THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

'Deliciously dark and so very twisted!' 5* reader review
'Victoria Selman is an exciting and powerfully fresh voice' Patricia Cornwell
'Creepy, dark and disturbing - I loved it! 5* reader review

Twelve-year-old Sophie and her mother, Amelia-Rose, move to London from Massachusetts where they meet the charismatic Matty Melgren, who quickly becomes an intrinsic part of their lives. But as the relationship between the two adults fractures, a serial killer begins targeting young women with a striking resemblance to Amelia-Rose.

When Matty is eventually sent down for multiple murder, questions remain as to his guilt -- questions which ultimately destroy both women. Nearly twenty years later, Sophie receives a letter from Battlemouth Prison informing her Matty is dying and wants to meet. It looks like Sophie might finally get the answers she craves. But will the truth set her free -- or bury her deeper?

'Will keep you up all night' Jeffery Deaver

'Gravely compelling, sophisticated, terrifying' Chris Whitaker

'Smart, twisty, uniquely told' Abigail Dean

'An absorbing and captivating read, this held me in its thrall from beginning to end. Brilliant!' SJ Watson

'An utterly absorbing twisted story and a strong contender for the thriller of 2022' John Marrs

'Superb!' Prima

'Captivating' Woman & Home

'Engrossing' Araminta Hall

'An incredibly tense read' Harriet Tyce

'Chilling and compulsive, and with a wicked twist. I loved it' Cara Hunter

'Like nothing I've ever read before' Caz Frear


*A Sunday Times bestseller w/c 4 July 2022*

All profits will be donated to charity

SPOOKY SHORTS FROM THE BIGGEST STARS IN CRIME FICTION

Perfect for fans of Stephen King, Susan Hill…and Halloween

STORIES THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

Crime fighting duo, Tilly and Poe solve a mystery from inside a pantomime horse in an exclusive short by Gold Dagger winner, M.W. Craven. A psychopath takes Trick or Treating a step too far. And a woman's dream of a quiet life is shattered by a knock on the door.

Afraid Of The Shadows is a collection of gripping- sometimes funny, always spooky- short stories from some of the biggest names in crime fiction.

From possessed sweaters to creepy wardrobes and disco shape shifters, there’s something for everyone in this Halloween bucket of short story goodies making it the perfect companion to snuggle up with as the nights draw in. Though be warned, you might want to leave the lights on...

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CONTRIBUTORS

Afraid Of The Shadows is brought to you by twenty bestselling crime and thriller writers who between them have topped the Sunday Times and Amazon charts, won the Crime Writers’ Association Diamond Dagger Award, Gold Dagger Award and New Blood Dagger Award, the Bath Novel Award, the UK National Book Awards and the WHSmith Best Crime Author of All Time Award.

Special guests:

M.W. Craven
Peter James
T.M. Logan
Matt Wesolowski
Trevor Wood

Rachael Blok
Elle Croft (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Heather Critchlow
James Delargy (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Clare Empson
Jo Furniss
T.E. Kinsey
N.J. Mackay
S.R. Masters
Phoebe Morgan
Dominic Nolan (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Robert Scragg (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Victoria Selman (Shortlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)
Kate Simants
Adam Southward (Longlisted for the 2021 CWA Short Story Dagger Award)

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Praise for the "Afraid Of..." Series

"Stellar” —THE GUARDIAN

"Haunting"—THE TIMES

"The biggest stars in contemporary crime fiction"—THE SUNDAY RECORD

"Cracking "—MY WEEKLY

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Profits from the sale of Afraid Of The Shadows will be donated to various charities including Rights of Women, ESDAS and Barnardo's

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 CWA SHORT STORY DAGGER AWARD

All profits from the sale of this anthology will be donated to frontline domestic abuse charities

“TWISTED, DELICIOUS, DEVIOUS”

From the biggest stars in crime fiction comes an eclectic mix of festive shorts

Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Lee Child

"Stellar” —THE GUARDIAN

"Haunting"—THE TIMES

"The biggest stars in contemporary crime fiction"—THE SUNDAY RECORD

"Cracking…All the stories are truly gripping"—MY WEEKLY

"Twisted, devious, delicious. If you're looking for a mystery in your Christmas stocking, this collection of crime tales will be right up your candy-cane lane"—JO SPAIN

“A perfect festive collection of bite-sized crime fiction”—JOHN MARRS

“A deliciously dark selection pack of stories you’ll devour” —SARAH PINBOROUGH

“A bulging stocking full of prize gifts. Funny, tragic, scary and clever- the perfect Christmas present” — LOUISE BEECH

“A wicked slay-ride through the dark days of winter”— TREVOR WOOD

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IT WOULDN’T BE CHRISTMAS WITHOUT A LITTLE CRIME…

A Christmas dinner takes a murderous turn, a friendship group loses the festive spirit, and a young girl goes to extreme measures to keep a beloved dog.

Afraid Of The Christmas Lights is a collection of gripping, sometimes funny, and always festive short stories from a group of bestselling crime writers.

From the hilarious to the macabre, there’s something for everyone – whether you’re a Christmas convert or a bit of a Grinch. From a detective tracking down missing Christmas geese, to a cat lady who goes on a date in order to keep Santa Paws well fed, this anthology is the perfect gift to cosy up with this year.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Afraid Of The Christmas Lights is brought to you by eighteen bestselling crime and thriller writers who between them have topped the Sunday Times and Amazon charts, been Richard and Judy bestsellers, won the Crime Novel of the Year Award, the Bath Novel Award and the UK National Book Awards, had their work made into major television series and been published in over 50 territories worldwide.

Mark Billingham
Rachael Blok
Heather Critchlow
Elle Croft
James Delargy
Clare Empson
Jo Furniss
Sophie Hannah
T.E. Kinsey
N.J. Mackay
S.R. Masters
Val McDermid
Phoebe Morgan
Dominic Nolan
Robert Scragg
Victoria Selman
Kate Simants
Adam Southward
Harriet Tyce

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Profits from Afraid Of The Christmas Lights will support two front-line charities:

ESDAS: Educates professionals, communities,

SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2021 CWA SHORT STORY DAGGER AWARD

Profits from the sale of this anthology will be donated to domestic abuse charities.

"A GRIPPING COLLECTION OF SHORTS FROM SOME OF THE BEST WRITERS OUT THERE"

From 14 bestselling authors comes a new crime thriller anthology guaranteed to keep you up all night.

Perfect for fans of Stephen King and Lee Child.

“These stories are all so different and so good-creepy, haunting and funny too with some brilliant twists. Excellent work!” — HARRIET TYCE author of Blood Orange

“Wildly entertaining” — ALEX NORTH author of The Whisper Man

“Delicious bite-sized crime” — TE KINSEY author of A Quiet Life in the Country

“A fantastic short story collection by an amazing bunch of writers.” — ROZ WATKINS author of The Devil’s Dice

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Some people are scared of the dark. But it’s the light that exposes the secrets.

A young boy with nightmares faces up to his demons. A deathbed confession turns the world on its axis. A five-year-old watches his parents bury a body in the garden. A soldier returns from the war to find the horror isn’t yet over.

Afraid Of The Light brings the imagination of fourteen bestselling crime writers together in a collection that will keep you up all night. From a deadly campfire game to a holiday gone wrong, to an AI assistant with a motive and a love affair that can only end in murder, this is a gripping, twisty set of stories to send a shiver down your spine.

CONTRIBUTORS
Are you Listening? - Adam Southward
Daddy Dearest - Dominic Nolan
Deathbed, Beth Dead - Elle Croft
Loveable Alan Atcliffe - S R Masters
Sleep Time - Phoebe Morgan
Coming Home - N J Mackay
Sausage Fingers - Victoria Selman
Just a Game - Rachael Blok
Drowning in Debt - Heather Critchlow
To Evil or Not to Evil - Jo Furniss
Sheep’s Clothing - Robert Scragg
Frantic - Clare Empson
Planting Nan - James Delargy
Shadow - Kate Simants

All profits from the sale of this anthology will be donated to two frontline domestic abuse charities:

ESDAS- Educates professionals, communities, victims and even perpetrators on the nature of domestic abuse. They offer practical measures, such as legal advice and transport, to enable survivors to find a safe place to live.

Rights of Women-Helps women understand their legal rights and access a range of support services to which they are entitled.

Psycho meets Silence of the Lambs

“A taut, thrilling mystery.” —Dominic Nolan, author of Past Life

From the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Blood for Blood, perfect for fans of James Patterson, Lee Child and Thomas Harris.

A serial killer is terrorising London, removing a body part from each victim and leaving in its place a single pink rose.

Dr Vernon Sange, a multiple murderer awaiting extradition, seems to know the culprit’s identity—but he’ll only talk to profiler Ziba MacKenzie, the woman responsible for putting him away. Though there’s something he wants in return from her. And time is running out.

With one killer whispering in her ear and another running rings around the police, Ziba must play a game in which only her opponent knows the rules, and the forfeit is death.

“This is crime fiction at its finest” —Phoebe Morgan, author of The Doll House and The Girl Next Door

A twisty serial killer thriller from the Amazon Charts bestselling author of Blood For Blood.

He’s looking for his next victim. She looks just like his last.

Primrose Hill, London. Offender Profiler Ziba MacKenzie arrives at the scene of a gruesome murder with a disturbing sense of déjà vu. Nine days earlier, another woman’s body was found: same location, same MO, same physical appearance. For the police, it’s clear a new serial killer is on the loose. But for Ziba, it’s even more sinister—because the victims look just like her.

Ziba has been the focus of a killer’s interest before, and knows that if she gets too close again this case could be her last. Still, she’s not one to play by the rules—especially when her secret investigation into her husband’s murder begins to attract unwanted attention.

With someone watching her every step, can Ziba uncover what connects the two victims before she becomes one herself?

“For fans of a stylish fast paced thriller, Blood for Blood delivers on the nail” —Kate Hamer, bestselling author of The Girl in the Red Coat

Shortlisted for the CWA Debut Dagger Award.

A gripping, twisty serial killer thriller. Perfect for fans of James Patterson and Lee Child.

Ziba Mackenzie profiles killers. Now one is profiling her.

Rush hour, London. A packed commuter train is torn apart in a collision. Picking through the carnage, ex-special forces profiler Ziba MacKenzie helps a dying woman who passes on a cryptic message: He did it. You have to tell someone.

When a corpse is found bearing the gruesome signature of a serial killer dormant for twenty-five years, Ziba is pulled into the hunt for the perpetrator. As the body count rises it becomes clear he’s on a new spree. But what’s brought the London Lacerator back after such a long hiatus? And does his sudden return have anything to do with the woman on the train?

Ziba scrambles to profile the killer in the hope of predicting his next move. But time is running out. And the closer she gets to uncovering his identity, the closer he gets to destroying hers.