Bentley Little is een Amerikaanse auteur die zich exclusief toelegt op het horrorgenre. Zijn werken kenmerken zich door een diepe exploratie van de psyche van de personages en de onthulling van de duistere kanten van de menselijke natuur. Little creëert meesterlijk sferen van angst en spanning, waarbij hij zijn verhalen vaak plaatst in ogenschijnlijk gewone omgevingen die geleidelijk ontaarden in nachtmerries. Zijn onderscheidende stijl en compromisloze benadering van horror maken hem tot een unieke verteller van het macabere.
Renowned for their contemporary relevance and striking impact, the +Horror Library+ anthologies showcase a collection of short fiction from prominent authors in the horror genre. These works delve into the macabre and explore darkly imaginative themes, making them a significant contribution to modern horror literature.
Daniel Martin has never forgotten his childhood encounters with Frank Watkins, the man who built his family a summer home out of cardboard and plywood. Frank's gaze was oddly confusing, as if he was attempting to discern the proper way to behave because he didn't know how to respond in a human manner. Since Frank obviously wasn't an alien, young Daniel thought maybe the man was crazy. In the end, Daniel would learn the terrifying truth about Frank Watkins. And as an adult, Daniel is about to discover there are more of THEM out there...
In a small Arizona town, a man counts his blessings: a loving wife, two teenage daughters, and a job that allows him to work at home. Then "The Store" announces plans to open a local outlet, which will surely finish off the small downtown shops. His concerns grow when "The Store's" builders ignore all the town's zoning laws during its construction. Then dead animals are found on "The Store's" grounds. Inside, customers are hounded by obnoxious sales people, and strange products appear on the shelves. Before long the town's remaining small shop owners disappear, and "The Store" spreads its influence to the city council and the police force, taking over the town! It's up to one man to confront "The Store's" mysterious owner and to save his community, his family, and his life!
CompWare is in serious trouble after a promised merger falls through, so they do what other businesses have done to bolster their public image: they hire a consulting firm to review and streamline their business practices.But there's something strange about the firm they hire--more specifically, the quirky gentleman who arrives to supervise the project: Mr. Patoff, tall and thin and wearing a bow tie, and with an odd smile that never quite reaches his eyes.In his first interactions, the consultant asks a few inappropriate questions, and generally seems a nuisance. Over time, Patoff gains more power, to the point where he seems to be running the whole company. He enacts arbitrary and invasive changes to office protocol. He places cameras all over the building, making workers paranoid; he calls employees at all hours of the night, visits some of their homes and menaces their families. People who defy the consultant get fired... or worse. They soon realize they're not just fighting for their jobs: They're fighting for their lives.The Consultant is a biting workplace satire, with the horrific touches only Bentley Little could provide.
Cathy was six when the man next door killed his wife and himself. She heard the screams. She saw the blood and the bodies. Now, 20 years later, the house is no longer vacant. Someone new has moved in. Something terrible is happening to the neighbors. And Cathy has a secret of her own...
"We know who you are! Can your current bank say that? We pride ourselves on providing unparalled service to all of our customers. We're looking forward to banking with YOU!"In the small town of Montgomery, Arizona, Kyle Decker's book shop is barely breaking even. When a bank opens in the empty storefront next door, he hopes the new establishment will bring in more foot traffic. Trouble is, nobody has ever heard of The First People's Bank, and the local branch has appeared mysteriously overnight. Their incentives for new customers seem reasonable ... at first. But is it a coincidence when Kyle's wife has her identity stolen, and his son receives emails that seem to know his private thoughts? Or when the manager of a competing financial institution dies a gruesome death?Soon, if people in Montgomery, Arizona, want to buy a new car or home, or if they need a small business loan, they have no choice but to work with The First People's Bank. As The Bank makes increasingly bizarre demands on its customers, it becomes clear the town may be in too deep ... and the penalty for an early withdrawal is too terrifying to imagine. With his latest original novel, Bentley Little's dark, razor-sharp satire takes on the worst practices of our banking industry, and you'll never look at your loan officer the same way again
Five strangers discover that they share a terrifying bond, memories of a haunted childhood growing up in houses that are eerily identical to one another, and come together to confront the nightmare of the past and to escape the unspeakable secret of the h
The perfect getaway turns into a nightmare when a girl vanishes without a trace in this horror novel that could only have come from the mind of Bram Stoker Award-winning author Bentley Little. Gary, his girlfriend, Joan, and their friends intend to make the most of their three day vacation from UCLA partying at Burning Man. But soon after they arrive at the festival in the remote desert, Joan disappears. Calls to her parents’ home yield only dead air. Her school records are gone. And there’s no evidence that Joan, or even her roommate, ever existed. Most disturbing of all is what they do find. Among Joan’s belongings is a prayer written on a small scroll. It’s a safeguard—and a warning—from something called The Outsiders. For Gary and his friends it’s the only clue. Now, if they want to find out exactly what happened to Joan, they must follow it. But they may not like what they uncover....
It begins in a small Southwestern town. Then it spreads. Across the country a series of strange deaths have overtaken the living. And a stranger compulsion has overtaken the dead.In a travesty of life they drift with bizarre purpose toward an unknown destination. The walkers have become an obsession for investigator Miles Huerdeen. His father is one of them.Now, lured into the shadow of the restless dead, Miles is a step closer to a secret as old as time. . . to a reality as dark as hell. For Miles is following them into the deep end of an unfathomable nightmare.
With his "ability to disgust (and delight) even the most seasoned horror enthusiast" (Publishers Weekly), Bentley Little conjures up your greatest fears as he dares you to spend a night with the haunted.... Julian and Claire Perry and their two children, Megan and James, have made the move to a bigger, nicer home in their city's historic district. But something isn't right. The neighbors seem reluctant to visit. Claire can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her. Megan receives increasingly menacing and obscene texts. And James is having terrible dreams. No wonder, considering what he's seen in the corner of the basement, staring at him and shuffling closer ever so slowly. Pity no one warned the family about the house. Now it's too late. Because the darkness at the bottom of the stairs is rising....
