Shooting Creek and Other Stories

Shooting Creek and Other Stories PDF Author: Scott Loring Sanders
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 143

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Book Description
Dark, gritty, disturbing. Those are the types of characters you’ll encounter in the award winning stories within this collection. Tough people in a tough world. But also real people, struggling with difficult decisions when faced with unthinkable circumstances. What happens when you discover a dead body but can’t go to the police because of your own dark past? Or your father’s dark past? What might a woman resort to when her husband doesn’t hold up his end of a bargain? What frightening surprises lie buried beneath the beaches of North Carolina? Or in the desolate hills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains? Or in the swamps of the New Jersey Pine Barrens? These are stories that are as dark, gritty, and disturbing as the characters who inhabit them, yet there is a pervasive humanness which forces us to empathize. That asks us to understand why people sometimes do what they do. Perhaps that’s the reason these stories have been chosen for the Best American Mystery series, honored by The Atlantic Monthly’s Student Writing Contest, not to mention various other awards and honors. Perhaps that’s why these stories will stick with you well after the reading has commenced. Always gnawing at you, unrelenting, asking, “What would you have done in that situation? Would you have behaved any differently?” Praise for SHOOTING CREEK AND OTHER STORIES... “This excellent collection transcends any genre label. Ultimately, these stories are mysteries of the human heart's darkest regions. Scott Sanders is the real deal and deserves a wide and appreciative readership.” —Ron Rash, The New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. “Each story is a gem in this dark, atmospheric, treasure box of a collection. Scott Loring Sanders digs deep and peers unflinching into the frail, twisted human heart, revealing its many facets and glittering truths. A stellar collection!” —Lisa Unger, The New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter. “In Shooting Creek and Other Stories, you’ll find ne’er-do-well husbands, drunken fathers, tough-as-nails women and mothers, and murderously unfaithful wives in a rogue’s gallery of dangerous characters in bad situations. These are stories that will keep you up late reading and thinking, stories that mute the concerns of the everyday world while turning up the volume on thrills and excitement. This is a collection that will fire the imagination while raising moral and ethical issues, which is the true heart of Scott Sanders's fiction. If you’re looking for something good to read, this is the book you want.” —Ed Falco, author of The New York Times bestselling The Family Corleone. “Scott Loring Sanders’s stories are always rich in atmosphere, and his characters are often presented with difficult moral dilemmas. He’s an author who prefers a degree of ambiguity to an easy resolution, and that makes his work thought-provoking, as well as unpredictable. Readers in search of well-written, complex suspense tales won’t go wrong with a Sanders collection!” —Janet Hutchings, Editor-in-Chief, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.

Shooting Creek and Other Stories

Shooting Creek and Other Stories PDF Author: Scott Loring Sanders
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 143

Get Book Here

Book Description
Dark, gritty, disturbing. Those are the types of characters you’ll encounter in the award winning stories within this collection. Tough people in a tough world. But also real people, struggling with difficult decisions when faced with unthinkable circumstances. What happens when you discover a dead body but can’t go to the police because of your own dark past? Or your father’s dark past? What might a woman resort to when her husband doesn’t hold up his end of a bargain? What frightening surprises lie buried beneath the beaches of North Carolina? Or in the desolate hills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains? Or in the swamps of the New Jersey Pine Barrens? These are stories that are as dark, gritty, and disturbing as the characters who inhabit them, yet there is a pervasive humanness which forces us to empathize. That asks us to understand why people sometimes do what they do. Perhaps that’s the reason these stories have been chosen for the Best American Mystery series, honored by The Atlantic Monthly’s Student Writing Contest, not to mention various other awards and honors. Perhaps that’s why these stories will stick with you well after the reading has commenced. Always gnawing at you, unrelenting, asking, “What would you have done in that situation? Would you have behaved any differently?” Praise for SHOOTING CREEK AND OTHER STORIES... “This excellent collection transcends any genre label. Ultimately, these stories are mysteries of the human heart's darkest regions. Scott Sanders is the real deal and deserves a wide and appreciative readership.” —Ron Rash, The New York Times bestselling author and winner of the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. “Each story is a gem in this dark, atmospheric, treasure box of a collection. Scott Loring Sanders digs deep and peers unflinching into the frail, twisted human heart, revealing its many facets and glittering truths. A stellar collection!” —Lisa Unger, The New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter. “In Shooting Creek and Other Stories, you’ll find ne’er-do-well husbands, drunken fathers, tough-as-nails women and mothers, and murderously unfaithful wives in a rogue’s gallery of dangerous characters in bad situations. These are stories that will keep you up late reading and thinking, stories that mute the concerns of the everyday world while turning up the volume on thrills and excitement. This is a collection that will fire the imagination while raising moral and ethical issues, which is the true heart of Scott Sanders's fiction. If you’re looking for something good to read, this is the book you want.” —Ed Falco, author of The New York Times bestselling The Family Corleone. “Scott Loring Sanders’s stories are always rich in atmosphere, and his characters are often presented with difficult moral dilemmas. He’s an author who prefers a degree of ambiguity to an easy resolution, and that makes his work thought-provoking, as well as unpredictable. Readers in search of well-written, complex suspense tales won’t go wrong with a Sanders collection!” —Janet Hutchings, Editor-in-Chief, Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine.

The Shooting Party (Large Print 16pt)

The Shooting Party (Large Print 16pt) PDF Author: Isabel Colegate
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1458758133
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 302

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Book Description
It is the autumn of 1913. Sir Randolph Nettleby has assembled a brilliant array of guests at his Oxfordshire estate for the biggest hunt of the season. An army of gamekeepers, beaters, and servants has rehearsed the intricate age-old ritual, the gentlemen are falling into the prescribed mode of fellowship and sporting rivalry, the ladies intrigued by the latest gossip and fashion. Everything about this splendid weekend would seem a perfect consummation of the pleasures afforded the privileged in Edwardian England.

Unloaded Volume 2

Unloaded Volume 2 PDF Author: E.A. Aymar
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 206

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Book Description
The Anthony-nominated collection of crime stories without guns—the collection we didn't want to be necessary—is back for Volume 2. Two dozen more crime writers have come together to raise their voices and take pen in hand to call for a sensible and reasoned debate about guns in America. As the mass shootings continue, the avoidable accidents, the suicides, the gun violence that consumes our country rolls on unabated and unaddressed by our leadership other than to say, “Now is not the time to discuss it,” these crime writers have chosen to start the dialogue. In stories of crime, mystery and suspense these authors have left the guns out to show for a short while that we can do without them and the plot doesn’t fall apart. Maybe, in a small way, we can show that the American way of life doesn’t cease to be, either. Not anti-gun, Unloaded Vol. 2 is pro-reason. These authors comprise gun owners and non-owners, voters on both sides of the political aisle. The cause that unites us all is the desire to see the senseless killing stop and to be able to have the discussion without the divisive language, vitriol and name calling that too often accompanies this debate. The top priority in these stories is to entertain with thrilling action and suspense that readers know and love about a crime story. To do so without guns leads to some creative leaps from writers who spin tales of simians on the loose, androids with buried secrets, punk rock shows and tattoo shops. Bestselling authors like Chris Holm, Lori Rader-Day, Bill Crider, Laura McHugh, James Ziskin and John Rector along with many more join together to call for an end to the needless violence and a start to a reasoned debate. With a forward by legendary Sara Paretsky, Unloaded Vol. 2 is a book we wish wasn’t needed. But staying silent is no longer an option. Proceeds go to the non-profit States United To Prevent Gun Violence. Praise for UNLOADED VOLUME 2: “[A collection of] entertaining and often thought-provoking stories.” —Publishers Weekly

South of Cincinnati

South of Cincinnati PDF Author: Jonathan Ashley
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 198

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Book Description
Jon Catlett and Paul Frank have turned their once-failing used bookstore into one of the most thriving businesses in the Highlands. But they paid in blood for their success, for Twice Told Books is not just another dusty thrift shop, but a front for the largest heroin distribution network ever based in Louisville. The two eccentric intellectuals-turned-gun thugs enlist the help of an unscrupulous narcotics cop nicknamed Mad Dog and a former marine importing dope through Fort Knox from Afghanistan purer than anything the city has ever seen. In between trading muzzle flashes with a corrupt and psychotic DEA agent and thwarting two crusading homicide detectives, Catlett and Frank plan to corner the market…or at least everything South of Cincinnati. Praise for SOUTH OF CINCINNATI: “If you only read one book this year, make it South of Cincinnati. Hits all the right notes in a narrative to have you renew your faith in the sheer joy of a great book.” —Ken Bruen, bestselling author of the Jack Taylor series “Scumbag addicts, dirty cops, savage brutality, and the price of a broken heart. My kind of people. My kind of book. In his latest Jon Catlett novel, author Jonathan Ashley tackles the toughest question facing a junkie: what’s harder to kick—the dope or the girl? South of Cincinnati is a thrilling head-first dive into the dirty drug underworld as we watch a hero trying not to drown in pursuit of his humanity.” —Joe Clifford, author of Junkie Love and the Jay Porter thriller series “Jonathan Ashley is elbowing his way to the front of the crowd of crime writers with his crisp dialogue, edgy characters and relentlessly gritty action. South of Cincinnati is a razor-sharp slice through the mire of the Midwestern drug underworld, allowing us to peek from a safe distance.” —Joe Ricker is the author of Walkin’ After Midnight

Grand Theft Cargo

Grand Theft Cargo PDF Author: Linda Sands
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 190

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Book Description
Tenacious trucker Jojo Boudreaux and her co-driver beau Tyler Boone spend their days- and nights- delivering cargo coast to coast. Old Blue, their custom Peterbilt tractor-trailer makes the perfect home for a man who never had one and a Louisiana tomboy who thinks an oven is for storing guns. But life on the road isn’t all sing-a-longs and sunsets. When Jojo and Boone are called in to deliver an abandoned load of high-profile pharmaceuticals to a secure warehouse, they delay their vacation for the quick, easy job with the big paycheck, forgetting that nothing quick and easy ever comes with a big paycheck. Grand Theft Cargo is a wild ride from start to finish with a secretive highwayman, explosive house bombs, singing telegrams, flaming mice, secret cancer drugs, dead truckers, an agency that can’t be named, and enough crashes and car chases to remind you these road cowboys have no qualms crossing the zipper to walk the dog in the hammer lane.

The Black Car Business Volume 1

The Black Car Business Volume 1 PDF Author: Lawrence Kelter
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 176

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Book Description
The “black car” has appeared both conspicuously and inconspicuously throughout the annals of fiction—its presence both mysterious and menacing, its appearance enough to pause your heart. It’s the sedan just within sight that seems to be mimicking your speed and movements as you walk down the dark deserted street late at night. As the hairs rise on the back of your neck you wonder, Who is behind the wheel and what is the driver’s intent? It’s The Black Car Business and its presence means your life is about to abruptly change. You try to assure yourself there’s nothing wrong, but your pace quickens nonetheless, and soon you’re running, desperate for that narrow sliver between two buildings to slip through, the one too narrow for the black car to pass through. It’s that car parked just down the block that sends chills down your spine and keeps you awake throughout the night. It’s the sanctuary you race toward when you’re being chased, only to explode when you turn the key. It’s the one that skids off the icy mountain overpass and plunges into the cavernous grotto. It’s where Clemenza garrotes Carlo just as he’s about to be driven to the airport. It’s The Black Car Business. Turn the pages as ten masters of the noir art befuddle and frighten you with their stories. We promise a read you’re sure to enjoy. Contributors: Eric Beetner, J. Carson Black, Cheryl Bradshaw, Diane Capri, Jeffery Hess, Lawrence Kelter, Dana King, Allan Leverone, Simon Wood, and Vincent Zandri.

Tushhog

Tushhog PDF Author: Jeffery Hess
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 177

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Book Description
It’s 1981 in Fort Myers, Florida. Scotland Ross hasn’t given up drinking, but he has sworn off of trouble. At a waterside tavern the day the Pope got shot, Scotland drank to cloud the memories of his dead infant son on an anniversary such as this. Distraction comes when the bar owner needs his help. Despite his vow of living within the law, Scotland soon finds himself tangling with a redneck clan, a Cuban gang, a connected crew from New York, and the very friend he set out to help. Crimes of violence, drugs, and theft pale in comparison to the failure of self-restraint in this humid town on the Gulf coast. When Scotland’s activities involve his girlfriend, he kicks himself into a higher gear. He didn’t know until it was too late that she’d been involved long before they even met. He’s not fully prepared for the ramifications of that, but there is no time to waste. Can Scotland save his girlfriend, clear his name, get justice for being screwed over, and stay out of jail? Tushhog is dark noir set in the state of sunshine. A story of crime and compulsion and the depths to which people rise or sink. Praise for TUSHHOG: “In Tushhog, Jeffery Hess has created a wicked lean follow-up to Beachhead. The remarkable Scotland Ross is back for another go-round, sadder maybe but no wiser, which means that he gets himself into all sorts of entertaining trouble. An excellent sophomore entry in what promises to be a long-running series of bruising, bare-knuckle crime novels.” —Pinckney Benedict, author of Miracle Boy, The Wrecking Yard and Town Smokes “Anti-hero Scotland Ross is back and Jeffery Hess’s prose is better than ever in this Sunshine Noir follow-up to last year’s unputdownable Beachhead. With tight pacing, snappy dialogue, a grungy edge and a whole lot of attitude, Tushhog brings us another classic crime caper complete with our hard-nosed protagonist, still trying to walk the razor’s edge between right and wrong, and a colorful cast of troublemakers and rabble-rousers, each intent on stretching Scotland Ross to his limits. In the tradition of Elmore Leonard, Tushhog is a no-holds-barred noir you won’t soon forget.” —Steph Post, author of Walk in the Fire “Brace for impact! Hard to imagine that a sequel to Jeffery Hess’s debut novel, Beachhead, could possibly outrun its predecessor in relentless pacing and passion for the noir of life, but Beachhead fans are in for a double-dose helping of both. In Tushhog, Scotland Ross returns, and though he’s determined at the outset to re-envision his life according to his rules, it’s his personal code that ultimately lands him at the center of a masterfully spun cycle of mayhem. Hess’s Scotland Ross is an unmistakable rising star within the genre of noir, and reminiscently comparable to the early rise of the complex detective, Patrick Kenzie, within the long-running series by NYT’s best-selling author, Dennis Lehane.” —Tracy Crow, author of Cooper’s Hawk and Eyes Right: Confessions from a Woman Marine. “Tushhog is Jeffery Hess’ follow-up to Beachhead and the return of Scotland Ross. The action starts on page one and does not let up, offering the reader a one-two punch of quick, rapid-fire wit punctuated by grisly, can’t-look-away action. Hess’ prose is all Florida, all the time. Look out, Carl Hiassen…Jeff Hess is coming for your crown. You’ll trust no one in this story, but that won’t keep you from turning each and every page because Hess gives this story his all.” —Eryk Pruitt, author of Dirtbags, Hashtag, and What We Reckon “Tushhog is spellbinding, driven, reckless and authentic. Constantly cinematic, this novel catches you in its violent, slyly funny, hair-raising grip and never lets you go. Jeff Hess has written a terrific novel that captures crime and all its gruesome and subtle consequences.” —Fred Leebron, Professor of English, Gettysburg College

Coast to Coast 2: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea

Coast to Coast 2: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea PDF Author: Paul D. Marks
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 233

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Book Description
Hardboiled. Softboiled. Noir. East Coast. West Coast. And all points in between. Whatever you call them, gumshoe, shamus, Pinkerton, detective, private eye, P.I., shadow, tail, investigator, and wherever you need them, from East to West, North to South. They’re all here. From the hard pavement of Brooklyn, New York, to the mean dusty streets of Carson City. Down to sultry New Orleans and the freak show that’s Venice, CA. From the flim-flammers of Waco, Texas to DC, Las Vegas to San Berdoo and LA. And from Iowa City to San Diego and small town North Carolina—not to mention the low-life drug dealers in a little place called King’s Quarter, Maine. No one is safe in this impressive collection featuring fourteen original private eye stories plus one previously published bonus story. Crime fiction connoisseurs will visit one major crime scene after another with some of today’s best-of-the-best crime writers serving as tour guides. Poisoned-pen masters like: J.L. Abramo, Eric Beetner, Michael Bracken, Meredith Cole, Matt Coyle, Thomas Donahue, John Floyd, Gay Toltl Kinman, Terrill Lee Lankford, Janice Law, Paul D. Marks, Andrew McAleer, O’Neil De Noux, Robert J. Randisi, Art Taylor. COAST TO COAST: PRIVATE EYES FROM SEA TO SHINING SEA features suspense stories ranging from hardboiled to psychological to thrillers. And while these stories differ in locale, climate, mood and tone, they all resonate with the dark underbelly of crime. Praise for COAST TO COAST 2 … “Tough, taut and terrific. This cross-country collection of sleuthing stories —from the best writers in the private eye biz —is wonderfully written, always surprising, and completely entertaining.” —Hank Phillippi Ryan, Anthony, Agatha and Mary Higgins Clark award-winning author of Say No More “A tantalizing array of stories guaranteed to please fans of PI fiction. High fives all around!” —MWA Grand Master Bill Pronzini on Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea “A bang-up read of PI fiction from a gallery of impressive authors. Coast to Coast: Private Eyes from Sea to Shining Sea is compelling, fun, and full of surprises. A treat.” —Shamus Award-winning author John Shepphird

Hard Bite

Hard Bite PDF Author: Anonymous-9
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 161

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Book Description
The hit-and-run driver took everything—his wife, child and legs. Now a paraplegic, Dean Drayhart unleashes payback on suspected hit-and-runners in Los Angeles with helper-monkey Sid as his deadly assistant. Dean’s gentle, doting nurse knows nothing about what he’s up to and when Sid tears out the throat of a Mexican Mafia member, Marcie is kidnapped in order to force Dean’s surrender. Armed with nothing but his wits, Sid, and a sympathetic streetwalker named Cinda, Dean manipulates drug-cartel carnales and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department in a David-against-Goliath plot that twists and turns to a heart-pounding finale. HARD BITE is ideal reading for fans of Carl Hiaasen and Tim Dorsey. Praise for HARD BITE “…outlandish in every way—a crazed noir excursion into an unprecedented heart of darkness. Violent and sometimes funny, always entertaining.” — T. Jefferson Parker, three-time Edgar Award winner “The best, most fiercely original crime novel I’ve read in a long time” —Ray Garton, World Horror Grand Master Award recipient “A carnival of nightmarish fun, HARD BITE had me gasping from one outlandishly terrifying act to the next, each scene involving The Grim Reaper in a wheelchair; a sharp-fanged, treacherous monkey; a SWAT-team posse of drugged Mexican killers; and/or more tough-but-lovable women with guns than a Mickey Spillane novel.” —Jack Getze, Fiction Editor, Spinetingler Magazine “By the end, your heart aches a little for the narrator. That’s the true goal of fiction, or it ought to be—to shift you on your foundations in the reading, leaving you off in a slightly different place from where you started.” — Sophie Littlefield, A Bad Day For Sorry, A Bad Day For Pretty “The ride is electric...quality that other writers should aspire to achieve.” —Joseph Patchen for Lurid Lit “Nasty, but a beating heart underneath …very clever; lovely writing.” —Patti Abbott, Derringer Award winner “Anonymous-9 is one of my favorite crime writers.” —Nick Mamatas, Bram Stoker and International Horror Guild awards nominee

The Origins of Benjamin Hackett

The Origins of Benjamin Hackett PDF Author: Gerald M. O’Connor
Publisher: Down & Out Books
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 167

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Book Description
“O’Connor’s lilting prose beautifies his tale [as he] tackles a serious theme of forlornness with sincerity, buoyancy, and wit.” —Kirkus Reviews All families have secrets. Most go untold … In the summer of ’96, Benjamin Hackett has come of age, technically. And in the midst of the celebratory hangover, his world is whipped out from under his feet. His parents have finally shared their lifelong secret with him; he’s adopted. At the age of eighteen, the boy still has some growing up to do, and with the help of JJ, his loquacious consigliore and bodyguard, he embarks on an adventure that’ll put to bed a lifetime of lies. Over the course of five days, they find themselves caught up in the darker side of Cork. But when they sweep through the misfits blocking their way and finally discover the truth of it … now that’s the greatest shock of all. The Origins of Benjamin Hackett is a tender tale of heartache and displacement told through a wry and courageous voice. Set in Ireland, it’s a timely reminder that the world hasn’t moved on just as fast as we fancy. Now, in this emotionally charged story, Gerald O’Connor explores conditioned guilt and its consequences in a country still hiding from the sins of its past. Praise for THE ORIGINS OF BENJAMIN HACKETT “The Origins of Benjamin Hackett by Gerald O’Connor is a raucous and riotous coming of age story that is brutal, tender and hilarious.” — Paul D. Brazill, author of A Case of Noir and Guns of Brixton “O’Connor doles out killer dialogue that adds oodles of character to this hero’s journey. Told with the lilt and panache of Joseph O’Connor and Dermot Bolger in their novels of the ’90s, Gerald O’Connor is the new and improved voice we’ve been waiting for.” — Gerard Brennan, author of Undercover and Wee Rockets “Visceral writing that inherits a long Irish tradition. O’Connor’s narrative contains sharp characterisation, and has an assured voice, while dramatising conditioned guilt with humour and style.” — Richard Godwin, author of Apostle Rising, Mr. Glamour and One Lost Summer and others “If you’re expecting the usual coming-of-age tale, you’re in for a big shock. This is a tale big on heart and one which the author, Gerald O’Connor, has hied religiously to the advice of Harry Crews for writers, to ‘leave out the parts readers skip.’ None of those parts remain in these pages. An auspicious debut!” — Les Edgerton, author of The Death of Tarpons, The Bitch, The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping, Bomb, and others