Executioner is the name given to the vampires’ elite enforcers; those who uphold the Laws and administer punishment. In Volume One, meet some of those enforcers, learn their origin stories, feel their heartbreaks, their joys, travel with them on assignments, and see how The Guild came to be – but always, always, be wary of their master, Malick. Contains expanded versions of some stories, available only in the collection, as well as the exclusive stories Reymen: On Pain of Punishment, Kateesha: Call of Blood, and Clara: Pretty Pet. Also includes the Executioner Timeline Part 1 to help keep everything straight.
The Executioner’s Tale is a vigilante plot with a twist: justice is in the shape of a female pensioner – a reluctant one at that, who is accidentally drawn into the role of executioner. “I believe most people have considered murder at one time or other in their lives. Some actually go so far as imagining the act. A very few put their fantasies into action. An accident made me one of that number.” This is the fictionalised autobiography of a serial killer, or, as she would see herself, ‘an instrument of justice’. The first death is accidental, when she confronts the husband of her neighbour, a notorious wife-beater. But at this point she realises that her age, rather than being a negative, is actually a positive. No one would look at an older woman with suspicion: in fact, most people barely notice the elderly at all. So begins her new ‘career’. “I’m not a monster. I am someone who crossed a line and chose not to step back.” One of the significant factors is her loss of faith, but in its place she adopts the utilitarian principle of ‘the greatest good’. All the ‘victims’ are, to her mind, worthy of removal, and range from murderous nurses to paedophiles and drug dealers. In fact, every killing is made to protect or save the vulnerable. Our anonymous subject sees that the courts so often do not, or cannot, provide this justice, and believes in the Old Testament ideal of ‘an eye for an eye’ – or at least a punishment to fit the crime... The Executioner’s Tale is a gripping, refreshingly original crime novel whose heroine Ginny dubs ‘a modern Miss Marple’ who goes beyond detection to judge – and executioner.
Volume Two continues the stories of the Executioners, the vampires’ elite enforcers who uphold the Laws and administer punishment. Meet thirteen Executioners, hear their stories – from romance to heartbreak – and see through their eyes as Malick’s madness spirals out of control, leading to rebellion, betrayal, and death. Contains expanded versions of some stories, only available in this collection, as well as the exclusive stories Philip: What do you See?, Senya: Reasons, Roger: A Quiet Day and Obrad: Waylaid. Also includes the Executioner Timeline Part 2 to help keep everything straight.
The first book in the classic vigilante action series from a “writer who spawned a genre” (The New York Times). Overseas, Mack Bolan was dubbed “Sgt. Mercy” for the compassion he showed the innocent. On the home front, they’re calling him the Executioner for what he’s doing to the guilty. In the jungles of Southeast Asia, American sniper Mack Bolan honed his skills. After twelve years, with ninety-five confirmed hits, he returns home to Massachusetts. But it’s not to reunite with his family, it’s to bury them—victims in a mass murder/suicide. Even though Bolan’s own father pulled the trigger, he knows the old man was no killer. He was driven to madness by Mafia thugs who have turned his idyllic hometown into a new kind of war zone. Duty calls . . . Introducing an action hero “who would make Jack Reacher think twice,” this is the first book in the iconic series of vigilante justice that has become a publishing phenomenon (Empireonline.com). With more than two hundred million Executioner books sold since its debut, the series continues to stimulate. Gerry Conway, cocreator of Marvel Comics’ The Punisher, credits the Executioner as “my inspiration . . . that’s what gave me the idea for the lone, slightly psychotic avenger.” The series is also now in development as a major motion picture. War Against the Mafia is the 1st book in the Executioner series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Short Story. Ten years before Cyprus joins the ranks of the Executioners, he's guard at the Stronghold in Munich, Germany. There, he falls in love with Sadihra, a Scharfricterin (The equivalent of an Executioner). Not only does she outrank him, but she's already taken by their commander. Still, Cyprus has something on his side that no one realizes...a vision of the future. This is the extended edition from Tales of the Executioners Collection, Volume Two.
Short story. Jorick has served Malick for hundreds of years but, since marrying Velnya, he's wearied of his duty. With a final assignment to carry out, Jorick will finally be freed to live a life of quiet and peace - a life free from fighting and death. But what he finds when he gets home will shatter all of his dreams for the future and leave him hurtling down the road to revenge.
Short Story. After a bad breakup, Lisiantha returns to her rural coven. Dreading a run in with her ex, Josh, she soon has more important things to worry about: her master made a mistake and a warring coven wants her blood. Can Lisiantha and Josh find a way to save her – and maybe rekindle an old love in the process? Even vampires enjoy a Hallmark-style Christmas special.
Short Story. Warning: Contains spoilers for Ashes of Deceit. Taken prisoner by Oren's war coven, Zuri is held captive for twelve days. When he returns to the citadel, Eileifr refuses to reinstate him as an Executioner, forcing him to take "time to recuperate". Rather than the healing vacation its meant to be, Zuri feels just as trapped as he was by the war coven - maybe even more so.
Short story. Number twenty-one of the Tales of the Executioners, stories about the vampires elite "police force". Tellith is on vacation when he gets a call that the citadel is under attack! Is it the Hand of Death and his army? Will anyone survive? Can Tellith get back in time to do anything? And if he does, will he end up dead, too? It's a race cross country that he might just lose.
