Product Description The smoke ring rose, higher and higher, changing shape as it went, until it disappeared into a cloud that moments ago had looked like the caboose of a train, a cloud that now began to change, to mold and meld, to twist and turn and take on the shape of the thing that had entered it. This thing, this dark entity, hung frozen in the sky, calling those chosen few out from their houses, their bars and their factories, calling them forth to face what waited in that dark and foreboding night.Justin Henry didn’t believe his friend had seen a Ferris wheel rise up from the ground like a runaway vine. But he followed Mickey Reardon out to the overgrown field at the edge of their little country community anyway.Now two thirteen-year-old boys have seen something they shouldn’t have, witnessed something they couldn’t have, and neither of their lives will ever be the same again.The carnival is in town, a very different kind of carnival this year.One no one will be coming home from. After a disorienting over-the-top prologue, Ollie delivers a lurid but memorable take on the dark carnival theme. South Carolina boys Justin Gabriel Henry, Mickey Reardon, Danny Roebuck, and bully Bo Johnson are magnetically drawn to the charms of Hannibal Cobb's Kansas City Carnival after a ferris wheel magically sprouts one October day in Godby's field outside of Pottsboro. Strange things begin happening as Cobb wields a perverse hold over the townspeople using his freaks and assorted evil tricks. The boys are soon tasked with stopping the carnival and freeing its prisoners, as The Amazing Rubber Woman asks Danny to rescue them before "the dark... tears us apart." Despite Ollie's rowdy, somewhat overheated prose, he manages to score some satisfying moments as the odd carnival hurtles to a wonderfully weird conclusion as nostalgic as an old EC comic.

October 1968 Life is good for a group of seventh graders known as the High Street Boys: fall has arrived; Halloween is just around the corner. A brand new scary movie is coming to town and they can't wait to see it. But life won't stay good for long, for soon the High Street Boys will learn a secret that will change their lives forever. Deep inside a cave on Ward Rock Mountain, Scratch waits for a bargain to be fulfilled, struck one dark Halloween night when the demon saved river-rat gambler William Pitch from an angry lynch mob. Every thirteen years, Pitch has returned with his grisly bounty, and each time he's left, a little piece of Scratch has left with him. Now, sixty-five years later, the demon waits impatiently for Pitch to complete the final leg of his journey. This year, business will be concluded, all accounts settled. It's time for Scratch to rejoin the world.

To Eddie Marshall, the idea seemed ridiculous: hitchhike to the mountains of North Carolina to help his lifelong pal haul a truck load of Christmas trees out to Louisiana. But Mark Rockley had a way of making the ridiculous seem perfectly reasonable. And what did Eddie have to lose anyway? At least up here he could take his mind off crooked managers and bickering band-mates, and the conniving woman he'd left behind. Had he known what happened to Harold and Maggie on the mountain this morning, he would never have agreed to go up there tonight. Even if there was a patch of trees free for the taking. If Mark and Eddie had known what waited in the shadow of Rickert's Peak, they would have stayed far, far away from that place. Tonight, reason turns to madness, madness gives way to terror. And bad things happen on… The Mountain. Black Voltage Series #13 This edition contains 3 bonus stories (one new and two reprints) not included in the Hard Rain edition.

“You’d be crazy not to go,” is what Johnny Z told his pal Bryan, the writer whose third book has just hit the market, and that’s what Bryan told his neighbor, Larry, who’s dying to see what goes on at a horror convention. Red33 is going to be there. If he has his way, Larry’s going to get his dying wish; Bryan, too. And anybody else who gets in Red’s way. Author blurbs: "Killercon puts a fresh, ingenious twist on the crazed killer theme—and does so with a clear love and appreciation for the genre that spawned it. Full of black humor and wonderful thrills, this is a fun read for any horror enthusiast." --Bram Stoker Award-winner Brian Keene, author of The Rising, City Of The Dead, and The Conqueror Worms-- "William Ollie's Killercon is one of those rare novels that hits awfully close to home for readers and writers of horror alike. Starting with an all-too common staple of today's world -- the Internet flame war -- and building from there, Ollie's novel beautifully (and frighteningly) displays what happens when one of these childish Internet confrontations is allowed to get out of hand. Part morality fable, part cautionary tale, and large part black comedy, Killercon delivers everything its central concept promises, and then some! One of the most outright entertaining books I've read in a long time." --Bram Stoker Award-winner Gary A. Braunbeck, author of Keepers and Prodigal Blues **

Just when Lily's settling into life in Westerham and making new friends, the Paranormal Investigation Bureau needs her help again. A witch has been misappropriating millions from unsuspecting retirees, but she's destroyed all the evidence. Lily's unique witchy skills are the only thing that can uncover the past and get the PIB the evidence it needs.Lily has her own plans, but nothing seems to go right. Her fun day in London turns into a devastating collision with her past, and super-hot Agent Crankypants is annoying as hell. He knows all her buttons to press, and she's not sure if she wants to kiss him or strangle him, or maybe both. Then tracking down the PIB's suspect puts Lily's new friendship at risk, and, if that's not enough, it finally brings Lily face-to-face with death.Can Lily solve the crime before someone dies? And will the universe give her a break before she loses what's left of her sanity?Unfortunately, coffee alone can't fix things this time.

A compelling thriller that you won’t be able to put down“This gripping thriller kept me up all night. Great characters, plot, and tension.” Ann Abrams “One of the best spy thrillers I’ve read in a long time. It’s got mystery, suspense, romance, and a fast pace. I didn’t see the twists coming.” Beth Boyd A young woman lies dead at an army base. Was it really an accident and was she having an affair with her boss? Thomas Bladen works in surveillance for a shadowy unit of the British government. When Amy Johanson is killed during a weapons test, Thomas and his partner Karl are determined to get to the bottom of it. They must protect Amy's friend Jess, the only witness they have, who plays a dangerous game of seduction and lies. Meanwhile, Thomas’s girlfriend Miranda and her family are once again put in the firing line. Can Thomas get justice for Amy, solve the mystery of Karl’s past, and decide who he can really trust? LINE OF SIGHT is the second thriller by British novelist Derek Thompson. STANDPOINT, the first book in the #1 best-selling espionage series is available now. John le Carré and Robert Harris fans will enjoy this series of thrillers. The next book in the spy thriller series is due for release late 2015. **

A car is being stolen . . . in the back seat is a baby. But spy Thomas Bladen has the thief under surveillance and he has a split-second to choose what to do next. His intervention could destroy him and everything he cares about . . . Who are the baby's parents? And why are they being targeted? Meanwhile Thomas’s partner Karl is reunited with a very dangerous man: his father. And the Shadow State give Thomas a choice between exposing a defector and his life being wrecked. As Thomas probes deeper into the abduction, he uncovers more about the dangerous group known as the Shadow State. They are pulling the strings of both criminal and political interests. And Thomas’s girlfriend Miranda is pulled into the dark conspiracy. In a thrilling conclusion to this fast-paced thriller Thomas and Karl face off against the murderous power behind this string of crimes, and not everyone will survive. Perfect for fans of John le Carré, Robert Harris, Lee Child or Ken Follett. This is the fourth book in the series featuring spy Thomas Bladen. ALSO BY AMAZON BEST-SELLING AUTHOR DEREK THOMPSON BOOK 1: STANDPOINT The woman Thomas Bladen loves is in danger. BOOK 2: LINE OF SIGHT A young woman lies dead at an army base. Was it really an accident? BOOK 3: CAUSE & EFFECT A random attack on a child and a clinical assassination thrust Thomas Bladen into a dark conspiracy. **

This historical novel for teens ages 11 and up follows a young Mexican girl and her family as they are forced to flee their ranch in Northern Mexico for a Texas border town because of the impending violence of the revolution. In Texas, the family is suddenly faced with something they have never experienced: discrimination because of the language they speak and the color of their skin.

The 1977–78 Los Angeles Dodgers came close. Their tough lineup of young and ambitious players squared off with the New York Yankees in consecutive World Series. The Dodgers' run was a long time in the making after years of struggle and featured many homegrown players who went on to noteworthy or Hall of Fame careers, including Don Sutton, Steve Garvey, Davey Lopes, and Steve Yeager. Dodgerland is the story of those memorable teams as Chavez Ravine began to change, baseball was about to enter a new era, and American culture experienced a shift to the "me" era. Part journalism, part social history, and part straight sportswriting, Dodgerland is told through the lives of four men, each representing different aspects of this L.A. story. Tom Lasorda, the vocal manager of the Dodgers, gives an up-close view of the team's struggles and triumphs; Tom Fallon, a suburban small-business owner, witnesses the Dodgers' season and the changes to California's landscape—physical,...

Lydia grows closer to her three mates, but with unrest all around, she struggles to keep her wolves together. Ryan takes a trip back home, but at what cost? Lawrence is encouraged to return as Alpha, but no one knows his secret - can he protect his pack? Meanwhile, in Egypt, Amil is pitting himself against his inner-beast to find salvation, only to realise much more is at stake than his soul.