Short Stories Crime Suspense

A Taste of Noir includes four short stories from the collection Nice Girl Does Noir by Libby Fischer Hellmann. The stories in Taste include: “Detour” - This story, about a hit woman who takes out the wrong mark, was originally written for the These Guns for Hire (Bleak House, 2007) anthology and was one of Libby's first “noir” stories. “House Rules” - What happens when an average Midwestern couple hits Vegas?

Paranormal crime stories by best-selling fiction writers like Kelley Armstrong, Anne Perry, Simon R. Green, Patricia Briggs, and more. A massive, monumental volume of paranormal crime fiction by best-selling authors. Gripping tales of mayhem include both novellas and short stories like "Stalked By", by Kelley Armstrong; "The Judgment", by worldwide best-selling author Anne Perry; "Appetite for Murder", by Simon R. Green; "Road Dogs", by Norman Partridge; "The Hex Is In", by Mike Resnick; and many more.

Some art is worth dying for. After Niki Dupre buys a painting at a Starving Artist sale, she learns that the artwork is priceless, and that there are others who also want it in their possession. The church wants it back. Two mobsters want it back. And all of them are willing to kill to get it.

Grieving over a past tragedy, troubled ex-con Zack Taylor has spent a lifetime in the shadows. He has finally found a measure of peace in Maine, helping others as a way of dealing with his grief, guilt, and rage. But he finds even simple problems have unintended consequences, and danger lurks in the most unlikely places. In these three tales, Zack encounters murderous individuals who hide below a surface of normality. He uncovers more than he bargained for at every turn, and must deal with the fallout of taking on deadly people willing to kill.

The Wentworth Asylum, once used to house thousands of people, now lies abandoned. People insist it is inhabited by an ex-inmate who now chops down those who enter with her ax. After two teenagers turn up dead in the asylum, a television crew head to the asylum in the hopes of catching footage of the haunting. And to ensure their safety, Jack Nightingale is sent with them. But is it merely an ax-wielding murderer which awaits them?

Alex McLeod paid dearly during the war for independence from Earth. It left the detective disfigured, jaded and alone. In the aftermath of victory, Alex seethes as criminal factions and cold-blooded killers clash over control of the newly-liberated confederation. In his crusade for justice in the free states, he's willing to break more than a few rules along the way...

The only home Alex knows is the slums of Slab, an orbiting city teeming with lowlifes, back-stabbers and gene-spliced monstrosities. From the grimy streets of his city to the lawless Asteroid Belt, Alex goes toe-to-toe with a sharp-clawed vigilante, a mythical serial killer, and a gorgeous vampire with an ominous message. His quest won't end until his homeland earns the freedom it was promised…

But even Alex may not be able to stop the impending Reckoning and a voyage to the one place he swore he'd never return: Earth...

Needing a break from the big city, Alvirah and WIlly escape to Cape Cod - only to meet a would-be heiress framed for murder in "Death on the Cape." When Alvirah and Willy seek the tranquillity of the Cypress Point Spa, it's the perfect getaway - until a jewel thief turns up in "The Lottery Winner." Back in Manhattan, the search for a neighbor's missing newborn makes for a suspense-filled Christmas in "Bye, Baby Bunting."

When the body of a young man is pulled from a submerged car in Roque Harbor, rookie Game Warden Mike Bowditch is shocked when the man’s driver’s license identifies him as none other than...Mike Bowditch. For weeks, Mike and his colleagues have been fielding reports of a man terrorizing the locals while posing as a game warden, wielding a plastic pin-on badge and claiming to be “Warden Bowditch”. Who is the imposter, and how did he end up dead in the bottom of a harbor? Mike must uncover the truth in order to clear his own name.

Maine Game Warden Mike Bowditch accompanies his old friend and mentor, retired bush pilot Charley Stevens, as he pays a visit to a mysterious woman, the widow of a Vietnam vet, living in isolation in the Maine wilderness. Many years earlier, she had called Charley, then a young game warden himself, for help. She claimed that her badly bleeding husband had been attacked by a rabid bat. But in the succeeding days, despite her husband's increasingly erratic and aggressive behavior, his wife resisted Charley's attempts to help, arousing his suspicions that more was going on than met the eye.

Some people take fishing too seriously. Retired Admiral Bobby Burns did, and it cost him his life. There is no shortage of suspects. His wife, Pattie Grace, is also accused of the murder. Niki Dupre, the most famous private investigator in Louisiana, doesn't believe her former Sunday School teacher could kill her husband. Soon, the case turns from fishy to dangerous. But who killed the admiral?

Theft doesn't pay. Unless you take a roll of lottery tickets and one of them hits the jackpot. John David Netterville found said tickets on the ground outside a gas station. Unfortunately, they had been stolen. When the cashier identifies him as the thief, trouble ensues. Niki Dupre must prove Netterville's innocence, despite the evidence stacked against him. But did he really do it?

Alex is looking forward to the next chapter of his life as a special agent with Homeland Security. In his last week with the Glynn County Police Department, he volunteers to return to the bike patrol on Saint Simons Island to help out during the Fourth of July festival. He's once again paired with Steve Albright, his one-time best friend and now estranged brother-in-law. When a shooting on the island pulls them into a manhunt, the two must work together to find the suspect before anyone else is hurt.

From the silly and cute, to the horrific and sad. Each short story was made up on one day in Fountain Park, as the author began wondering who all was passing him by...where were they going and where did they come from? Listen for more.

A retelling of the Christmas Story in a way you've never heard it before.... The fable of a donkey who carries a mother and child safely to Egypt.... The tale of a widow who dislikes people until she meets a stranger.... From the most popular writer of all time comes a treasured collection of short stories and poems celebrating the holiday season. This special edition also contains a wealth of Agatha Christie rarities - not only all the stories, poems, and illustrations from her long out-of-print book Star over Bethlehem (1965) but also a reproduction of all her rare poetry.

Red O’Brien and Billy Don Craddock are finishing a construction project for one of their regular customers when he makes an unexpected request - help him regain custody of his beloved beagle, Teddy. The way they go about it is a howl.

"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.

Zoe Doyle is a police constable doing her best to keep things calm in a locked-down London. When a vicious killer begins dismembering bodies in Brixton, there are inevitable comparisons to "Jack the Ripper". While working her beat, Zoe receives a voice message, learning, to her horror, that "The Corona Ripper" has selected his next victim: her mother.

Discover clean and fun best-selling cozy mysteries by Amber Crewes to enjoy! A light cozy-mystery series with an amateur female sleuth, mouth-watering culinary desserts, and 13 gripping murder mysteries!

A collection of five short stories. This collection includes: "A Pussy Did Him In", "Touche", "The End", "Mr. Wonderful", and "Bag of Bones".

Thirty-two short stories compiled by Bill Bernico....