When Peter tries to slip a roofie into a target’s drink, he triggers events that lead to blackmail and harsh street justice. To defend himself, he sends his unsuspecting fiancée, Lizzie, into the scariest neighborhood in Chicago to buy the protection he needs from, of all places, a taco truck. Ever subservient because she knows a Plain Jane like her doesn’t deserve him, Lizzie fights back her terror and resolves to help Peter however she can, even in ways hidden from him. “David H. Hendrickson is one of my favorite writers.” —Edgar-nominated author Kris Nelscott “One of the most diverse writers I have had the pleasure to meet.” —USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith
There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. Episode 13: Two More Tacos, a Beretta .32, and a Pink Butterfly by Dave Zeltserman Episode 14: Two Tamales, One Tokarev, and a Lifetime of Broken Promises by Stacy Woodson Episode 15: Chimichangas and a Couple of Glocks by David H. Hendrickson Episodes 16-18 are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 6.
A minister, a taco truck, and a gun, what could possibly go wrong? Vivian, an ex-con turned prison minister, discovers her brother, Tommy, is in debt to the Chicago Outfit. And they’re calling the note—20 grand plus the juice. If Tommy doesn’t come up with the money in 72 hours, he will be a permanent resident of Lake Michigan. As kids, she and her brother grew up on the streets and lived by a set of rules: #1 no drugs, #2 no turning tricks, #3 no tangling with the mob. And they’d have each other’s back—always. Vivian can’t abandon her brother, despite the risk to her church and the new life she’s built for herself. So, she comes up with a plan—a way to turn the tables on the Outfit and save her brother. An Eastside bookie, a taco truck, and a Russian-made pistol are key. But even she knows the plan is a long shot. There was a reason why she made rule #3. When it comes to the mob, someone always pays a price. “Buckle up for a gritty trip through Chicago’s seedy underbelly! Come along as Viv, an ex-con minister, struggles to provide salvation for her brother with the help of the Good Book—and a Tokarev. Stacy Woodson’s snappy voice sparkles in this tense tale of family loyalty. A winner!” —Alan Orloff, ITW Thriller- and Derringer-award winning writer
There’s a taco truck in Chicago known among a certain segment of the population for its daily specials. Late at night and during the wee hours of the morning, it isn’t the food selection that attracts customers, it’s the illegal weapons available with the special order. Each episode of Guns & Tacos features the story of one Chicagoland resident who visits the taco truck seeking a solution to life’s problems, a solution that always comes in a to-go bag. Episode 16: Refried Beans and a Snub-Nosed .44 by Hugh Lessig Episode 17: Two Steak Taco Combos and a Pair of Sig Sauers by Neil S. Plakcy Episode 18: A Smith & Wesson with a Side of Chorizo by Andrew Welsh-Huggins Episodes 13-15 are featured in Guns + Tacos Vol. 5.
In this second Fiction River Special Edition, award-winning editor Kristine Kathryn Rusch performs editing magic in assembling this anthology of stories saved by not one but six different Fiction River editors. Culled from stories that did not fit in the magazine's regular run, these gems piece together to form an anthology all its own. This unique volume contains a variety of genres but one overarching theme: brilliant storytelling. "There's something for everyone." -Adventures Fantastic Table of Contents "Stealing Mrs. Mackle's Mojo" by Chuck Heintzelman "The Man in the Gabardine Suit" by Lauryn Christopher "One Ballerina Dancing" by Kelly Washington "The Disinvention of the Surveillance State" by Valerie Brook "Playing God" by Ron Collins "Makonde Tree of Life" by David H. Hendrickson "The Dream" by Michael Kowal "Damsel on the Hard" by Jamie McNabb "Dragons Are Fond of Them" by Brigid Collins "Pixie Problems" by Jonathan Kort "The Untimely Demise of Rachel Tamson" by Joe Cron "Cassidy's Ghost" by Dale Hartley Emery "Combination" by Lisa Silverthorne "Airborne" by Louisa Swann "City of Sin Strangler" by David H. Hendrickson "The Weird Shit That Happened Because of Tricia Fisher" by Ezekiel James Boston Fiction River is an original fiction anthology series. Modeled on successful anthology series of the past, from Orbit to Universe to Pulphouse: The Hardback Magazine, the goal of Fiction River is to provide a forum for "original ground-breaking fiction of all genres." Each Fiction River volume comes in ebook and trade paperback format, published by WMG Publishing, and features some of the best new and established fiction writers in publishing. Dean Wesley Smith and Kristine Kathryn Rusch are award-winning editors, as well as award-winning writers, and act as series editors for the anthologies. For more information about the authors or Fiction River, go to www.fictionriver.com.
The Cutting Edge of Modern Short Fiction A three-time Hugo Award nominated magazine, this issue Pulphouse Fiction Magazine offers up seventeen fantastic stories by some of the best writers working in modern short fiction. No genre limitations, no topic limitations, just great stories. Attitude, feel, and high quality fiction equals Pulphouse.
Coming home to Reston, Virginia, to bury his estranged father, Josh Handleman gets the shock of his life when he finds out that his thrifty father is actually a wealthy man who collected diamonds, but when Josh tries to locate the gems he discovers they are missing and begins to wonder if his father's death was really an accident or if it was murder.
The improbable but true story of a man accused of murdering his entire family and the journalist he impersonated while on the run In 2001, Mike Finkel was on top of the world: young, talented, and recently promoted to a plum job at the New York Times Magazine. Then he made an irremediable slip: Under extraordinary pressure to keep producing blockbuster stories, he fabricated parts of an article. Caught and excommunicated from the Times, he retreated to his home in Montana, swearing off any contact with the media. When the phone rang, though, he couldn’t resist. At the other end was a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle, whom Finkel congratulated on being the first in what was sure to be a long and bloodthirsty line of media watchdogs. The reporter was puzzled. In Waldport, Oregon, Christian Longo had killed his young wife and three children and dumped their bodies into the bay. With a stolen credit card, he fled south, making his way to Cancun, where he lived for several weeks under an assumed identity: Michael Finkel, journalist for the New York Times. True Story is the tale of a bizarre and convoluted collision between fact and fiction, and a meditation on the slippery nature of truth. When Finkel contacts Longo in jail, the two men begin a close and complex relationship. Over the course of a year, they exchange long letters and weekly phone calls, playing out a cat-and-mouse game in which it’s never quite clear if the pursuer is Finkel or Longo—or both. Finkel’s dogged pursuit of the true story pays off only at the end, in the gripping trial scenes in which Longo, after a lifetime of deception, finally tells the whole truth. Or so he says.
Collects Deadpool Vs. The Punisher #1-5. It's the Merc with a Mouth vs. the One-Man Army! When a man known simply as the Bank hires Deadpool to kill Frank Castle, it should be a simple task for Wade Wilson to execute, right? Except taking out the Punisher is a lot harder than Deadpool could have anticipated--especially since he likes the Punisher. A straightforward job becomes a knock-down-drag-out fight as they trade shot for shot. But things get complicated when the mercenary and the merciless Castle wind up embroiled in a bigger, messier conflict with the Bank front and center. The bloody and brutal fight never ceases regardless of what side Wade and Frank are on, even when it's seemingly the same side--just because they have a common enemy doesn't make them partners in crime. To the victor belong the spoils, but is there a clear winner here?
