Deadman's is a story by Mary Gaunt. Gaunt was an Australian novelist and writer. Excerpt: "She found an opportunity to speak to him alone, and pointed out to him where his duty lay. She was so sad about it all, so sad at the thought of losing him, that she wept many tears over it; she drove him to distraction, but she saw with an inward glow of triumph that she was gaining her point. And when at last she had brought him round, if not to see exactly with her eyes, at any rate to do her bidding, it was too provoking to have her husband trying to upset things. And Ben was so coarse, too; he did not care what he said."
The year is 1812, Europe is being torn up by the wars against Napoleon, the navies of independent America and Britain are harassing each other in the North Atlantic, and construction of the Breakwater – the Nations Great Endeavour – has begun in Plymouth Sound. But the Grey, the secret group that protects Plymouth from paranormal threats, have more important issues to deal with. One of which concerns a blue door, and the other has lots of tentacles and a bad attitude. Alan, the leader of the Grey, has given the task of training the Kraken to the Grey’s newest members – Horace (Mr Edwards) and Eugenie (Miss Hall). Unfortunately things aren’t going to plan. When a body washes up on the shore sparking fears of a murderer on the loose in Plymouth it becomes a race against time for the Grey to deal with the monster before it kills again. Or will they run out of chocolate first?
DIVWhile on vacation at a dude ranch, the Casebusters chase a horse thief/divDIV Sean and Brian Quinn can’t think of anywhere cooler than the Austin Dude Ranch. Although neither has ever ridden a horse, they’re positive that playing cowboy is going to become their favorite pastime. But before they can learn to rope and ride, they’re going to have to practice their other favorite hobby: solving mysteries./divDIV /divDIVA racehorse has been stolen from the neighboring farm, and the ranch’s owners think that their horses may be the next to disappear. To find the missing pony, Brian and Sean will have to confront something even more scary than horse thieves: the ghost of the crazy old gold prospector who is said to haunt a nearby abandoned mine. Whether the culprit is living or dead, Brian and Sean must catch him faster than they can say, “Giddy-up!”/div
Tony Valentine is an expert at spotting cheats. He’s tossed them out of gambling casinos from Atlantic City to Las Vegas and Monaco. But though Tony has never met a scam he couldn’t crack, his son and partner, Gerry, has just walked into one with a body count. What started with a conman’s deathbed confession turns into a deadly Las Vegas grudge match during the world’s biggest poker tournament. While Gerry and his shady friends tangle with the Vegas mob, Tony enlists the aid of an aging grifter who’s fleecing suckers with a dazzling array of improbable betting stunts. Tony’s been hired to save the tournament (and stop a blind player who’s out to heist it), while Gerry’s just trying to stay alive–now that murder is in the cards. Featuring insider tips for catching poker cheats, as well as a glossary of card hustler terms!
Deadwood meets The Walking Dead in this wild and profane Western romp featuring zombies, werewolves, killer bees, and one pissed-off gun-slinging preacher. The Wild West has never seen the likes of Reverend Jebidiah Mercer, a hard man wielding a burning Bible and a bottle of whiskey in the battle between God and the Devil. Frankly, he’s not sure he gives a damn who wins. As the not-so-good Reverend tangles with a Lovecraftian horror and joins a renegade named Flower to battle a horde of cannibalistic fiends, only this is certain: Mercer’s blasphemous journey is laced with relentless action, terrifying evil, and nonstop humor. This supernatural epic of the Old West that never was will leave you heartily cheering for the good guys—if you can just figure out who the good guys are.
In the tradition of his renowned father, James J. Butcher’s debut novel is a brilliant urban fantasy about a young man who must throw out the magical rule book to solve the murder of his former mentor. On the streets of Boston, the world is divided into the ordinary Usuals, and the paranormal Unorthodox. And in the Department of Unorthodox Affairs, the Auditors are the magical elite, government-sanctioned witches with spells at their command and all the power and prestige that comes with it. Grimshaw Griswald Grimsby is…not one of those witches. After flunking out of the Auditor training program and being dismissed as “not Department material,” Grimsby tried to resign himself to life as a mediocre witch. But he can’t help hoping he’ll somehow, someway, get another chance to prove his skill. That opportunity comes with a price when his former mentor, aka the most dangerous witch alive, is murdered down the street from where he works, and Grimsby is the Auditors’ number one suspect. Proving his innocence will require more than a little legwork, and after forming a strange alliance with the retired legend known as the Huntsman and a mysterious being from Elsewhere, Grimsby is abruptly thrown into a life of adventure, whether he wants it or not. Now all he has to do is find the real killer, avoid the Auditors on his trail, and most importantly, stay alive.
When we were young, some of the most memorial tales were the ones that we heard over the sound of a crackling campfire. We heard stories that evoked a creeping sense of unease. We shared tales that caused our blood to run cold, skin to pour with sweat, and vision to turn shadows into ghosts. The stories in this collection are designed to do just that.
From the time we are young, we fear the monster under the bed or in the closet, making it impossible to sleep without a nightlight. Then, we hear stories of Bigfoot, and maybe even the Mothman around campfires. When we are adults, we wonder if there might actually be supernatural creatures lurking in the shadows. Are these tall tales and urban legends only metaphors for what horrific things humanity is capable of-or do monsters exist? Go to some terrifying places with this cast of authors. You will be dragged into mystifying realities where demonic fairies hide, where devil monkeys lure carnival-goers to their demise, where Goatmen seek to destroy their prey, and where the goddess of death puts out a hit on victims of her choice. These shocking tales will have you biting your nails and locating that childhood nightlight. Because, in the end, we all know monsters do exist.
