Dark, unnerving, and wickedly funny, Patrick McGrath’s acclaimed short stories deal in the bizarre, the erotic, and the unexpected. A failed writer meets an ageing gin-queen who claims he was once visited by an angel; a little girl finds a delirious, dying explorer from the Congo at the bottom of her back garden; a nightclub is terrorized by a strange libidinous hand; and a young Victorian lady sails to India to find her fiancé Cecil horribly transformed...

Severed hands, dead monkeys, swarming insects, pickled body parts and menacing pygmies proliferate in this collection of short stories. They also feature ancient Southern plantations, isolated manor houses, places where ghosts like to lurk and places where spiritual and physical decay presides.

“Fascinating! [A] must-read for all concerned about how humans manage to live together. Or not.” —Margaret Atwood “Superb... an instant true crime classic.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) A masterfully told true story, perfect for fans of Say Nothing and Furious Hours: a brutal murder in a small Nova Scotia fishing community raises urgent questions of right and wrong, and even the very nature of good and evil. In his riveting and meticulously reported final book, Silver Donald Cameron offers a stunning, intricate narrative about a notorious killing and its devastating repercussions. Cameron’s searing, utterly gripping story about one small community raises a disturbing question: Are there times when taking the law into your own hands is not only understandable but the responsible thing to do? In June 2013, three upstanding citizens of a small town on Cape Breton Island murdered their neighbor, Phillip Boudreau, at sea. While out checking their lobster traps, two Landry cousins and skipper Dwayne Samson saw Boudreau in his boat, the Midnight Slider, about to vandalize their lobster traps. Like so many times before, the small-time criminal was about to cost them thousands of dollars out of their seasonal livelihood. Boudreau seemed invincible, a miscreant who would plague the village forever. Meanwhile the police and local officials were frustrated, cowed, and hobbled by shrinking budgets. One of the men took out a rifle and fired four shots at Boudreau and his boat. Was the Boudreau killing cold blooded murder, a direct reaction to credible threats, or the tragic result of local officials failing to protect the community? As many local people have said, if those fellows hadn't killed him, someone else would have...

In this thrilling debut novel from writer M.A Kersh, the true events of the famous childhood story about the much loved Peter Pan, and the villainous pirate known as Captain Hook is finally revealed for the very first time.James Hook's story began in Wales, where he was left on the steps of the Moore Orphanage as a baby. James is bullied by Peter and his followers, leaving him a lonely outcast who dreams of a life out on the sea. After a Scarlet Fairy visits James, he discovers the frightening side of magic. He resists her charms, but after being nearly beaten to death by Peter and his friends, the Scarlet Fairy torments his dreams as he lay broken in the hospital wing. However, James finds he is not alone as one of the nuns within the orphanage comes to comfort and aid him with a mother's love. But when her efforts fail him, she decides to sacrifice her own soul for the protection from all fae magic for James. When James wakes the following morning, his heart is broken to find the woman he had come to love is dead. He vows revenge upon the Scarlet Fairy and the very boy who put him in her view in the first place, Peter. James plans to make Peter the fae's new target, but everything goes wrong as the clever Peter concocts an unusual deal with a Green Fairy. Instead of sacrificing his own soul, he offers to spend his immortal life collecting children's souls in exchange for all the powers of the fae. The Green Fairy accepts the deal, and the two new friends fly away to their new home Neverland.Unsure of Peter's fate, James leaves the orphanage to board Blackbeard's ship under the alias name, Hook. Years go by, but Hook's bitterness only continues to grow. Then one night, Peter, now known as Pan, confronts him. When Hook learns that the fault of so many stolen souls was his own, with guilt and rage, Hook wages war upon his former childhood foe. He would have to sail the famed Jolly Roger through into the Nine Realms beyond the hidden veils to exact his revenge and set all of the lost souls on the island free. The journey is one of magic, true love, darkness, lore, and redemption. Like Serena Valentino's Fairest of All, Blood in the Water offers an entirely new version of the beloved classic, bringing each reader a touch a grim, dark, twisted retelling of the story of Neverland. The characters that come along for the enchanted journey includes, Blackbeard, The Blue Fairy, Wendy Darling, Tiger Lily, Mr. Smee, Catcher, and of course, Tinker Bell. In this story of heroes and villains, you may find that what you have formally believed was a lie, but fear not my darlings, for there is always a wish that can grant you your second chance.

A comprehensive bibliography of books and short fiction published in the English language.

Between 2011 and 2014, I wrote eight short stories. I had been writing stories since I was about six. Weird scenarios would enter my head and I would feel compelled to write about them. Blood in Water relates on Abby who makes an awful discovery about her family. Dead Letter Room samples the life of lonely Finch at his workplace. Outside enters the disturbed mind of an ex-convict and What Goes Around considers the makings of a bully. On the surface all appear to delve into diverse worlds and minds. But this isn’t quite so. They are all about alienation. My other stories are the same: alienation. It goes right back to my early children’s mysteries of the Seventies. How strange. I hadn’t noticed. The reason is that I would make my own personal discovery in 2016. I was fifty-one years old and living with my partner and two children. Until then, I was completely unaware of a vital truth about myself. This truth has leaked into my stories and creations without my realisation. This account is true. Relevant diary entries have been included as well as illustrations. Analyses and further dissections provides an insight into the force behind these stories, and ventures into the strange phenomena I have discovered. It’s like a ghost language.

Covers authors who are currently active or who died after December 31, 1959. Profiles novelists, poets, playwrights and other creative and nonfiction writers by providing criticism taken from books, magazines, literary reviews, newspapers and scholarly journals.