Maxima Library

The discovery of four stones of non-earthly origin triggers a deadly race to find the final piece and complete the mysterious artifact.

The Horror Writers Association Presents

BLOOD LITE

...a collection of entertaining tales that puts the fun back into dark fiction, with ironic twists and tongue-in-cheek wit to temper the jagged edge.

Charlaine Harris reveals the dark side of going green, when a quartet of die-hard environmentalists hosts a fundraiser with a gory twist in "An Evening with Al Gore"...In an all-new Dresden Files story from Jim Butcher, when it comes to tracking deadly paranormal doings, there's no such thing as a "Day Off" for the Chicago P.D.'s wizard detective, Harry Dresden...Sherrilyn Kenyon turns a cubicle-dwelling MBA with no life into a demon-fighting seraph with one hell of an afterlife in "Where Angels Fear to Tread"...Celebrity necromancer Jaime Vegas is headlining a sold-out séance tour, but behind the scenes, a disgruntled ghost has a bone to pick, in Kelley Armstrong's "The Ungrateful Dead." Plus tales guaranteed to get under your skin — in a good way — from Janet Berliner Don D'Ammassa Nancy Holder Nancy Kilpatrick J. A. Konrath and F. Paul Wilson Joe R. Lansdale Will LudwigsenSharyn McCrumb Mark Onspaugh Mike Resnick Steven SavileD. L. Snell Eric James Stone Jeff Strand Lucien Soulban Matt Venne Christopher Welch

So let the blood flow and laughter reign — because when it comes to facing our deepest, darkest fears, a little humor goes a long way!

A DYING MAN'S GREATEST TREASURE...

Mortimer Moorecook, retired Wall Street raider, avid collector, is losing his fight against cancer. With weeks to live, a package arrives at the door of his hillside mansion-an artifact he paid millions for...a hominoid skull with elongated teeth, discovered in a farmer's field in the Romanian countryside. With Shanna, his beautiful research assistant looking on, he sinks the skull's razor sharp fangs into his neck, and immediately goes into convulsions.

OPENS THE DOOR TO AN ANCIENT EVIL...

A rural hospital. A slow night in the ER. Until Moorecook arrives strapped to a gurney, where he promptly codes and dies.

WHERE DEATH IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

Four well-known horror authors pool their penchants for scares and thrills, and tackle one of the greatest of all legends, with each writer creating a unique character and following them through a vampire outbreak in a secluded hospital.

The goal was simple: write the most intense novel they possibly could.

Which they did.

A Word of Warning:

Within these pages, you will find no black capes, no satin-lined coffins, no brooding heartthrobs who want to talk about your feelings. Forget sunlight and stakes. Throw out your garlic and your crosses. This is the Anti-TWILIGHT.

Finally! All the Repairman Jack short fiction - many hard to find, one nigh impossible - collected for the first time. QUICK FIXES includes: "A Day in the Life" "The Last Rakosh" "Home Repairs" "The Long Way Home" "The Wringer" "Interlude at Duane’s" "Do-Gooder" "Piney Power" plus author introductions to each story.

Wilson is one of the masters of the medical thriller.” (Larry King) A powerful read with a chilling premise about diabolical doctors (and big pharmaceutical companies)... as Quinn Cleary slowly discovers the grisly truth of the school's research...with the suspense mounting relentlessly until the satisfying conclusion. (Publisher's Weekly) _________________ Quinn Cleary has always wanted to be a doctor. Yet the only way she can afford it is to win acceptance to The Ingraham, an exclusive, privately funded medical school and reasearch center reputed to be the nation's finest. The few selected students chosen by The Ingraham receive a completely free medical education: tuition, room. board, and lab fees all paid by the school. Once accepted to the school of her dreams, Quinn dives into her studies and into a steady realationship with a classmate. At last, her life seems perfect. Or is it? Quinn begins to notice subtle changes in her classmates: the way they act, the way they think -- all seem to be falling eerily into line with the messanic verison of the school's director. She confides her concerns to her boyfriend, who laughs them off -- until he finds a suspicious electronic monitoring device in his room. Then he disappears. ...Alone on the deserted campus during midyear break, Quinn finally encounters the dark truth about The Ingraham -- the true purpose of the institute's seemingly humane medical research, the motives that have determined the school's policy, and the secret mission of the hospital's intimidating security force, a small private army that is drawing an ever tighter net around her with each passing minute. What she dicovers is immense and terrifying -- a conspiracy that exposes her to a danger more frightening than death -- a cynical plot that undermines everything she has ever believed about the healing arts. This is suspense fiction at its grandest: instantly and relentlessly compelling, and touching directly on an issue that heads the list of our national and personal priorites.

An anthology of stories

Be prepared to be thrilled as you've never been before

Featuring North America's foremost thriller authors, Thriller is the first collection of pure thriller stories ever published. Offering up heart-pumping tales of suspense in all its guises are thirty-two of the most critically acclaimed and award-winning names in the business. From the signature characters that made such authors as David Morrell and John Lescroart famous to four of the hottest new voices in the genre, this blockbuster will tantalize and terrify.

Lock the doors, draw the shades, pull up the covers and be prepared for Thriller to keep you up all night.

***

"Thriller will be a classic. This first-ever collection of thriller stories, from the best in the business, has it all. The quality blew me away." – Greg Iles

"The best of the best storytellers in the business. Thriller has no equal. Action, intrigue, and entertainment at the highest level. Adventure on a grand scale you won't forget." – Clive Cussler

"Thriller is entertaining, fast-paced, and just plain fun. It will take you to the most terrifying heights of suspense." – Tess Gerritsen