Michael A. Black

Ray Lovato

Set in the era of the 1940s and 50s, this collection of pulp-style novellas follows the adventures of the mighty Doc Atlas and crew from the jungles of Central America to the frozen tundra of the North Pole. Whether they're prowling the streets of Manhattan, investigating reports of a killer gorilla (with the purported brain of an executed criminal) or a crashed flying saucer in a small town named Roswell, New Mexico, Doc and company always see the investigation through to the end. Written with historical hindsight, these tales combine the best elements of the pulp era with actual historical figures and events.

The Incredible Adventures of Doc Atlas

A search for a missing man leads Chicago private investigator Ron Shade into a lot more trouble than he bargains for, as he heads straight into a plot of fraud, payoffs, cover-ups, and murder.

A Killing Frost

How much do you owe a past love? Ever wonder about it? Private Detective Ron Shade does when he bumps into his former lover, Paula Kittermann, late one lonely December night in a hotel bar. Paula had once been a major factor in Shade s life, but that was a very long time ago. Against his better judgment, he lets her back in, but when she's gone, without so much as a goodbye kiss, leaving him once with only bittersweet memories of what might have been. Then Paula turns up dead, the apparent victim of a hit-and-run accident. Though shocked, Shade moves on with his life until Paula's young cousin, Laurie, shows up in Chicago, asking him to look into the matter. Shade's investigation takes a walk on the seedy side, and begins to attract the attention of some very powerful enemies. But whenever Shade gets close to the truth, somebody seems to end up dead, and he suddenly finds himself the prime suspect in a homicide investigation. Working to clear himself and find out who killed Paula, Shade goes up against some redoubtable foes who will stop at nothing to ensure his search for the truth won't be completed.

Windy City Knights

David Housewright

Duane Swierczynski

Stuart Neville

Gary Phillips

William Kent Krueger

Nick Petrie

Randy Wayne White

Michael Stanley

Jenny Milchman

Lissa Marie Redmond

Jess Lourey

Michael Bracken

Reed Farrel Coleman

Lois Greiman

Eric Beetner

Scott Adlerberg

Jen Conley

Libby Fischer Hellmann

John Gaspard

Kristi Belcamino

Jessie Chandler

Michael Allan Mallory

Terrence McCauley

Don Bruns

Gary R. Bush

Austin Camacho

Dave Case

Case Younggren

Edited by Rick Ollerman. Alphabetical list of contributors: Scott Adlerberg, Eric Beetner, Kristi Belcamino, Michael A. Black, Michael Bracken, Don Bruns, Gary R. Bush, Austin Camacho, Dave Case, Jessie Chandler, Reed Farrel Coleman, Jen Conley, John Gaspard, Lois Greiman, Libby Fischer Hellmann, David Housewright, William Kent Krueger, Jess Lourey, Michael Allan Mallory, Terrence McCauley, Jenny Milchman, Stuart Neville, Rick Ollerman, Nick Petrie, Gary Phillips, Lissa Marie Redmond, Michael Stanley, Duane Swierczynski, Randy Wayne White, and Case Younggren. Many of today’s top writers get together to celebrate the themes of books and bookstores (and even a tuba or two!) As we celebrate the life of Mystery Writers of America Raven Award-winning Gary Shulze, long-time owner of the legendary Once Upon a Crime bookstore in Minneapolis. Gary left an indelible mark on the crime fiction community across the world before he passed away in 2016 due to complications from leukemia. Join as Duane Swierczynski, William Kent Krueger, Randy Wayne White, Jess Lourey, Stuart Neville and more come together in this tribute to a man whose legacy will not be forgotten.

Blood Work

Former cop Ron Shade investigates the disappearance of a client's fiancé while preparing for a karate bout.

John L. French

Will Murray

Tom Johnson

Lance Curry

Debra Delorme

Tales of Masks & Mayhem

Fourteen tales guaranteed to keep you riveted to your seat. A World War II rescue-extraction ventures into madness and the heart of darkness… A CIA operative desperately tries to escape from Cuba after Castro’s takeover… An American hitman in Japan finds himself bringing a gun to a swordfight… A band of criminals planning a heist from a casino get an assist from a mermaid… A long simmering western tale of vengeance unfolds in the early days of the movie industry… A brutal tale of life and death unfolds on the street of a small town in the Old West… A former boxer reluctantly recalls his past as he is thrust into an unwelcome comeback… A prescient country and western song foretells a tale of murder and revenge… A tough guy private eye battles Nazi spies for control of a superweapon… A time warp sends a group of scientists back to the Jurassic age with disastrous results… A legendary hero struggles to defeat evil in ancient Greece… A beautiful seductress has deadly plans for her troubled bodyguard… A kidnapping turns out to be far more involved than is first believed… A trip downstate immerses a Chicago cop in a sinister network of conspiracy and murder… During the days of the pulps, thrillers came in various genres, but they always delivered exciting entertainment. This collection includes a variety of stories guaranteed to keep you turning those pages. Enter a world of adventure, intrigue, and murder: a World War II mission involving headhunters and a trip into the heart of darkness; a time warp that puts a group of scientists face to face with a Tyrannosaurus Rex; some unscrupulous dealings endanger a Chicago cop in southern Illinois. Award-winning author Michael A. Black, best known for his novels, began his writing career with short stories. Many of these tales appeared in such prestigious magazines as Ellery Queen and Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, as well as numerous anthologies. Now The Thrillers collects all of these mesmerizing stories in a single volume, ranging from espionage to westerns to science fiction and a whole lot more.

The Thrillers

Lawyers … Chicago-based Private Detective Ron Shade has a cop’s inherent distrust of them, even though it’s been years since he was relieved of his badge. Still, when his old friend, Rick Walters, who happens to be a member of the bar, needs help doing the legwork for a wrongful death lawsuit, Shade reluctantly agrees. Then he finds out they’ll be going up against the preeminent attorney in Cook County, Mason Gilbert, and his famous detective associate, Big John Flood. Both men are local legends and Shade feels like a novice stepping into the ring for a title shot. To make matters worse, the trial is in only three weeks and there’s a lot of work to do. The first PI that Rick Walters hired committed suicide midway through the preparation. Or did he? Little inconsistencies start to pop up as Shade begins his investigation, and pretty soon he’s hot on the trail of something very elusive in a case like this: The truth. Then an opportunity he’s been dreaming of suddenly materializes: a shot at the world heavyweight kickboxing championship. Finding himself up against seemingly unbeatable opponents, Shade feels like he’s been swept up in a maelstrom as he tries to cover all the bases. But this time Shade finds out that the final judgment just might be death.

A Final Judgment

Michael A. Black

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