Secrets hide behind those peacefully shuttered windows...Deception awaits around the next curve in the road. Rumors spread over garden hedges, fishing ponds, and knitting circles. Neighborhood cats discover a boneyard.And when Death strolls through the tranquil countryside or checks into the quaint village inn for the weekend, it's the intrepid - and often accidental - investigators who must find and decipher clues, unravel mysteries, and bring the killer to justice.

Ten short, sweet, lighthearted romances, celebrating the warmth and joy of the holiday season.From big cities and small towns, star-filled nights to the snowstorms of picture postcards, these couples discover the unexpected gift of a new relationship tucked among the sparkle and tinsel.Includes stories by Jessica Guernsey, Rebecca M. Senese, Leah Sage, Kat Farrow, C.J. Mattison, Michele Dean, L.D.B Taylor, Wayland Smith, Brenda Carre, and Stephannie Tallent. Edited by Lyn W...

Laugh at holiday escapades that go from bad to worse and shenanigans that just might land these characters on Santa's "naughty" list.Contains stories by Annie Reed, Rebecca M. Senese, L.D.B. Taylor, Lauryn Christopher, C.J. Mattison, Katharina Gerlach, Kelly Zimmer, Michele Bazan Reed, R.W. Wallace, and Sarah Czarnecki. Edited by Lyn Worthen.

The isolated mansion hiding dark secrets and a lonely heart. The castle with grief and love permeating its walls and influencing its guests. LOVE AMONG THE THORNS presents eleven contemporary Gothic/paranormal romances with the flavor of the classic Gothics of the 70s and 80s – locations and lives shrouded in solitude and secrecy, mired in mist and mystery, and where the spark of true love grows from the smallest candle flickering in the wind into a fierce light that drives back the darkne...

There is a chill in the air. Something is coming.Change is coming.It's a time to celebrate. It's a time to hide.It's a time to get ready for the things we don't expect.It's time to open up the Autumn Breezeway.Edited by Sam Knight. Associate Editor Bailey FinnStories by:Steve Ruskin, Jude Deluca, James Rogers, CJ Mattison, Arlo Sharp, P. Francis Smythe, AE Stueve, Sheila Hartney, Eve Morton, Grayson Wilson, Jessica McLain, Tanya Hales...

Haunted Holidays includes the lively – and sometimes chaotic – stories of spirits who are eager to share with the living exactly how the holidays should be celebrated (according to them!). Other tales are quieter, stories of spirits making connections with friends or family members.And while some of those visits might be touching, and stir at our heartstrings, others embody the joyful, celebratory nature of the holidays. But in their own way, all embrace t...

The perfect book for new fans and decade-long supporters alike, Ann Beattie: The New Yorker provides readers with a lifetime**’s** worth of short stories from one of the most original and celebrated voices of her generation.When Ann Beattie began publishing short stories in The New Yorker in the mid-seventies, she emerged with a voice so original, and so uncannily precise and prescient in its assessment of her characters’ drift an...

The farther we’ve gotten from the magic and mystery of the past, the more we've come to love Halloween—the one time each year when the mundane is overturned in favor of the bizarre, the “other side” is closest, and everyone can become anyone (or anything) they wish . . . and sometimes what they don’t. Introducing nineteen original stories from mistresses and masters of the dark celebrate the most fantastic, enchanting, spooky, and supernatural of holidays.

Kelsie Newman meets the man of her dreams at the beginning of a really, really bad day, so excuse her for not recognizing him. Good thing she's a smart girl and a quick learner. When he rescues her from her Good Samaritan act gone bad later that same day, she doesn't make the same mistake twice.

A New York Times Notable Book: Darkly comic fables of modern life from a "major discovery" whose "writing gets in your bloodstream like a fever" ( The Washington Post Book World).A housewife with a ravenous lust for the adolescent boy who mows her lawn swallows him whole. A woman nonchalantly hacks off her leg at a posh private club. A father babyproofs his house so thoroughly he never sees his wife and child. And a businessman passing through an airport r...

Everybody loves Christmas … and mysteries. And now the two of them have been combined. We hope you'll enjoy this fun little project revisiting the Christmas Cookies CD. — Joe Bonsall, The Oak Ridge BoysChristmas is magical and includes many traditions like decorating the tree, giving gifts, baking cookies … and murder and mayhem?!?! Join in the fun this season and create a new holiday tradition with mysteries from more than a baker's dozen of award winning authors—all inspired by t...

Read a holiday story per day from the end of November to January first...or binge the entire collection.This volume contains 37 stories—ranging in genre from mystery to fantasy to romance—that center around traditional holidays such as Christmas and New Year's but also fictional holidays like Hogswatch. Featuring works from award-winning and bestselling authors Kristine Kathryn Rusch, Dean Wesley Smith, Anthea Lawson and many more, each story comes presented as it first appeared in...