Supernatural Urban Fantasy Thriller

For more than 30 years, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. Now, with the 11th volume of the series, Daltow's back again to bring you the stories that will keep you up at night. With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. This light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows.

Something deadly is lurking in the swampy marshes of Moody Bog. For Kylie Strange, it just means more deaths she's responsible for since she's the one who accidentally unleashed a Pandora's box of horrors. She opened the Booke of the Hidden, and now she must do everything she can to close it for good, taking on every monster it releases with the help of the local coven. This time, the Booke has unleashed not one but two demons on the village. With her attention divided, Kylie and her coven of Wiccans are open to attack. But those aren't the only demons on Kylie's mind.

I should be happy for her. Right? But I'm not. Because I know this Derrick character is bad news. Call it my witchy instincts, but I'm convinced something is seriously off with the guy. So how do I prove it to my aunt? The pressure is on as I only have four days to figure it out before the wedding—yes, four days until Beverly says, "I do" to that slimy bastard. As the clues start to come together, I have to wade through a pack of lies to get to the truth and find out who Derrick Baudelaire really is—and what he's hiding.

When a suspect explodes mid-interrogation and his office is taken over by an intergalactic despot, undead detective Dan Deadman reckons he's finally hit rock bottom. Banished to a dangerous underground hostel network, Dan becomes embroiled in a mass-murder investigation that will take him from the bowels of Down Here to the depths of the ocean. As the clues run out and the case collapses around him, Dan discovers a sinister plot that could wipe out two whole civilizations, and plunge the planet of Parloo into an endless bloody war.

When a gruesome murder is discovered at the Osthorne Academy of Young Mages, where her estranged twin sister teaches theoretical magic, reluctant detective Ivy Gamble is pulled into the world of untold power and dangerous secrets. She will have to find a murderer and reclaim her sister - without losing herself.

Hot flashes and serial killers and spirit guides, oh my! For Sarah Jane Prentice, 49-year-old police detective and witch, this has been the year from Hell. She's lost her husband of 25 years, but after a few months, everyone in her life is ready for her to move on and stop grieving. She's also been saddled with a horrific murder case she hasn't been able to solve. On top of everything else, every spell she casts these days seems to go wrong, and her quirky spirit guide is no help at all. Not good news for a witch who uses her magic to catch criminals.

An ancient secret lies buried in Earth’s religions. Magical beings once ruled our planet. Man has forgotten them, but they are coming back. Their plan for mankind? Enslavement. An ancient curse banished them from the realm of man...now that curse grows weak, and they are finding their way back.

Shape-shifter Michael Biörn has walked this earth 1000 years. Vampires walking the streets in broad daylight. Students disappearing at an alarming rate. Rumors of a mysterious necromancer. Something is seriously amiss in Michael's neck of the woods. The Elves have chosen to ignore the problem, so it falls to Michael to look into it. Hidden in the heart of the forest is a foe more powerful than anything he's ever faced. And when Michael finds him, the unthinkable happens. Now Michael must race to lift the veil of deception and expose the enemy's true nature.

The first three books in the Jonathan Shade series. Includes Modern Sorcery: Death by dark magic. As soon as I get over my ex, her father hacks her mother apart with a sword. She hires me to prove dark magic was involved. Hey, it's what I do as a paranormal investigator, so I get why she thinks I can help. But my secretary, Esther, a ghost from the 1920s flapper era, and Kelly Chan, my magically engineered protector, are dead-set against me getting involved. With all the deadly magic flying around, they may have a point.

One hundred and twenty-five years is a long time to nurse a crush. That's how long it's been since Beth Argenis first met Cullen "Scotty" MacDonald and he instantly became the star of her most X-rated dreams. Back then he was rescuing her from a Rogue Immortal. Now Beth's a Rogue Hunter - a damn good one. She doesn't need saving anymore, despite what Scotty thinks. What she does need is the fierce, wild desire that finally erupts between them.

Angharad "Harry" Russo has had a busy week. She's fended off a swarm of pixies, battled blood-thirsty redcaps, and put an end to a maniacal Fae prince hell-bent on eradicating the entire werewolf population. She's also decided to open a coffee shop. Is it too much to ask for things to settle down so her life can go back to normal? Apparently it is. As if being metaphysically bound to Cian Nash, the most aggravating-yet-desirable man she's ever met, isn't enough, Harry's just found out that the Magister, the biggest, baddest vampire around, is her father.

The Movie Town Theater is holding its first ever Film Noir Festival, with Pen handling book sales for the guest speakers, including screen actress Hedda Geist. The legendary femme fatale has been out of the spotlight for decades. Unfortunately, the moment she steps back into it, she's nearly killed. Then other guests start to die, and Penelope wants to know why her little town's Film Noir weekend has taken a truly dark turn.

Occult investigator Quincey Morris and his "consultant", white witch Libby Chastain, are hired to free a family from a deadly curse that appears to date back to the Salem witch trials. Fraught with danger, the trail finds them stalking the mysterious occult underworlds of Boston, San Francisco, New Orleans, and New York, searching out the root of the curse. After surviving a series of terrifying attempts on their lives, the two find themselves drawn inexorably towards Salem itself - and the very heart of darkness.

Inheriting a cottage in Pine Lake was supposed to be the escape from her stressful life as a social worker. Instead, Amalie Holmes is taking witch lessons from her crazy, lightning-wielding grandmother, juggling guardianship of a sassy pre-teen, and taking over a pet shop, all while trying to get used to her super-loud, super-new family. Too bad she can't clone herself. Maybe there's a spell for that? When the head of the local Witch Council is found dead, and Amalie's Grandma Vivian is named the prime suspect, Amalie's new-found family is in jeopardy.

In his junior year at college, the only things on Sean's mind are doing his homework and getting out of college to get a real job. A gamer and a bit of a nerd, Sean's philosophy in life has been to keep his head down and get his work done. But when a failed kidnapping attempt leaves him with a gaping hole in his memory, his oldest friend dead, and his mother missing, Sean suddenly finds his whole world turned upside down as he's thrust into the hidden world of magic and the supernatural.

have finally moved in together. Their new domestic arrangement is strained by the presence of Alice's father, a longtime lone wolf struggling to fit into his daughter's dangerous and unpredictable life. To make matters worse, would-be assassins track Alice's every move and she's estranged from her ghost sidekick Malcolm. Restless at home surrounded by protective werewolves, Alice takes a new case with Malcolm reluctantly riding shotgun. What starts as a straightforward search for a missing artist quickly spirals into a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse.

Louisiana homicide detective and demon summoner Kara Gillian is about to learn that vengeance is a dish best served cold - especially when dealing with supernatural crime. But with her closest friends now in harm's way, the demons just made this one personal.

Hannah Hickok is a brand-new witch living in a brave new world. Casper Creek, a cosplay Western town left to her by a grandmother she didn’t know, belongs to Hannah...and a few colorful characters (more affectionately referred to as workers) are part of the deal. Cooper Wyatt is head of security, and the last thing he wants is a new face on his turf...until he meets Hannah and feels that instant sizzle. Unfortunately, the flirtation comes with a heaping side of trouble.

I’ve taken on my first-ever apprentice. A mage of my bloodline, Alec is as headstrong as he is powerful, his magic bolstered by a shifty trickster god. If that weren’t enough, I’ve been recruited into an NYPD task force on missing persons. Cases in the city are exploding, a little girl among the most recently disappeared. But just as I uncover a bizarre lead, I’m yanked back to the shadow realm - a darker, more dangerous New York - where a nefarious entity has targeted Alec in order to get to me.

Seven years ago Professor Gabriel Kennedy's investigation into paranormal activity at Summer Place ended in tragedy and destroyed his career. Now Kelly Delaphoy, the ambitious producer of a top-rated ghost-hunting television series, is determined to make Summer Place the centerpiece of an epic live broadcast on Halloween night. To ensure success she needs help from the one man who has come face-to-face with the evil that dwells in Summer Place, a man still haunted by the ghosts of his own failure.