· 2013
Stephen Killigan has been cold since the day he came to Cambridge as a junior lecturer. Something about the seven hundred years of history staining the stones of the university has given him a chill he can't shake. When he stumbles across the body of a missing beauty queen, he thinks he's found the reason. But when the police go to retrieve the body and find no trace, Killigan has found a problem - and a killer - that is the very opposite of reason. Killigan's unwitting entry into Jackamore Grass's sinister world will lead him on a trail of tattooists, philosophers, cadavers and scholars of a deadly beauty. As Killigan traces a path between our age and seventeenth century Cambridge, he must work out how a corpse can be found before someone goes missing, and whether he's at the edge of madness or an astonishing discovery. A fast-paced page-turner THE BEAUTY OF MURDER is a speculative crime thriller that travels to the heart of gruesome series of crime by way of a city and a person that have far too many secrets written in blood.
· 2025
ONCE UPON A TIME LIKE YOU'VE NEVER READ IT BEFORE . . . DI Lyla Rondell is on the case of a lifetime. Tasked with investigating a series of perplexing deaths, the only lead she has is that each appears to be based on a different classic fairy tale. Far from the stuff of bedtime stories, the press is having a field day with what they have named the Grimm Ripper Murders. But as the bodies stack up, Lyla’s whole world is about to flip on its head. Because the killer’s bloody trail stretches deep into her own origin story, and when she discovers the truth, nothing will ever be the same again. Faced with the fact that everything she knows is fiction, Lyla will have to take a little creative license of her own if she’s going to turn the final page on the killings . . .
· 2023
From the fun of the fair to the depths of hell, experience sixteen more curses in this sequel to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology. A blend of traditional and reimagined curses from fairy-tales to Snow White, from some of the best names in fantasy. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR Take a trip to a terrifying carnival and uncover the secrets within, solve a mysterious puzzle box and await your reward, join a travelling circus and witness the strangest ventriloquist act you’ve ever seen. In this follow-up to the bestselling Cursed: An Anthology, you’ll unearth curses old and new. From a very different take on Snow White, to a new interpretation of The Red Shoes, the best in fantasy spin straw into gold, and invite you into the labyrinth. Just don’t forget to leave your trail of breadcrumbs… Featuring stories from: Joanne Harris Neil Gaiman Joe Hill Sarah Pinborough Angela Slatter M. R. Carey Christina Henry A. C. Wise Laura Purcell Katherine Arden Adam L. G. Nevill Mark Chadbourn Helen Grant Kelley Armstrong A. K. Benedict L. L. McKinney
· 2022
A gritty and thrilling anthology of 30 new short stories in tribute to pulp noir master, Cornell Woolrich, author of 'Rear Window' that inspired Alfred Hitchock's classic film. Featuring Kim Newman, James Sallis, A.K. Benedict, USA Today-bestseller Samantha Lee Howe, Joe R. Lansdale and many more. This anthology of exclusive new short stories offers tribute to the master of the pulp era – Cornell Woolrich, who stands with Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner and Dashiell Hammett as a legend in the genre. Enter a world of vengeful brides and black widows, where cold-blooded killers watch from every window and every sin shall be paid for, no matter how deep you bury them. See the chilling fate of a young woman, and the darkness in every family, in Joe R. Lansdale’s “Missing Sister”, the cold, calculating mind of an ambitious wife and her cheating husband in Samantha Lee Howe’s “Trophy Wife”, a reunion dinner ripped apart by conspiracies and violence in Susi Holliday’s “The Invitation”, and the tight-knit family of a New York dive bar explode into violence in William Boyle’s “New York Blues Redux”. Hope that the long, dark night will keep your sins and secrets. FEATURING CHARLES ARDAI BRANDON BARROWS A. K. BENEDICT WILLIAM BOYLE M. W. CRAVEN MASON CROSS MAX DÉCHARNÉ O’NEIL DE NOUX MARTIN EDWARDS PAUL DI FILIPPO JAMES GRADY SUSI HOLLIDAY SAMANTHA LEE HOWE MAXIM JAKUBOWSKI VASEEM KHAN JOEL LANE JOE R. LANSDALE BARRY N. MALZBERG NICK MAMATAS WARREN MOORE DONNA MOORE TARA MOSS KIM NEWMAN ANA TERESA PEREIRA BILL PRONZINI DAVID QUANTICK KRISTINE KATHRYN RUSCH JAMES SALLIS LAVIE TIDHAR JOSEPH S. WALKER
· 2023
Dark tales inspired by J. M. Barrie's classic stories of Neverland, Captain Hook, Tinkerbell, and of course Peter Pan, from some the masters of science-fiction, horror and fantasy including A. C. Wise, Claire North, Lavie Tidhar and more. The award-winning Marie O’Regan & Paul Kane bring together the masters of fantasy, science-fiction and horror, to spin stories inspired by J. M. Barrie’s classic tale. A murder investigation leads a detective to a strange place called Neverland; pupils attend a school for Peters; a young boy loses his shadow and goes to desperate lengths to retrieve it. These eighteen stories take the original tales of Peter & Wendy, the Lost Boys and Tinkerbell, twisting and turning them. From dystopias to the gritty streets of London, these stories will keep you reading all night and straight on ‘til morning. Featuring stories from: Lavie Tidhar Claire North Premee Mohamed Kirsty Logan Edward Cox Anna Smith Spark Alison Littlewood A. C. Wise Rio Youers Gama Ray Martinez Juliet Marillier Robert Shearman A. K. Benedict Laura Mauro Cavan Scott Guy Adams Paul Finch Muriel Gray
Crime fiction masters offer 19 short stories of murder and mayhem in this mystery anthology featuring Lee Child, Dean Koontz, Elly Griffiths, and more! Featuring both original in-universe stories and rarely-seen reprints, this collection of 19 masterful short stories brings together some of the genre’s greatest living authors. Tony Hill and Carol Jordan take on a delightfully twisted killer in Val McDermid's “Happy Holidays”. In Fiona Cummin’s “Dead Weight”, an overbearing mother resorts to desperate measures to keep control of her teenage daughter. And in Dean Koontz’s “Kittens”, a young girl learns the truth about how her pets have been dying, and devises a horrible revenge. Also featuring short stories from Jeffery Deaver, Dennis Lehane, Lee Child, and more, Exit Wounds is a visceral and thrilling collection showcasing the very best modern crime fiction has to offer.
Can't get enough of Class on BBC America? This thrilling companion novel to the new Doctor Who spin-off features the group of extraordinary humans (and aliens) from the show, facing down an wholly original threat. Created by New York Times bestselling novelist Patrick Ness, author of The Rest of Us Just Live Here and A Monster Calls. Don't go near the house, whatever you do. It wants the lonely, the lost, the vulnerable. It wants you. Tanya keeps having bad dreams about the old stone house around the corner from Coal Hill School—and a girl trapped there, screaming and terrified. When Tanya and her friends go to investigate the strange house covered in cobwebs, they stumble onto their own worst nightmares come to life. But there is a presence haunting the house that is even more powerful than their individual horrors. A presence that may not want to let them go... In spite of the danger, Tanya is determined to free the mysterious girl in the house. But they are running out of time—the house is scheduled for demolition. With the help of their teacher Miss Quill, Tanya and three other kids prepare to fight their nightmares, and whatever other monsters they hear scuttling around in the walls. But how can they fight against monsters that are supposed to exist only in their dreams?
· 2016
If you get out, you'd think you'd be one of the lucky ones. But you're not. The house infects you. There's an old stone house near Coal Hill School. Most people hurry past it. They've heard the stories. But, if you stop, and look up, you'll see the face of a girl, pressed up against a window. Screaming. Tanya finds herself drawn to the stone house. There's a mystery there, and she's going to solve it. But the more she investigates, the more she realises that there's a presence in the house. One that wants her. Something is waiting for Tanya in the stone house. Something that has been trapping others in its web over the years. Something that is far worse than any ghost.
· 2017
'This haunting supernatural thriller is full of hidden treasure that will delight you long after you've turned the last page' Sarah Pinborough 'An absolutely glorious crime/fantasy/ghost story mash-up. In a seriously crowded genre, A K Benedict has produced something original, quirky and enormous fun...Beautifully written, darkly funny, constantly surprising...my find of the year so far' Sharon Bolton Maria King knows a secret London. Born blind, she knows the city by sound and touch and smell but now that surgery has restored her sight, the world seems a scarier place and she doesn't want to see it. DCI Jonathan Dark also sees a different side to the city. He's in the shadows, haunted by his failure to save a woman from the hands of stalker, and he won't let it happen again. Now a killer has set his sights on Maria, and Jonathan must find a way to stop him. But when gathering evidence, you can't choose your source. Can you save the living by talking to the dead? 'AK Benedict is snapping at the heels of Ben Aaronovitch as one of the new stars of the sub-genre of crime with a supernatural twist' Sunday Express
Pourquoi te retenir ici contre ton gré ? Pour te montrer comment tes mots peuvent tuer. En pleine nuit, au beau milieu des ombres inquiétantes d’une forêt du Hampshire, Katie, jeune autrice de polars, est brutalement kidnappée. Elle se réveille dans un grenier, sans souvenir de ce qui lui est arrivé et découvre un mot de son ravisseur, Le Loup. Celui-ci lui impose un choix effroyable : écrire des crimes inspirés de contes de fées, des récits qui prendront vie et entraîneront la mort de véritables personnes, ou mourir elle-même... A. K. Benedict réinvente les contes de notre enfance dans un thriller horrifique, glaçant et surprenant. A. K. Benedict (Alexandra Benedict) est l’autrice de trois romans publiés aux éditions Charleston : Petits Meurtres à Endgame, Meurtres sur le Christmas Express et Les Quatre Petits Meurtres de Noël. Tous ses livres ont conquis des milliers de lecteurs dans le monde entier.