Samantha Lee Howe

A gritty and thrilling anthology of 28 new short stories in tribute to pulp noir master, Cornell Woolrich, author of 'Rear Window' that inspired Alfred Hitchock's classic film. Featuring Neil Gaiman, Kim Newman, James Sallis, A. K. Benedict, USA Today-bestseller Samantha Lee Howe, Joe R. Lansdale and many more. An anthology of exclusive new short stories in tribute to the master of pulp era crime writing, Cornell Woolrich. Woolrich, also published as William Irish and George Hopley, stands with Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner and Dashiell Hammett as a legend in the genre. He is a hugely influential figure for crime writers, and is also remembered through the 50+ films made from his novels and stories, including Alfred Hitchcock's Rear Window, The Bride Wore Black, I Married a Dead Man, Phantom Lady, Truffaut's La Sirene du Mississippi, and Black Alibi. Collected and edited by one of the most experienced editors in the field, Maxim Jakubowski, features original work from: Neil Gaiman Joel Lane Joe R. Lansdale Vaseem Khan Brandon Barrows Tara Moss Kim Newman Nick Mamatas Mason Cross Martin Edwards Donna Moore James Grady Lavie Tidhar Barry N. Malzberg James Sallis A. K. Benedict Warren Moore Max Decharne Paul Di Filippo M. W. Craven Charles Ardai Susi Holliday Bill Pronzini Kristine Kathryn Rusch Maxim Jakubowski Joseph S. Walker Samantha Lee Howe O'Neil De Noux David Quantick Ana Teresa Pereira William Boyle

A kidnapped bride and buried secrets. Mel Greenway is refusing to let the past stay dead. In post-war Britain, Avonby estate is a crumbling relic full of forgotten history. Lady Melinda 'Mel' Greenway, a former army mechanic and the family's poor relation, seeks solace in its overgrown gardens. But then Avonby bride-to-be Lorelie Courtney is forcibly abducted on the eve of her wedding. With local residents closing ranks and the investigation grinding to a halt, Police Investigator Derrin Bradley turns to the one person he trusts to help him uncover the truth. But Mel and Derrin’s clandestine relationship is becoming harder to hide and as Mel investigates Lorelie’s troubled past, she uncovers a former fiancé, years of abuse, and secrets that someone is desperate to keep hidden. But the deeper she digs, the more her own traumatic memories begin to surface, threatening her judgement, her relationship with Derrin, and her position in the Avonby household. With time running out, and Mel and Derrin suspecting that Lorelie’s disappearance is connected to their own military past and to a history Derrin has long tried to forget, Mel finds herself captured and fighting for survival. To escape before it is too late, she must rely on her mechanical ingenuity, courage, and determination to uncover the truth.

When a priceless family heirloom goes missing during a small private dinner party, Mel must find the culprit, and the painting, before Lord Jonathan and Lady Laura return home. Despite their moment of passion, Mel and Derrin are now estranged because there is still too much anger. Still trying to find her place as a ‘Greenway’ in the new world, Mel holds a small reunion soiree for her pre-war friends at Avonby while Lady Laura and Lord Jonathan are away in London for the season. Mel invites Derrin to try and patch up their relationship. But when a priceless Turner painting disappears from Jonathan’s study, Mel learns there is a thief at Avonby. With Derrin’s reluctant assistance, Mel locks in the guests and servants. No one is getting out until the painting is returned. But where has the culprit hidden it, and why? Locked in together the real motives, nature and resentment of her guests begin to emerge. Mel learns how little the Greenways are liked by the locals. She is forced to hide her increasingly debilitating illness from them, even as they surround her like a pack of feral wolves. A short flashback hints at the cause of Mel’s war induced trauma. As the truth comes to light, and a shock reveal brings Mel face to face with the culprit, she realises there are more enemies than friends in Avonby’s close-knit community, and there are those willing to do anything to get revenge – even commit murder.

Secrets bloom where the roses die – and Mel Greenway is digging up the truth. In post-war Britain, Avonby estate is a crumbling relic hiding deadly secrets. Lady Melinda 'Mel' Greenway, a former army mechanic and the family’s poor relation, seeks solace in its overgrown gardens – until she unearths a body beneath the roses. The discovery drags Mel into a tangled web of lies, resentments, and buried truths, forcing her to clash with Inspector Derrin Bradley, her wartime lover turned investigator. As Derrin digs into the dark web of secrets entangling Avonby’s privileged residents and its resentful staff, Mel is determined to solve the mystery herself. As sparks fly and old wounds resurface, Mel’s relentless pursuit of the truth puts her at odds with both her family and Derrin, while making her a target for a killer desperate to keep the past buried. A tale of resilience, forbidden romance, and suspense, A Thorn in the Rose is a richly atmospheric mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page.

The USA TODAY bestseller WINNER of the best thriller in the National Film Awards 2023 Inspired by a true story... *Now a major motion picture starring Samantha Bond, Emily Berrington and Ben Lloyd-Hughes* 'A dark, sexy thriller where no one is who they seem. I devoured it You will too ' Sunday Times bestseller Sarah Pinborough You think you love him. But can you trust him? 'Dark, twisty and enthralling' Paul Finch 'Wow I loved this book, every word on every page, a brilliant page turner *****' Goodreads reviewer A gripping debut psychological thriller about the dark secrets in a perfect marriage. For fans of Shari Lapena. I ended my marriage for a man who didn't exist... I have everything money can buy. I'm a good wife, but sometimes I feel trapped. And when I start an affair with a stranger called Ewan, my life changes in ways I can't begin to understand. Because Ewan breaks apart my marriage piece by piece and then he just disappears. He uses a fake name and leaves no trace behind; it's like he doesn't even exist. Someone did this to me and now they're waiting for me to unravel, watching my every move. I can't trust anyone, not even myself - not even the people I love. Readers love The Stranger in Our Bed 'Dark, twisty and enthralling. A commanding new voice in suspense writing' Paul Finch, bestselling author Shadows 'Samantha Lee Howe cleverly wrongfoots the reader and does so again and again. A fascinating study in lies, evasions and deceptions' Abbie Frost, bestselling author of The Guesthouse 'Samantha Lee Howe does a great job of painting a picture of a woman who no longer knows who to trust or what is real; sinister and thought provoking' Jackie Kabler, bestselling author of The Perfect Couple 'A must read. This book is just brilliant, the best I have read ' Goodreads reviewer 'What a spine-tingling thriller 5 stars ' Goodreads reviewer 'Wow I loved this book, every word on every page, a brilliant page turner ' Goodreads reviewer

Don't miss the third and final chapter in The House of Killers trilogy with Kill a Spyâ?¦

*Don’t miss The Stranger in Our Bed… Now a major motion picture starring Samantha Bond, Emily Berrington and Ben Lloyd-Hughes* ‘One of the deadliest female assassins I’ve ever encountered in fiction’ Brendan DuBois, New York Times-bestselling author of The End with James Patterson Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne… An agent with an agenda. A killer with a conscience. A showdown that brought a global network to its knees… For disgraced MI5 agent Michael Kensington, the events of the past year have exploded his life like a fist closing around a grenade. For serial killer and career assassin Neva, they brutally exposed how hers had so irrevocably imploded. She ran. He didn’t. But he refuses to give up on her. With a power vacuum gaping at the heart of the conglomerate that almost silenced them and a deadly web of rogue operatives spinning out of control, they soon realise the fight for freedom has only just begun. Kill or Die is the second gripping instalment in The House of Killers trilogy, an unmissable spy thriller perfect for fans of Mick Herron and David Baldacci. Praise for The House of Killers: ‘Fast-paced and impeccable, this is writing at its very best … It was almost dawn by the time I finished … It demands to be read in a single sitting. An absolute triumph!’ Awais Khan, author of In the Company of Strangers ‘Wow, what a read! Buckle up for a thrilling ride through a labyrinth of secrets, lies and betrayals, in a shadowy world where no one and nothing can be trusted. And where death is just the slash of a knife away’ Abbie Frost, author of The Guesthouse

*Don’t miss The Stranger in Our Bed… Now a major motion picture starring Samantha Bond, Emily Berrington and Ben Lloyd-Hughes* ‘One of the deadliest female assassins I’ve ever encountered in fiction’ Brendan DuBois, New York Times-bestselling author of The End with James Patterson Killing Eve meets Jason Bourne… Serial killer Neva has been conditioned not to ask questions of the mysterious Network, to remain perfectly incurious and perennially cold-blooded. She must simply execute the targets they text her and live to bury the tale. But then she’s tasked with terminating a fellow assassin and glimpses her own future in her colleague’s fate. When she leaves flowers on the gravesite, someone notices. Agent Michael Kensington knows he’ll have his work cut out for him when he’s recruited by MI5 onto operation Archive to piece together patterns in cold cases. Nothing could ever have prepared him for Neva… An assassin obsessed with hell, a fugitive tortured by the secrets of her past, a woman destined to unthread him. The House of Killers introduces a trail-blazing new voice in spy fiction in this nerve-shredding thriller series simmering with obsession and espionage – an absolute must-read for all fans of spooks past and present, from Bond to Bourne, Smiley to Polastri. Praise for The House of Killers: ‘Fast-paced and impeccable, this is writing at its very best … It was almost dawn by the time I finished … It demands to be read in a single sitting. An absolute triumph!’ Awais Khan, author of In the Company of Strangers ‘Wow, what a read! Buckle up for a thrilling ride through a labyrinth of secrets, lies and betrayals, in a shadowy world where no one and nothing can be trusted. And where death is just the slash of a knife away’ Abbie Frost, author of The Guesthouse

The USA TODAY bestseller! WINNER of the best thriller in the National Film Awards 2023 Inspired by a true story… *Now a major motion picture starring Samantha Bond, Emily Berrington and Ben Lloyd-Hughes* ‘A dark, sexy thriller where no one is who they seem. I devoured it! You will too!' Sunday Times bestseller Sarah Pinborough You think you love him. But can you trust him? ‘Dark, twisty and enthralling’ Paul Finch ‘Wow I loved this book, every word on every page, a brilliant page turner! *****’ Goodreads reviewer A gripping debut psychological thriller about the dark secrets in a perfect marriage. For fans of Shari Lapena. I ended my marriage for a man who didn’t exist… I have everything money can buy. I’m a good wife, but sometimes I feel trapped. And when I start an affair with a stranger called Ewan, my life changes in ways I can’t begin to understand. Because Ewan breaks apart my marriage piece by piece and then he just disappears. He uses a fake name and leaves no trace behind; it’s like he doesn’t even exist. Someone did this to me and now they’re waiting for me to unravel, watching my every move. I can’t trust anyone, not even myself – not even the people I love. Readers love The Stranger in Our Bed ‘Dark, twisty and enthralling. A commanding new voice in suspense writing’ Paul Finch, bestselling author Shadows ‘Samantha Lee Howe cleverly wrongfoots the reader and does so again and again. A fascinating study in lies, evasions and deceptions’ Abbie Frost, bestselling author of The Guesthouse ‘Samantha Lee Howe does a great job of painting a picture of a woman who no longer knows who to trust or what is real; sinister and thought provoking’ Jackie Kabler, bestselling author of The Perfect Couple ‘A must read. This book is just brilliant, the best I have read!’ Goodreads reviewer ‘What a spine-tingling thriller! 5 stars!’ Goodreads reviewer ‘Wow I loved this book, every word on every page, a brilliant page turner!’ Goodreads reviewer