Given its extraordinary span, its international scope, and its variant styles and groundbreaking stylists, A Century of Great Suspense Stories is a singular achievement. A bestselling master of suspense himself Jeffery Deaver had the enviable task of selecting from the thousands of stories written over the past one hundred years those which best represented the classic form, as well as the justly celebrated authors whose ironic twists and stunning payoffs left a lasting, vivid, and unnerving impression. The result is a triumph. In this ambitious anthology you’ll revel in the sardonic, overtly amoral plotting of Patricia Highsmith. You’ll rediscover the strangely poignant and surprising turns of Stanley Ellin, and the profoundly underrated Margaret Millar, a genius who mixed savage social satire with brooding horror. You’ll be treated to Stephen King at his chilling best. You’ll find yourself on the violent urban streets of Ross Macdonald and Mickey Spillane, and seeped in the ominous regional flavor of Sharyn McCrumb and Tony Hillerman. You’ll marvel at the cunning webs spun by Lawrence Block, Ruth Rendell, Anthony Boucher, and Sara Paretsky, all of whom defy expectations as they reinvent the genre. And you’ll understand the awesome reputations of those authors who set the standard, such as the legendary Harlan Ellison, Fredric Brown, the master of the twist ending, and James M. Cain, uncannily skilled at knowing what went on between men and women behind closed doors. (The darker the room the better.) Delivering everything from the one-two punch of the detective story to the ingeniously precise trappings of the police procedural, from the disquieting corners of the criminal mind to sheer dread-inducing horror, A Century of Great Suspense Stories is a rich anthology of this popular literary genre, a stunning tribute to the art of storytelling, and to the men and women who have done it best

The Horror Writers Association Presents BLOOD LITE ...a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge. Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in "An Evening with Al Gore"...In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there's no such thing as a "Day Off" for the Chicago P.D.'s wizard detective, Harry Dresden...Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in "Where Angels Fear to Tread"...Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out séance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, in Kelley Armstrong's "The Ungrateful Dead." Plus tales guaranteed to get under your skin — in a good way — from Janet Berliner Don D'Ammassa Nancy Holder Nancy Kilpatrick J. A. Konrath and F. Paul Wilson Joe R. Lansdale Will LudwigsenSharyn McCrumb Mark Onspaugh Mike Resnick Steven SavileD. L. Snell Eric James Stone Jeff Strand Lucien Soulban Matt Venne Christopher Welch So let the blood flow and laughter reign — because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way!

This collection of short fiction contains chilling tales of suspense and narratives that embrace southern Appalachian locales and themes: a mountain healer skirmishes with a serial killer; a reincarnated murder victim seeks revenge; and honeymooners in the groom's ancestral home are having second thoughts

"Sharyn McCrumb is a born storyteller." – Mary Higgins Clark Attending a Scottish festival in West Virginia, Elizabeth MacPherson, an amateur detective, investigates the murder of Dr. Colin Campbell

Agatha Award “(A) SHARP-EDGED, WITTY TALE… Buoyed by intriguing characters, a wry wit, and lush Virginia atmosphere, McCrumb’s mystery spins merrily along on its own momentum, concluding that justice will triumph… but in surprising ways.” – Publishers Weekly “Elizabeth’s eighth outing has it all-a gaggle of tidy mysteries, nonstop laughs, bumper-sticker wisdom about the male animal, and some other, sadder kinds of wisdom, too. Quite a banquet-if you don’t mind all that arsenic.” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “Whenever Sharyn McCrumb suits up her amateur detective, Elizabeth MacPherson, it’s pretty certain that a trip is in the offing and that something deadly funny will happen.” – The New York Times Book Review “McCrumb has an exquisite sense of the ridiculous: she creates a New Age version of the Mad Hatter’s tea party that will induce tears of laughter as she neatly skewers academia.” – Richmond Times-Dispatch “A terrific tale… Lots of feminist folklore is coupled with plain old fun as the lawyers and MacPherson do their damnedest to defend their clients.” – Trenton Times “She’s Agatha Christie with an attitude; outrageous and engrossing at the same time.” – Nashville Banner “Contains the author’s trademark rapier wit… Only a writer as accomplished as Sharyn McCrumb can so skillfully marry farce and tragedy with such rewarding results.” – The Gainesville Sun “A delightfully entertaining, uniquely plotted story.” – Booklist “McCrumb is a fine writer with an eye and ear finely tuned to the ever-frazzling relationships between the sexes.” – St. Petersburg Times “McCrumb’s ability to write in a variety of styles-crossing genres, mixing the comic with the serious-makes her one of the most versatile crime authors on the contemporary scene.” – Booklist “Sharyn McCrumb is definitely a star in the New Golden Age of mystery fiction. I look forward to reading her for a long time to come.” – ELIZABETH PETERS “IF I’D KILLED HIM WHEN I MET HIM… is sheer pleasure. The book moves like a streak and all the storylines are fascinating. To tantalize you further, let me say that this story has the most unusual sexual scene in the world of mystery literature.” – Romantic Times *** Southern sleuth Elizabeth MacPherson acts as official investigator for her brother's Virginia law firm and tests her skills solving two sensational murders and a third crime unsolved for a century

“Lovely in Her Bones is a parable of modern Appalachia, disguised as a mystery.” – LIA MATERA “Sharyn McCrumb’s first novel, Sick of Shadows, is one of the best and funniest comic mysteries anyone’s ever written. Lovely in Her Bones is equally recommendable.” – Roanoke Times World-News “Lovely in Her Bones is a lighthearted romp of a murder mystery leavened with hearty helpings of backwoods medicine, Indian lore, and anthropology… A fun read.” – AARON ELKINS “Like The Name of the Rose-offers unexpected rewards and cerebral nourishment… Sharyn McCrumb writes with style and humor. Lovely in Her Bones… is a well-researched and engaging whodunit.” – West Coast Review of Books "Who but Sharyn McCrumb can make a skull with a bullet hole funny? Those who like sardonic wit, slightly bent characters, and good fun will love LOVELY IN HER BONES." Tony Hillerman The sequel to SICK OF SHADOWS. When an Appalachian dig to determine if an obscure Indian tribe in North Carolina can lay legal claim to the land they live on is stopped on account of murder, Elizabeth MacPherson – eager student of the rites of the past and mysteries of the present – starts digging deep. And when she mixes a little modern know-how with some old-fashioned suspicions, Elizabeth comes up with a batch of answers that surprise even the experts…

Elizabeth MacPherson returns from England just in time to become involved in a case involving stolen Confederate gold

Elizabeth MacPherson must solve a mystery that links the present to the past when she takes a tour of the famous crime scenes of the British Isles, and the tour itself becomes the scene of the crime

Todo está a punto para la boda. Eileen Chandler, la hija de los Chandler de Georgia, va a contraer matrimonio si nadie lo remedia con un joven indocumentado sin oficio ni beneficio. La convicción general es que él se casa por dinero y que se está aprovechando de la fragilidad mental de la pobre Eileen. Desgraciadamente, como observa su prima Elizabeth, el resto de la familia no parece estar mucho mejor: desde el abuelo que se cree aún capitán de navío, hasta la madre aficionada al brandy o el hijo tarambana que vive en una comuna. Por no hablar del primo Alban, que se ha construido una réplica exacta del castillo de Luis II de Baviera, llamado también el Rey Loco… Para Elizabeth, recién llegada para la boda pero avispada observadora del género humano, la cosa está clara: los Chandler son un "caso". Lo que no sabe es que muy pronto también van a serlo para el Departamento de Homicidios

Racing fans have never seen anything like it-and they've seen plenty-the first all-women's team in stock-car racing history. Already a national sensation, the spotlight heats up when financial challenges force Team 86 to hire a male "wheel man." And Badger Jenkins is a man all right-a sweet-faced Georgian who oozes aw-shucks charm off the track and unleashes blistering speed in competition. But the real Badger is a hard man to know. Just ask the women whose job it is to keep both car and driver in one piece. From crew chief and team manager Tuggle to engine specialist Rosalind Manning, publicist Melanie Sark and diehard fan Taran Stiles, this asphalt sisterhood will power through a racing season of dizzying highs and terrifying lows to prove that women can do a man's job. And when the unthinkable happens, each will realize that they've been hurtling at breakneck speed toward a moment that will change them forever

Eccentric Eileen Chandler is all set to be married, but someone wants the vows stopped before they are started. Murder has made an uninvited appearance before the wedding and no one in the crazy wedding party is above suspicion

Based on the Dale Earnhardt Memorial Pilgrimage after the NSCAR legend's death, Sharyn McCrumb has crafted a tale of transformation and everyday miracles. Suffused with incisive Southern wit and unforgettable characters, "St. Dale" looks into the heart of America-its secular saints and cereal-box heroes, wild dreams and unrealized ambitions, heartbreaking losses and second chances-and celebrates its unbreakable spirit

From legendary editor Ellen Datlow, Tails of Wonder collects the best of the last thirty years of science fiction and fantasy stories about cats from an all-star list of contributors

Frances Silver, a girl of 18, was charged in 1832 with murdering her husband. Lafayette Harkryder is also 18 when he is accused of murder and he is to be the first convict to die in the electric chair. Both Frances and Lafayette hid the truth. But can the miscarriages of justice be prevented?

Hang down your head, Tom Dooley. The folk song, made famous by the Kingston Trio, recounts a tragedy in the North Carolina mountains after the Civil War. Laura Foster, a simple country girl, was murdered and her lover Tom Dula was hanged for the crime. The sensational elements in the case attracted national attention: a man and his beautiful, married lover accused of murdering the other-woman; the former governor of North Carolina spearheading the defense; and a noble gesture from the prisoner on the eve of his execution, saving the woman he really loved. With the help of historians, lawyers, and researchers, Sharyn McCrumb visited the actual sites, studied the legal evidence, and uncovered a missing piece of the story that will shock those who think they already know what happened – and may also bring belated justice to an innocent man. What seemed at first to be a sordid tale of adultery and betrayal was transformed by the new discoveries into an Appalachian Wuthering Heights. Tom Dula and Ann Melton had a profound romance spoiled by the machinations of their servant, Pauline Foster. Bringing to life the star-crossed lovers of this mountain tragedy, Sharyn McCrumb gifts understanding and compassion to her compelling tales of Appalachia, and solidifies her status as one of today's great Southern writers

An anthology of stories Sherlock Holmes is back! Sherlock Holmes, the world’s first-and most famous-consulting detective, came to the world’s attention more than 120 years ago through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s novels and stories. But Conan Doyle didn’t reveal all of the Great Detective’s adventures… Here are some of the best Holmes pastiches of the last 30 years, twenty-eight tales of mystery and the imagination detailing Holmes’s further exploits, as told by many of today’s greatest storytellers, including Stephen King, Anne Perry, Anthony Burgess, Neil Gaiman, Naomi Novik, Stephen Baxter, Tanith Lee, Michael Moorcock, and many more. These are the improbable adventures of Sherlock Holmes, where nothing is impossible, and nothing can be ruled out. In these cases, Holmes investigates ghosts, curses, aliens, dinosaurs, shapeshifters, and evil gods. But is it the supernatural, or is there a perfectly rational explanation? You won’t be sure, and neither will Holmes and Watson as they match wits with pirates, assassins, con artists, and criminal masterminds of all stripes, including some familiar foes, such as their old nemesis, Professor Moriarty. In these pages you’ll also find our heroes crossing paths with H. G. Wells, Lewis Carroll, and even Arthur Conan Doyle himself, and you’ll be astounded to learn the truth behind cases previously alluded to by Watson but never before documented until now. These are tales that take us from the familiar quarters at 221B Baker Street to alternate realities, from the gaslit streets of London to the far future and beyond. Whether it’s mystery, fantasy, horror, or science fiction, no puzzle is too challenging for the Great Detective. The game is afoot!

An all original anthology from some of todays hottest supernatural writers, featuring stories of monsters from the monster's point of view. In most stories we get the perspective of the hero, the ordinary, the everyman, but we are all the hero of our own tale, and so it must be true for legions of monsters, from Lucifer to Mordred, from child-thieving fairies to Frankenstein's monster and the Wicked Witch of the West. From our point of view, they may very well be horrible, terrifying monstrosities, but of course they won’t see themselves in the same light, and their point of view is what concerns us in these tales. Demons and goblins, dark gods and aliens, creatures of myth and legend, lurkers in darkness and beasts in human clothing… these are the subjects of The Monster’s Corner. With contributions by Lauren Groff, Chelsea Cain, Simon R. Green, Sharyn McCrumb, Kelley Armstrong, David Liss, Kevin J. Anderson, Jonathan Maberry, and many others

Mystery-solving Anglophile anthropologist Elizabeth MacPherson returns with wedding plans that are interrupted by County Sheriff Wesley Rountree's arrival with an ornate urn-not as a gift, but as a prime exhibit in a murder case

"A delightful sequel to Bimbos of the Death Sun" (Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine) by the Edgar Award-winning author of the beloved Elizabeth MacPherson mysteries. When murder strikes at the reunion of a SF fan club, it falls to writer Jay Omega to turn sleuth-and separate science fiction from fact to catch the killer

Этот сборник — настоящая сенсация. Эд Макбейн включил в него работы самых знаменитых мастеров остросюжетной литературы США — «короля ужасов» Стивена Кинга, «живых классиков» детектива — Дональда Уэстлейка и Лоренса Блока, не знающей себе равных среди авторов интеллектуального триллера Джойс Кэрол Оутс… И многих других писателей, каждый из которых — явление в современной детективной литературе. Все произведения, вошедшие в сборник, написаны специально для антологии!

Рассказ примечателен тем, что события и роль в них великого сыщика Шерлока Холмса мы видим не глазами доктора Ватсона. Подобное встречается крайне редко. Главную героиню, Гризель Раунтри, автор называет английским эквивалентом своего любимого персонажа «Аппалачских баллад» — знахарки Норы Боунстил. «Я с удовольствием сделала Гризель Раунтри нисколько не уступающей проницательностью и эксцентричностью Шерлоку Холмсу», — утверждает она

Шерлок Холмс, первый в истории — и самый знаменитый — частный детектив, предстал перед читателями более ста двадцати лет назад. Но далеко не все приключения великого сыщика успел описать его гениальный «отец» сэр Артур Конан Дойл. В этой антологии собраны лучшие произведения холмсианы, созданные за последние тридцать лет. И каждое из них — это встреча с невероятным, то есть с тем, во что Холмс всегда категорически отказывался верить. Призраки, проклятия, динозавры, пришельцы и даже злые боги — что ни расследование, то дерзкий вызов его знаменитому профессиональному рационализму

Легендарный редактор, лауреат многих премий Эллен Датлоу дарит своим читателям новую потрясающую антологию. Стивен Кинг, Нил Гейман, Джордж Р. Р. Мартин, Чарльз Де Линт, Майкл Бишоп и другие прославленные авторы откроют для вас удивительный и жуткий фантастический мир, где кошки наравне с людьми являются главными действующими лицами повествования. И это отнюдь не умилительное чтение! Перед вами лучшие 40 рассказов о кошках в жанрах фэнтези и хоррор за последние 30 лет. Здесь вы встретите истории с участием домашних кошек, ягуаров, пум, тигров и львов, а также сфинксов и мантикор, однако акцент в рассказах сделан на людях и человеческой природе, что всегда является знаком настоящей литературы