Scared? You will be!

Horror can come at any moment, from any direction, and in any form; even the most seemingly innocent person or object can suddenly turn into a being or device that will terrify. Many of our finest writers have been fascinated with horror, and this unique collection gives one hundred examples of what the masters of the short story can do to our minds and nerves.

Be warned -- not only good things, but sometimes fear comes in small packages; or, in this case, short packages.

When two writers meet at a retreat, the chemistry is instant, and they begin a sinister relationship ... or do they? An exquisitely tense, twisty She Said/She Said psychological thriller from number one bestselling author Sarah Stovell... ***The Times BOOK OF THE MONTH*** ***Telegraph BOOK OF THE YEAR*** 'Slickly claustrophobic, this arch story of obsessive, forbidden love taken to the extreme will have you squirming in your seat' Sarah Pinborough 'Whip-smart, lushly written and truly page-turning ... Sarah Stovell is a thrilling talent' Holly Seddon 'A moving, gripping story ... twists keep coming till the very last page. I loved it' Erin Kelly ____________________ Bo Luxton has it all – a loving family, a beautiful home in the Lake District, and a clutch of bestselling books to her name. Enter Alice Dark, an aspiring writer who is drifting through life, with a series of dead-end jobs and a freeloading boyfriend. When they meet at a writers' retreat, the chemistry is instant, and a sinister relationship develops... Or does it? Breathlessly pacey, taut and terrifying, Exquisite is a startlingly original and unbalancing psychological thriller that will keep you guessing until the very last page. ____________________ 'The characters are so untrustworthy you wont know what to believe, but you won't put it down till you've found out. A superb debut' Sunday Mirror 'Cunningly constructed and gorgeously written, this is outstanding' Express 'It's a remarkable debut in the crowded psychological thriller field, written with great sureness of touch and tone' The Times 'Addictive, terrifying and beautifully written, Exquisite is up there with the best psychological thrillers I've ever read. Fucking awesome' Chris Whittaker 'Sarah Stovell writes beautifully' Essie Fox 'Beautifully written and perfectly twisted, I was sucked deeply into the intertwined worlds of Alice and Bo and found myself reading through my fingers, compelled yet terrified at what the outcome might be...' Susi Holliday 'I bloody loved it. So clever, so beautifully written, such brilliant characterisation and THAT ENDING!' Lisa Hall 'Beautifully written, atmospheric and sexy' Cass Green 'A dark, sensual and twisted character study, rife with murky motivations and sinister revelations ... hard to put down' Foreword Reviews 'Kept me reading long into the night ... a majestic debut and utterly compelling' James MacManus, TLS 'The characters are untrustworthy so you won't know what to believe. But you won't be able to put the book down until you find out' Sunday People 'An alarming novel: infuriating at times, appalling, even frightening, and always a page-turner' Shots Mag 'Beautifully written, gripping and utterly believable' Crime Review 'A psychological thriller that will simply blow your mind' New Books Magazine 'If you're looking for a new and exciting psychological thriller that's packed with unexpected twists, Exquisite won't disappoint' CultureFly

Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Anthology "One of the best anthologies of horror and suspense of all time."—Rocky Mountain News From award-winning author and “master anthologist”* Al Sarrantonio, 999: Twenty-Nine Original Tales of Horror and Suspense is a specially curated collection of evocative fiction that probes the depth of human fears and frailties. From otherworldly entities stalking prey to psychological terrors borne of trauma, these stories exemplify the limitless possibilities inherent in the genre, revealing that darkness can be found anywhere the imagination dares to look for it. Young siblings uncover a disturbing history of their scandalized family—and encounter a creature of twisted malevolence—when they find themselves in “The Ruins of Contracocur” by Joyce Carol Oates. A man regrets his impulse purchase of a yard sale painting when the image continually shapeshifts into more and more violent depictions of its subject in pursuit of its new owner in Stephen King’s “The Road Virus Heads North.” In Neil Gaiman’s “Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story”, an ancient people’s legend haunts a wealthy and powerful man who pays the ultimate price to possess a happiness never meant to endure. Thomas Ligotti unleashes “The Shadow, The Darkness” on an unsuspecting commune of struggling artists who come to accept a damning realization of their misperceived identities and their true existence in the cosmos. And twenty-five more excursions over the course of 666 pages into horror’s unrelenting shadows by: William Peter Blatty * Edward Bryant * P. D. Cacek * Ramsey Campbell * Nancy A. Collins * Thomas M. Disch * Ed Gorman * Rick Hautala * T. E. D. Klein * Joe R. Lansdale * Edward Lee * Bentley Little * Eric Van Lustbader * Dennis L. McKiernan * Thomas F. Monteleone * David Morrell * Kim Newman * Tim Powers * Al Sarrantonio * Peter Schneider * Michael Marshall Smith * Steven Spruill * Chet Williamson * F. Paul Wilson * Gene Wolfe *Booklist

For use in schools and libraries only. Horror stories by Christopher Pike, R.L. Stein, and other authors deal with a wax museum, vampire love, deadly dolls, and other themes.