Within the Walls of Westfield - A Diary of Madness

Within the Walls of Westfield - A Diary of Madness

Peter Davidson

Crime / True Crime / Nonfiction

The contents of this transcript were discovered after clean-up operations began at the Westfield Psychiatric Hospital on 1st October 2009. Contained inside are field notes regarding the strange & abnormal progress of patient Jonathan Winterhall Gray, taken from the discovered journal of Dr Henry Renholm.Following the Era of Conflict between Homo-Sapiens and the Cyborgs they created, a tentative period of cooperation emerged. The residual population was heavily skewed to the Borg template. By 2175, the radiation threat from the dissipating ozone layer had escalated to worrying levels. The Rift Incident had to be investigated, and a rigorous selection process for the crew resulted in four Borg and two humans heading for Jupiter space. What they discovered would become known as The Jupiter Paradox. Was it a genuine paradox or merely a puzzle to which there was no acceptable solution? What would happen if they did nothing? It clearly illustrated that the Borgs and their creators would have to strengthen their alliance quickly in order to deal with the discovery, and that wasn’t going to be easy.
Read online
  • 503
Beyond Secrets, The Art of Murder

Beyond Secrets, The Art of Murder

DB Jones

Fiction / Mystery / Crime

The tenacious, young FBI Agent, Madison Hart returns to her hometown believing she is going to be investigating a missing person’s case. Little does she know the trail is leading her into the depths of someone’s dark obsession…and murder.The tenacious, young FBI Agent, Madison Hart returns to her hometown believing she is going to be investigating a missing person’s case. Little does she know the trail is leading her into the depths of someone’s dark obsession…and murder. She teams up with Detective Josh Logan of the Maitland Police Department. Their working relationship is threatened by her drive to solve the case and her strong will, but they soon develop an unstoppable partnership to get to the bottom of who is responsible for these killings.The leads are mounting as fast as the body count, and the closer Madison gets to the truth, the more her life is in danger.
Read online
  • 610
A Murder in Auschwitz (Sampler)

A Murder in Auschwitz (Sampler)

JC Stephenson

Historical Fiction / Crime / Thriller

This is a SAMPLER edition only! NOT the whole book. An SS officer is found standing over the body of a comrade, a smoking pistol still in his hand, a murder in a place of murders. His pleas of innocence force a court martial and he knows that there is only one man in the camp capable of defending him; a Jewish prisoner called Manfred Meyer.This is a SAMPLER edition only! NOT the whole book. An SS officer is found standing over the body of a comrade, a smoking pistol still in his hand, a murder in a place of murders. His pleas of innocence force a court martial and he knows that there is only one man in the camp capable of defending him; a Jewish prisoner called Manfred Meyer. Manfred Meyer is forced to build a defence for him in his court martial. Drawing on his years of experience as a criminal lawyer in Berlin, Meyer must unravel the deceit and interpret the lies that infect the concentration camp and work to have him found not guilty. Following Meyer and his family through their lives in Berlin, the Nazi rise to power and their inevitable arrest and incarceration in Auschwitz, Meyer will do almost anything to see his wife and children. Almost anything. Can his abilities as a lawyer interpret the facts of this seemingly impossible case? As a Jew, should he even defend an SS officer? And is he actually guilty of this crime? But the officer must be found innocent if Meyer is to see his family again. This story follows Manfred Meyer, from his beginnings as a lawyer in 1930s Berlin after being taken under the wing of the city's most capable defence lawyer in the most prestigious law firm in Germany, Bauer & Bauer. Meyer's confidence and experience build as his cases become more complex and more difficult to defend. His success is widespread and he, his wife Klara and their twin daughters live a comfortable life in the capital. But Germany is changing. The Nazi Party has come to power and Meyer's Jewish heritage has become a crime. Life becomes more and more difficult until even in spite of Meyer's connections he is forced to leave his position as Bauer & Bauer's pre-eminent lawyer. Then, one night, the inevitable knock at the door heralds the long train journey to the east and the death camps of Poland for Meyer, his wife and his children. Split from his family on arrival, Meyer does what he can to survive in a place designed for death. He stays alive with help from the other inmates he has befriended, helping each other through the long days of hard labour, his only wish being that he could see his family again. A forlorn hope until circumstance throws a real chance his way. "A film in the making", "Worth TEN stars, this book is possibly my all time favourite", "Compelling read" - Amazon reviews ABNA Expert Reviewer: What is the strongest aspect of this excerpt? This excerpt was very well done. This time period in world history has always been fascinating and this excerpt was exceptionally written. Much research had to have gone into the writing of this. Facts and date, actual happenings were well represented. The main character was well rounded; his sorrow, hopes, dreams, all very well high lighted. What aspect needs the most work? Improvement would be hard to define as the author has a knack for writing and keeping the reader's interest. The author's ability to control interest and keep the reading fresh is apparent. What is your overall opinion of this excerpt? History lovers would enjoy this book. I have a feeling this book is not for the squeamish or faint of heart given the subject matter. I would recommend this book to others -- and would hope the author has a bright and promising future.
Read online
  • 705
Quarry Lake

Quarry Lake

Kelson Hargis

Horror / Crime / Fiction

What if the dead desperately needed something other than just communion with the living? What if there were consequences for ignoring them? Deadly consequences...Seeing ghosts is so passe anymore. A whole cottage industry of capturing and publishing them in a blizzard of mediums and outlets has exploded in popular culture. Even speaking to them has had the whole eerie mystery sucked right out of it by reality show mediums What if the dead desperately needed something other than communion with the living though? What if there were consequences for ignoring them? Deadly consequences. How much or who would you sacrifice to avoid their demands?
Read online
  • 436
Forbidden Choices

Forbidden Choices

Jen Weddle

Fiction / Crime / Mystery

Alison Callahan is your average 18-year-old just trying to find her place in the world. She's grown up alone and frightened for most of her life. When she meets an intriguing boy on a bus, things start to get strange. She realizes she may not be who she thought she was.Alison is tossed into a world full of magic, royalty and monsters and she may be the only one who can save everyone.To Alison there’s no such thing as too much trouble. Theo Veltri arrives on a bus, carrying nothing but a ragged old suitcase that has nothing but bizarre weapons inside. He is claiming that he is the King's Adviser. The Adviser to her dead father, the King of a far-off place known as Newhollow. Alison starts to question her own sanity. Maybe, her mother’s craziness was genetic? But His charm and good looks aren't the only thing attracting Alison to him. He's full of the adventurous spirit that she has always secretly craved.Alison quickly learns why she’s never felt like she belongs in this world as she fights off Sneaks and Shades and other treacherous creatures in a place full of secrets and danger. She stumbles upon a dreamy Wolf Prince named Riley in the forest, and he’s claiming that they’re Soulfires. But he also believes that Theo is a traitor. She couldn't possibly believe this person she just met over the one who showed her who she truly is: Could she? When all choices feel so forbidden—will it change the Prophecy that has been laid out before her for centuries. Can she still save the world with one of these men by her side? Or will both the human world she never belonged in and the new one that feels so much like the home she never knew collapse into the darkness?
Read online
  • 295
RE:Inspiration; Titan II

RE:Inspiration; Titan II

James Phillips II

Mystery & Thrillers / Crime / Comics & Graphic Novels

The second chapter in the RE:Inspiration; Titan quadrilogy. After being rescued from certain doom in the dark void of space, Captain Jacobi Myles tells the tale of how he and his crew wound up stranded in space and left to die.From the pen of KJ Hannah Greenberg comes this chapbook of new poetry. Fun, insightful, and lyrical, Fluid and Crystallized focuses primarily on challenging and, only secondarily, on pleasing. This chapbook uses words’ color and texture to provoke interpersonal mindfulness. “Risk,” not “peace,” makes these pages heuristically valuable.What’s more, Fluid and Crystallized, tries to cheer on, to shepherd, and to whisper softly not only about success, but also about failure. This collection shares cautions as well as an appreciation of the scenery.About the Author:KJ Hannah Greenberg, who only pretends at being indomitable, tramps across literary genres and giggles in her sleep. She worries less, however, about linguistic beasts that roam at dusk than about bold fiends that smile and gulp up writers during broad daylight.In the beginning there were Watercolors, 1979, a musical, and Conversations on Communication Ethics, 1991, essays. Following a tour of duty in academia and then decades dedicated to parenting, there are: Oblivious to the Obvious: Wishfully Mindful Parenting, French Creek Press, 2010, essays, A Bank Robber’s Bad Luck with His Ex-Girlfriend, Unbound CONTENT, 2011, poetry, and Don’t Pet the Sweaty Things, Bards & Sages Publishing, 2012, short fictions. In the future, there will be, b’eH: Supernal Factors, 2012, poetry, The Nexus of the Sun, Moon and Mother, 2013, essays, and Oh Your Goodness!, 2013, essays.https://kjhannahgreenberg.net/"Such a galloping, rollicking poet she is. She rolls words from denotation to connotationright through to playful upsetting of conventional usage carts."--Deirdre Kessler, poet and award-winning author of the Brupp series.
Read online
  • 659
Wasted Lives, a Detective Mike Bridger novel

Wasted Lives, a Detective Mike Bridger novel

Mark Bredenbeck

Ebooks / Fiction / Crime

'He who fights with monsters best be careful, lest he thereby become a monster’'He who fights with monsters best be careful, lest he thereby become a monster’While on stress leave, Detective Sergeant Mike Bridger is learning about the complexities of life through a book of ancient philosophy. Life was much simpler when Friedrich Nietzsche wrote his quotes, but he can see the obvious parallels between then and now. He knows in some parts of today’s society, filled with fear and intimidation, live many that have made bad choices.A late night phone call drags him back into the real world where an armed robbery has gone tragically wrong. Quick work brings an early arrest, but in the process, a chain of events is set in motion that will rock the Dunedin Police to its core.During a routine enquiry, Bridger comes face to face with an old foe who wants something he can't give. He makes a choice he thought he would never have to make but what he does not realize , is that this time, anyone is fair game...A fast moving story that races towards a tragic conclusion leaves Bridger with one question. Can a monster really be created…?
Read online
  • 273
Surviving The Evacuation, Book 1: London

Surviving The Evacuation, Book 1: London

Frank Tayell

Science Fiction / Horror / Crime

The outbreak began in New York. Within days it had spread to every corner of the world. Nowhere is safe from the undead. Bill watched from his window as London was evacuated. His leg broken, unable to join the exodus, he waits and hopes for rescue. As the days turn into weeks, he is forced to escape into the undead wasteland that once was England. This is the first volume of his journalZombies. The outbreak began in New York. Soon it had spread to the rest of the world. People were attacked, infected and they died. Then they came back. Nowhere is safe from the undead.As anarchy and civil war took grip across the globe, Britain was quarantined. The press was nationalised. Martial law, curfews and rationing were implemented. It wasn’t enough. An evacuation was planned. The inland towns and cities of the UK would be evacuated to defensive enclaves being built around the coast, in the Scottish Highlands and in the Irish Republic. Bill Wright broke his leg on the day of the outbreak. Unable to join the evacuation, he watched from his window as the streets filled with refugees, he watched as the streets emptied once more. He watched as they filled up again, this time with the undead. Then the power went out.He is trapped. He is alone. He is running out of food and water. He knows that to reach the safety of the enclaves he will have to venture out into the wasteland that once was England. On that journey he will ultimately discover the horrific truth about the outbreak, a decades old conspiracy and his unwitting part in it.This is the first volume of his journal. (74,000 words)
Read online
  • 546
Jane 8086 Part Two

Jane 8086 Part Two

Richard X. Ellison

Crime / Contemporary / Thriller

Part two of "Jane 8086". Jane has just undergone some major changes! But figuring out exactly what's going on has to wait when Rembrandt receives a surprise visitor at the worst possible moment. Will Jane be exposed? Will Rembrandt finally manage to have dinner? Will Jane ever learn to use conjunctions? Find out in Part two of Jane 8086!No trees were harmed or paperwork filed in the creation of this document, but the author has done it again: wasting precious cyberspace with another piece of silly drivel. So take another romp through the fickle world of Foible, where a sense of humor is your only weapon against incomprehension. There is no redeeming value in this story whatsoever, except perhaps to make you smile. At least there are no Princesses involved this time. Follow an Official Investigator to the hamlet of Happytown to prevent the emergence of a Prophesied Hero, but what happens next would even flummox Prophecy itself.
Read online
  • 832
Out of the Shadows (Akira and Deane Thriller Series Book 1)

Out of the Shadows (Akira and Deane Thriller Series Book 1)

Tim Jopling

Thriller / Suspense / Crime

Nothing is ever what it seems. Don't turn your back on anyone or anything.Akira is a man on a mission and will stop at nothing to see his vision of the world become a reality. His past will help unlock the secrets he needs.Thomas Deane lives for MI6 and will do anything to keep the peace with his loyal partners by his side.They're on a collision course, one you don't want to miss.Nothing is ever what it seems...Don't turn your back on anyone or anything... Akira is a dangerous man, a man who has lost everything and has nothing to lose. Fuelled by the death of his beloved wife Madeline and desperate to seek revenge on those who took her from him, Akira is on a mission, a mission to rid the world of the corrupt West and everything it stands for and he has one man set in his sights. Thomas Deane, a fiercely loyal MI6 agent and one half of an elite partnership he is everything Akira despises - a patriotic man devoted to the service of his country, no matter what the cost. Assisted by the brave S.U.C.O. agents (Special Undercover Covert Operations) the elite MI6 team, are completely unaware of what lies ahead. Will they succeed in bringing Akira out of the shadows?
Read online
  • 757
Starstruck Hero

Starstruck Hero

Bev Robitai

Crime / Mystery / Science Fiction

A Sunstrike spin-off story. Clint behaves like a movie hero. He drives like Jason Statham, rides like John Wayne, and would fly like Top Gun if he ever tried. When he’s thrust into a major disaster, he reacts with confidence and style, leading others from danger and caring for the helpless. But despite his bravery, he can’t protect his family when a solar storm knocks out all technology.Sunstrike - what happens when a massive solar storm knocks out the world's electronic technology. Starstruck Hero follows one of the minor characters from the novel Sunstrike as he deals with the sudden absence of transport, communication and electricity. Clint lives his life as if he's the hero of every movie he's ever seen. He drives like Jason Statham in The Transporter, rides like John Wayne, and would fly like Top Gun if he ever got the chance. When he’s thrust into a major disaster, he reacts with confidence and style, leading others from danger and caring for the helpless. But despite his bravery, he can’t protect his family from the terrible repercussions when sunstrike hits and the solar storm knocks out technology right across the planet. This is a relatively gentle post-apocalyptic story, free from zombies or aliens, but dealing with the end of the world as we know it.This is a spin-off story from Sunstrike, a novel featuring Averie Brown as she learns to survive in a post-technology world. In suburban Auckland, she finds the disaster shakes her out of her rut as she learns new skills to survive. After her previous uneventful life, still mourning the loss of her husband and missing her absent son, she finds the new challenge a welcome adventure as members of her neighbourhood rally to support each other against the fear of a cold and hungry winter. But the teenage waif she takes under her wing is not all he seems. Scientific research on the effects of solar flares on earth is worryingly inconclusive. It’s agreed a big eruption on the sun’s surface would send large quantities of electro-magnetic energy streaming past the earth causing severe damage to high-voltage transmission lines, and that alone would stop the provision of electricity for months if not years. The Sunstrike stories explore what might happen next.
Read online
  • 250
Awakening (Valkyrie Diaries, #1)

Awakening (Valkyrie Diaries, #1)

Kate Young

Mystery / Crime / Romance

When sixteen-year-old Kylie Daniels wakes one morning to the sound of her kid brother hysterically screaming, she soon discovers that her life as she knew it, had changed forever… Follow Kylie and her brother Mason as they discover that the veil that separated the human realm from that of the supernatural was compromised exposing them to shifters, slashers, demons and Valkyrie.You know those times when you've just had a fight with your mom and behind closed doors you say horrible things like I hate you or I wish you were dead? Well, it really happened. Mom is dead, gone forever they all are; every single person in our entire town disappeared overnight, like some freaking nightmare. I'm Kylie Daniels and my brother and I are the only ones left and now we have to figure out how to survive…When sixteen-year-old Kylie Daniels wakes one morning to the sound of her kid brother hysterically screaming, she soon discovers that her life as she knew it, had changed forever… Follow Kylie and her brother Mason as they discover that the veil that separated the human realm from that of the supernatural was compromised exposing them to shifters, slashers, demons and Valkyrie.
Read online
  • 338
Clinique Stratégique (3). Tableaux.

Clinique Stratégique (3). Tableaux.

Michel Filippi

Crime / Science / Horror

Les symptômes assemblés créent des figures saisies par la symptomatologie. La symptomatologie permet de construire des tableaux, les tableaux cliniques. M.F.In The Fourth Man, Brian Parker explores one of the most powerful mental health issues we can all face - repressed trauma. Four men go to lunch, but for one of them, a benign conversation resurrects an inner turmoil for which he has never forgiven himself. It raises the question of how do we move on? How do we let go of the past, and our guilt, yet still remember someone with the warmth and respect we had for them while they were still alive?
Read online
  • 396
Jane 8086 Part Three

Jane 8086 Part Three

Richard X. Ellison

Crime / Contemporary / Thriller

It's finally time for Jane to go outside! Remi soon realises that showing her the ropes is not as easy as he thought it would be when they find themselves in one hilarious scenario after another. Allison is back as well...and this time with an offer that can't be refused! And, a mysterious presence, yet to reveal themselves, seems to be tracking Jane.It's finally time for Jane to go outside! Remi soon realises that showing her the ropes is not as easy as he thought it would be when they find themselves in one hilarious scenario after another. Allison is back as well...and this time with an offer that can't be refused! And, a mysterious presence, yet to reveal themselves, seems to be tracking Jane. Will Jane choose the right outfits? Will Allison find out who Jane really is? Are they all going to go to dinner together? Find out in Jane 8086 Part Three!
Read online
  • 666
Butterfly Dreams

Butterfly Dreams

Jack Tate

Thriller / Crime / Suspense

This collection of three stories were influenced by the art of Chinese storytelling. The title comes from the ancient Taoist master - Zhuangzi, who wrote of dreaming he was a butterfly.The three tales: The Papermakers' Apprentice, Mountain and Moon, and Sunrise and the North Wind bring to life the elemental of fairy tales.My Chinese name is Bai DaozhuangThe three tales in Butterfly Dreams came about through reading numerous ancient and modern Chinese tales, including fairy tales and classic epics. Zhuangzi was a Taoist sage who once wrote, "Zhuangzi dreamed he was a butterfly happily fluttering about joyously forgetting who he was. Suddenly Zhuangzi awoke, but he did not know if he was a butterfly dreaming he was a man, or a man who dreamed he was a butterfly."I have tried to emulate the rhythm and magical realism elements of Chinese tales in this three-story collection. The first tale "The Papermaker's Apprentice" begins in the modern world and proceeds to weave the magical tale of the ancient painting master Chen Hongshou and his supernatural apprentice. The second tale "Mountain and Moon" creates a mystical bond between the moon and a mighty mountain. It is a love story of deep longing and total devotion.The third tale "Sunrise and the North Wind" unites the demure Sunrise with the bold North Wind. This tale uses magical realism to craft a enduring love story.
Read online
  • 502
Conditional Voluntary

Conditional Voluntary

Geoffrey A. Feller

Fiction / Mystery / Crime

Patrick Coyne feels like he’s safe from the drug authorities as a patient in a mental hospital during the late 1980s. He even calms down an angry young girl and thinks his love life is about to improve. Will legally prescribed drugs end his paranoia? And why won’t the staff let him have a girlfriend?Patrick Coyne is sure that the drug authorities are out to get him. His psychiatrist calls it paranoia but Patrick isn’t so sure. Yet as a patient on a voluntary mental ward in during the late-1980s War on Drugs, he begins to feel oddly safe. Around him are other patients as well as staff members, each with their own concerns. When Patrick calms down the angry young Justine, he thinks his love life is about to improve. But there is a reason why she’s also in the hospital. Will legally prescribed drugs bring Patrick back to reality? And why won’t the staff let him have a girlfriend?
Read online
  • 422
A Good Car

A Good Car

Julia Proud

Crime / Historical Fiction / Psychological Thriller

Ed Valenti is stuck in a loop of booze and gambling, constantly losing track of time and happily numbing his memories whenever possible. One night he wins a car at a game of poker. That car will bring to his doorstep a worried father looking for his son and from that moment on Ed's life won't be the same.Changing your life for the better is never an easy task, but most of the time, it's the only way to make sense of it all.Set during the Prohibition Era - more precisely, in the winter of 1927 - on the backdrop of Maverick City, a fictional city akin to Chicago, this story will take you to dark places but not without also giving you meaningful rays of light to look forward to in the distance.Ed Valenti is stuck in a loop of booze and gambling, constantly losing track of time and happily numbing his memories whenever possible. One night he wins a car at a game of poker. That car will bring to his doorstep a worried father looking for his son and from that moment on Ed's life won't be the same.
Read online
  • 541
The Bluebell Informant

The Bluebell Informant

Nick R B Tingley

Crime / Mystery / Poetry

How do you catch a killer who is already dead? When DS Evelyn Giles is called to a murder scene, it seems like an open-and-shut case. But when the prime suspect reveals a horrifying secret, Giles' past comes back to haunt her. Her greatest nemesis - the Bluebell Killer - is still out there. And very much alive...How do you catch a killer who is already dead?One year ago, the Bluebell Killer killed his last victim. He was shot and killed, leaving behind a legacy of twenty corpses and a name that people will fear for years to come…A year later, a man is shot in the back of the head and left in a field of bluebells. Is it a mugging gone wrong? A copycat killer? Or is the Bluebell Killer still out there, waiting to pounce on his next victim?For DS Evelyn Giles the solution is simple – it’s just another dirty politician caught committing an unforgiveable crime. But with the evidence stacking up against him, Giles’ suspect has one more surprise in store for her…And his words will throw everything she knows into question…‘It’s not over yet.’The past is coming back to haunt DS Giles. She’s already sacrificed much for the lie. The only question is how much more will she suffer for the truth?An ingeniously, gripping thriller, The Bluebell Informant is a dark, unexpected and emotionally charged debut.
Read online
  • 255
The Gambler and the Castle

The Gambler and the Castle

Greg Blyth

Mystery / Thriller / Crime

In this haunting short story, Ian Hawes moves into his wife's Regency estate out in the countryside to finish his opus for the Sussex Symphony Orchestra. Despite being in the perfect setting to focus on his work, Ian finds it difficult to write. He suspects there might be more to the house than he first realised and he begins to uncover a dark secret about the house... and his wife.A young woman is possessed by the demon Shkazzrt, and faces a difficult choice: go through with the perilous exorcism or not? Zombie researchers are standing by while she consults an expert on exorcism - a vampire.THE 'ZOMBIES VS VAMPIRES VS DEMONS' WORLD:In a post-apocalyptic world, humans are a just valuable resource: zombies want their brains, vampires want their blood, and demons want their souls. Pure humans are difficult to come by, and the factions scrape what they need from each other, either through brute force or fragile alliances.SUPERNATURAL FANTASY STORY [1500 words]
Read online
  • 310
Virus in the Helix

Virus in the Helix

Kevin Dwyer

Crime / True Crime / Nonfiction

In the not too distant future where insanity has become a plague and spirits feast on the corrupt souls of their victims few options exist but the termination of those afflicted. Renowned Professor Hauser appoints a young doctor out of med school who is thrown straight into the chaos.Lucian isn't sure what to expect when he steps over the banister separating Heaven from Earth. He opens his eyes in a new body, one with no wings, no knowledge of the future, and no special powers. All he remembers is his mission: to find a mysterious key. When he meets a human girl that he can't ignore he is forced, for the first time in eternity, to choose between duty and the pull of his heart. The future hangs on his decision, but he's fallen into a world where nothing is just what it seems.
Read online
  • 474
Toby's God

Toby's God

Tom Georges

Crime / True Crime / Nonfiction

Toby's life has been a perfect one, and it's not an accident. Toby has a god, and his god is going to take action.Toby's life has been a perfect one, and it's not an accident. Toby has a god, and his god is going to take action.Have you ever wondered if the things in your life just fell into place, as if orchestrated from without? That your choices really were not choices? Delve into the dark reality that is Toby's life to see what - or who - was really driving it: Toby's God.
Read online
  • 358
RE:Inspiration; Titan III

RE:Inspiration; Titan III

James Phillips II

Mystery & Thrillers / Crime / Comics & Graphic Novels

The third of four chapters in the RE:Inspiration; Titan quadrilogy. Captain Jacobi Myles finishes his story while his crew continues to fight for their lives in the operating room of the Windsor. Meanwhile, an unknown threat appears and wreaks havoc upon the ship and its inhabitants.a magazine about everything. how did you read it? how did it write to you behind the bars of candy and the law?once.(handwritten scanned magazine from pocket zine)
Read online
  • 356
The Betrayal of Times of Peace and Prosperity

The Betrayal of Times of Peace and Prosperity

Alex Kudera

Fiction / Humor and Comedy / Crime

Andy does just enough to get by, sometimes less. Between hits from the bong, hallucinogenic shrooms, and eating dog food, Andy contemplates his friend’s suicide attempts, his final days of college assignments, and the importance of his education to his dismal-looking future. By his side are Macbeth-like witches, his meek roommate, and an eccentric professor. And, of course, a girl.Andy does just enough to get by, sometimes less. Between hits from the bong, hallucinogenic shrooms, and eating dog food, Andy contemplates his friend’s suicide attempts, his final days of college assignments, and the importance of his education to his dismal-looking future. By his side are Macbeth-like witches, his meek roommate, and an eccentric professor. And, of course, a girl.Edgy and darkly humorous but, like all the best literature, it still keeps an undercurrent of seriousness.About the Author:Alex Kudera has survived fifteen years of teaching overloads but in some circles is better known for his mysterious injuries. He has bussed dishes and tutored English in two countries, and Fight for Your Long Day, his first novel, was drafted in a walk-in closet during a summer in Seoul, South Korea. A lifelong Philadelphian until fall 2007, Alex currently teaches literature and writing at Clemson University in South Carolina.
Read online
  • 310
The Collector

The Collector

Scott Wittenburg

Mystery / Crime / Art

What at first appears to be an online hoax launches retired PI Alan Swansea into an investigation exposing a gang of sex traffickers. Once it becomes clear that young Eastern European girls have been abducted and forced to take part in a deranged artist’s bizarre project, Swansea is engaged in a harrowing race to find the girls before they are thrust into an even more unthinkable situation.What at first appears to be an online hoax launches retired PI Alan Swansea into an investigation exposing a gang of sex traffickers. After receiving a mysterious email message from a woman making a desperate plea to save her younger sister, Swansea finds himself entrenched in the horrific world of human trafficking. Once it becomes clear that Polina and several other young Eastern European girls have been abducted and forced to take part in a deranged artist’s bizarre project, Swansea is engaged in a harrowing race to find the girls before they are thrust into a situation even more unthinkable than their present one.Will Polina become yet another victim of modern day sex slavery like the others?Throughout his investigation, Swansea becomes increasingly aware of the devastating effects sex trafficking has had on the lives of the victims and what little is being done by law enforcement to stop it. As the toll of victims rises, so does his resolve to bring the villains to justice. But as time runs out, Swansea discovers that the trail of his investigation may very well have gone cold. Will he be able to save Polina before it’s too late?
Read online
  • 684
Welcome to Las Vegas

Welcome to Las Vegas

Stacy Green

Mystery & Thrillers / Suspense / Crime

Tate is afraid of the dark. But his junkie sister has disappeared into the terrifying storm drains below Las Vegas. Tate wades into the drains to rescue his sister from her demons.Every step into the smothering darkness challenges Tate’s resolve. With his sister’s life and his own sanity at stake, Tate must face his fears or risk fading into the dank oblivion of the Las Vegas tunnels.Tate is afraid of the dark. But his junkie sister has disappeared into the terrifying storm drains below Las Vegas. The tunnels stretch hundreds of miles beneath the city, housing the city’s homeless and criminal element. Armed with only his flashlight, Tate wades into the gritty depths of the storm drains to rescue his sister from her demons. Every step into the smothering darkness challenges Tate’s resolve. With his sister’s life and his own sanity at stake, Tate must face his fears or risk fading into the dank oblivion of the Las Vegas tunnels.
Read online
  • 764
The Conspirator's Agenda

The Conspirator's Agenda

Anthony T Scott

Fiction / Crime / Thriller

Detective story about Nick Larkman.Jodie Hamilton is a psychic consultant for police department. Yet despite all the help she had given, the police will not listen to her when victims of a killer are telling her the location of a killer. So in order to the get police to listen to her, she sneaks onto the killer's hideout, a long forgotten ran down junkyard, to get some photographs as proof. But things do not go great as the killer does not like people sneaking onto his hideout..
Read online
  • 447
Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth

John Paul Wohlscheid

Crime / Religion

Benny Cahill is a private eye. His job is to help little guys with big problems. However, Benny always gets served a large portion of hurt for his troubles. Things don't turn out any different when Benny is hired by a crooked jockey who never heard of the phrase: "Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth".Being a private eye means helping the little guy and that is what Benny Cahill does for a living. The problem is: this kind of work can be bad for your health. After helping a jockey put a bet on a fixed race, Benny loses the money ands finds his client dead. With the cops eyeing him for the hot seat, Benny Cahill must bring the real killers to justice. All because a jockey had never heard of the phrase: "Don't Look a Gift Horse in the Mouth".
Read online
  • 827
Crossover: a time travel novella

Crossover: a time travel novella

Jack Heath

Crime / Young Adult / Science Fiction

When a vengeful physicist captures Agent Six of Hearts and blasts him back through time, he has one chance to prevent her from unleashing a catastrophe. If he can find and destroy the components of her time machine, he can stop her from ever building it – but the components are under lock and key. Luckily, he crosses paths with teenage super-thief Ashley Arthur. But she has her own agenda...When a vengeful physicist captures Agent Six of Hearts and blasts him backwards through time, he has one chance to prevent her from unleashing a catastrophe. If he can find and destroy the components of her time machine, he can stop her from ever building it – but the components are under lock and key. Luckily, he crosses paths with teenage super-thief Ashley Arthur. Unluckily, she has her own agenda... From the award-winning author of The Cut Out and 400 Minutes Of Danger, this is a non-stop roller coaster ride through spacetime.
Read online
  • 407
The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card

The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card

R Weir

Mystery / Crime

PI Jarvis Mann, whose business thrived on the mundane. One day on his office steps a young man coaxing with the simple word “Please” convinces him to help find a missing valuable Ernie Banks Rookie Bubble Gum Card. With humor he drives the Denver streets, until a clue leads to a surprising discovery, a young man’s personal pain and his friends selfish act, teach Jarvis a lesson in life.Jarvis Mann was a Private Detective, whose business thrived on the mundane, paying the bills following cheating spouses, getting in the middle of messy divorces and working for the Fat Cat Insurance companies running down false insurance claims. But one day on his office steps a young man coaxing with the simple word “Please” convinces him to help on a Winter’s Sunday afternoon to find a missing valuable Ernie Banks Rookie Bubble Gum Card. With a dry sense of humor he drives the Denver streets from door to door, friend to friend, until a clue leads to a surprising discovery, a young man’s personal pain and his friends selfish act, teach Jarvis a life lesson that will shape him with new hope and resolve.An 8400 word Short Story by Author R Weir
Read online
  • 198
The secret life of Jodie

The secret life of Jodie

Amber Thompson

Crime / True Crime / Nonfiction

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.
Read online
  • 669
Game Face

Game Face

Mark Troy

Mystery / Crime / Thriller

Private eye Val Lyon puts her game face on in eight tales of murder, lust, revenge and cheating. No matter what the game, her opponent is Death and he always scores first.Honolulu's hottest private eye, Val Lyon, is smart, sexy and tough. She doesn't back down from any opponent, even when the opponent is Death. Val drops from the sky and paddles a turbulent ocean. She mixes it up on the sand and the hardwood. She faces off against predator sharks and ferocious bulls, but the most fearsome opponents are the two-legged ones. The games are afoot but not everyone plays by the rules. There is plenty of cheating., on the court and in the bed. But these cheaters never win because they are up against Val Lyon and she has her game face on.
Read online
  • 591
A Passion to Perform

A Passion to Perform

Bev Robitai

Crime / Mystery / Science Fiction

A short - (barely 2000 words so don't look for Gone with the Wind!) Johnny is a young man burning with ambition to perform on stage. He's sure the Regent Theatre is the place where his dreams will be realised, so he auditions for the lead in Romeo and Juliet and receives help from an unexpected source.When a teenager is found dead by the roadside under strange circumstances Chief Jim Hawk has to find the killer. A man fulfills his dream about finding a lost city deep in the jungle, but what he finds will not only change him forever, but will also bring death to a small town. If you have read about "The highway of Tears", this novella might be for you.
Read online
  • 839
Reticent Rain

Reticent Rain

Richard Acosta

Crime / Horror / Humor and Comedy

The spaces between the connect and the disconnect are in concert when a young psychiatric intern, Doctor Pierce, faces the many challenges that the state run institution of Westwood presents to him. There he meets Paige, a frail and catatonic patient, that changes both of their lives forever. Through cryptic passages and heavy metaphor, the story unfolds to a bewildering and unnerving ending.The spaces between the connect and the disconnect are in concert when a young psychiatric intern, Doctor Pierce, faces the many challenges that the state run institution of Westwood presents to him. There he meets Paige, a frail and catatonic patient, that forever changes both of their lives. Through cryptic passages and heavy metaphor, the story unfolds to a bewildering and unnerving ending.
Read online
  • 531
Mowbray Brothers

Mowbray Brothers

Debbie Terranova

Mystery / Historical Fiction / Crime

Saturday night, summer of 1920. Mowbray Park is where the local lads go for a laugh, a beer, and a smoke. Eight-year-old Lucky sneaks out of bed to discover his brother and hero has taken a dare that could cost much more than his one shilling bet.This prizewinning boyhood adventure is a short story is set in 1920 in East Brisbane, Australia. Based on true stories told by the author's father, 'Mowbray Brothers' gives a glimpse of a more innocent era of gaslight, tinkling pianos, and home-baked cookies. It tells of nighttime escapades such as fishing for bream in the riverside baths and a swimming race through shark-infested waters.
Read online
  • 268
A Day in a Life In After World: Sugar

A Day in a Life In After World: Sugar

Eric Johnson

History / Social Sciences / Crime

This is the first in a series of short stories based in the same world as the book series A Life in After World. Instead of telling the life story of one character, these stories tell the story of one day in the life of a person in After World.Sugar is sweet. Sugar is pretty. Sugar is a mouse.Eek! A mouse!Mice are the bane of every city as they live in the cracks and hovels and steal any food they can. You can try to poison them but they tend to be immune. As if they did not have short enough natural lives, they rarely get to live out their years because to normal humans mice are considered less than worthless.Sugar dreams of a better life. She is doing everything she can to try to get past the stigma of being a mouse.
Read online
  • 694
The Nightwalker

The Nightwalker

C.P. Kemabia

Mystery / Crime

Antwone Devaux is a renowned writer who has been having sleep trouble of late. The story centers on his unique relationship with the three women of his life as, one by one, they start to reconnect. Could one of them be the reason why he can't sleep?Antwone Devaux is a renowned writer who is actively working to complete his next book while dealing with chronic insomnia. Not a big deal for someone who enjoys taking long solitary walks at night to muse about his writing, his life and things that have been repressed for being too damaging to the heart.His general contentment, however, is disturbed when, one by one, three women who share a unique history or relationship with him, start to reconnect.And while their company gives Antwone a break from his routine, a distraction from his writing, and even a reason to love, they each have a way of bringing out the emotional baggage Antwone carries around, baggage that may offer a glimpse on why he finds it hard to sleep...
Read online
  • 520
The Replacements

The Replacements

Gamal Hennessy

Business / Graphic Novels / Crime

You only get to make one mistake.Three young men travel from the suburbs to the city in search of forbidden pleasure. They think they are prepared to commit a crime and become men, but are they ready for the surprise that their dealer has set up for them?You only get to make one mistake.Three young men travel from the suburbs to the city in search of forbidden pleasure. They think they are prepared to commit a crime and become men, but are they ready for the surprise that their dealer has set up for them?
Read online
  • 329
Clinique Stratégique (2). Symptomatologie.

Clinique Stratégique (2). Symptomatologie.

Michel Filippi

Crime / Science / Horror

"Revisiter le passé est une décision dangereuse. Car nous serons face à une alternative posée par la Vérité que l’on pourrait traduire d’une manière girardienne comme choix entre l’imitation ou la ressemblance. Selon la branche que nous choisirons nous irons vers le dépassement ou la violence infinie". M.F.Cute story about little dragon called Triglav, who likes to play with small animals. His Mama and Papa Dragon does not like this, because they want him to become some day a really scary dragon. So, Triglav tries to obey unless three bad volves want to eat his friends. Then he stands for his friends and breathe fire for the first time in his life. It's important to defend Your friend even if You don't know how to do this... Fully illustrated on each of the 23 horizontal pages. The hand-drawn illustrations use vivid colors to enhance the story. For children 2 to 6 years old. Tested on daughter :-)
Read online
  • 437
The Vagrant

The Vagrant

J Scaddon

Crime / Horror / Children's

There has been a string of brutal murders in the small town of Monroe. The prime suspect is a vagrant that seems to be hanging around the area. Ida is a single mother who is starting to worry about the bloody crime spree, especially as the vagrant appears to be spending a lot of time sneaking around her property. Her only hope is for the Sheriff to solve the crime, before it's too late.There has been a string of brutal murders in the small town of Monroe. The prime suspect is a vagrant that seems to be hanging around the area. Ida Van de Veld is a single mother who is starting to worry about the bloody crime spree, especially as the vagrant appears to be spending a lot of time sneaking around her property. Her only hope is for the Sheriff and his officers to solve the crime, before it is too late.
Read online
  • 692
Rare Traits (The Rare Traits Trilogy Book I)

Rare Traits (The Rare Traits Trilogy Book I)

David George Clarke

Fiction / Thriller / Crime

Brilliant artist John Andrews is a mortal man like any other, but with one exception: he is almost six hundred years old. A story of deception, discovery and determination, Rare Traits follows a Renaissance artist's struggle for survival through the centuries and in the present day where modern technology unravels the secrets of his DNA, posing yet further threats to his existence.As gifted as any of the Old Masters, portrait and landscape painter John Andrews has an extraordinary talent. He also has an extraordinary secret – at almost 600 years old, the reclusive artist now living in England's Lake District is still as youthful as he was back in the 1460s. Born Luca di Stefano in early Renaissance Tuscany, he is apprenticed to the great fresco painter, Piero della Francesca. Luca enjoys perfect health – no disease ever touches him – but as the years pass, he realises that there is something else profoundly mysterious about him: he is not ageing. At sixty, his youthful looks become a threat to his life when a fanatical and over-zealous Church wants him burnt at the stake as an heretic, a servant of the Devil. Fleeing to Naples, he adopts a new identity and starts a new life, the first of many artistic personas through the centuries. But the threat of discovery and its consequences are never far away. Fast forward to 2009 when John Andrews’ DNA is profiled. As the mystery of its full significance is slowly unravelled, John's existence is again threatened: it is not only geneticists who are interested in his incredible DNA, there are others desperate for the secret of John’s longevity who will stop at nothing to get it. And to compound John's problems, an art historian is convinced that he has unmasked a major forger. An international, fast-moving suspense thriller set throughout the world during the past six centuries, Rare Traits interweaves the present and the past, self-preservation and murder, art history and forensic science as it unfolds the tale of the apparently immortal John Andrews. It traces his lovers, his families, his enemies and friends, and above all it traces the challenges he faces in order to survive. For no matter how long he lives, one thing is certain: John can never stop looking over his shoulder.
Read online
  • 461
The Pride of Howard County

The Pride of Howard County

Kevin Bachman

Crime / Horror

This is the story of John Lincoln as he travels from the suburbs of Macon Georgia to New York City and finally to the Roger’s farm in Howard County Missouri. It’s on this farm a wayward spirit discovers a life he couldn’t have ever imagined, a place to heal and have his faith in mankind restored.With intense highs and crushing lows this is the story of the enduring nature of the human spirit caugThis is the story of John Lincoln as he travels from the suburbs of Macon Georgia to New York City and finally to the Roger’s farm in Howard County Missouri. It’s on this farm a wayward spirit discovers a life he couldn’t have ever imagined, a place to heal and have his faith in mankind restored.With intense highs and crushing lows this is the story of the enduring nature of the human spirit caught in the grip of addiction, internalized homophobia, prostitution, confusion, loss and adversity.From the ashes, a modern day family is forged from the fires of fate in this most unlikely of places, a cattle farm in Missouri, The Pride of Howard County.From the cotton country of Texas to the battle fields of World War I and finally a farm in God’s country sets the story of Gus and Grace Rogers. Through the floods and droughts with pure determination rises from the rich black dirt the two thousand nine hundred and sixty acre, Pride of Howard County.Now an aging farmer, Gus had never forgiven himself after losing his beloved young son in a tragic accident then followed by his daughter’s mysterious disappearance. And finally, with the death of his wife, he couldn’t imagine ever finding happiness again until he hires a young farm hand. This sets in motion a series of events that spiritually repairs the painful past. Gus’s beautiful daughter, Abigail, nearly loses everything in order to find herself and finally after many years returns to her parent’s farm to regain her father, her lost childhood and find in a stranger, her lost brother.And there’s Lucky, the fearless half starved Collie/Sheppard mix from nowhere that befriends the easy going Chocolate Lab, Muncie. And it would be this Muncie’s destiny to save the man that saved him and make it possible for this new age family to mend.
Read online
  • 308
Demonicus Misanthropicus

Demonicus Misanthropicus

Richard X. Ellison

Crime / Contemporary / Thriller

Just another day in the lives of two chaos demons, Necroloogeus and Morghoulus, having a conversation while they're on the job. Darkly comedic and slightly disturbing.In early July 2013, the following news article made headlines: "Possibility of First Head Transplant Fraught with Ethical and Medical Dilemmas." Are head transplants really in our near future, and what will that mean for mankind? Dante Marando understands that the human body is fragile. With recent medical advances, he's certain scientists will soon be able to keep healthy people alive for longer stretches of time, and he is determined to be a part of history in the making. Is Dante interested in helping mankind thrive, or is he only looking out for himself?
Read online
  • 585
A Day in a Life In After World: Dru'Ar

A Day in a Life In After World: Dru'Ar

Eric Johnson

History / Social Sciences / Crime

This is the second in a series of short stories based in the same world as the book series A Life in After World. Instead of telling the life story of one character, these stories tell the story of one day in the life of a person in After World.Dru’Ar is perfectly suited for life in the forest. His keen sense of smell alerts him to sources of food. His night vision helps him to see in the dark. And his fur not only keeps him warm but it’s mottled grey color makes it perfect for hiding in the shadows. Dru’Ar is a furry. His people have developed some animal like features that make them well suited for forest life. But Dru’Ar never felt comfortable in the forest. He likes the city. And so he has set out to make his life in Saint Ellwood.
Read online
  • 852
Klondaeg Saves Fromsday

Klondaeg Saves Fromsday

Steve Thomas

Crime / True Crime / Nonfiction

The feasts! The pageants! The coconuts! Fromsday is here and Klondaeg is invited. Join Klondaeg as he visits the land of the frog-people to attend a festival in honor of Fromdon, God of Coconuts. But all is not well in the frog-lands, where a monster has disrupted the proceedings and threatens to pull a family apart. Can Klondaeg save Fromsday? Find out in this very special episode.The feasts! The pageants! The coconuts! Fromsday is here and Klondaeg is invited. Join Klondaeg as he visits the land of the frog-people to attend a festival in honor of Fromdon, God of Coconuts. But all is not well in the frog-lands, where a monster has disrupted the proceedings and threatens to pull a family apart. Can Klondaeg save Fromsday? Find out in this very special episode of Klondaeg the Monster Hunter.
Read online
  • 370
Gazza's Lament

Gazza's Lament

Bev Robitai

Crime / Mystery / Science Fiction

A theatre short - very short at barely 2000 words, so don't expect War & Peace! Gazza is Head of Lighting at a small provincial theatre and just wants to be left alone to do his job, not drawn into touchy-feely socialising by a visiting director who forbids swearing. This short is to lure you into the Regent Theatre where you can meet the characters and feel at home in the setting. Come on in!This brief humorous story is to give a flavour of the Theatre Mystery series so you can see if you'd enjoy the books Murder in the Second Row and Body on the Stage. Gazza features in both these and is a character who really took over as soon as I started writing him. There really was a theatre director who attempted to ban swearing during a production, and the result was much the same as in this story.
Read online
  • 698
Remembering Tomorrow

Remembering Tomorrow

Michael McGowan

Crime / Thriller

A short collection of poems that reflect life in the eyes of one perspective.This is a collection based on life as I see it on a day to day basis. To me, this is an honest reflection on the past year, both personal and observational.
Read online
  • 506
A Day in a Life in After World: Brach

A Day in a Life in After World: Brach

Eric Johnson

History / Social Sciences / Crime

This is the third in a series of short stories based in the same world as the book series A Life in After World. Instead of telling the life story of one character, these stories tell the story of one day in the life of a person in After World. The stories should be able to stand alone but together they tell of a bigger story.Brach is a thief. He is a petty thief, but he steals a little more than he needs to survive. He is assisted in his chose profession by a unique set of abilities he has. When he concentrates, he can affect the way things move. He has bought 13 meals on the same gold coin and he gets change every time. After he pays, he just calls the coin back to him. He is always seeking a way to get ahead by using his ability. He is also looking for a girl.
Read online
  • 393
The Mystery of Margorie Walker

The Mystery of Margorie Walker

Yume

Fantasy / Fiction / Crime

In 1820,a series of mysterious and unsolved deaths occurred in a small,old English town. Everything began when Earl Beaumont attempted to summon a demon during an occasional cult and was found dead with his wife the next day. From then on,more and more people in the town claimed to have encountered a bizarre lady dressed in black. They all said she shared the same appearance as Margorie Walker....In 1820, a series of mysterious and unsolved deaths occurred in a small, old English town.Everything began when Earl Beaumont attempted to summon a demon during an occasional cult and was found dead with his wife the next day. From then on, more and more people in the town claimed to have encountered a bizarre lady dressed in black. They all said she shared the same appearance as Margorie Walker, a girl who was supposed to have died two years ago after a false accusation of witchcraft and a brutal burning execution.While increasing number of puzzling and supernatural deaths was causing panic in the town, Hanzel Nelson, Margorie’s lover, was out there searching for his long-lost love desperately. After meeting Margorie’s shadow one night and noticing the extraordinary pattern of the unusual murdering, he vowed to seek the truth and to stop the demonic girl from carrying on with her evil tasks.
Read online
  • 763
On the Streets for Alison

On the Streets for Alison

Paul Matos, Jr

Crime

Raph and Mac are approached by their old friend Sam. He comes to them tormented because his twenty year-old sister, Alison is missing. They hit the streets to help Sam and his family look for her. Along the way they make more friends and uncover a terrifying mess no family wants to have happen to them.Raph and Mac are approached by their old friend Sam. He comes to them tormented because his twenty year-old sister, Alison is missing. They hit the streets to help Sam and his family look for her. Along the way they make more friends and uncover a terrifying mess no family wants to have happen to them. With help they come out on the other side. But was it for better or worse? With wit, charm and friendship their world will change, even if only for a short time.What would you do for a friend?
Read online
  • 475
183