**The Most Complete Collection of Impossible Crime Stories Ever Assembled, with puzzling mysteries by Stephen King, Dashiell Hammett, Lawrence Block, Agatha Christie, Georges Simenon, Dorothy L. Sayers, P. G. Wodehouse, Erle Stanley Gardner, and many, many more THE BLACK LIZARD BIG BOOK OF LOCKED-ROOM MYSTERIES: An empty desert, a lonely ski slope, a gentleman’s study, an elevator car—nowhere is a crime completely impossible. **Edgar Award–winning editor Otto Penzler has collected sixty-eight of the all-time best impossible-crime stories from almost two hundred years of the genre. In addition to the many classic examples of the form—a case of murder in a locked room or otherwise inaccessible place, solved by a brilliant sleuth—this collection expands the definition of the locked room to include tales of unbelievable thefts and incredible disappearances. Among these pages you’ll find stories with evocative titles like “The Flying Death”, “The Man From Nowhere”, “A Terribly Strange Bed”, and “The Theft of the Bermuda Penny”, not to mention appearances by some of the cleverest characters in all of crime, including Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes, Georges Simenon’s Jules Maigret, Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, Dashiell Hammett’s Continental Op, and many more. Featuring • Unconventional means of murder • Pilfered jewels • Shocking solutions Includes • Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, the first detective story and the first locked-room mystery • Masters of the short story form: Edward D. Hoch, Ellery Queen, Carter Dickson, and Stanley Ellin A VINTAGE CRIME/BLACK LIZARD ORIGINALcontentsIntroduction by Otto Penzler(The most popular and frequently reprinted impossible-crime stories of all time.)THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE Edgar Allan PoeTHE PROBLEM OF CELL 13 Jacques FutrelleA TERRIBLY STRANGE BED Wilkie CollinsTHE TWO BOTTLES OF RELISH Lord DunsanyTHE INVISIBLE MAN G. K. ChestertonTHE DOOMDORF MYSTERY Melville Davisson PostTHE ADVENTURE OF THE SPECKLED BAND Arthur Conan Doyle(Stabbing in a completely sealed environment appears to be the most common murder method.)THE WRONG PROBLEM John Dickson CarrTHE THING INVISIBLE William Hope HodgsonDEPARTMENT OF IMPOSSIBLE CRIMES James YaffeTHE ALUMINIUM DAGGER R. Austin FreemanTHE CREWEL NEEDLE Gerald KershTHE DOCTOR’S CASE Stephen KingA KNIFE BETWEEN BROTHERS Manly Wade WellmanTHE GLASS GRAVESTONE Joseph CommingsTHE TEA LEAF Edgar Jepson & Robert EustaceTHE FLUNG-BACK LID Peter GodfreyTHE CROOKED PICTURE John LutzBLIND MAN’S HOOD Carter Dickson(Is there a more baffling scenario than to find a body in smooth sand or snow with no footprints leading to or from the victim?)THE MAN FROM NOWHERE Edward D. HochTHE LAUGHING BUTCHER Fredric BrownTHE SANDS OF THYME Michael InnesTHE FLYING DEATH Samuel Hopkins AdamsTHE FLYING CORPSE A. E. MartinTHE FLYING HAT Vincent Cornier(It is a fantasy for many people to disappear from their present lives. Some people disappear because they want to; others disappear because someone else wants them to. And objects—large objects—sometimes disappear in the same manner.)THE DAY THE CHILDREN VANISHED Hugh PentecostTHE TWELFTH STATUE Stanley EllinALL AT ONCE, NO ALICE William IrishBEWARE OF THE TRAINS Edmund CrispinTHE LOCKED BATHROOM H. R. F. KeatingMIKE, ALEC, AND RUFUS Dashiell HammettTHE EPISODE OF THE TORMENT IV C. Daly KingGREAVES’ DISAPPEARANCE Julian HawthorneTHE HOUSE OF HAUNTS Ellery QueenTHE MONKEY TRICK J. E. GurdonTHE ORDINARY HAIRPINS E. C. BentleyTHE PHANTOM MOTOR Jacques FutrelleTHE THEFT OF THE BERMUDA PENNY Edward D. HochROOM NUMBER 23 Judson Philips(There are so many ways for the creative killer to accomplish the act.)THE BURGLAR WHO SMELLED SMOKE Lynne Wood Block & Lawrence BlockTHE KESTAR DIAMOND CASE Augustus MuirTHE ODOUR OF SANCTITY Kate EllisTHE PROBLEM OF THE OLD OAK TREE Edward D. HochTHE INVISIBLE WEAPON Nicholas OldeTHE CONFESSION OF ROSA VITELLI Ray CummingsTHE LOCKED ROOM TO END LOCKED ROOMS Stephen Barr(It may not be terribly original, but shooting someone tends to be pretty effective.)NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE Clayton RawsonWHERE HAVE YOU GONE, SAM SPADE? Bill PronziniIN A TELEPHONE CABINET G. D. H. Cole & M. I. ColeDEATH OUT OF THIN AIR Stuart TowneTHE DREAM Agatha ChristieTHE BORDER-LINE CASE Margery AllinghamTHE BRADMOOR MURDER Melville Davisson PostTHE MAN WHO LIKED TOYS Leslie CharterisTHE ASHCOMB POOR CASE Hulbert FootnerTHE LITTLE HOUSE AT CROIX-ROUSSE Georges Simenon(How does a thief remove valuables from a closely guarded room? It seems impossible, but …)THE BIRD IN THE HAND Erle Stanley GardnerTHE GULVERBURY DIAMONDS David DurhamTHE FIFTH TUBE Frederick Irving AndersonTHE STRANGE CASE OF STEINKELWINTZ MacKinlay KantorARSÈNE LUPIN IN PRISON Maurice LeblancTHE MYSTERY OF THE STRONG ROOM L. T. Meade & Robert EustaceNO WAY OUT Dennis LyndsTHE EPISODE OF THE CODEX’ CURSE C. Daly King(Often described as a woman’s murder weapon, poison doesn’t really care who administers it.)THE POISONED DOW ’08 Dorothy L. SayersA TRAVELLER’S TALE Margaret FrazerDEATH AT THE EXCELSIOR P. G. Wodehouse(Some stories simply can’t be categorized.)WAITING FOR GODSTOW Martin EdwardsAbout the AuthorOtto Penzler is a two-time winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the editor of numerous anthologies, among them eight other Vintage Crime/Black Lizard anthologies, most recently The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries. He is the owner of The Mysterious Bookshop in New York City. Views: 644
Welcome to New York City. A place where stories lurk around every corner and linger in the hearts of the millions in these five boroughs. In these pages, tales of the underbelly of modern-day New York City hook-up with hilarious and poignant stories of love and loss in this annual collection of thrilling short stories by seasoned and fresh writers who know how to tell them. Edited by Peter Carlaftes and Kat Georges, these stories are sharp and concise, each an unusual take on the swirling panorama of the streets of New York, from Hell’s Kitchen to Greenwich Village and Coney Island to Williamsburg, Queens, and beyond. Readers are transported by a modern noir sensibility, populated by a plethora of characters of our times, carving new notches of experience on the city that still fires up the imagination.
contents
OUT WITH THE TRASH | Kat Georges
MEMORY THE NEXT | Bonny Finberg
LUSTRUM AT THE FLUSHING RKO | Kirpal Gordon
NAMOR | J. Anthony Roman
THE CLEANING LADY | Gil Fagiani
HOOK | Ron Kolm
UPPER WEST TO LOWER EAST | Michael Gatlin
IMITATIONS OF CHRIST | Peter Marra
COMPASSION | Joanie Hieger Fritz Zosike
A PARK BENCH FOR TWO | Paul Sohar
WAR, SEX, MONEY | Nina Zivancevic
A CLOWN A DAY | Angela Sloan
THE REAL NORTH EIGHTH STREET ROMANCE | Richard Vetere
DANGEROUS GIRL | Liz Axelrod
MISSING DAUGHTER | Chera Thompson
A MOMENT OF WRONG THINKING A Matthew Scudder Story | Lawrence Block
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Views: 644
The Pact is a full-length, standalone "friends to lovers" contemporary adult romance
It all started with a pinky swear…
Linden McGregor is tall, rugged, and gunslinger handsome; a helicopter pilot with a Scottish brogue and charm to spare. He’s also one of Stephanie Robson’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as she’s known him.
Beautiful, funny and an ambitious businesswoman (with one hell of an ass), Stephanie Robson is one of Linden McGregor’s best friends and has fit into that box for as long as he’s known her.
But some relationships can’t be boxed, can’t be classified, can’t be tamed.
Back in their mid-twenties and tired of the competitive hit-or-miss dating scene of San Francisco, Steph and Linden made a pact to marry each other if neither one of them were in a serious relationship by the time they hit thirty.
It sounded like fun and games at the time but as the years to thirty tick past and lovers come and go out of their lives, the pact becomes larger than life.
Sex is inevitable. Friendships are tested. Hearts are on the line.
The pact is about to change everything.
Note: due to the dirty talk and sexy times, The Pact is not meant for anyone under the age of 18. Views: 644
Johnny “TC” Beggs, famous and heroic star pilot, is a washed-up figure whose only work is in offering to illegally ferry passengers to the new world Ancia. The passengers are keen to start a new life and maybe strike it rich, and are prepared to take a chance and ignore the danger signs.The is year 2108, and the paradise world Ancia is found but only a lucky few can get there. Washed-up pilot Johnny ‘TC’ Beggs offers secret passage, for a hefty price. Once he was a hero, a man of space, but when he played by his own rules he ended up on the scrap heap. His daughter Dawn wants him to stay on Earth, but his son Jupe thinks he should go and not come back. His passengers are Rolondo and Rebbi Rees, who want to start a new life, but are already at each other’s throats. Real Munro has plans to create a new nation, but his girlfriend doesn’t want to go with him. Morgan Calp sees big business opportunity, and is prepared to risk losing his trophy wife and three young children to get there. What they don’t expect is a shadowy crew, rumours of unsavoury financiers, a secret travelling companion, and exactly what this new world Ancia is.This twisting and turning novel asks what happens when ordinary men and women are placed in trying and terrifying circumstances. Views: 644
A young lady is surprised to find that her coworker also works as a male escort. When he offers to give her a tour of some kinks she never thought to consider on her own, she finds herself drawn into a world of BDSM and sexual temptations. Views: 644
1945 – with the Soviets preparing to invade Japan's northern islands, a top-secret military installation rushes to erase any sign that it ever existed. Only they aren't through enough and a secret from the past returns to threaten the present.Present day, a routine close protection assignment for former special operations soldier Ryan Mitchell and his team suddenly turns deadly. Drawn into a lethal game in which the balance of power in the world hangs in the balance, Mitchel races to stop shadowy forces and their murderous agenda before all is lost. From war-torn Japan, to Mongolia, to Texas the fight for survival is on. Views: 643
After theater professor Adair Wilson unwittingly assists in the abduction of two Pittock students, she sets out on a death-defying quest to rescue the twin girls whose rare anatomical quirk makes them a target for paparazzi and fetishists.
When Adair’s wealthy family refuses to help and the girls’ family denies their existence, Adair must battle an underground prostitution ring protected by corrupt police.
With only her lover, Helen Ivers, at her side, Adair turns a handful of clues into a plan of action that pits her against the world’s most ruthless human trafficker, a woman known only as the Purveyor.
Set in the hidden world of modern slavery where over twenty-five million people are sacrificed to fuel the world’s lust for rare minerals and human flesh, The Purveyor offers a gripping insider portrait of human trafficking from suburban Boston to the legal brothels of Nevada.
Both a blood-pounding thriller and a romance of love, loss, and self-sacrifice, The Purveyor is as insightful as it is terrifying, a tour de force of avant-garde crime writing.
** Views: 643
This is the story of Andrew and Katy, two normal teens from Earth who find themselves transported to a world that is not their own. Surrounded by peril, they must quickly learn to adapt to a dangerous environment, even as they try to figure out why they have been brought there at all; for good, for evil, or for neither.Every step they take in this strange world only brings more danger, as they seek out the one who brought them there, and try to fathom his purpose. Andrew eventually finds himself alone in the world called the ‘Color Realms’, a country, or realm, for each color of the rainbow. All combine together to form the mystical Light. Andrew finds himself caught up in an epic struggle between two of the Color Realms, the Realm of Blue and the Realm of Green. He must choose between two paths; the path of a young, innocent mortal, who knows nothing of battle, and the path of a venerable Champion, a hardened warrior. To choose the path of the warrior will mean risking his life, and perhaps dying straight away. To choose the path of the warrior will change him, forever. What will he choose? Find out inside…. Views: 643
This is the story of Kahira, a young girl with an ancient and proud lineage. She meets strange new friends who stay with her, moving with her toward her destiny. They battle different species of deadly warriors and creatures just to survive. Her new power is frightening! Will she learn to control it and use it to help her fulfill her destiny?Come to a planet a trillion miles away from Earth and watch a story become a legend. This is the story of Kahira, a young girl with an ancient and proud lineage.Early in life, she knows love of her parents and grief at their loss. She meets strange new friends who stay with her, moving with her toward her destiny. They battle different species of deadly warriors and creatures just to survive, always protecting each other and moving forward...Kahira is born with new abilities that she must learn to use and control as she grows. Step by step, she learns of her own destiny.Will Kahira accept her destiny? Will her destiny reveal truths to her as she moves slowly towards it?Come live the exciting adventures with Kahira and her friends! Learn the hidden truths of "Kahira's Destiny." Views: 643
From the poet-authors H.B. Barstrum and Roman O’Rhory, comes the fourth and final book of their haiku anthology series titled Simple Truths About Women and Men. Along with a variety of colorful photographs accompanying these haiku poems, you will laugh while being entertained with basic truths about guys and girls.Simple Truths About Women and Men: Haiku Poetry Collection Book #4From the poet-authors H.B. Barstrum and Roman O’Rhory, comes the fourth and final book of their haiku anthology series titled Simple Truths About Women and Men.This haiku handbook offers relevant and light-hearted observations and advice about the opposing genders in a fun and quick 17 syllables format. Along with a variety of colorful photographs accompanying these haiku poems, you will laugh while being entertained with basic truths about guys and girls.From titles such as Look Good And Speak Kind, Ode To A Rough Draft, Appearances, Clean Up Duty, Value Him and Ladies Who Speak Plainly, be prepared to learn the little and big secrets about the sexes and share them with your family and friends.Check out some haiku writing examples below:Look Good And Speak KindBy: H.B. BarstrumWomen like what theyHear. Men like what they see. SoLook good and speak kind.Ode To A Rough DraftBy: Roman O’RhoryAll great works of artStart with a rough draft. Thank GodFor making men first.Ingredients To Conquer The WorldBy: H.B. BarstrumAll a girl needs isA good pair of shoes and smileTo conquer the world.Girls Are SupernaturalBy: Roman O’RhoryWe can bleed for daysAnd not miss a beat. Girls areSupernatural.He’s Not That Into You (2014)By: Roman O’RhoryIf you haven't metA man's family or friends,You're not his girlfriend.A Man’s SilenceBy: Roman O’RhoryWhen a man's quiet,He is ignoring you or Planning his escape.The Guy CodeBy: Roman O’RhoryNever take a man’sLast beer or date his sister.It’s against guy code.Ladies Who Speak PlainlyBy: H.B. BarstrumGuys appreciateA woman who speaks plainlyTo them; not in code. Views: 643
Rani's world is shattered when Tyler, one of her good friends, reveals a horrifying secret, and then disappears without a trace. Later, she meets a mysterious stranger who steals her heart and sweeps her off of her feet. Little does she know that he has his own dark secrets, ones that threaten her very existence...While honoring the visiting dignitaries from Tau Ceti, Sol’s Mayor, Wit Thomason, had a heart attack. He spent a good couple of minutes twitching on the floor, soiling his finest suit, right there in front of aliens, citizens, and everybody. It was only a matter of time before some gunslinger made a move to take over the job. And if I wanted to save my skin, it was high time for me to get out of Dodge."West of the Texas Nebula" is a space western short story by Dan Devine and Lyndon Perry. Views: 643
When she plays Chopin, Kyong thinks of her fingers as ten individual Olympic athletes. Today, she discovers what it takes to win gold.The inspiration for my stories draws from my novels and family tales of settlers who journeyed to the American frontier in the 1800s. Their accounts, passed down through the generations, paint pictures of courageous and adventurous people—a hearty lot—who had perseverance, self reliance, and, despite dangers and fears of the unknown wilderness, overcame their misgivings. Most were not famous or widely celebrated, yet they carved out homes, farms, and a life on the frontier, and, in the process, created a great nation. They are heroes in my eyes.From my research, I better understand the plight of early Native Americans. They were ultimately swept aside by the oncoming tide of settlers, despite being fierce and resourceful. There came a time for compassion by the conquering invaders. Too many times, it did not occur. Unavoidably, the stain remains a part of America’s legacy.Thank you for reading my short stories and novels. Richard PuzHere are other books for your review ~Novels in the Six Bulls Series ~Six Bulls-The OhioansRafting from Ohio to Missouri down the big rivers of America, pioneers load their families and possessions on flatboats, seeking a new life on the American frontier. Adventures abound during their exciting and dangerous trip.The CarolinianAbraham learns how to be a man during the Battle of New Orleans and applies those principles on his tobacco plantation in North Carolina. Shunning slavery, he moves his family west. Their adventures produce a riveting account of pioneer life in the wilds of a new country, while battling the ever-present Hooker, the slaver.AvengeThe theft of prized horses sets a young man on a journey of adventure. On the trail of the last outlaw, he roams the vast wild American frontier, following the murder and rapist, as they clash in an epic battle of wits. Only one can survive.Short Stories ~AbrahamYoung raw-recruit Abraham is exposed to the terror of war during the Battle for New Orleans. A frontiersman provides the wisdom to help him become a hero.Arkansas StormPioneers on flatboats are towed by a steamboat when they run into a storm that threatens their lives and the loss of all they own.Beanblossom CreekChief Black Hawk’s men are on the warpath and Captain Custis Cauley and his militiamen are waiting. The battle that follows is epic.Captain Jonathan BuzzardBrazen and courageous, the captain takes on the five outlaws threatening a pioneer’s family—exciting and action packed!Danny BoyWhimsical and humorous, a riverbank tavern is the setting for pioneers quenching their thirst after their long wagon train journey to Indiana. It’s a roaring good time, until a fight breaks out to enliven the evening.NewtoniaSettlers on the frontier are caught between warring armies as the Civil War rages. In the midst, human compassion is extended.SmokePrairies are one of God’s greatest gifts, but these can also be deadly. Pioneers take desperate measures to save everything they have created.Sourdough Wind MineThieves are stealing gold ore and come face to face with the “enforcer.” Deep underground in the mine, the encounter plays out among flying bullets.StainThe government’s Indian Removal Act of 1830 is being implemented and farmer James Stinson and his family are in the cross hairs. This is one of many tragic stories about Indian displacement in the 1800s and remains a stain on American history. Roaring RiverBushwhackers ambush two men, killing one. The survivor leads a posse to track down the band of killers, leading to an epic battle.RunawayTobacco plantation owner Alvin Tolle is confronted with a split-second decision that will effect the rest of his life.Three BellsSettlers prepare for war with Chief Black Hawk and his warriors on remote farms in Indian. What happens one fateful night changes them forever. Views: 643
The acclaimed World War II historian delivers "a panoramic and compelling boots-on-the-ground illumination of one of the Bulge's most epic battles" (Patrick K. O'Donnell, author of Washington's Immortals). Hitler's last gamble, the Battle of the Bulge, was intended to push the Allied invaders of Normandy all the way back to the beaches. The plan nearly succeeded, and almost certainly would have, were it not for one small Belgian town and its tenacious American defenders who held back a tenfold larger German force while awaiting the arrival of Gen. George Patton's mighty Third Army. In this dramatic account of the 1944–45 winter of war in Bastogne, historian Peter Schrijvers offers the first full story of the German assault on the strategically located town. From the December stampede of American and Panzer divisions racing to reach Bastogne first, through the bloody eight-day siege from land and air, and through three more weeks of... Views: 643
Luther Cross has been through Hell—literally. Born of a mother he watched die, conceived as part of a demonic ritual, and raised by monks after being saved by a mysterious, murderous individual, Cross now makes what living he does through confidence schemes…and the death of demons.Pro Se Productions goes to Hell and back with the debut of its newest Single Shot Signature Series. Author Percival Constantine introduces readers to the enigmatic, inexplicable Luther Cross.Luther Cross has been through Hell—literally. Born of a mother he watched die, conceived as part of a demonic ritual, and raised by monks after being saved by a mysterious, murderous individual, Cross now makes what living he does through confidence schemes…and the death of demons. What led to a school shooting in a small town, and why is there a mystic component involved? The spirits of the victims call out for help, and only Luther Cross can answer their cries. Views: 643
