Showing results by narrator "Joe Hempel" in All Categories

After 12 years away from his coastal Florida home, Detective Dillon Storm is only now getting his sea legs back. When he pulls the body of a woman from the gulf while on an impromptu fishing trip with his nephew, Dillon thinks things couldn't get stranger. When that body is identified as a woman who was pronounced dead three years ago, he realizes how wrong he is. Now, with little more to go on than a gut feeling and the years' old files from a case that couldn't be colder, Dillon will put his skills to the test.

A mysterious suicide. Horrific specters walking the streets. A drug that promises to change the world. An apocalyptic cult. Something is stirring in the city of Duluth, Minnesota. Ever since a celebrated researcher announced the creation of a new experimental drug - a drug with the potential to cure the mind of countless ills - people have been disappearing. When a grad student involved with the drug's development unexpectedly commits suicide, a private detective is tasked with unearthing the details of her tumultuous final days. This miracle drug may not be what it seems.

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.

Summer has just begun, and fear is in season. School’s out, and the faculty at Fairington Elementary School are free for the summer. Emily Young can’t deny her attraction to Aaron Jackson, the ed tech from her classroom, but she’s afraid of being hurt again. Meanwhile, Aaron is determined not to let his phobia of drowning prevent him from enjoying the sun and the sand of Maine’s best beach town. But they’re about to learn real fear. Fairington is home to a monster.

The Jonathan Shade series continues with books 4-6: The Complete Time Travel Trilogy. Includes: Anubis Nights, Sunset Specters, and Wizard's Nocturne. From hunting a dead sorcerer in ancient Egypt to the roaring 20s where flappers dance to jazz and secret societies kill each other for magical dominance....

In this short novelette, a little girl hires Jonathan to get rid of a ghost that haunts her family every Christmas. The hauntings have escalated from sightings to full possession. It should be an open-and-shut exorcism, but when Jonathan discovers the truth, it's more than he bargained for....

At 26, Hope has only ever slept with one man, and at her boss's unsolicited advice, Hope plans to forget the abuse and degradation she suffered at her ex's hand by seducing and bedding the next man she meets. Only after Hope finds a promise of death at her doorstep, her plans are derailed, and her only chance at staying alive rests on the dedication of her new bodyguard and her own sheer will to live the life she deserves.

Reclusive chef Heinrich Schauer has invited six guests to a blind 12-course tasting menu. As they eat, each guest is overtaken by carnal appetites, unaware of their host's savage plan - or of the creature lurking below.

It came from space.... Something virulent. Something evil. Something new. And it is infecting the town of Falls Breath. Carried to Earth in a freak meteor shower, an alien virus has infected the animals. Pets and wildlife have turned rabid, attacking without warning. Dogs and cats terrorize their owners, while deer and wolves from the neighboring woods hunt in packs, stalking and killing their human prey without mercy.

A couple of jerks wake me up at the crack of noon. Seems my klepto uncle stole an ancient deck of Tarot cards from a high-powered wizard, and too many losers want to ruin my day to get them back. The cards are cool, so I check them out, but my magic-happy cousin, Sabrina, tells me I'm not supposed to touch them. Oops. Too late. Now the damn cards are tuned to me, and if someone else wants to use them, I have to die. Why couldn't she have led with that information?

When struggling concert pianist Emil inherits a house from his late uncle, he thinks all of his problems are solved. Absconding to the mysterious Weatherby House in the suburbs of Portland where his famous uncle composed many classical masterpieces, Emil finds the place completely empty, save for one thing: his uncle's grand piano.

Cheating husband Ricardo could never keep it in his pants, and now it's stuck in the worst possible place. His Mexican road trip becomes a nightmare straight out of urban legend when he agrees to take the wrong woman back over the border. A bolt of lightning sees him fused to his fellow cheater on a detour into the backwoods. Now he's fighting wild beasts and raw nature just to stay alive in this dark comedy romance that blends erotic horror with black humor and extreme splatter.

For 10 years Bill Stokes was a roving reporter and columnist for the Milwaukee Journal. He has written reams of material about his vivid impressions of people, animals, events, personal activities, and "things in general". Bill Stokes obviously enjoys his role as Wisconsin's favorite journalist. In this delightful book he shares that fun with all.

A collection of short stories, flash fiction, and micro works. Slush includes previously published stories "Skull of Snakes", "Jackie Boy", and "Sweet 16" alongside a fresh batch of terrifying stories to help you sleep at night.

Create a bulletproof first impression and turn strangers into lasting relationships. Beat surface level small talk and truly connect. You've seen them - people who have the ability to walk into a room of strangers, instantly befriend everyone, and leave with 20 new contacts in their phone. What makes people open up, engage, and connect with them? They've mastered the first 60 seconds of any interaction. Learn the subtle signs people actually pay attention to.

Thirty years ago, a progressive rock band called The Yellow Kings began recording what would become their first and final album. Titled The Final Reconciliation, the album was expected to usher in a new renaissance of heavy metal, but it was shelved following a tragic concert that left all but one dead.

When Vince Carter takes a shortcut to work, he notices a billboard that nearly sends him into an oncoming van. The ad is for Dream Woods, New England's answer to Disney World. It closed decades ago, but now that it's back in business, Vince is eager to take his whole family, hoping the magic he remembers will save his failing marriage.

If you have felt (1) massive relief at cancelled plans, (2) mild annoyance in huge gatherings of strangers, and (3) want to figure out how to socialize better and more effectively without social fatigue, this book is for you - written by someone exactly like you. Introvert Survival Tactics is going to shed light on exactly how you function, and how to use your tendencies to your advantage.

As the age of the singularity dawns and artificial intelligence begins to rival mankind, the stakes have never been higher. Will robots and androids work side by side with mankind to make the world a better place or will they become our most bitter enemy?

The dead won't stay buried in Denver, so Jonathan Shade isn't too surprised when a deceased woman shows up wanting to hire him. A necromancer stalker has stolen her heart - literally - and she needs it if she's going to live.