland loses all direction in his despair. In his time of need, Roland meets a mysterious man who vows to change Roland's life.

No matter how you spin it - from a self-driving car that abducts its passengers, to a newly released ex-con who is being hunted by father/daughter hoods for the 300 grand he owes them, to a suburban couple startled awake in the middle of the night after two Antifa hoods break into their home intent on doing some real damage - these stories are relentless. Gear up for an adrenaline-fueled ride to the dark side and back, where the bad guy isn't always bad and the good guys will stab you in the back.

A private investigator, a beautiful dame, and a missing boy. But Mickey's having trouble figuring out what's real and what's not as he tries to get to grips with the people and places of Refuge.

L.A.P.D. Lt. Eric Anderson recommends Elliott to his friend, arson investigator Ron Harper. Ron needs help tracking down to arson suspects. Elliott is busy spending time with his now 15-year-old son, Matt and decides to take him along on his case, rather than leave him home alone. Matt gets a first-hand look at his dad's job from the inside, but was this a mistake? Matt could get hurt here.

In the latest conversation with his father, Elliott Cooper learns that retirement does not agree with dear ol' Dad. Elliott's father, Clay Cooper, once head of Cooper investigations, is bored out of his mind. Also bored with retirement is former L.A.P.D. Lieutenant Dean Hollister. So, Dean and Clay decide to start their own P.I. business, specifically for people their own age. As these two soon find out, retirement had it's up side and maybe, just maybe, they would have been better off leaving well enough alone...

The Coopers have their hands full with their latest case. In order to save bus driver Harry Fleming's life, Clay, Elliott and Gloria Cooper have to kill him. And they have to be convincing if they want to keep the twenty-five thousand dollar fee from their unscrupulous client.

Elliott is hired by the FBI to patrol the street on his block during a parade for a visiting congressman. Elliott gets more than he bargained for when someone takes a shot at the congressman from a third story window. But all is not as it seems in this game of cat and mouse.

Elliott has a chance to ride along with a K-9 unit of his police department. The dog, Daisy, proves invaluable and Elliott can see why the officers get so attached to their animal partners. Daisy is facing retirement at twelve-years-old and his cop handler can't take him home, since his family is allergic to dogs. Elliott agrees to take Daisy home for his son, Matt. However, Matt's terrified of the German Shepherd so Elliott takes Daisy to his office and finds that the dog proves very helpful in his line of work and decides to keep her at the office.

In this collection of 19 short stories, Craig Nybo invites you to visit the lives of mostly unfortunate souls as they face the most terrifying moments of their existences. With everything from vampire hunting to zombie bashing, from steampunk death devices to shifty soul brokers, Nybo brings his own sense of perspective and, of course, his sense of humor to this collection of departures from reality. Terrifying Lies contains Nybo's acclaimed story, "The Mechanic", along with 18 other tales of the macabre.

The Doll Maker is taking women off the street and turning them into dolls before killing them. Will he be caught?

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?

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.