Worn out from investigating the murder of her boss, Cynthia Hegarty opens a detective agency in the City. But she gets more than she bargained for - a customer!Join Cynthia as she investigates the mysterious non-appearance of a very fit fitness instructor.This is a short story.The word Rache, written in blood on the wall at the scene of a murder, marked Sherlock Holmes’ introduction to the world. Published in 1887, A Study in Scarlet presented Holmes as a new type of hero, one who uses razor sharp powers of deduction and minute attention to detail to solve cases too hard for Scotland Yard. Sherlock Holmes’ brilliant insights and quick wit soon made him a legend. Due to his immense popularity, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle went back to his most famous character again and again, writing an additional 3 Sherlock Holmes novels and 56 short stories over the next four decades.This edition is not the original text. Rather, it is a remastered version that strives to make the classic story more accessible. While the vast majority of the text is original, hundreds of modifications have been made to make the story an easier, smoother reading experience for modern readers. We hope these changes will allow a new generation to enjoy the brilliance of Sherlock Holmes.

Bruno Walton and Boots O'Neal try to think of ways to raise money for a school swimming pool like the one their archrivals have at York Academy.

A comical road trip across the U.S. with a cast of surreal characters including a failed motivational speaker, a Kamchatkan runaway bride, a sock-crazed mafia boss, and cross-dressing parents.A comical road trip across the U.S. with a cast of surreal characters including a failed motivational speaker, a Kamchatkan runaway bride, a sock-crazed mafia boss, and cross-dressing parents. Unsatisfied with the daily grind of a Silicon Valley “business coach and life consultant,” Dean Cook weasels his way into a once-in-a-lifetime chance for fame and fortune: a speaking slot at the National Motivational Speaker’s Conference in West Virginia. Three days before the conference, Dean’s girlfriend breaks up with him and destroys his passport and identification cards. Dean’s flight plans are now scrapped, and he’s forced to steal a second hand ambulance. On the high-speed drive across the country he meets a Russian girl on the run from her fiancé, a brutal and eccentric collector of women’s hosiery. Dean and the girl escape from a series of catastrophes including a shotgun wedding in Reno, Sea MonkeysTM in the Great Salt Lake, and parachuting from a B-25 bomber over Kentucky. Scrambling to catch up to Dean are his gender-bending parents, who see this as the last chance to throw their son a party that doesn’t end in complete disaster. Because, after all, it’s Dean’s birthday.

The debut novel that launched Robertson Davies’ literary career, Tempest-Tost is a magnificent display of his legendary wit. The first novel in The Salterton Trilogy is now available as an eBook for the first time. An amateur production of The Tempest provides a colourful backdrop for a hilarious look at unrequited love. Mathematics teacher Hector Mackilwraith, stirred and troubled by Shakespeare’s plays, falls in love with the beautiful Griselda Webster. When Griselda shows she has plans of her own, Hector despairs and tries to commit suicide on the play’s opening night.

follow lola the rabbit on a journey that will bring her away from her past and into a new hope and life with the help of the dark knight. Please tell me what you think of this!Everyone thinks that the Flying Saucers are stored at Area-51 in Nevada. But that isn't true. They are actually someplace else and when a curious Airman steals a piece, he discovers just how the aliens were able to ignore the limits of the Speed of light.How this man uses the device to make money is the gist of the story.

SLEUTHING FOR BEGINNERS: Angela decides to play detective when her neighbour dies suddenly. A PEACEFUL DEATH: George is visited by the Angel of Death, who makes some unusual demands.A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND: Ali sets out to find her dead uncle's secret, ill-gotten fortune.THE MUSE: Esther is a struggling writer until she meets her muse, who turns her world upside down.Four short comedy stories – with a blend of mystery and a dash of supernatural ‘I recommend these stories to those who enjoy a bit of the macabre with a blend of mystery and a twist of supernatural on the side.’ Readers’ FavouriteSLEUTHING FOR BEGINNERS Angela has always had a secret ambition to be a private detective. After her neighbour dies suddenly she launches her own investigation, with unexpected results. A PEACEFUL DEATH George, who has been obsessed with death since his father died, is visited by The Angel of Death, who strikes an unusual bargain. A GIRL'S BEST FRIEND Ali, the sole beneficiary of her uncle’s will, learns that he may have a secret, ill-gotten fortune stashed away. But she soon finds out she’s not the only one determined to find it. THE MUSE Esther, a struggling romance writer, meets her muse Alfred, and he moves in, providing her with a constant source of inspiration. But is the cost too high?If you like comedy, mystery and fantasy, and you’re looking for a book you can read on the train or in a couple of spare hours, this book of short stories is for you.‘I love Robin Storey's dry wit and realistic characterization of the foibles of human nature.’ Pamela Mariko.

Todd, Flo, Jade, Lucy, Randy, and others return in this new eBook short. Flo is swimming in the hotel pool when her room explodes. The bomber soon has River City in an uproar. The returning characters are joined by Fred, Dooley, and a pair of Manolo high heel pumps.Ejaz Bennett is a paranormal bounty hunter. The type of guy who's seen it all, Ejaz enjoys relaxing when he's not chasing down something that could kill most men without even a thought. But today, he was greeted by an unexpected guest: Jehoash, known as the King of the Dragons, corners the hunter. But the dragon king is not here to fight or to take revenge, but to ask for Ejaz's help. Jehoash needs it to save the most important thing in his life: His family.

Comedy and mystery with a twist of supernatural - tales of reality and beyond ‘I recommend these stories to those who enjoy a bit of the macabre with a blend of mystery and a twist of supernatural on the side.’ Readers' FavouriteSleuthing For BeginnersAngela has always had a secret ambition to be a private detective. After her neighbour dies suddenly she launches her own investigation, with unexpected results.A Peaceful DeathGeorge, who has been obsessed with death since his father died, is visited by The Angel of Death, who strikes an unusual bargain.A Girl’s Best FriendAli, the sole beneficiary of her uncle’s will, learns that he may have a secret, ill-gotten fortune stashed away. But she soon discovers she's not the only one determined to find it.The MuseEsther, a struggling romance writer, meets her muse Alfred, and he moves in, providing her with a constant source of inspiration. But is the cost too high?If you like comedy, mystery and fantasy, and you’re looking for a book you can read on the train or in a couple of spare hours, this book of short stories is for you.‘I love Robin Storey's dry wit and realistic characterization of the foibles of human nature.’ Pamela Mariko.Scroll up and click the Buy Button now to start reading this diverse collection of entertaining stories.AUTHOR INTERVIEWDid you come up with the idea of an anthology of short stories and then write them?Not at all. The stories were already written, but not doing anything much, just lounging around in the Short Stories folder on my computer, eating pizza and watching Netflix. So I decided it was time they earned their keep.Why did you choose those particular stories?They all have a common thread of an element of humour, albeit subtle humour for the most part. Two of them are crime, (Sleuthing for Beginners and A Girl’s Best Friend), one is fantasy (A Peaceful Death) and the other has a romantic subplot (The Muse). So I figured there was enough variety to keep readers from being bored.Sleuthing for Beginners and A Peaceful Death were short-listed in short story competitions, but had the sulks because their moment of glory was over before it even started. So to appease them I included them to give them some exposure.What is it you enjoy about writing short stories?Because most of my time now is spent on the marathon of writing novels, I love the sprinting exercise of writing short stories. It’s a refreshing change of pace to be able to see the ending as soon as you start writing. The discipline of short story writing is excellent training for novel writing – it teaches you to be economical and succinct in your word choice, to focus on the story at hand and not get side-tracked and to write in such a way that readers can read between the lines without you having to spell things out.Short stories are as much an exercise on what to leave out as to what to put in. It’s a real art that only comes with practice.Will you be publishing more short stories in the future?I would certainly like to, but I don’t know when. Finding the time to write them is the challenge.

Friends meet to celebrate the life of one of their old comrades who had passed long ago. The evening goes from playing board games to sharing scary stories. The only thing is one tale will turn out to be true.Friends meet to celebrate the life of one of their old comrades who had passed long ago. The evening goes from playing board games to sharing scary stories. The only thing is one tale will turn out to be true.It's the fourth story I released to the public back in November of 2011. If you enjoy this story, check out my others. If you really loved it, look into my first novel, Void Star. Thank you so much for reading and supporting indie authors!-J.P. YagerOtterbored.com

Wonka is such a performer, here he is again to present your Easter Story, which is all about Duffel and Sam. Easter is such a time of breaking down and starting back up again, Owner wanted a story to put things right, full of fun, rescued animals and magic powers. Duffel to the rescue then! With Wonka's approval what more can we ask? He has even let Owner's illustrations stay in....At last it is Easter and time for another story from Wonka. Fresh from the success of his Christmas tale, Owner has thoughtfully given up one of her stories for him to tell. Taking an Easter break from all that life coaching and doing, Owner can sit back and relax whilst Wonka presents Duffel and Sam! Of course Wonka has given it the once over and said it is good to go. Duffel is a young man with magic powers and is sent to rescue Sam, a cross collie lab left behind here on earth and pining for home. Based on stories told by Owner's Dad when she was a child, Wonka thinks she is onto a winner. He has even let Owner illustrate it, and includes her work in progress! So with Wonka presenting how can it fail! So put down your Easter eggs and hot cross buns for a minute, sit back and listen with Wonka.

Once more we join Wonka, the ninth in the series, and thanks to him Owner has pressed on with her goals, all set out in that Life Plan. Hurtling towards them with Wonka's fair but firm advice, surely all is going well? Even Shakespeare could have turned this tragedy into a comic turn, but what of Wonka, all alone now and without beloved Baba not to mention Golly? Join in the fun and find out!Just Wonka finds us in early Summer 2013 and Owner is making all those steps forward that the Life Plan envisaged! She is tackling the drama of her life with Wonka urging her on, and surely the Bard Shakespeare would have turned it all into a play, invented new words, plucking a story from her jumbled up hopes and dreams ..a tragedy or comedy perhaps, whittling it all down to the fates...but hang on, Wonka is now without beloved Baba not to mention Golly, and may need a companion. But will he? It is a full time job advising Owner and goodness knows who is lurking out back. What with checking on Owner's state of mind and the dreaded finances, Wonka is pretty busy and could a holiday be on the cards........ take some time out with the ninth Wonka, and you too could be heading for the funny side of it...

From the writer of the cult sensation John Dies at the End comes another terrifying and hilarious tale of almost Armageddon at the hands of two hopeless heroes. WARNING: You may have a huge, invisible spider living in your skull. THIS IS NOT A METAPHOR. You will dismiss this as ridiculous fearmongering. Dismissing things as ridiculous fearmongering is, in fact, the first symptom of parasitic spider infection-the creature secretes a chemical into the brain to stimulate skepticism, in order to prevent you from seeking a cure. That's just as well, since the "cure" involves learning what a chain saw tastes like. You can't feel the spider, because it controls your nerve endings. You can't see it, because it decides what you see. You won't even feel it when it breeds. And it will breed. So what happens when your family, friends, and neighbors get mind-controlling skull spiders? We're all about to find out. Just stay calm, and remember that telling you about the spider situation is not the same as having caused it. I'm just the messenger. Even if I did sort of cause it. Either way, I won't hold it against you if you're upset. I know that's just the spider talking.

It's too bad they don't give out diplomas for what you learn at the mall, because I could graduate with honors in that subject. No really. Since I've worked there, I've become an expert on all things shopping-related. For example, I can tell you right off who to distrust at the mall: 1) Skinny people who work at Cinnabon. I mean, if they're not eating the stuff they sell, how good can it be? 2) The salesladies at department store makeup counters. No matter what they tell you, buying all that lip gloss will not make you look like the pouty models in the store posters. 3) And most importantly—my best friend's boyfriend, Bryant, who showed up at the food court with a mysterious blonde draped on his arm. Yeah, I saw it, and yeah, I told my best friend all about it. You would think this would mean trouble for Bryant, but you would basically be wrong. Somehow, the evil boyfriend turned everything around, and now I'm the one who has to prove myself! But I will. Even if Bryant—and more importantly his best friend, Colton—keep trying to stop me.

A Fairy Tale of New York is a funny, lusty, and sad novel of comic genius. Returning from study abroad, Cornelius Christian enters customs with his luggage and his dead wife. His first encounter in New York is with a funeral director, with whom he reluctantly takes employment to pay for the burial expenses. In the course of his duties he meets the beautiful Fanny Sourpuss over her millionaire husband's dead body. However, his over-enthusiastic handling of his first corpse lands him in court. Cornelius Christian wanders through the great sad cathedral that is New York, examining the human condition in all its comic pathos and lonely absurdity. Whether lingering in the Automat drinking from half empty coffee cups and stealing baked beans from the plates of customers who go looking for ketchup, or finding love on a street corner only to end up fighting his way out of a hooker's fists, Cornelius Christian, heroic anti-hero, sings of life's goodness in the wake of disaster.

?A liltingly moving piece of writing from a wonderfully fruity romancerOCO - Financial Times Where Darcy departing Dublin descends on his darkly decrepit desmesne, skint as a boiled bone. There to ponder his leaking, bat-ridden birthright, devilishly diverted by sexy Miss von B and readily rolled up by Ronald Rashers. And Sees Leila. Lovely, lissome Leila ? who tells him no. A definite negative. So Darcy is back to Dublin and the noisome stews to dream of the one bright star in his eternal darkness ? As ThereOCOs foolOCOs gold at the end of every Irish rainbow, and tarnished silver linings in every cloud, so thereOCOs a shimmer on the far horizon for this particular broth of a boy. His future is disastrous, his present indecent, his past divine. He is Darcy Dancer, youthful squire of Andromeda Park, the great gray stone mansion inhabited by Crooks, the cross eyed butler, and the sexy, aristocratic Miss Von B. This sequel to The Destinies of Darcy Dancer, Gentleman finds our hero falling in with decidedly low company ? like the dissolute Dublin poet, Foxy Slattery, and Ronald Rashers, who absconds with the family silver ? before falling head over heels in love with the lissome Leila. "