HEAD CLEANER is a hugely original blend of thriller, science fiction, and horror that takes our love of nostalgia to task for its morbid obsessions with dead media and dead-end jobs: Clerks meets Black Mirror (with a little Groundhog Day and Russian Doll thrown in for good measure): The last Blockbuster video store in the United States is hanging on by a thread. And after a crazy night attempting to track down a lost VCR rental to collect the record-setting and internet-famous late fee, three employees, idealistic Eva, cinephile Jerry, and their tyrannical manager Randy, discover that this machine may actually have the power to change the endings of popular films, which, depending on the historical basis of the film, might also be changing the real world around them. Or could this just be an elaborate, increasingly deadly prank? When they begin receiving videotapes and voicemails seemingly depicting their deaths, Eva, Jerry, and Randy scramble to keep the VCR from falling into the wrong hands. And as one action-packed evening begins to seemingly repeat itself (or does it?), scores are settled and unwanted confessions begin to fly, until a Final Girl finally unravels a grand psychological experiment orchestrated at the highest levels of a crumbling social media empire.

DEADCORE: 4 HARDCORE ZOMBIE NOVELLAS Join authors Randy Chandler, Ben Cheetham, Edward M. Erdelac, and David James Keaton as they unleash the carnage while breathing new life, and death, into the zombie genre. FANGORIA MAGAZINE REVIEW "As the book’s title indicates, DEADCORE achieves all extremes. Violent, perverse, depraved—and, as such, quite recommended." THE STORIES DEAD JUJU BY RANDY CHANDLER He's the mystery man on the news. Where he shows up, the shit goes down. The dead are rising, the immigration issue has reached the boiling point, the living are screwed, and unspeakable acts are being performed upon all involved. In this tale of Zombies Gone Wild, yes the dead walk but just where the hell are they going and why? Dead Juju gives you the hardcore truth, if you're ghoul enough to handle it. NIGHT OF THE JIKININKI BY EDWARD M. ERDELAC After a comet is observed in the western sky of feudal Japan, a murdered inmate rises from the dead and attacks his fellow prisoners. Three disparate men: a casteless bandit, a mad, child-eating monk, and a renowned but sadistic samurai band together to escape the walled and moat-surrounded prison as it fills with the walking and ravenous dead. ZEE BEE & BEE (A.K.A. PROPELLER HATS FOR THE DEAD) BY DAVID JAMES KEATON At a "Zombie Bed & Breakfast" tourist trap, guests pay for the thrill of a staged zombie assault during an apocalyptic scenario, acted out by sluggish hotel workers who are well-versed in the zombie genre. But soon the script doesn't go as planned, the guests become uncooperative, and the actors are taking their roles very seriously these days. ZOMBIE SAFARI BY BEN CHEETHAM Survivors of a zombie apocalypse have carved out new existences on islands, only visiting the mainland to hunt zombies. But things start to go wrong. Zombies don't die as they should. Hunters go missing. A trip that's supposed to be fun turns into a struggle for survival as four men make a discovery that causes them to question not only what it means to be a zombie, but what it means to be human.

"Not for the faint of heart or weak of stomach, the 19 stories in this new best-of annual anthology feature episodes of graphic gore and violence—including torture, dismemberment, self-mutilation, and home abortion—that are designed to push buttons as well as boundaries...strictly for hardcore horror fans."—Publishers Weekly Excerpt from the Introduction: Editors Randy Chandler and Cheryl Mullenax put the call out to horror writers and editors of extreme stories, the hardcore stuff that breaks boundaries and trashes taboos, the transgressive tales you can't "unread" (as Chuck Palahniuk says). We staked out our territory and nailed this to the wall to guide us: YEAR'S BEST HARDEST HORROR Not your mama's best-of horror annual. This stuff comes from the edge of the abyss, stories you read at your own risk because you feel the abyss looking right back into you through the tainted lens of each twisted tale. Some of the stories you'll find here are loaded with very graphic descriptions of violence, sex and depravities, while others may contain only one shocking moment of brutality. In others, the hardcore aspect may be less graphic and subtler than you might expect. Some of these quieter tales offer the reader some time to recover from the more disturbing ones preceding. Most of the stories collected here are from small and specialty press anthologies, with a few from periodicals, like the prestigious Splatterpunk Zine in the UK and Thuglit here in the US. Bizarro is also represented with a couple of tales from the unlikely anthology Blood For You: A Literary Tribute To GG Allin from Weirdpunk Books. (If you're not familiar with the late GG Allin, you can find snippets from some of his outrageous and obscene punk shows online, which will increase your appreciation of those two tales.) So for now, forget about that neighbor you suspect is a serial killer, don't worry about the drunk driver that could take you out on your next trip to the store, push those troubling news stories to the back of your mind and immerse yourself in the imaginary horrors at hand. But don't be surprised if you sense something dark staring back at you from between the lines. That is to be expected when you enter these forbidding realms. With any luck, you may find something useful to help you survive the approaching Apocalypse. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction: The Year That Was "Worth the Having" by Michael Paul Gonzalez "Awakening" by Jeff Strand "Readings Off The Charts" by Adam Cesare "Reborn" by The Behrg "What's Worst" by David James Keaton "Dead End" by Kristopher Triana "What You Wish For" by Lilith Morgan "King Shits" by Charles Austin Muir "Cleanup On Aisle 3" by Adam Howe "Bath Salt Fetus" by Jorge Palacios "Bored With Brutality" by MP Johnson "Exposed" by Monica J. O'Rourke "Eleanor" by Jason Parent "The Scavengers" by Tony Knighton "The Most Important Miracle" by Scott Emerson "Hungry For Control" by Clare de Lune "Clarissa" by Robert Essig & Jack Bantry "Where The Sun Don't Shine" by Pete Kahle "Blackbird Lullaby" by George Cotronis

Comet Press presents 13 stories from authors of dark crime, suspense, and horror. Ultra violent, hardboiled, with an unhealthy dose of the macabre, The Death Panel is a no-holds-barred, in-your-face hard ride to hell. HORROR WORLD REVIEW "These noir themed plotlines in the stories presented in The Death Panel are like a deep breath of fresh air; it’s nice to break with convention occasionally and these stories do so wonderfully. I found myself glued to this book, and when finished, I wanted to read more, it was that enjoyable. So if you’re looking for something a little different to read in your horror fiction, a book with stories that are edgy and cool as all hell, then pick up The Death Panel, and then be prepared to be blown away by some of the best genre short story fiction written in the last few years. Yes, this book is that good." MONSTER LIBRARIAN REVIEW "If you are a horror fan who wants to expand your horizons, I highly recommend picking up The Death Panel." BOOKGASM REVIEW "With sharp writing and a crisp design to match, the anthology makes a strong case for 2009’s best. It’s only Comet Press’ third release, but already, the small-press label has distinguished itself as a reliable name brand. Pick it up, if you’ve got the balls." —Rod Lott

Summer 2017 edition of Mystery Tribune Magazine features a curated collection of the short stories, essays, book reviews and interviews by some of the best voices in mystery and suspense as well as exciting fine art photography. The issue features stories by Aaron Fox-Lerner, Dan J. Fiore, Rob Hart, David James Keaton, and Teresa Sweeney. Acclaimed author Reed Farrel Coleman writes about his journey to become a PI novelist from his early days as a poet. Featuring other essays, interviews and reviews by Shawn Corridan, Elena Avanzas Álvarez, Staurt Neville and Richie Narvaez, the Summer 2017 issue is furnished with surreal photography collections from Tommy Ingberg, Heather Byington and more. An elegantly crafted 180 page quarterly issue, and with a beautiful layout designed for optimal reading experience, our Summer 2017 issue will make a perfect companion or gift for avid mystery readers or fans of literary crime fiction.

An innocent celebration takes a twisted turn when thirteen unlucky people find themselves trapped on a party bus with an inscrutable driver at the wheel. It was just supposed to be a birthday party, a mobile celebration with a group of college friends on a modified fire truck. But at some point, things take a dark detour. As the pulsating beats of dance music reverberate over an endless stretch of asphalt, the temperature suddenly plummets, and the reality of the situation becomes chillingly clear: the driver will not stop. After frantically attempting to contact the mysterious motorist, the passengers begin to suspect this party may never end. Desperation mounts as the trapped revelers hatch a plan to halt the rolling nightmare themselves. While they continue to drink and argue, shifting narrators peel back the layers of their past lives, exposing the disturbing secrets that bind them all together. Alliances shift, old grudges resurface, and battles erupt as the terrified passengers turn on one another in a struggle for survival as they careen through the night. The Twilight Zone meets Speed in Shallow Ends, a harrowing exploration of the human psyche set on a desolate highway, where the line between what's real and unreal blurs. Brace yourself for a psychological thrill ride that will leave you questioning the boundaries of perception--and confronting the darkness that lurks beneath the placid surface of our lives.

Fish Bites Cop! Stories To Bash Authorities is a whole trunk of surprises. A collection of horror, dark crime, pulp, and slipstream lampoonery that gleefully rips on police officers, security guards, organized religion, firefighters, police officers, bounty hunters, dyslexic paramedics with dog complexes, police officers, military, middle management, and even more police officers. Bad Cop movies are usually just bad cop movies. It's time they paid for it. "Bizarre and hysterically twisted, these stories crisscross between the satirical and the pulpy at a maddening pace. I endorse this crazy-ass book! Wild ride. David James Keaton is a writer to keep an eye on." --Frank Bill, author of Donnybrook and Crimes in Southern Indiana "This is exquisite writing and fast-paced storytelling--the peanut butter and chocolate of fiction. Bet you can't read just one." --Stephen Graham Jones, author of The Last Final Girl and Growing Up Dead in Texas "If you're a cop, have ever known a cop, or been arrested by one, or even if you're just one of those people who are scared of cops, FISH BITES COP! is the collection you must read. Also if you like watching, catching, or eating fish. Or cops." --Scott Phillips, author of The Adjustment and The Ice Harvest "Don't expect any nice-making from David James Keaton. FISH BITES COP! is full of people acting badly, and it's as fun to watch them self-destruct as it is to watch a ten-car pileup on the interstate. Trust me: you'll enjoy your couple of hours rubbernecking." --Kyle Minor, author of In the Devil's Territory "David James Keaton by his own confession has a problem with authority. You might say he has a hard-0n for cops, a hard-0n of the nightstick variety he brandishes with abandon, gleefully bashing cliches with his own savvy brand of literary mayhem. Keaton goes Dirty Harry on the cop shop of conventional crime fiction. Heads roll, donuts get gored. It's so good it should be illegal." --Randy Chandler, author of Dime Detective and Bad Juju "Keaton's at his manic best in this collection, populated by prize winners and barn burners, each one coated in his special brand of pulp sauce. These are stories to read by the bonfire as the world burns. In the worlds Keaton conjures here, spinning with barely repressed anarchy, that's the general drift." --Court Merrigan, author of Moondog Over the Mekong "David James Keaton holds the lovechild of convention and expectations down to the hard, concrete floor, puts his hand over its mouth, and slits its throat. Each of the stories in this collection help sop up the blood, his hands wiped cleaned by the time the last story is wrought and reeking of his touch." --Michael Czyzniejewski, author of Chicago Stories "With a command of contemporary slang force-bred with imagery, Keaton is one of the strongest voices in American fiction today. The first story alone is one I will read forever." --Jason Stuart, author of Raise a Holler "Reading these stories feels like the guys in the garage at the St. Valentine's Day Massacre probably felt as the bullets struck them. They will rip you up, tear you apart, and when you're done, you'll be exhausted with emotion but know that you've been in the presence of greatness." --Les Edgerton, author of The Rapist "Quite simply, David James Keaton is a twisted genius, and you read his work at your own risk, risk of a neural or moral melt-down. Keaton's stories are as sickly exuberant and gargantuan as gothic dirigibles, tall tales of teleportation into urban myth and mystery, post-truth, anti-reality, they break every rule of regular fiction and good taste." --Chuck Kinder, author of Last Mountain Dancer "It's Technicolor Noir." --Charlie Trout, reporter for the Pittsburgh Pulp Exchange

A collection of unnerving tales: - - by Michael Callahan - - So, It Has come to this, Ten Dollars is All!, Clemency, Persephone in Flight, Cherry, Her Story, Fuzibol of Goden (#237 The Mighty Fall) - - by Paul-Thomas Ferguson - - The Wrong Toolbox, From the Heart, The Unforgotten's Reign, The East Stairwell, Just Three More Minutes, My Brother's Keeper, Gnomestradamus, The Bellkeeper - - by David James Keaton - - Suckerpunchingbag

A risible struggle between love and subversion of the western genre, PIG IRON takes place in the desert town of Aqua Fría after the wells have run dry, where crazed townsfolk drink whiskey instead of water, priming their bodies, as well as their situation, for combustion. Myths are exploded, horses are treated with little respect, atheist preachers hurl Bible quotes without irony, and villains and heroes sweat booze as their time runs out. They have three days before they die of dehydration. Only three days to search for illusive treasure, right perceived wrongs, and battle murderous hallucinations. With a glossary of western terminology, real and imagined, this violent yarn is Deadwood meets A Clockwork Orange, with a shot of "wry."