Short Stories

Look Before Leaping

A darkly humorous and chilling thriller that follows Mr. Larson, a man (or is he?) on trial for murder. A murder Larson claims was not murder but a necessary killing. The story explores the unsettling line between human nature and animal instinct, blending horror with sharp wit. Perfect for fans of crime fiction with a macabre edge, this tale will leave you questioning morality and survival.

For Slaying Evil Monsters

Eight year old Brandon Marsh is not at all crazy about his mother’s new husband, but there’s really nothing he can do about it. But, when his mother and her new husband go on their honeymoon, his uncle gives him a mysterious toy he got in Hong Kong. Could this toy be the answer to Brandon’s problems?

The Hole In One

Jimmy McCormick has always beaten the odds. But now, he’s faced with odds that may be unbeatable. And if he doesn’t beat these odds, he loses his life.

Mother’s Comfort

Ten-year-old Munni begs on the streets of Allahabad, India. She’s always relied on her mother for help, protection, and love. But lately her mother isn’t herself. Through a series of supernatural events, Munni’s mother arranges a better life for her precious daughter.

Human Trials

There is only one thing that Adam wants and that is his own child. He’s willing to try anything to achieve his dream. But something has gone wrong.

Fireworks

Nathan and Pedja live a half a world away and both experience “fireworks” in very different ways.

The Finger Snatcher and a One-Armed Man

Lefty Bruder’s first PI case.

This is part of A Vigilante and a One-Armed Man – available on Amazon.

A Day at the Fair

Andrew Claxton enters the 1906 World’s Fair exhibit called The Hereafter. He will exit a new man, if he exits at all. 

The Knife in the Stone

Ian MacCullum is a nomad. He’s passing through St. Louis on his way farther south for the winter when he hears a blood-curdling scream from the house on the hill. Compelled to help, he finds himself in a deadly battle with a monster from his family legends.

Pursued Through Fairyland

An action packed chase involving a nice car, a nice girl and beautiful scenery.

Partners in Crime

The new client of Sledge Hammer Detective Agency was being sued by a drunk that hit his car. That is until the drunk was murdered. With the client’s handgun. Sledge and Bobo muck through River City in an attempt to exonerate their client of murder.

Nothing but the Best

Cisco the cat finds a dead body in the school he lives in. Along with the help from the school janitor, the provider of Cisco’s tuna, he investigates the death.

Road to Matagalpa

He’d been hired to eliminate another rebel. His target turns out not to be who he was told.

In the mountains above San Ramon, Nicaragua, Phillip Angelo’s life takes a drastic and unanticipated turn. He meets someone who has been pursuing him for most of his life.

Phillip Angelo’s mission becomes one of finding his first lost person.

Spiritual Guidance

A simple suicide? A man brought in for drunk and disorderly hangs himself. Then what or who is that apparition Marble Hill Police Chief Tom Petrosky sees in the jail cell? Spiritual guidance?

Motherly Love

Marble Hill Police Chief Tom Petrosky receives a call from a woman he’s not seen or spoken with in over twenty years. A woman he has a past with. A past he wants to forget. Mrs. Rinehart’s daughter, Brittany is dead and Chief Petrosky must investigate her murder while fighting the demons of the past.

Sudden High Pressure

George Oakley can’t figure out why Police Chief Tom Petrosky would shoot him. Tom didn’t. But who did? In the long tradition of locked room mysteries, Marble Hill Police Chief Tom Petrosky must determine which of the other four people in the fruit cellar during the twister pulled the trigger.

Blood on the Cat

A woman is murdered in the small, quiet town of Marble Hill. While pursuing the killer, Chief Tom Petrosky unearths a twisted love quadrangle. At the same time, he meets an unattached and attractive forensic investigator. Together they sift the clues and share their lives while inching closer to the truth. The lynchpin that holds the case together rides on the back of an opportune feline.

To Die is Gain

People are dying or disappearing in a small Chinese congregation. Along with his partner Michael Frasure, Phillip Angelo must find someone who is lost and who may be the key to stopping the killings and disappearances.