Contemporary Dark Mystery

Sophie Katz's relationship with the irresistible and occasionally insufferable P.I. Anatoly Darinsky is on the fritz when a friend recruits Sophie's investigation skills to decode her possibly two-timing husband's strange behavior. When Sophie shows up in a short, red cocktail dress and her friend's hubby winds up dead, the loveable would-be sleuth can't help but take on the job.

Ian Hart is the most notorious criminal in the country. Like the thief he is, he came in the dark and stole a night of my life. He left me with souvenirs. Disaster and fear are my new realities. I’ll forever look over my shoulder, terrified he’d return, because when he took me, he stole more than just a few hours of my time. His crime has consequences neither of us could’ve imagined. If I’m to escape the nightmare of my life, I have to outsmart him.

Ich verstecke mich seit vier Jahren. Bin auf der Flucht vor dem Mann, mit dem ich einst das Bett teilte. ? Ich sah etwas, das ich nicht hätte sehen sollen. Ich nahm etwas, das ich nicht hätte nehmen sollen. Und er hat mich gerade gefunden. Aber es ist nicht nur meine Sicherheit, um die ich mir Sorgen machen muss. Ich habe einen kleinen Jungen. Seinen Jungen. Das geheime Baby eines russischen Gangsters.

For twenty-five years, the case of the McGraw twins kidnapping has remained unsolved. As the eldest son, Cull oversees the McGraw horse ranch, wary of prying eyes. So when true-crime writer Nikki St. James comes forward with new information, Cull can't believe his father invites her onto the compound. His family has suffered enough - he's not about to let St. James snoop and ruin them completely. But Nikki finds the eldest McGraw's protectiveness as endearing as it is aggravating.

Jane is haunted. Since she was a child, she has carried a ghost girl that feeds on the secrets and fears of everyone around her, whispering to Jane what they are thinking and feeling, even when she doesn't want to know. Henry, Jane's brother, is ridden by a genius ghost that forces him to build strange and dangerous machines. Their mother is possessed by a lonely spirit that burns anyone she touches. In Swine Hill, a place of defeat and depletion, there are more dead than living.

Thrust into a new world full of magic and monsters, Layla has finally come to terms with her supernatural powers - and left her old life behind. But her enemies are relentless. Sixteen months after her life changed forever, Layla and her team are besieged during a rescue attempt gone awry and must fight their way through to freedom. It turns out that Avalon has only grown since their last encounter, adding fresh villains to its horde. Meanwhile, revelations abound as Layla confronts twists and betrayals in her own life, with each new detail adding to the shadow that looms over her.

Layla Cassidy has always wanted a normal life, and the chance to put her father's brutal legacy behind her. And in her final year of university she's finally found it. Or so she thinks. But when Layla accidentally activates an ancient scroll, she is bestowed with an incredible, inhuman power. She plunges into a dangerous new world, full of mythical creatures and menace - all while a group of fanatics will stop at nothing to turn her abilities to their cause.

It’s been ten years since a mysterious, horrific incident in the South China Sea annihilated a US Navy destroyer and its Navy SEAL team. Only one man survived. Now, the US Navy is determined to put a stop to the new, frightening incidents taking place with alarming frequency. Enter SEAL Team 13, an elite group of soldiers led by sole survivor Harold “Hawk” Masters. Everyone on the team has survived contact with supernatural forces from “the other side.”

The man couldn't help himself. His captor was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her powerful eyes held his attention and made him forget that she had him confined in a basement, his hands and feet bound with duct tape. She fed him when he was hungry and kept him alive for the telling of her horrific tale. After getting past the terror and discomfort, he reasoned that there was nothing to worry about for the moment.

After years of struggle, Layla Cassidy has finally mastered the dark powers that threatened to control her and turned them to good. She’s ready to fight, but the next battle will be her greatest test yet. The forces of Avalon are growing ever stronger, reinforcing their dominance with almighty displays of brutality. When Abaddon comes close to crushing Layla and her friends, it’s clear that the thunder of war is about to give way to lightning—and that they have no chance of surviving it alone. The final battle against Abaddon is drawing closer.

Sie hätte nie in meinen Club kommen dürfen. Aber sie tat es. Ich hätte sie nicht zweimal anschauen sollen. Aber ich tat es. Eine Nacht mit Katerina ist nicht genug, aber Männer wie ich können es sich nicht leisten, schwach zu sein. Also sage ich ihr, dass sie gehen muss und mich nicht wiedersehen darf.

Chon Ko Gonin, Captain of the Green Jinn, ventured into unexplored territory in search of a wanted interplanetary criminal with the best of intentions. But the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Right from the start, the Green Jinn found itself dragged into battle to save an ancient people from Merc invaders. Ancient forces of good, and evil fought for control of Sibyl's Orb and dragged Chon ko Gonin into the middle of it.

When Jared refuses to kill for his gang, they beat him nearly to death. Comatose, his world splits in two. In one, Jared battles to wake from unconsciousness. In the other, he becomes a ruthless gang member known as J-Rock. After three years in darkness, Jared finally opens his eyes and is bombarded by visions of the horrible crimes J-Rock is committing in a parallel world. As Jared struggles to wake, he realizes his soul has been switching places with his criminal counterpart. Jared must find a way to eliminate J-Rock before the next switch.

Despite her amazing abilities, all Sun Song Shia ever wanted was to be loved. But it's hard to find love when you don't even know who you really are. Little Bird is an expansion of In Her Eyes, originally published in F&SF, a nominee for the Sturgeon award, an honoree for the James Tiptree award, and included in the 2015 Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Novellas (edited by Paula Guran).

Eighteen-year-old Myla Lewis is a girl who loves two things: kicking ass and kicking ass. She's not your everyday quasi-demon, half-demon, and half-human, girl. For the past five years, Myla has lived for the days she gets to fight in Purgatory's arena. When souls want a trial by combat for their right to enter heaven or hell, they go up against her, and she has not lost a battle yet.

FBI agent Harmony Black and her team, Vigilant Lock, face a new type of threat: one from beyond the stars. They'd always heard the Red Knight was an urban legend: in 1954, three years before Sputnik launched, a mysterious satellite was sighted circling Earth, though no power on the planet had such technology.

Tony has always been a bad dude. Blake has known Tony since they were kids and knows better than to believe anything the guy says. The massive wad of bills Tony keeps flashing is real enough, though. Down on his luck, the allure of quick cash makes Tony seem a lot more believable. Blake agrees to do one simple job, continuing to chase the prize even as it becomes clear that Tony is still the liar he's always been.

I thought I had found the perfect guy. Jake was handsome and sexy, and had eyes that could get me to do just about anything. The problem? The thought of being in love scared the hell out of me, so I called it quits and ran before I got in any deeper, driving off into a crazy winter storm. When I woke up the next day, I was in a strange hospital and slowly came to the realization that I was being drugged and held there against my will by my ex-boyfriend Jake.

One night. That’s all it took for Lilith’s world to be destroyed. Ever since, living life has become a soulless, mind-numbing task. That is until she meets a dark, handsome, mysterious stranger. Adrien’s the only man she’s spoken to, much less connected to, in months. The only one who seems to care enough to notice her through the walls she’s built. But learning how to trust again, especially with a man she’s barely spoken to, is a battle. Falling in love with him, a war. Because Adrien also holds a dark, terrible secret.

Tiger has lost almost everything. Her village. Her community. Her father. But her brother, Tarren, who has been kidnapped by the deadheads that razed her village, still lives. With only the loyal but enigmatic old man, Sai, to guide her into the nightmare-jungle that was once North America, Tiger must face her greatest fears in a race to save her brother before he is lobotomized, even while the world around her is bled dry by Those That Watch.