Evil Fiction

One of the most enduring themes in great literature is the eternal struggle between good and evil - often embodied in such devices as the werewolf, the doppelganger and the evil twin. This anthology presents a selection of the greatest short stories whose tension and drama revolves around the conflict of good and evil.

Peregrine Cavendish, 12th Earl of Enzie, has made a devil's bargain: he's going to sell Rowena, Isla's beautiful and innocent younger sister, to a known murderer in exchange for forgiveness of his debts. Tristan Mountbatten, the infamous Duke of Darkling Reach, has a habit of marrying such women and then disposing of them...horribly. For this and other reasons, there are rumors. That he practices the dark arts; that he's a necromancer; that he is, in fact a demon.

In a hidden studio in Rome, an art expert is found dead in front of one of the most beautiful paintings Nic Costa has ever seen - an unknown Caravaggio masterpiece. But before long, tragedy will strike Nic far closer to home. The main suspect's identity is known, but he remains untouchable, protected by a fleet of lawyers and a sinister cult known as the Ekstasists. If Costa can crack the reasons for the cult's existence, he may well stand a chance of nailing his wife's killer. But the mystery will take him right back to Caravaggio himself and the reasons he had to flee Rome.

Here is E. L. Doctorow’s debut novel, a searing allegory of frontier life that sets the stage for his subsequent classics. Hard Times is the name of a town in the barren hills of the Dakota Territory. To this town there comes one day one of the reckless sociopaths who wander the West to kill...

In Evil Hour is the thrilling story about the smears, defamations, infidelities, and torrential rains that afflict a small Colombian town, and the sacrifice of a boy that brings torment and chaos to an end. One morning, slanderous posters start appearing all over the town, revealing family secrets and maligning individuals. Ghosts of the past reappear, along with old feuds and infidelities. Torrential rains then flood the town, and chaos is everywhere. Neighbors suspect each other, yet no one knows who is responsible. Finally, a boy is made the scapegoat and tragedy ensues.

The Galaxy is breaking up as the Confederation of Species fractures. Maauro and her new companion, Dassa, have reached their safe Inner Worlds and sold their fabulous cargo of gems, but restlessness plagues Maauro the AI. She seeks a greater purpose for her existence.

It's frustrating for local law enforcement to come up against a piece of scum like Newton Glover. He's dirty as hell, everyone knows that - breaks into and vandalizes his neighbors' homes; cheats and steals from everyone; folks suspect he deals drugs and porn. He's even killed a man and gotten away with it. He gets away with all of it, hinting that he has a secret government background and that he's "protected" by the Powers That Be. Glover may finally have gone too far.

For all beings are the paths of fate carved, but for three dark elven children did the loss of their parents put their fates in clear unwanted view. Being murdered by a wizard in the body of a beastly Minotaur, this brutal unscrupulous terror was bent on ruthless backlash to all in the realm for his own dark suffering past.

There are many things that go bump in the night, and I am one of them. Hunters are what prevent our world from descending into chaos and bloodshed. We are the shields in the dark and the weapons of protection, walking the line of good and evil every day… or so I thought. I was born and raised to hunt, honed into an elite soldier dedicated to our cause, until those around me commit the worst act imaginable and betray me. Left for dead, I have no choice but to turn away from humans and embrace the very monsters I pursue for help.

Robert and Janet Patterson and their young daughter, Krissy, went looking for the perfect getaway vacation spot. They found it in a backwoods Florida town. Far away from civilization. Quiet and peaceful. And terribly isolated. Robert and Janet should have listened to the local legends. They should have heeded the warnings about the blackwater lagoons. And they should have listened to their daughter when she told them about the whispers in the woods. Because now, it's too late. Krissy's disappeared, and whatever took their little girl is coming back for more....

Ivy Greene’s illusion of innocence makes for a standing ovation performance. With her sense of entitlement, believing she is far superior to other people, she plunders through life making excuses for her misguided behaviors along the way. Her mother emotionally cripples her with unrealistic standards of perfection, harsh criticism, inconsistency, and demands for compliance and unreasonable gratitude.

The Evil Beneath: Booktrack Edition is enhanced with a musical soundtrack from Booktrack for an immersive listening experience! Juliet Grey, an impulsive and intrepid psychotherapist, can’t resist responding to an anonymous text message telling her to go to a bridge at dawn. But it isn’t the dead body in the water that disturbs her, it’s the way something personal to Juliet has been left on the corpse. Teaming up with local detective, DCI Brad Madison, Juliet strives to find out why she has been targeted and how it’s connected to the accident that killed her brother 19 years ago.

Finally, Isaac pours his heart out to Cass about his troubled childhood. Meanwhile, larger than life personalities clash in Meadowview, and tragedy strikes again. How much more can this small community take before it implodes? Perfect for fans of Harley Tate, Ryan Schow, Grace Hamilton, Kyla Stone, and Boyd Craven, Grip of Evil is the sixth book in this enthralling post-apocalyptic EMP survival thriller featuring flawed, complex characters and adrenaline-fueled action and adventure.

An Evil Shadow Falls is the final part of the Sam Holloway trilogy, in which the former Special Forces officer and her team of warrior contractors face their most dangerous mission yet, in a wild adventure that starts in London and ends in armed intervention and death on the high seas.

Vampire Alexis Black just wanted to be human again. Now she just wants to stay alive...and undead. After Alexis tried and failed to kill Delano Melazi, an ancient bloodsucker hell-bent on revenge, he’s been trying to repay the favor one pointy-toothed minion at a time. An army of undead intent on stalking and staking her.

Take a ride back to Luntville in Edward Lee’s new novella, THE BIGHEAD’S JUNK then hang around for the ultra-rare, cult classic novella, YOU ARE MY EVERYTHING!

There's nothing strange about bodies buried in cemeteries - unless they don't belong there. And when six murdered women are discovered in other people's graves, the hunt for a sadistic serial killer begins before he can claim a seventh victim. Agent Cam Prescott of Iowa's Division of Criminal Investigation is leading the search alongside forensic psychologist Sophia Channing, who knows the minds of psychopaths inside and out. And after a brief but passionate affair, she knows Cam almost as well.

When the body of a woman is found in rural Buffalo Springs, forensic investigator Ramsey Clark is called in. Ramsey believes in evidence, not superstition. But when another murder rocks the town, Ramsey begins to wonder if a killer is playing on everyone's fears - or a prophecy is being fulfilled.

What do a doctor in Bangladesh, the senior aid to one of the most powerful senators in the United States, and the driver of a tow truck in Chicago have in common? This un-human force of the cosmos was their predator. A being so powerful that it can turn its victims into a pile of smoking cinders. A true force of evil. What happens to these three will affect our expanding cosmos.

Break the enchantments. Find the truth. Ignite the revolution. A century ago, the Enchanters defeated the evil Lord of the Underworld, but not before he’d unleashed his monsters and ravaged the earth. The Enchanters built the Triumvirate out of what remained of the United States, demanding absolute obedience in exchange for protection from the lingering supernatural beasts. Sixteen-year-old Flynn Nightsider, doomed to second-class life for being born without magic, knows the history as well as anyone. Fed up with the Triumvirate’s lies and secrecy, he longs for change.