"The Lottery," one of the most terrifying stories of the twentieth century, created a sensation when it was first published in the New Yorker. This collection unites "The Lottery" with twenty-four equally unusual stories. Together they demonstrate Jackson's remarkable range and power as a storyteller.

Assembled and edited by Julian Hawthorne and first published in 1907, the Old Time English volume of The Lock and Key Library features ten classic mysteries and ghost stories by Charles Dickens, Edward Bulwer-Lytton, Thomas de Quincey, Charles Robert Maturin, Laurence Sterne, and William Makepeace Thackeray. The Old Time English volume opens with two classic ghost stories from Charles Dickens: the first takes place in the traditional (and titular) "Haunted House," while the second follows the haunting of a railroad, of all places. Then you'll be treated to two stories by Edward Bulwer-Lytton: one a tale of a rationalist investigating a haunted house, and another a tale of the search for the elixir of life itself! Up next is a ghastly story of murder in a small German town from the mind of Thomas de Quincy, followed by a selection from the classic Irish yarn Melmoth the Wanderer by Charles Robert Maturin. But not every tale featured here is doom and gloom. In Laurence Stern's "A Mystery with a Moral," you'll be subjected to the eccentric musings of an English parson as he tries to make sense of a mystery that might not even be real. And then in "The Notch in the Axe", William Makepeace Thackeray contemplates the nature of crime and guilt and judgment, reaching some rather Swiftian conclusions himself. Finally, the last two stories, about another murder in a small German town and about a longstanding family curse, respectively, are both written by anonymous writers, as Julian Hawthorne often chose to include in his collections. This volume of The Lock and Key Library is sure to haunt and charm fans of ghost and detective mysteries alike. Full Contents: "The Haunted House" by Charles Dickens "No. 1 Branch Line: The Signal Man" by Charles Dickens "The Haunted and the Haunters; or, The House and the Brain" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton "The Incantation" by Edward Bulwer-Lytton "The Avenger" by Thomas de Quincey Melmoth the Wanderer (selection) by Charles Robert Maturin "A Mystery with a Moral" by Laurence Sterne "The Notch on the Ax" by William Makepeace Thackeray "Bourgonef" by Anonymous "The Closed Cabinet" by Anonymous

The Little Washer of Sorrows is a collection of short stories that explores what happens when the expected and usual are replaced with elements of the rare and strange. The book’s emotional impact is created with strong, richly drawn characters facing universal issues in unusual settings. The collection is both dark and comical with engaging plot twists and elements of the macabre as characters attempt to cope with high-stakes melodramas that drift further out of their control. The collection’s opening story “Captcha” begins with a perfect wife — mathematical genius and Kokanee beer model Margo — sending her husband Pete off to work before setting about her household chores. When she finds Pete’s filing cabinet unlocked, curiosity gets the best of her and she makes a life-changing discovery. The oddity increases in “Johnny Longsword’s Third Option” where a male stripper sits impatiently in a mysterious waiting room reflecting on his life as the by-the-books gatekeeper tests his patience. In the title story, Greg is convinced that the assistant estate manager at a bankruptcy office, green-eyed Fiona, is an Irish banshee. Could she be a mythological fairy who has appeared as a prophet of doom, washing the dirty laundry of a person whose demise is approaching? The threat of something sinister lingers beneath the surface in many of Fawcett’s stories, as she explores the messy “what ifs?” of life and the ever-present paradox of free will.

Aleya's world starts to unravel after a café customer leaves behind a collection of short stories. Surprised and disturbed to discover that it has been dedicated to her, Aleya delves into the strange book… A mad scientist seeks to steal his son's dreams. A struggling writer, skilled only at destruction, finds himself courted by Hollywood. A woman seeks to escape her body and live inside her dreams. Citizens panic when a new city block manifests out of nowhere. The personification of capitalism strives to impress his cutthroat boss. The more Aleya reads, the deeper she sinks into the mysterious writer's work, and the less real the world around her seems. Soon, she's overwhelmed as a new, more terrifying existence takes hold. Jonathan Ball's first collection of short fiction blends humour and horror, doom, and daylight, offering myriad possible storms.

Secrets aren’t good for families. — from “Big Luck Island” In The Left-Handed Dinner Party and Other Stories—a collection of new, delightful, distinctive short stories—everyone is missing something or someone; every family is riven by secrets and absences. From “The Remedy,” a tale of revenge and justice, to “The Smart Sisters,” a story of tricky family dynamics, Coulter’s narratives portray relationships, loss, and what we learn in the aftermath of death. Ghosts, echoes, memories, regrets...Coulter’s characters are haunted in many ways. With style and sweep that hints at Lynn Coady and Alice Munro, Myrl Coulter is a strong, fresh voice in contemporary Canadian fiction.

From one of Canada's most compelling and imaginative writers of short fiction comes a new collection of eleven stories and a novella. With stories both magical and unexpected, Leon Rooke astounds with his approach to the art of storytelling. From the novella about the surreal adventures of Prissy Thibidault in the deep south watching alligator wrestling while white racists turn into blacks; to stories that include the strange wanderings of a boy called Dark in search of his mother; the escape of a couple of gay friends from their respective relationships for the bright lights of Paris; the negotiations with J.D. Salinger for a bag of his garbage; the torment that six-year-old twins inflict on their blind grandfather while their absent mother gives a boyfriend one last shot at romance;  the unemployed man who helps to exterminate mosquitoes pleads his case before a judge about the capriciousness of his life; the painter who ruminates on magic dogs, reluctant models, and living with his ornery old father; the novice writer who hilariously tries to follow a how-to-manual; the survivor of a shut-in family who manages to burrow out of his suffocating lot;  to a most unusual bank robbery that saves a woman's life; here are fictional inventions that dazzle and engage. Writing within the aesthetic of magic realism, Rooke writes like a jazz musician, improvising and surprising with every sentence. Hailed by Russell Banks as "a North American treasure," Leon Rooke is surely Canada's literary answer to the jazz great Miles Davis.

In appearance Hercule Poirot hardly resembled an ancient Greek hero. Yet reasoned the detective like Hercules he had been responsible for ridding society of some of its most unpleasant monsters. So, in the period leading up to his retirement, Poirot makes up his mind to accept just twelve more cases: his self-imposed Labors. Each would go down in the annals of crime as a heroic feat of deduction.

A stranger dressed in black arrives in the village of Settle's Crossways, following the scent of a terrible crime. He even calls himself "Black," though almost certainly that is not his name. The people of the village discover that they have a surprising urge to cooperate with this stranger, though the desire of inhabitants of quiet villages to cooperate with strangers is not common in their land, or most lands. But this gift will not save him as he discovers the nature of the evil concealed in Settle's Crossways. The "Augur's Gambit" is a daring plan created by Mayhew Gordian, Hieronomer to the Queen of Indemnie, a plan to save his Queen and his country. Gordian is a reader of entrails. In the bodies of chickens, lambs, piglets, and one stillborn infant he sees the same message: the island nation of Indemnie is doomed. But even in the face of certain destruction a man may fight, and the Hieronomer is utterly loyal to his beautiful Queen-and to her only daughter. The "Augur's Gambit" is his mad attempt to save a kingdom.

Acclaimed author Robert Drewe says; 'These stories do more than just strike a chord: they resonate with the WOW! factor'. Brenda Walker says 'This whole collection is brimming with original and vibrant writing'. There are twenty-eight distinctive narrative voices in this anthology of new writing from Australia's west. Combining short pieces of fiction with creative non-fiction, The Kid on the Karaoke Stage &? Other Stories is a quirky and memorable collection that will resonate long after you close its covers.