The third novel in the Charlie Chan series. set almost exclusively in California (as opposed to Chan's native Hawaii), and tells the story of the former head of Scotland Yard, a detective who is pursuing the long-cold trail of a murderer. Fifteen years ago, a London solicitor was killed in circumstances in which the only clue was a pair of Chinese slippers, which he apparently donned just before his death. Sir Frederic Bruce has been following the trail of the killer ever since. He has also been interested in what appears to be a series of disappearing women around the world, which has some connection to the disappearance of a woman named Eve Durand in rural India also fifteen years ago. Just when it seems he might finally solve the murder case, at a dinner party to which a number of important and mysterious guests have been invited, Inspector Bruce is killed -- and was last seen wearing a pair of Chinese slippers, which have vanished. It is left to Chan to solve the case and tie up all loose ends.

Acerbus hates his job. While he is content to watch and study the mortal races, the other gods constantly look for reasons to destroy their newly-created world. When they finally find an excuse, they command Acerbus to become the Smiter, destroyer of all creation.Acerbus decides that there is only one way to ensure his own failure and save the world: by becoming an Evil Overlord.Acerbus hates his job. While he is content to watch and study the mortal races, the other gods constantly look for reasons to destroy their newly-created world. When they finally find an excuse, they command Acerbus to become the Smiter, destroyer of all creation.Armed with nothing but spite and goblins, Acerbus decides that there is only one way to ensure his own failure and save the world: by becoming an Evil Overlord.“Smite Me, Oh Dark One” is a comedic fantasy short story.Cover by John Comegno

In the latest from international bestselling author Keigo Higashino, Tokyo Police Detective Kaga is faced with a very public murder that doesn't quite add up, a prime suspect unable to defend himself, and pressure from the highest levels for a quick solution.In the Nihonbashi district of Tokyo an unusual statue of a Japanese mythic beast - a kirin - stands guard over the district from the classic Nihonbashi bridge. In the evening, a man who appears to be very drunk staggers onto the bridge and collapses right under the statue of the winged beast. The patrolman who sees this scene unfold, goes to rouse the man, only to discover that the man was not passed out, he was dead; that he was not drunk, he was stabbed in the chest. However, where he died was not where the crime was committed - the key to solving the crime is to find out where he was attacked and why he made such a super human effort to carry himself to the Nihonbashi Bridge. That same night, a young man named...

Dr Demontig is a strange little man. He is a dandy in Victorian Britain and is a generous and thoughtful man in society's eyes. However, behind closed doors, he has a dark secret. A passion. An urge to kill. He has created his own unique way of murder and relishes in it's wonder and cruelty. One day, he comes across a young boy called Jack George. Is Jack his next victim or his downfall?Dr Demontig is a strange little man. He is a dandy in Victorian Britain and is a generous and thoughtful man in society's eyes. However, behind closed doors, he has a dark secret. A passion. An urge to kill. He has created his own unique way of murder and relishes in it's wonder and cruelty. One day, he comes across a young boy called Jack George. Jack is now in the unenviable position of either becoming another victim, or the catalyst for the good doctor's downfall.

When Roz Chen's wife, Niamh, is killed in a hit-and-run on a lonely Tasmanian road, the grieving widow begins to wonder if Niamh's death was an accident after all. Meanwhile, SAS veteran Sam Willard is hoping for a fresh start with a job at a salmon farm. But as allegations of old war crimes surface and Sam is 'promoted' as a special operative against anti-salmon farm activists, he and Roz form an unlikely alliance. Forced to retreat into the unforgiving Tasmanian wilderness, Roz and Sam find themselves scrambling for the truth with murderous thugs on their trail.

“A wonderful treat for the Poe connoisseur, or a perfect introduction to his works.” —Charlotte Observer In the Shadow of the Master is an exceptional collection of classic stories from the lord of literary darkness himself—the inimitable Edgar Allan Poe—accompanied by enthralling essays from twenty of his bestselling acolytes and admirers. With appreciations by Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Lisa Scottoline, Tess Gerritsen, Laura Lippman, Nelson DeMille, Lawrence Block, and thirteen others, In the Shadow of the Master is a must-have for thriller and mystery fans of all ages.

New York's most accomplished PI, Blaze Tuesday is a guy who gets results. Hired to investigate the murder of a charity doctor, Blaze finds himself embroiled in a conspiracy that spans from the lowest illegal surgeries in Hell's Kitchen to the medical elite and the corporations who make clockwork body parts. Agatha Christie meets Repo! The Genetic Opera on the streets of New York.Clockwork body parts are touted as a medical miracle by the companies who make them, and high fashion by the stars who sport them, and a lot of kids go through illegal surgeries. The sub-culture of Gearheads is full of kids with robotic body parts from poorly done surgery in less-than-sanitary conditions, and these are surgeries that don’t always take.Blaze Tuesday is New York's most accomplished private investigator. A former police officer with a bone to pick with the corruption in the city, he's earned a name for himself as a guy who gets results, and who is willing to uphold the moral values so many others have forgotten, even if he has to break a few faces to do it.Blaze is hired by Wayside Firms, one of the medical firms that produces the Clockwork, when a charity doctor who worked specifically with less-fortunate kids who have had botched illegal, is found murdered. As Blaze investigates the unfortunate death, he discovers a conspiracy that stretches from the lowest gutters in Hell’s Kitchen, to the highest corporate fat cats at the medical firms who create the Clockwork body parts.Can Blaze get justice for the dead doctor, and bring some hope back to the kids in Hell's Kitchen who were counting on the Doctor's help? Or will he get caught up in the underworld of body modification and the big money it brings in?

Jodie is a perfectly happy average teenage vampire. Well she was perfectly happy until everything wemt wrongDumped on Homecoming night, Amanda Larson assumes that her life is over. That is until Jake Edwards, her next-door neighbor and long time crush, has come to the rescue. Although he is visiting from college, Amanda can't help but hope that their night will lead into something bigger. Jake, on the other hand, knows that despite his attraction to little Mandy, he can't commit, not while he's away at college. Still, Amanda will never forget the kiss she shares with the boy next door.This is a prequel short story for a contemporary romance novel, Time Changes Everything.

The mountain town of Stove has a secret - that each winter its teenagers are racked with a sickness - fever, anguish, manic behaviour. It is the job of the town’s Special Deputies to contain these wild, hurting youngsters.Toby is one such Special Deputy. He survived the Winter Sickness as a boy, and now returns each year to help the current sufferers. But at what cost to himself?The mountain town of Stove has a secret - that each winter its teenagers are racked with a sickness - fever, anguish, manic behaviour. It is the job of the town’s Special Deputies to contain these wild, hurting youngsters, often at great cost to both.Toby is one such Special Deputy. He survived the Winter Sickness as a boy, and now returns each year to help the current sufferers. Like the rest of his town though, he keeps the secret to avoid them being stigmatised, to save their children from a lifetime of being thought “mad”.And yet, can even such a dedicated team contain the children's pain any longer? And deep down, do they even want to? The only thing they can be sure of is that any ending will not be smooth or sudden.

When lawyer-turned-farmer Megan Sawyer witnesses a seemingly innocent scene between three strangers, she learns they're headed to the von Tressler memorial—the talk of scenic Winsome, Pennsylvania. The von Tressler family has more money than manners. The newcomers recently bought coveted hilltop property to build their oversized Greek Revival, tempting away local contractors and snubbing the locals. Soon one of those three strangers goes missing and another is murdered, her body found at Washington Acres—Megan's family farm. The local police turn to Megan, as she was one of the last people to have seen them both. With her family's safety at stake, Megan must pick her way through the von Tresslers' sordid family secrets and colorful personalities. She discovers that the malice that's befallen Winsome has roots in the past, and she'll need to dig deep to weed truth from lies and innocence from guilt, or the body count will grow even higher. - - -...

As the bond between Alexandra and Branford grows, they each have their hopes for the future. Alexandra finds new friendship with the girl she rescued from a cruel master, and slowly embraces her noble role. It seems as though everything in their lives has become as smooth as silk. But war is on the horizon. The neighboring kingdom of Hadebrand has amassed an army, and Branford must leave his new wife to right for his people against insurmountable odds. Alexandra must hold her terror inside of herself while her husband is away, and set an example for the people of the kingdom. As the war comes to an end, there is only one thing on Branford’s mind. But how will Alexandra overcome her anguish when she can’t give her husband the one thing he must have?