Howard Hopkins

BANDOLEROHell-bent on a spree of murder and mayhem, the infamous Juan Rubio Latorro, El Bandolero, strikes terror into the hearts of the innocent and bathes the west in blood. Unstoppable, he robs and kills with impunity, leaving a trail of broken bodies and destruction in his wake. That is, until he kidnaps the daughter of a powerful rancher and gets man-hunter Wade Rannigan on his trail.But Wade is a man saddled with a death wish. Haunted by his past, he becomes reckless and bitter and is plagued by mistakes and foolish risks--the perfect target for a master bandit like Latorro.Can Wade overcome the odds and his own failings and still bring Latorro to justice? Or will he wind up just another victim of the deadly El Bandolero?Hell-bent on a spree of murder and mayhem, the infamous Juan Rubio Latorro, El Bandolero, strikes terror into the hearts of the innocent and bathes the west in blood. Unstoppable, he robs and kills with impunity, leaving a trail of broken bodies and destruction in his wake. That is, until he kidnaps the daughter of a powerful rancher and gets man-hunter Wade Rannigan on his trail.But Wade is a man saddled with a death wish. Haunted by his past, he becomes reckless and bitter and is plagued by mistakes and foolish risks--the perfect target for a master bandit like Latorro.Can Wade overcome the odds and his own failings and still bring Latorro to justice? Or will he wind up just another victim of the deadly El Bandolero?ABOUT THE AUTHORHoward Hopkins began his writing career in the late 1980s. He discovered his love of writing after high school when he began collecting pulp magazines and paperbacks. His interest in pulp magazines led him to write for one. He produced and edited Golden Perils, a journal for fans of the magazines, and went on to produce other "fanzines." Mr. Hopkins wrote his first western, "Blood on the Saddle," Saddle," in 1993. Since that time, using the pen name Lance Howard for westerns and writing horror stories under his own name, Mr. Hopkins has written more than 70 westerns, horror stories, and the two children's series- The Chloe Files and The Nightmare Club.

Arriving in Lancerville, John Laramie hoped to escape his old life as a man-hunter and settle down. But there he finds he's torn between the demons of his past and hope for a brighter future when a young woman seeks his help in getting rid of a vicious outlaw. Then the Cross Gang attacks him and the young woman's life is put in danger. But will it cost Laramie more to win than to lose in a deadly showdown?

When Allie "Alliecat" Carpenter sees the New Salem Witch flying across the face of the full moon she knows the trouble is just beginning. Somebody has helped the old hag escape her grave and legend has it she must kidnap seven children in seven days to become immortal, or perish forever. Soon, the children of New Salem begin disappearing and Allie knows the old legend is coming true. Together with a band of misfit ghost hunters who call themselves the Nightmare Club, she decides to track down the old witch and put her in her grave once and for all-if the witch doesn't get her first!

Orville "Ace T" Turner has a hard time staying out of trouble but after moving to the spooky seaside town of New Salem, Maine, he soon discovers his troubles are only just beginning. Because on the day he walks past the deserted old mansion on Tuttle Street, he sees a mysterious and terrifying sight-the ghost of the Dragon Boy! Then when bullies from school start disappearing, Orville quickly finds himself right in the middle of a ghostly mystery. Together with a band of misfit ghost hunters who call themselves the Nightmare Club, a strange girl named Alliecat who wants to shove her way into the group and a potbellied pig named Barnabas, he must solve the riddle of the Dragon Boy's ghost before it claims its final victim and vanishes into the night forever!

A silver locket said to have belonged to Joan of Arc and a children's nursery rhyme...A 600-year-old monkey with an attitude and a mysterious supernatural symbol on a Caller ID box...A deadly plague reemerging in the seaside town of New Salem, Maine, and the manifestation of a little girl's ghost...How do these tie in with the sudden disappearance of Chloe's fiance, Detective Sergeant Arlo Grimm, while on a routine search for a lead to her twin sister, who vanished thirty years earlier? When the answer points to an Evil she'd thought vanquished Chloe knows she's in over her pretty blonde head and this time she'll have nothing to rely on except her own wits and courage. But will that be enough to save her and the life of the man she loves?

From the darkest reaches of the Wild West comes a terrifying band of desperados bent on a course of destruction and revenge. Led by a vicious outlaw with half a face, they are called Dark Riders, neither alive nor dead, trapped in a world of eternal night. They descend upon the 7HL ranch in a fury of flashing fangs and ruthless bloodlust, leaving the compound littered with bloodless bodies. When Chris Durrin, a man stalked by death and nightmares, returns to find his uncle and all cowhands murdered, he soon realizes the devil has come to claim his due--a devil named Milus Clint. A devil he killed six years previous. Before the night is over he finds himself locked in a desperate struggle between the world of the living and the realm of the undead. Can he overcome the menace before he too becomes another in a long line of victims of The Dark Riders?

A vicious killer stalks the dusty streets of Mascarada, New Mexico, slicing the throats of saloon girls like some Western Day Jack the Ripper. The Crucible Society, an organization that claims it doesn't exist, plans to tame the Wild West, but are their methods any better than those of the criminals they hunt down? Johnny Hickok, a man falsely accused of murder, struggles against the demons of his past and the specter of the Pistolero within. After the Crucible Society offers him a pardon in exchange for bringing the ripper to justice, he soon finds himself entangled in a web of hidden motives, danger and deception. Can he face the ghosts awaiting him on the blood-stained trail that leads straight to the woman he left behind and vanquish the Janus tearing apart his soul? Or will he fall prey to an adversary as deadly as any the West has ever known?

Strange and terrifying things happen in the small seacoast town of Dark Harbor, Maine. A ghostly image in stone calls out to a lost love...A mysterious entity rises from the sea, beckoning to a searching soul...A living blue liquid invades a lonely widow's life...A ghost train rears out of the misty gray morning...A malicious entity, trapped within mirrors, reaches out to possess the living...A distraught man discovers his girlfriend is having an affair--with a werewolf...A mysterious ship's mirror reflects the past and spawns a deadly force...Dark Harbors takes you on a chilling journey into the macabre. Travel through twenty-nine tales of dark fantasy, haunting love and spine-tingling terror--if you dare...Includes three extra tales exclusive to this edition and a bonus tale of vengeful spirits and honor in the Old West...

Deep within the blood-drenched walls of an ancient mansion Nathan Courtwright initiates a bizarre rite that will free every depraved soul since time immemorial to prey upon the living. Halted on the verge of success, he discovers the cost of failure is far greater: living interment in the family mausoleum, his demon soul consigned to a netherworld of suffering for all eternity. But when the mausoleum is torn down a century later, the evil that was Nathan Courtwright escapes...an evil capable of prying into its victims' deepest fears and blackest nightmares. Haunted by frightening visions, Paul Stanford returns to the fate-shrouded town of Dark Harbor, Maine--a town filled with sorrow and dark memories. Within days he finds himself locked in a desperate and terrifying struggle that spans a century-old feud and demonic desires. Only he holds the key to the door of the damned-a key that will cost him the life of the woman he loves and his very soul. A key that will fill the world with Night Demons...

For retired Detective Sergeant Arlo Grimm the world has turned into a nightmare haunted by the ghosts of his past and the demons of his future. His youngest son murdered, he suddenly finds himself plunged into a frightening web of conspiracy and the supernatural. In the small seaside town of New Salem, Maine, a horrifying menace has risen from the blackest depths of history. Renegade sorceresses from the Salem witch trials have claimed the town as their breeding ground for the hideous demon, Czcarabus. Calling themselves the Sisters of the Snake, they embark on a spree of grisly killings and terror that will bring the Dark One back into this world--unless Arlo Grimm can stop them in time. Together with a beautiful exotic dancer named Chloe, Arlo finds himself locked in a desperate struggle of danger and dark lust. Can he resist the spell of an evil temptress and stop the Sisters from opening the doorway to Hell? Or will he become the final sacrifice to the darkness bent on devouring his very soul?

When October Williams moves to the small seaside town of New Salem, Maine, he hardly expects to be chased by the ghost of the Headless Paperboy. But New Salem is a town gripped by the supernatural where anything can happen...October soon learns a strange and terrifying tale. Every Halloween three children vanish as the ghost begins searching for his head. Riding a thirty-year-old bicycle and hurling flaming newspapers, the phantom needs three victims before disappearing for another year. Together with a band of misfit kids who call themselves the Nightmare Club, a strange girl named Alliecat who wants to shove her way into the group, and a pot-bellied pig named Barnabas, he must find the Paperboy's head and put it back with the body before it's too late and he loses his own!