Talmage Powell

A telephone rang - and Steve Griffin recognized the distant, terrified voice of his wife. ''He’s trying to run me down with a car. He’s trying to smash the life out of me, Steve.'' But who her pursuer was Maureen never lived to tell. What would drive an unknown man to kill Maureen, to smash out her life with an automobile which was the twin of Steve’s own? Steve Griffin could think of nothing that would explain this nightmare. Then a special delivery letter came to his office. It had only a single, typewritten line: ''You owe me the kid too, Griffin.'' And now, desperately frightened for his young daughter, Steve knew he had to seek out the murderer himself. He realized he was seeking no ordinary hit-and-run driver, but a deadly menace who had sworn to kill again. In this gripping first novel of suspense, Talmage Powell sharply evokes the tension of Griffin’s quest down to its last, savage seconds.

The SMASHER

Cellar Team

Frank Belknap Long

Guy de Maupassant

R.A. Lafferty

Fletcher Flora

Welcome to The Seventh Ghost Story MEGAPACK®! Once more we have a wide-ranging assortment of supernatural fiction, with setting across the world -- Europe, the Americas, Asia -- and across the centuries. You will note that we have a larger than normal number of "Anonymous" stories. No, the authors weren't embarrassed by their contributions. Victorian-era literary magazines and newspapers often ran fiction without crediting the author, or with only vague terms like "A Lady," initials, or humorous pseudonyms (as with the story by “Q.E.D.” in this volume). Authors later collected their stories in books, and that's when readers discovered who had actually written what. If a story never got reprinted, its author remained a mystery. Modern scholars are still researching these anonymous stories, but many authors will never be properly identified. This time we include: BEAUTIFUL DREAMER, by R.A. Lafferty FROM THE TOMB, by Guy De Maupassant THE VENGEANCE OF A TREE, by Eleanor F. Lewis YOU CAN'T KILL A GHOST, by Frank Belknap Long A FIGHT WITH A GHOST, by Q.E.D. A CRY ACROSS THE BLACK WATER, by S. R. Crockett A FRIENDLY EXORCISE, by Talmage Powell MRS. DAVENPORT'S GHOST, by Frederick P. Schrader COUSIN KELLY, by Fletcher Flora GHOST OF BUCKSTOWN INN, by Arnold M. Anderson THE HUNGRY GHOST, by Emil Petaja GRAND-DAME'S GHOST STORY, by C.D. THE STONE CHAMBER OF TAVERNDALE MANOR HOUSE, by Lady Mabel Howard THE WATER GHOST OF HARROWBY HALL, by John Kendrick Bangs THE PARLOR-CAR GHOST, by A Lady THE THIRTEENTH BOAT, by George J. Rawlins THE RETURN OF YEN-TCHIN-KING, by Lafcadio Hearn THE SPECTRE OF TAPPINGTON, by Thomas Ingoldsby I HAD A HUNCH, AND..., by Talmage Powell THE BURGLAR'S GHOST, by Anonymous A PHANTOM TOE, by Anonymous THE PHANTOM WOMAN, by Anonymous THE GHOSTS OF RED CREEK, by S. T. THE PHANTOM HAG, by Anonymous THE SPECTRE BRIDE, by Anonymous HOW HE CAUGHT THE GHOST, by Anonymous COLONEL HALIFAX'S GHOST STORY, by Anonymous THE GHOST OF THE COUNT, by Anonymous THE OLD MANSION, by Anonymous A MISFIT GHOST, by Anonymous AN UNBIDDEN GUEST, by Anonymous THE DEAD WOMAN'S PHOTOGRAPH, by Anonymous THE GHOST OF A LIVE MAN, by Anonymous THE GHOST OF WASHINGTON, by Anonymous If you enjoy this ebook, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see more of the 300+ volumes in this series, covering adventure, historical fiction, mysteries, westerns, ghost stories, science fiction -- and much, much more!

The 7th Ghost Story MEGAPACK®

Nick Ramey, a gangster money handler, finds himself at the wrong end of a bellhop's gun, when he's robbed of a case full of money. But Nick may have the last laugh after all!

False Start

Johnston McCulley

James Holding

Nictzin Dyalhis

The Second Adventure MEGAPACK® assembles 23 tales (and a poem) of grand adventure. We’ve plundered a wide variety of sources to bring you an assortment of rip-roaring action tales, exotic locales, and even a little romance—spanning many continents and time periods. So hold onto your hat (if you’re wearing one) and get ready for a thrilling read! Included are: PEARL OF GREAT PRICE, by Joseph J. Millard WOLF, by Ernest Haycox THE EMERGENCY MEN, by George H. Jessop IN AN OUTPOST OF EMPIRE, by Jacob Hay AN ORIGINAL REVOLUTION, by Johnston McCulley THE TWO-LEGGED ONE, by Talmage Powell SHIMA MARU, by James Holding THE CLOUDBURSTERS, by Francis Lynde THE OCEAN LEECH, by Frank Belknap Long FOR WOUNDING—RETALIATION, by Nictzin Dyalhis QUEST OF THE SPLIT MAP, by Chester S. Geier DEAD HEROES DON’T COUNT, by Donald Barr Chidsey HOT BLOOD, by Arthur Wallace QUEEN OF THE FLAMING ARROWS, by Frank E. Marks THE HONOR OF THE LEGION, by John D. Newsom INCIDENT OFF LAND’S-END, by Jacob Hay ON A DARK NIGHT, by Donald Barr Chidsey AN INSTRUMENT OF THE GODS, by Lincoln Colcord THE HOUNDS OF KALIMAR, by P. Schuyler Miller THE LIZARD GOD, by Charles J. Finger THE KING OF THE JERAWAHS, by S. B. H. HURST THE MERCHANT OF BASRA, by Dudley Hoys THE BALL OF FIRE, by S. B. H. Hurst A note for the sensitive: as with many works that appeared in the early part of the 20th century, some of the fiction contained here may contain "yellow peril," racism, or other elements which are politically incorrect by modern standards. Please keep in mind the context of their original appearances. If you enjoy this ebook, check out the more than 350 other volumes in the MEGAPACK® series, which include classic and modern tales of fantasy, science fiction, mystery, adventure, and much, much more! Search for "Wildside Megapack" in your favorite ebook store to see the complete list of available titles.

23 Classic Tales

The Second Adventure MEGAPACK®

We are delighted to present our second collection of Talmage Powell mystery short stories! Powell (1920-2000) was one of the all-time great mystery writers of the pulp magazines (and later the digest mystery magazines). He claimed to have written more than 500 short stories, and we have no reason to doubt him -- we are working on a bibliography of his work and have documented 373 magazine stories so far...and who knows how many are out there under pseudonyms or buried in obscure magazines? He wrote his first novel, The Smasher, in 1959. He went on to pen 11 more novels under his own name, 4 as "Ellery Queen," and 2 novelizations of the hit TV series Mission: Impossible. Clearly, though, short stories were his first love. Included here are 20 more of his best crime tales, including: THE VITAL ELEMENT PSYCHO-SYMPTOMS STRANGER'S GIFT THE WAY OUT IN THE HOUSE OF RATS TO SPARE A LIFE THE INSPIRATION EASY MARK GATOR BAIT THE COMMUNE THE DELICATE VICTIM TRIAL RUN THE TIP-OFF THE ULTIMATE PREY NEW NEIGHBOR TILL DEATH DO NOT US PART HOPE CHEST THE HOLDUP A WAY WITH A WILL THE BEACON If you enjoy this book, search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see the 240+ other entries in the series, covering mysteries, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, classics, adventure stories, and much, much more!

25 More Classic Mystery Stories

The Second Talmage Powell Crime MEGAPACK ®

When Chat, a boy living in the Bayou,, goes out "Gator Baiting" with his stepfather, he is reluctant, but his abusive "Pa" steamrolls over him.

Gator Bait

The plan to stop his rich aunt's heart transplant proceeded in a way both ironic and deadly...

A Change of Heart

This one was for keeps. It started the night private eye Ed Rivers went to the rescue of a damsel in distress and almost ended up at the bottom of Tampa Bay. Ed knew who was lurking behind him. His name was Russ Leppert. Russ liked to kill people. Not for any real reason - just because he liked it. Then there was the man who had once been the business of hustling pornographic stag movies. He wanted to get back into the racket again, in a big way. And, of course, the middle-aged Dixieland musician named Straight Stuff Delaney. Was Straight Stuff blowing for kicks - or merely furnishing the fanfares for other murders to come?

With a Madman Behind Me

Rufus King

James Michael Ullman

Stephen Wasylyk

Who doesn’t like a good mystery? Here are 25 great noir crime and mystery stories by some of the top fictioneers of the 20th century, ripped from the pages of such magazines as The Black Mask Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, Secret Agent X, Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine -- and many more! Hours of great reading await...if you dare proceed! LET HER KILL HERSELF, by Rufus King THE SPENT DAYS, by Fletcher Flora CONSOLATION PRIZE, by Stephen Wasylyk SPECIAL DELIVERY, by James Holding A CHANGE OF HEART, by Talmage Powell THE COMPLIMENTS OF THE CHIEF, by Lincoln Steffens BODY RANSOM, by Arthur Wallace THE DEBT COLLECTOR, by Maurice Level HAPPY ENDING, by Rufus King ALLIGATORS DON'T ASK FOR PAYMENT, by Stephen Wasylyk --GOOD-BYE, SWEET WORLD, by Bryce Walton WHITEMAIL, by Joyce Kilmer GETTING RID OF GEORGE, by Robert Arthur JURY OF ONE, by Talmage Powell LET'S GO TO A FUNERAL, by James Michael Ullman THE CONFESSION, by Maurice Level LIVE BAIT, by Harley L. Court HEIST IN PIANISSIMO, by Talmage Powell FLOWERS FOR MR. VECCHI, by Larry Allan NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT, by James Michael Ullman MARKED IN RED, by Ralph Powers SOMETHING PRICELESS, by Fletcher Flora BODY ON THE BEACH, by Arthur Wallace FOUND GUILTY, by Josiah Flynt & Francis Walton THE WHISPERING CORPSE, by Richard B. Sale If you enjoy this ebook, don't forget to search your favorite ebook store for "Wildside Press Megapack" to see more of the 300+ volumes in this series, covering adventure, historical fiction, mysteries, westerns, ghost stories, science fiction -- and much, much more!

The Pulp Crime MEGAPACK®: 25 Noir Mysteries

Three people were dead, their heads bashed in, their bodies hacked with a samurai sword. All three victims were Japanese. The murder weapon was traced to Nick Martin, a veteran of Iwo Jima. Nick had spent fifteen pain-ridden years in and out of Army hospitals. He tried to drown his memories of the horror, but whisky only put him right back in the middle of that fierce battle. Nick drank a fifth the night of the killing. That’s the kind of case the police call 'open and shut.' But Ed Rivers, a private detective, was a friend of Nick Martin’s. And no one was shutting the door of a death cell on Nick - not while Rivers could still go after the real, fiendishly clever murderer.

The Girl's Number Doesn't Answer

"You don’t know me," a thin, taut, male voice said, "and my name’s not important. What I’ve got to say concerns your husband -- and a girl."

Talmage Powell

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