It's 1980 and you have three crisp dollar bills in your pocket. You run to the drugstore, or maybe the supermarket, because you know THE RACK will be there, waiting... that black wire rack, tempting you with the latest and best horror paperbacks and their lurid covers.

You spin it slowly, ignoring the grating squeaks that try to warn you of the dangers THE RACK holds. You shiver as you take in the glossy covers: gothic mansions cloaked in fog, bulging eyes on blood-soaked faces, and all the creepy dolls you could ever wish for. You weigh the possibilities, pondering which nightmare to select, the vengeful vampire, the werewolf, demonic children, or perhaps parasitic insects? It doesn't matter because THE RACK will beckon to you long after the last page is turned. THE RACK always contains new tales of terror by today's masters of horror. And THE RACK is never done with you.

The twenty stories you're holding are throwbacks to those golden years of horror, presented to you by today's brightest stars in the genre. Giant spiders, haunted books, swarms of cicadas, killer bears, chemical spills, and so many more chronicles of carnage and camp await you. And did we mention the creepy dolls?

So go ahead...spin THE RACK, if you dare.

But don't say we didn't warn you.

Featuring stories by:

Max Booth III

Christa Carmen

Clay McLeod Chapman

Richard Chizmar

Johnny Compton

Kristin Dearborn

Philip Fracassi

Laurel Hightower

Larry Hinkle

Stephen King

Gwendolyn Kiste

Ronald Malfi

Bridgett Nelson

Candace Nola

Errick Nunnally

Cynthia Pelayo

Rebecca Rowland

Jeff Strand

Steve Van Samson

Mercedes Yardley

A lost child.

A marriage shattered beyond repair?

John Baxter doesn't think so, which is why he has planned this weekend getaway with his wife. He expected a lot of shouting, a lot of tears, but in the end, he hoped to have a stronger foundation upon which they could start rebuilding what they had once had.

What he wasn't expecting was the home invasion...

...and the hell that awaited them beneath the rented cabin.

SOMEONE HAS MOVED INTO THE OLD BREWSTER PLACE

Ben Harris and his best friends Richie and Jack knew the stories about Old Man Brewster, what happened to his wife. . .and the flies. They had no idea why anybody would want to live there, but then they met Greg Lupescu, the new kid who had moved in. He looked strange, his father was never around, and he had this creepy butler named Karl. Soon, however, he became their close friend.

SOMETHING IS KILLING PEOPLE

First, a young boy goes missing. . . Soon after, the boy's abusive deadbeat father is slaughtered. . . And his grieving mother burns to death in an unnatural fire. . . People are dying all over Bristol, Massachusetts and the boys are beginning to realize that it all started when the Lupescus moved to town.

SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T FIGHT YOUR DESTINY

Ben and little sister Eve can sense that a dark storm looms on the horizon threatening to engulf Bristol, and at its center stands his new friend. Can they all help Greg resist the sinister forces against him, or in the end will he choose to succumb and embrace an Eternal Darkness?

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depth.

Welcome to Sundown, Arizona. On its surface, it's just another sun-scorched desert town. But evil dwells here...

A Blade to Silence the Screams

In the aftermath of a deadly house fire, the young survivor tells a chilling tale. The Devil kilt my auntie and uncle. Kilt them with his claws then set hellfire to the farmhouse. Deputy John Pierce sets out to unravel the mystery and finds an unsettling pattern of housefires with no survivors. Is there a madman murdering folks and covering his tracks with flames? Or is there something more sinister at play?

There's a shadow over Sundown, and it carries a blade.

After Sundown

Two years after the events in A Blade to Silence the Screams, evil returns to Sundown. Sheriff Armstrong is found dead with a terrible message for young Deputy Billy Snow written in blood. Snow calls upon his old friend and mentor, John Pierce for help.

Pierce, retired from being a lawman and living the quiet life of a farmer, agrees to assist. What they find goes beyond the purview of the law and they enlist the shaman from a nearby reservation. Ghosts from Billy's past have come to Sundown, but are they human?

----

This collection of twin novellas from Bram Stoker Award winning author Tom Deady contains two terrifying tales set against the backdrop of the old west.

Tom Deady's first novel, HAVEN, won the 2016 Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in a First Novel. He has since published several novels, novellas, a short story collection, and the first book in his middle grade horror series. Most recently, he compiled THE RACK, an anthology celebrating the bygone days of mass market horror paperbacks. He has a master's degree in English and Creative Writing and is a member of both the Horror Writers Association and the New England Horror Writers Association. You can find out more about Tom and his work at www.tomdeady.com

Fears are stories we tell ourselves. These fears exist everywhere: in our minds, in our neighborhoods, and in all the places beyond. Come with us as our 22 writers take you deep into their world of fears, exposing the vulnerable spots in each writer's soul. What strikes fear in their hearts will haunt you. ### Including stories by: Author K Webster, Author rJo Herman, Author T.D. Harvey, Author Maria Sauerbrei, Author Krista Redmayne, Author Kerry E.B. Black, Author Laura K. Cowan, Author Jack Darkness, Author S.M. Lowry, Author Joi Miner, Author Matt Lovell, Author BB Raven, Author Stance A. Bingham, Author D.K. Cassidy, Author Michael Mill, Author Roxanna Mitchell, Author Shannon McLoud, Author C. Lloyd Brill, Author Adriel Reed, Author Debbie Manber Kupfer. Cover design and artwork by Mika Sugano. ### All proceeds of this charity anthology go to benefit pediatric cancer research and patient care.

Tom Deady hit this one way out of the park.-Jonathan Maberry, NY Times bestselling author of V-WARS and INK

In June of 1975, Ryan Baxter's mom moves him and his brother, Matt, to the small seaside town of Bayport, MA to escape their abusive father. For an eleven-year-old, spending lazy days hanging out at the beach and the arcades sounds like a dream.

When he meets Leah and she agrees to be his girlfriend, Ryan is happier than he's been in his young life. Then the Sea Monkeys knock-off he bought from the back of a comic book starts to grow...and grow and grow.

As Ryan and Matt struggle with their new lives and new friends, they begin to receive mysterious phone calls. As the sea monster in their house begins to get out of control, the real monster draws nearer to Bayport in the shape of their father.

A heartfelt, perfectly executed coming-of-age story about surviving trauma and what it means to be a monster. I loved it.-Christopher Golden, New York Times bestselling author of ARARAT and RED HANDS

Proudly represented by Crystal Lake Publishing-Tales from the Darkest Depths.