The Hound of the Baskervilles Redux A Versification The Baskerville Estate Near the Moors and Grimpen Mire of Devonshire (As Envisioned by Nathalia Mikhalchuk, 1907) Chapter One: Introduction to the Moors:“When the wind blows cold o’er the moors at night” (“Tam Pierce” English Folk Song) The skies they were ashen and sober, […]
Category Archives: Fiction
Excerpt: Enemy Queen by Robert Steven Goldstein
Excerpt: Enemy Queen by Robert Steven Goldstein It was palpable the moment I entered the North Carolina house. The place felt completely different. I stood, confused and motionless, trying to assimilate how the ambiance could have veered so drastically in so short a time. I’d been gone for two weeks. Sydelle and I had each […]
Poetry: Sherlock Holmes and The Closed Room Murder Mystery: The Vicar’s Last Homily
Is Sherlock Holmes Awake? A dismal night in London town, a world that’s turning upside down, no hope of help from kin or crown – Is Sherlock Holmes awake? For I heard the Professor’s plan, the Colonel saw me when I ran, but Holmes will help me if he can – Is […]
Poetry: Sherlock Holmes and The Closed Room Murder Mystery: The Vicar’s Last Homily
Sherlock Holmes and The Closed Room Murder Mystery: The Vicar’s Last Homily Rev. Alfred E. Critchley, Vicar, St. Swithins BA, MA, Ed.D, DD, D.Min, J.C.D. 1824-1895 Preamble “Somewhere in the vaults of the bank of Cox and Co., at Charing Cross, there is a travel-worn and battered tin dispatchbox with my name, […]
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1 This review will cover three newly released Acorn Media UK crime series, two British police procedurals and a Irish family tragedy. Manhunt: Series 1 Based on the memoirs of the police officer at the center of this drama, Manhunt is a three-part […]
Timeless Stories: 9 Favorite Books Inspired by Mythology
Celebrate the release of The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr by (re)discovering some of these timeless stories in Waldherr’s collection of her 9 Favorite Books Inspired by Mythology. Summon your inner god or goddess, and don’t forget to pick up your copy of Kris Waldherr’s debut novel, The Lost History of Dreams. […]
10 Frightening Fictional Homes: Spine-Chilling Thrillers at Their Best
As Vanessa Savage celebrates the release of her debut psychological thriller, The Woman in the Dark, she narrows down her list of spine-chilling homes in some of her favorite novels in this collection of 10 frightening fictional homes. Home. The word conjures up a place of love and security, relaxing in front of the […]
Joseph Finder on the Element of Surprise
Joseph Finder on the Element of Surprise Suspense writer Joseph Finder examines the art of twists and shocking endings as he discusses the element of surprise in five novels with endings he never saw coming. There’s a paradox to being a suspense writer. We writers get into this business because we love reading—but the […]
Read an Excerpt from What Doesn’t Kill Her by Christina Dodd
“What’s your new book about?” An author can write 100,000 words, create an insightful tale of terror, humor, adventure, romance, and mystery, yet when someone—in this case, a writer-friend—asks, “What’s your new book about?” all the insightful words dry up. All that’s left is babble. I told my friend What Doesn’t Kill Her is a thriller. […]
HAVE YOU EATEN?
HAVE YOU EATEN? Frederick placed the three plastic trays balanced on his arms atop the green cafeteria-style table. He sat, and after three hours of wandering through Chinatown, and another half hour queuing up at three different food stalls, it felt good to sit. It was just after the dinner rush and most of […]
Crossroad: A Short Story
Crossroad: A Short Story Even the windows shook when the lightning burst overhead. Our front room lit like a Polaroid time and again as light flashed through blinds I hadn’t closed. Rain, endless, came in a deluge. I looked up from the armchair again. My worrying at the clock wouldn’t get Dad home any sooner, […]
The Heist by Richard Brewer and Gary Phillips (Part 4)
The Heist by Richard Brewer and Gary Phillips (Part 4) Gonzales studied the screen of his homemade electronic device. The safe’s lock required a combination punched in cor- rectly on its keypad. But he wasn’t trying to hack the sequence. What he wanted was to short-circuit the alarm feature. He knew these modern safes were […]