Nightmare in Central Park

      Jack Broscie
     Nightmare in Central Park

Inspired by Alicia Keys: 'A pocketfull of dreams' (Made in Manhattan).A girl of 17 haunted by a horrific nightmare, branded for life. A family torn apart; the mother with morbid habits, a spoiled little brother and a father with macabre interests. An enigmatic ad with a dark secret. A boy and a box with mysterious contents. The lurid price: a life for a life ...Inspired by Alicia Keys: 'A pocketfull of dreams' (Made in Manhattan).A girl of 17 haunted by a horrific nightmare, branded for life. A family torn apart; the mother with morbid habits, a spoiled little brother and a father with macabre interests. An enigmatic ad with a dark secret. A boy and a box with mysterious contents. The lurid price: a life for a life ...The fat fingers of the grey morning fog let go reluctantly of their prey and whirl up in the air that’s warming up. The early spring sun is still hiding behind the tops of the oak trees in the middle of Central Park. They are the remains of the prehistoric woods that were chopped away because of the building of new luxurious houses. She remembers the remarks from her father when they arrived at their new home. ‘What a creepy view.’ He had teased her and had laughed at her. ‘It looks like a place in the old days where they used to have satanical rites.’ Used to? Had he sensed IT coming? Had he know what would happen to her? What was waiting for all of them? Why didn´t he act upon it? Frightened she sees the long shadows of the trees on the grass. Like iron bars hiding something in the park. She is terrified of the park, afraid of what´s hidden there. She fears for when the truth will be found out. The shadow of the tree tops falls over the canal that streams around the park, it colors the water black. The wrought-iron gate that gives access to the park is wide open. Like the maul of a monster awaiting his next victim. She feels a cold shiver along her spine and has to force herself not to jump back.

Read online

  • 725

    The Man Who Killed His Brother

      Stephen R. Donaldson
     The Man Who Killed His Brother

A wounded hero must confront his own worst enemy: himself Mick "Brew" Axbrewder was once a great P.I. That was before he accidentally shot and killed a cop-worse, a cop who happened to be his own brother. Now he only works off and on, as muscle for his old partner, Ginny Fistoulari. It's a living. And it provides an occasional opportunity for him to dry out. But their latest case demands more than muscle. Brew's dead brother's daughter has disap-peared. His brother's widow wants him and Ginny to investigate. And both of them seem to expect him to sober up. Because the darkness they're find-ing under the surface of Sunbelt city Puerto del Sol goes beyond one missing teenager. Axbrewder will need all his talents to con-front that darkness. Most of all, he'll need to con-front his own worst enemy-himself. More than two decades ago, bestselling author Stephen R. Donaldson published three novels about Mick Axbrewder and Ginny Fistoulari as paperback originals under the pseudonym Reed Stephens. More recently, under his own name, Donaldson published a new novel in the se-quence, The Man Who Fought Alone. Now, for Donaldson's millions of readers worldwide, the first of the original books, The Man Who Killed His Brother, appears under Donaldson's own name, in revised and expanded form.

Read online

  • 725

    Tango with a Twist (Smashwords edition.)

      John Robert Mack
     Tango with a Twist (Smashwords edition.)

Ethan Fox is a world-champion dancer forced to move to tiny Dumass, TX. The only good thing there is Tango, the best dancer in town. And she’s hot! But Ethan isn't the only one secretly after her. Twist searches online for a way to make her fall for him. He doesn't dance, so he’ll try anything: even a magic spell from the naked chick online who promises to help him win Tango forever.Ethan Fox is a world-champion dancer forced to move to tiny Dumass, TX where the only dance team thinks their dusty moves and lame studio are the s**t. The only good thing is Tango, the best dancer in town. And she’s hot! What Ethan doesn’t know is that he’s not the only one secretly after her. Twist searches online for a way to make her fall for him. He doesn’t dance, so he’ll try anything: even a magic spell from the naked chick online who promises to help him win Tango forever. Witchcraft isn’t just a song by Frank Sinatra. “Great characters, non-stop snappy dialogue, ever- escalating drama and loads of heart. Dancing! Boxing! Small-town desperation, big city dreams. A demented stalker who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. But it’s also about having to face a huge setback in order to figure out what’s really important in life: in other words, Tango with a Twist is a story for everyone.” Alma Katsu Author of The Taker trilogy “The characters are great. . . Reminds me of Hope Floats meets Glee (and I say this as a compliment.)” Kevin Maurer, New York Times best-selling author of No Easy Day: The Autobiography of a Navy Seal. “John captures the art of dancing in such a wonderful way in this book. Every page leads to a new turn that keeps you on your toes. What a fantastic read!” Emily Drinkall, 2012 UCWDC Masters and three-time Superstar Line Dance World Champion. “John accurately describes the struggles of partnership dancers. It’s an interesting read for dancers and non-dancers alike. Well done.” Debbie Figueroa, National West Coast Swing, 2-Step, Showcase and Hustle Champion “John takes us on a joyful romp. . . and really captures the flavor of the life of a dancer. Join Ethan and his new friends as he discovers a life he’d dreamed of but never knew existed, you’ll have a bunch of fun along the way.” Sherry Reynolds, UCWDC World Champion, Master Dancer and Judge.“Tango with a Twist is a fast-paced, thrilling mystery with an emphasis on dancing. I love Mr. Mack’s cheeky characters and his introduction to fascinating worlds most people wouldn't get to experience otherwise.” C. L. Bevill Author of the Bubba mysteries

Read online

  • 724

    Galluping, a short story

      Angus Brownfield
     Galluping, a short story

Jarvis, a Gallup interviewer, encounters a strange, not to say deadly, respondent who takes orders from someone named Benny, who seems to have known Jarvis was coming. Is the large pistol on the couch to frighten him, or is this Jarvis’ interview with Death?A young man, Jarvis, is canvassing for the Gallup polling organization when he encounters Howard, a subject who alarms him. The man turns the interview around, asking Jarvis about his most interesting “customers.” Howard swears he knew Jarvis was coming. Howard has a large revolver sitting next to him on the couch. He wears black gloves and sunglasses. He is either nuts or psychic. Fearing this may be his last interview, Jarvis looks for ways to escape before Howard shoots him or completely demolishes his nerves.

Read online

  • 724

    Red 1-2-3

      John Katzenbach
     Red 1-2-3

Three women. They have nothing in common. They are different ages, come from different background, and lead drastically different lives. The only thing that binds them together is their red hair--and that each of them has been targeted for murder. When each 'Red' receives a chilling letter in the mail from a killer known only as the Wolf, their lives are upended as they spend every waking moment in the fear that their lives could be snuffed out at any moment. The Wolf is stalking them, biding his time, waiting for the perfect moment to complete his master plan. Yet the one thing this cunning and devious killer didn't plan for is the Reds discovering each other. The three women, using clues left by the Wolf, manage to band together in the hopes of protecting one another from this deadly predator. With law enforcement turning their backs on the Reds, their only hope for survival is to turn the tables, for the prey to become the predators. In a riveting game of cat-and-mouse, the Reds must track down the Wolf himself--before he silences each of them forever.

Read online

  • 724

    The Columbus Affair

      Steve Berry
     The Columbus Affair

A family’s secret, a ruthless fanatic, and a covert arm of the American government—all are linked by a single puzzling possibility: What if everything we know about the discovery of America was a lie? What if that lie was designed to hide the secret of why Columbus sailed in 1492? And what if that 500-year-old secret could violently reshape the modern political world? Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative journalist Tom Sagan has written hard-hitting articles from hot spots around the world. But when one of his stories from the Middle East is exposed as a fraud, his professional reputation crashes and burns. Now he lives in virtual exile—haunted by bad decisions and a shocking truth he can never prove:  that his downfall was a deliberate act of sabotage by an unknown enemy. But before Sagan can end his torment with the squeeze of a trigger, fate intervenes in the form of an enigmatic stranger.  This stranger forces Sagan to act—and his actions attract the attention of the Magellan Billet, a top-secret corps of the United States Justice Department that deals with America’s most sensitive investigations. Sagan suddenly finds himself caught in an international incident, the repercussions of which will shudder not only Washington, D.C., but also Jerusalem. Coaxed into a deadly cat-and-mouse game, unsure who’s friend and who’s foe, Sagan is forced to Vienna, Prague, then finally into the Blue Mountains of Jamaica—where his survival hinges on his rewriting everything we know about Christopher Columbus.

Read online

  • 724

    Kyralie (part 1)

      Aaralyn Griffin
     Kyralie (part 1)

Kyralie has been an orphan all her life. When she reaches 18 and is no longer able to stay with the foster parents she was raiseed by, a mysterious call comes and offers a job for Kyra Regardless of the location in the middle of nowhere. Now she's stuck, living with people she doesnt know and an ancient secret better left unspoken...After the death of a student at an Auckland school over a creation verses evolution disagreement a teacher at the school enters into a wager with another teacher that she can prove creation. The story follows her efforts to locate the biblical Garden of Eden and thereby prove creation rather than evolution.

Read online

  • 723

    An Artist's Freedom

      John Muir
     An Artist's Freedom

A sample story from the collection of 13 stories in Short Shorts & Longer Tales. A deaf mute aboriginal artist loses a canvas on which he has painted his life. Though he knows where it is, and he can see it, he can't touch or reclaim it. But his ancestral upbringing means he can't leave it behind, so he remains in the vicinity to be near it, passing his time waiting an opportunity.The sample story, "An Artist's Freedom", is merely to give an appetizer from the collection of 13 stories in "Short Shorts & Longer Tales." The sample story tells of an aboriginal deaf mute who loses a canvas on which he has painted his life. Though he knows where it is, and he can see it, he can't touch or reclaim it. But his ancestral upbringing means he can't leave it behind, so he remains in the vicinity to be near it, passing his time waiting for an opportunity to reclaim it. The story earned a 4th placing in the NZ Writers' College nationwide competition in 2010. The full collection is widely varied in location including Japan, Philippines, Australia and New Zealand; varied in nature from wonderfully witty, superb suspense and seriously sad tales. Varying in length from 1,000 words to a 15,000 word novella. Easily readable without a dictionary by your side.

Read online

  • 723

    The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

      April Henry
     The Girl Who Was Supposed to Die

“Take her out back and finish her off.” She doesn’t know who she is. She doesn’t know where she is, or why. All she knows when she comes to in a ransacked cabin is that there are two men arguing over whether or not to kill her. And that she must run. In her riveting style, April Henry crafts a nail-biting thriller involving murder, identity theft, and biological warfare. Follow Cady and Ty (her accidental savior turned companion), as they race against the clock to stay alive.

Read online

  • 723

    The Big Killing

      Robert Wilson
     The Big Killing

In this second novel of the Bruce Medway series, our hero, a go-between and "fixer" for traders in steamy West Africa, smells trouble when a porn merchant asks him to deliver a video at a secret location. Things look up, though, when he's hired to act as minder to Ron Collins, a spoiled playboy looking for diamonds in the Ivory Coast. Medway thinks this could be the answer to his cashflow crisis. But when the video delivery leads to a shootout and the discovery of a mutilated body, he wants out. Obligations keep Medway fixed in the Ivory Coast and he is soon caught up in a terrifying cycle of violence. Unless he can get to the bottom of the mystery, Medway knows that for the savage killer out there in the African night, he is the next target.

Read online

  • 723

    Not Dead Yet

      Peter Menadue
     Not Dead Yet

The first book in the Gary Maddox Series:Sydney private investigator Gary Maddox scratches out a living doing personal injuries surveillance. A mother asks him to find out who killed her drug-dealing son. The son deserved to die. But the mother deserves justice and offers Gary a lot of money. Soon he's battling drug dealers, corrupt cops, hit-men and thugs. He's well armed and not dead yet.I have been abandoned in a stark landscape. I have no idea who I am or why I've been cast out. My only protection is a Ruger double-action revolver. I discover if I can make it through the no-man's-land alive, I might have a chance at amnesty. All I have to do is trek the two-hundred-and-fifty miles north through desolate wasteland to the Gate. Alone.I could say this is the worst day of my life, but I honestly have no idea.Into the Wasteland follows one young woman's journey through treacherous landscapes, backstabbing strangers, and lethal challenges. If she survives, her path will lead her to a final destination beyond anything she could have imagined.All author's proceeds from sales of this dystopian novella series benefits battered women’s shelters.Lisa's novellas are written without explicit intimacy or violence. As such they are suitable for teens and up.

Read online

  • 722

    The Former World

      Jessica Grace Coleman
     The Former World

The Former World: Book One in the Little Forest paranormal mystery series. There’s something lurking beneath the picturesque façade of the English village of Little Forest, something dark and disconcerting, something which the vast majority of the residents are refusing to see…The Former World: Book One in the Little Forest paranormal mystery series. If you’d like to get the next Little Forest novel - Memento Mori - for free, sign up for the mailing list at www.jessicagracecoleman.com. You can also get the first four novels in the Little Forest series for a discounted price by buying the box set of The Former World, Memento Mori, The Exalted and Carnival Masquerade. “Little Forest is the only place I've ever lived, and it's the place where I'm going to die. Tonight.” These are the words of Beth Powers, long-time resident of Little Forest. On the surface, she’s just an ordinary English girl in a typical English village, but appearances can be deceiving… extremely deceiving. There’s something lurking beneath the picturesque façade of the English village of Little Forest, something dark and disconcerting, something which the vast majority of the residents are refusing to see… Fed up with living in the tiny, gossip-fuelled village, twenty-one year old Beth resolves to escape to London with her best friend, Veronica Summers. That is, until something throws a spanner in the works. A rather large spanner. A dead body, to be exact. A dead body found early one morning in the spooky surroundings of the Great Specton Woods. The apparently accidental death of Beth’s work colleague sets off the small community’s well-oiled rumour mill, and Beth soon finds herself in the middle of a bizarre village conspiracy. Potential suspects start appearing in all shapes and sizes – including the handsome new resident, mystery man Connor Maguire, who has conveniently just arrived in Little Forest – and with the police refusing to consider murder, Beth takes it upon herself to investigate. At least it’s a good distraction from the other strange and unusual things that have started happening in her generally boring life; let’s just say that Beth’s work colleague isn’t the only dead person she has to deal with these days. After all, it isn’t always something as innocent as the ghosts of past memories that come to get you… With the help of rather unlikely ally Will Wolseley, Beth delves into the village’s sinister secrets and, in turn, uncovers a terrifying truth about herself that could change her life forever. Unfortunately, she might not have much of ‘forever’ left, as when it comes right down to it, it’s not a question of whether or not she’ll decide to leave her childhood home. The question is whether or not Little Forest will let her go. The Former World is reminiscent of a good old-fashioned English mystery thriller, updated to the twenty-first Century but still relying on the quaint locations of the beautiful English countryside: close-knit villages, local pubs, ancient castles, large, looming forests and magnificent Stately homes. This enchanting rural environment gives Beth the perfect setting to explore the ominous events that threaten to shake up her small village and her life. “Jessica Grace Coleman is one of the most exciting new writers around. Her stories inspire, entertain and mesmerise. An absolute must-read.” - Adam Croft, English author. Jessica Grace Coleman brings you the first novel in the paranormal mystery 'Little Forest' series, setting the stage for the follow ups: 'Memento Mori', 'The Exalted', 'Carnival Masquerade' and 'The Gloaming'. A fan of mystery books and horror writers, Coleman delves into the world of legends and paranormal activity in this supernatural series, leading her own investigation into the fictional fantasy landscape that permeates readers’ darkest fears. The Little Forest series isn’t just concerned with spirits of the dead or other ghost stories, it’s about how we would react if these terrifying spectres actually did come into our world. How would you react?

Read online

  • 722