Showing titles in Short Stories

A woman on the run and an ex-sniper who’ll do anything to protect her… I’ve been an orphan, a delinquent, a Marine, and a sniper. But I’ve never been in love until I stumble upon the lost girl sheltering in the forest. She’s battered and bruised on the outside with more scars on the inside. I take her in. I heal her. And when she tells me about her past, I do what I do best: whatever it takes to protect her. I was a Scout Sniper in the Marines. I’m not looking for redemption. I’m looking for revenge. Found by the Mountain Man is a found-family, age gap, instalove romance ...

Shivers and other nightmares is a compilation of 30 stories, Most are in the horror genre and most with surprise endings. The nightmares include: Shivers: The last thing Steve remembers is stopping at the rest stop off the interstate. Under New Management: The meat at Big Mama's Restaurant is extremely fresh. Tattoo: Marla picks a ferocious black panther for the free tattoo she won. Genie In the Bottle: Three college friends find a strange bottle in the surf and make a wish that comes with a price. Dominance: The Simmons family encounters an escaped madman on a camping trip in the ...

Since its publication in 1996, George Saunders’ debut collection has grown in esteem from a cherished cult classic to a masterpiece of the form, inspiring an entire generation of writers along the way. In six stories and a novella, Saunders hatches an unforgettable cast of characters, each struggling to survive in an increasingly haywire world.

"Is that how the weak humans in the Silver District take you?" Vorok's voice rumbled with something dark. "A few thrusts and they call it done?" He took a step towards her and pulled off his top. Meda snapped her gaze to the headboard. Even in the dim light of the room she could make out the contours of Vorok's chest and it sent a pulse of desire right to her core. "Look at me," Vorok demanded. She couldn't refuse. Vorok knows the rules of the Red District. Bust heads. Take names. And never cross the boss. But when the boss's daughter tries to run away from an unwanted engagement, Vorok has...

Can love overcome danger? Remaining in her Virginia hometown won't mend Clara Brown's broken heart. Determined to set her life back in order--and go somewhere she won't have to see her former beau--she answers an advertisement for a mail-order bride. Before she knows it, she's arrived in Crest Stone, a rugged new railroad town nestled between the mountains in Colorado. And when she meets her intended, he's better than she ever could have dreamed--handsome and kind, even if he does seem preoccupied. Roman Carlisle is a cowboy turned livery owner. More than anything, he wants what his ...

Tom Perrotta’s first book, Bad Haircut, consisted of linked stories featuring a shared protagonist. Now, nineteen years later, he has written and compiled his first true short story collection. This twelve story book features a group set in Perrotta’s trademark suburban setting, focusing on the fissures in families and unexpected connections among members of typical American communities, including “Senior Season” and "Nine Inches".

Ursula K. Le Guin has enthralled fans with her imagination, clarity, and moral vision. The recipient of numerous literary prizes, including the National Book Award, the Kafka Award, and five Hugo and five Nebula Awards, this renowned writer has created a provocative, ever-evolving universe filled with diverse worlds and rich characters reminiscent of our earthly selves. Now, in The Birthday of the World, this gifted artist returns to these worlds in eight brilliant short works, including a never-before-published novella, each of which probes the essence of humanity.

Behold the Void includes nine stories of terror that huddle in the dark space between cosmic horror and the modern weird, between old-school hard-edged horror of the 1980s and the stylistic prose of today's literary giants.

From esteemed crime fiction writer George Pelecanos comes four blistering novellas, drawn together by themes of strife, violence, and humanity. When the son of the Carusos is involved in a hold up, the family home comes under siege in the form of a no-knock warrant. Months after the cops destroyed their home, the Carusos struggle to return to normal. Elsewhere, two former inmates reunite by chance on the set of a TV production. Both have found their way on the straight and narrow path, that is, until one sees the potential for an easy grift.

Captain Joe Ledger - former cop, former Army Ranger, and currently the top-kick of Echo Team, an elite squad of first-class shooters who roll out to face down the world's most dangerous terrorists. Not fanatics with explosive vests or political hostage takers. Joe and his team square off against terrorists who have the most advanced and exotic weapons of mass destruction, designer bioweapons, cutting-edge transgenics…real mad-scientist stuff.

OVER 500 PAGES OF ENCOUNTERS WITH THE SCARIEST MONSTERS AND CRYPTIDS KNOWN! In, The Mega Monster Book, Volume 5, Ethan Hayes once more delves into the dark and terrifying legends that have haunted humanity for centuries. This installment features harrowing encounters with malevolent Wendigos, the nightmarish Rakes, and the unsettling Black-Eyed Kids. With firsthand accounts from the very people who experienced these monsters, Hayes presents each tale without much alteration. Prepare for a spine-tingling exploration of the unknown in this compelling volume.

In the biggest wedding of the decade, triplets Eden, Jasmine, and Phoebe Alexandria Rose prepare to marry the men who've captured their hearts. Invitations have gone out, and The Who's who in the city of Chicago will be in attendance, including local and national media. However, after coming up with what seemed to be a brilliant plan for the sister's wedding night, those ideas backfire and the ladies lean on each other for support in an effort to hold it together - all the way to the altar.

In a daring and chilling debut, Brad Thor draws us into a sinister labyrinth of political intrigue and international terrorism, serving up an explosive cocktail of unrelenting action and a shattering climax, as one man is pushed to the edge.

On the snow-covered slopes of Utah, the unthinkable has just become a nightmarish reality. Thirty Secret Service agents have been viciously executed, and the vacationing president of the United States has been kidnapped.

The nine stories that make up Elizabeth McCracken’s debut story collection deal with oddball characters doing their very best to forge connections with those around them. In “It’s Bad Luck to Die”, a woman marries an older tattoo artist and finds comfort in agreeing to act as a canvas for his most elaborate work. And in the title story, a young man and his wife are perplexed when an outspoken old woman shows up on their doorstep for a visit, claiming to be a distant aunt, even though she can’t be traced on a family tree.

What do church ladies really think? Composed and often so quiet as to be thought invisible, church ladies have secret powers to change the world. What are those special powers? They love well. They give well. They can often cook! And they play an essential role in a great rescue operation for mankind. For although they appear to have Ninja warrior strengths (and can be invisible!), they are helpers to the only Superhero who ever really saved the world and mankind. They know His name and will tell you. And they can show you what it's like to brought to life and empowered to love instead of ...

It seems straightforward enough: Get a foot in the door by posing as a potential investor in a lucrative underground business—then bring the place down from the inside. There’s more here than meets the eye. What it triggers in Nameless is uncontrollable rage and brutal retribution. What it reveals is a clue to his forgotten past. Is it a breach on his handler’s part? Or a test? Either way, something’s not right.

The well-meaning protagonists of Brief Encounters with Che Guevara are caught - to both disastrous and hilarious effect - in the maelstrom of political and social upheaval surrounding them. Ben Fountain's prize-winning debut speaks to the intimate connection between the foreign, the familiar, and the inescapably human.

Dashiell Hammett is best known as both pioneer and master of American hard-boiled detective fiction, but these dozen and a half stories both affirm that reputation and present him in a different light. Along with the full-length treatments On the Make and The Kiss-Off, this collection includes never before and rarely published stories that explore failed romance, courage in the face of uncertainty, hypocrisy, and crass opportunism.

Mrs. Packington felt alone, helpless, and utterly forlorn. But her life changed when she stumbled upon an advertisement in the Times that read: "Are you happy? If not, consult Mr. Parker Pyne." Equally adept at putting together the fragments of a murder mystery or the pieces of a broken marriage, Mr. Parker Pyne is possibly the world's most unconventional private investigator. Armed with just his intuitive knowledge of human nature, he is an Englishman abroad, traveling the globe to solve and undo crime and misdemeanor.

A romance with a mafia boss has no place in my life. But he doesn’t care–not once he’s decided he wants me anyway. Six months after my father’s untimely death, I’m drowning in debt. Even working for one of the most respected celebrity tattoo artists in Los Angeles hasn’t been enough to fix that. I don’t have time to fall in love–or even to think about dating. Even a one-night-stand has become a distant possibility. Then my boss asks me to fill in for him while he’s sick–and I end up in a west LA penthouse, about to tattoo the most well-known mafia boss on this side of ...