The spectacular finale to the New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with Mr. Mercedes (winner of the Edgar Award) and Finders Keepers—In End of Watch, the diabolical “Mercedes Killer” drives his enemies to suicide, and if Bill Hodges and Holly Gibney don’t figure out a way to stop him, they’ll be victims themselves.
In Room 217 of the Lakes Region Traumatic Brain Injury Clinic, something has awakened. Something evil. Brady Hartsfield, perpetrator of the Mercedes Massacre, where eight people were killed and many more were badly injured, has been in the clinic for five years, in a vegetative state. According to his doctors, anything approaching a complete recovery is unlikely. But behind the drool and stare, Brady is awake, and in possession of deadly new powers that allow him to wreak unimaginable havoc without ever leaving his hospital room.
Retired police detective Bill Hodges, the unlikely hero of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers, now runs an investigation agency with his partner, Holly Gibney—the woman who delivered the blow to Hartsfield’s head that put him on the brain injury ward. When Bill and Holly are called to a suicide scene with ties to the Mercedes Massacre, they find themselves pulled into their most dangerous case yet, one that will put their lives at risk, as well as those of Bill’s heroic young friend Jerome Robinson and his teenage sister, Barbara. Brady Hartsfield is back, and planning revenge not just on Hodges and his friends, but on an entire city.
In End of Watch, Stephen King brings the Hodges trilogy to a sublimely terrifying conclusion, combining the detective fiction of Mr. Mercedes and Finders Keepers with the heart-pounding, supernatural suspense that has been his bestselling trademark. The result is an unnerving look at human vulnerability and chilling suspense. No one does it better than King. Views: 742
When Alison first read the chain letter signed "Your Caretaker," she thought it was some terrible sick joke. Someone, somewhere knew about that awful night when she and six other friends committed an unthinkable crime in the desolate California desert. And now that person was determined to make them pay for it.
One by one, the chain letter was coming to each of them ... demanding dangerous, impossible deeds... threatening violence if the demands were not met. No one out of the seven wanted to believe that this nightmare was really happening to them. Until the accidents started happening -- and the dying... Views: 742
Things are starting to look up for October "Toby" Daye. She's training her squire, doing her job, and has finally allowed herself to grow closer to the local King of Cats. It seems like her life may finally be settling down...at least until dead changelings start appearing in the alleys of San Francisco, killed by an overdose of goblin fruit.
Toby's efforts to take the problem to the Queen of the Mists are met with harsh reprisals, leaving her under sentence of exile from her home and everyone she loves. Now Toby must find a way to reverse the Queens decree, get the goblin fruit off the streets--and, oh, yes, save her own life, since more than a few of her problems have once again followed her home. And then there's the question of the Queen herself, who seems increasingly unlikely to have a valid claim to the throne....
To find the answers, October and her friends will have to travel from the legendary Library of Stars into the hidden depths of the Kingdom of the Mists--and they'll have to do it fast, because time is running out. In faerie, some fates are worse than death.
October Daye is about to find out what they are. Views: 741
A fantasy "Short Story" about a gambling Seawardsman named Loudin, and the Lion Lord of Westland. These events happened a handful of years before The Wardstone Trilogy begins. You will find both characters in the #1 bestselling fantasy epic The Wardstone Trilogy, which starts with book one, The Sword and the Dragon.A fantasy "Short Story" about a gambling Seawardsman named Loudin, and the Lion Lord of Westland. These events happened a handful of years before The Wardstone Trilogy begins. You will find both characters in the #1 bestselling fantasy epic The Wardstone Trilogy, which starts with book one, The Sword and the Dragon. A Wardstone, "Flash Fiction" story called, The Blood of Coldfrost, is also included in this download. Views: 741
Houses have pasts. But they also have futures. Not every tragedy is yet to occur. Not every haunting is spiritual.Originally written for my Patreons for Halloween 2014, this story was released on 21/01/15 to celebrate an Official Short Story Day, which doesn't actually exist, after the author misread a statement by writer Cara Ellison, so that's a whole thing. Views: 741
Ethan Jacobs is obsessed with the paranormal... it could be that the paranormal is also obsessed with him.From the author of:Demons and Other InconveniencesWhat Tangled WebsLunacyHow To Eat A Human Beingand Giving Up The GhostEthan Jacobs is a regular guy who hangs out and watches scary movies with his dog, Slobber, while obsessing over the paranormal. Three women enter his life. One he loves, one shares his geek-passion for the occult, and one has seen a ghost.The combination fuels Ethan's obsession and sends him spiraling down a dark hole looking for answers. The answers are more than he is looking for, and leave him torn between here and some place that holds only pain and torment. Views: 741
A collection of short sketches and one-act plays. The subjects vary - a son leaving home, a sense of menace in a rural scene, the mystery of a cruise passenger's identity, consequences of accidents, matrimonial complications, unscrupulous journalistic malpractice, a fatal jealousy - but the tone is mostly light-hearted and conflict usually ends in reconciliation.CONTENTSBRIEF SKETCHES (written for specific occasions).Independence Day (mini-drama; 2m, 1f; 10 minutes)A teenage son is at the stage of leaving home, but his parents too find advantages in independence.Perils of Travel (conversation piece; 2f; 10 minutes). Two young professional women, awaiting a flight to a meeting, discuss a missing passenger, security issues, and why not to travel in a business suit.Crash (mini-drama; 2f; 8 minutes). A teenage girl, who may or may not be dreaming, is visited by a friend who may or may not have stolen the first's boy-friend, and has been involved in a horrendous road accident.Inn Memory (mini-drama; 2f; 8 minutes). Why is the visitor alarmed by a completely peaceful rural scene?ONE-ACT (mostly of competition length)Good Intentions (comedy; 3m, 3f; 50 minutes). George means well but lacks won't-power, and events conspire against his good intentions. Fortunately he is shunted off the road so paved before reaching its proverbial destination. Danube Moon (comedy; 2m, 2f; 30 minutes)A disagreeable divorcee unexpectedly encounters her ex-husband on a river cruise, and quite against her intentions helps him out of a desperate situation.Whitefly (drama; 2m, 3f, 1 either; 40 minutes) An unscrupulous journalist causes disaster to a small community in her determination not to let the truth get in the way of a good story about a local project.Nemesis (dark-grey comedy; 1m, 2f; 30 minutes)"Hell is other people" said Sartre, but Alan, his wife and mistress find otherwise; and who has murdered whom, or doesn't it matter?Coincidence (comedy; 3m, 3f; 30 minutes)A series of outrageous coincidences reunites several old acquaintances.Green Eyes (drama; 3m, 2f; 45 minutes)Sally and Kevin are keen environmentalists. Kevin becomes unreasonably jealous of Sally's contacts with a specialist she has interviewed for the local newspaper and accidentally causes his death, with subsequent agonies of remorse. This drives them apart until his subsequent conduct enables him to forgive himself.Fish out of Water (comedy mystery; 8m, 17f, 1 m or f; 60 minutes. Written for a large group of mixed ability.)Among a mixed bunch of passengers on a river cruise, one is the object of particular interest for several others on covert business, but insists that he is not who they think; or is he? Waiting (drama; 10m, 10f; 45 minutes. Again written for a specific group.)A busload of passengers is left stranded and wondering why; the reason proves more drastic than they could have imagined, but to resolve some old problems. Views: 741
Don't mess with a girl and her dragon, at least not these two. A young dragon loses his mother to lair raiders and is left to fend for himself. A lucky girl happens upon him and together they form a lasting bond. When more men come to raid the lair the two are forced to defend themselves, and each other, in a wicked battle. Magic, swordplay, and dragon riding await in this satisfying short story.Don't mess with a girl and her dragon, at least not these two. A young dragon loses his mother to lair raiders and is left to fend for himself. A lucky girl happens upon him and together they form a lasting bond. When more men come to raid the lair the two are forced to defend themselves, and each other, in a wicked battle. Magic, swordplay, and dragon riding await in this satisfying short story.Snippet:The cool night air rushed over them as they circled slowly upward on Crimzon's strong, steady thrusts. In the dragon's head his mother's soft voice whispered both instruction and encouragement, and the feeling of Clover on his back gave him the confidence and reassurance he needed to avoid falter. They climbed so high into the sky that Clover thought she just might be able to touch the stars twinkling above them. Her blood was electric with sensation. Her skin was chilled by the rushing air and her stomach was tingling as if full of wiggling snakes. She drew in a deep breath trying to calm herself but it was no use. Just as soon as she exhaled Crimzon rolled to the right and then dove sharply, leaving the wiggling snakes from Clover's belly lumped in the back of her throat. Her mind was spinning like a whirlpool. Far below, the majesty of the moonlit valleys and the hue of colors reflecting from the rocky snow-capped ridges unfolded before them. Clover marveled at the dozens of rivers and streams that glittered like strands and pools of molten gold. The force of the air pressed hard against her as Crimzon dove. She began to feel dizzy and distant, but before she slipped into unconsciousness, the dragon leveled out and sped them across the treetops at such speed that all Clover could see below was a shadowy blur. Soon their momentum died away and Crimzon began to circle and rise again, but now at a more relaxed pace. Clover was glad. She felt rubbery and nauseated. Sick or not she had to admit that it was the most exhilarating experience she had ever had. Don't miss Crimzon & Clover II - The Tricky Wizard Views: 741
Every evening, Ted finds reasons to take him away from the horror stories of the six o'clock news. Today he spots what looks like a ball in the garden. Breaking his routine, he steps outside.This isn't a deep book about first loves or self-discovery. If you want a book like that, I'd be happy to recommend one, but I don't have that kind of story to tell. Instead my story is about rash decisions and finding out that your dream guy is bad in bed. It's the story of when I finally went skinny dipping, and how my life was never the same again. Oh, and it's also the story of my freshman year of college and realizing Mr. Right might have been there all along.*New Adult Romance- contains sexual situations* Views: 741
A series of essays including: Stealing Tomorrow, Down the Rabbit-Hole to TV-Land, Rolling Dat Ole Debbil Electronic Stone, Defeating the Green Slime, Fear Not your Enemies, From Albany, With Hate, Centerpunching, Voe Doe Dee Oh Doe, Cheap Thrills on the Road to H*ll, and more. Views: 741
Picking up a small pink shoe from the grass forever changed young Jackson Lee’s life. Not only did its presence mean that his sister Tessa was dead—murdered and stuffed in the deep, black water of a narrow well—but the shoe itself told him so.
Tessa’s death triggers an even more horrific family massacre that, combined with this new talent he neither wants nor can handle, throws Jack’s life into a tailspin. The years quickly take him from state homes to the streets to grifting in a seedy carnival, until he finally becomes the cynical All Seeing Eye, psychic-for-hire. At last, Jackson has left his troubled past behind him and found a semblance of peace.
That is, until the government blackmails him. Helping the military contain the aftermath of a bizarre experiment gone violently wrong, everything Jackson knows about himself will change just as suddenly as it did with his little sister’s shoe.
And while change is constant...It’s never for the better. Views: 741
Davina Briggs is a 17 year old, facing the Zombie apocalypse. She is well prepared because of her prepper father. But, is she prepared to be alone in the fort. Zombies won't be the only thing Davina confronts. How will she handle seeing humans dwindle to a more animalistic state? Humans will be as deadly as any undead.My name is Davina Briggs. I'm seventeen and the Zombie Apocalypse just started. At least, I think it has, watching viral YouTube videos of recently dead, standing up, sometimes missing an arm, or with their entrails falling to the ground... Is a pretty good sign of the end of the world.The government might be calling it a virus. I don't know how far this virus will spread. I don't know if it will ever stop. All I know is, it sure doesn't look good. I lost contact with my Dad a few days ago. He is on a business trip out in Denver... Far from the hills of Tennessee, where we live. He promised me, that he would make it home. I pray that he does. Dad is all I have...I'm not going to cry. Nope. Not going to do it. My Dad is a prepper... To my friends and family that snickered at us, or outright laughed at us. Who is laughing now?I'm starting to pack things up and move them to the bunker, which isn't even a bunker. It's a fortification on top of our three car garage... The fort. There is a small home up there with all we will need. My Dad thinks of everything. From an armory to medicine and solar power. I'm sure I, and hopefully we will be okay from the zombies and anything else that could happen. The power is flickering. I'll have to go up to the fort soon... Pull up the ladder and hunker down. Please let my Dad make it home. I know I can make it by myself, my Dad taught me well, but I don't want to be alone for the end of the world!This is my journal of the zombie apocalypse... Hopefully someone will be able to read it. Views: 740
A widow inherits and old house, but when her young son finds a secret door, she begins to discover that the reclusive aunt who once lived there left some eerie secrets behind.After a group of divers disappear, a pair of sailors fight about the nature of a recent discovery at the bottom of the Baltic. Views: 740
For some the joy is in the destination, for others the joy is in the journey. Eventually we will all arrive at the same destination, some sooner than others no matter how we travel.Welcome aboard The Night Bus, stopping at all points from terminus to terminus.A group of short stories. All with different meanings and aims.Taking the test: A short story about the worries and struggles one goes through before, during and after a test.Girl Meets Boy: A short romance about a girl and boy who finally achieve their goals.Dear Ian: A short dramatic romance in letter form from one man to another. It's a shame the other man will never receive it.These short stories will be perfect for young adults or anyone else who enjoys reading YA fiction and slash fiction. Views: 740
