Steve Hockensmith

A harrowing array of scary stories that all have one thing in common: each either begins or ends with a scream!R.L. Stine—the godfather of Goosebumps—and some of the most popular authors today bring an unrivaled mastery of all things fearsome, frightening, and fantabulous to this terrifying anthology of all-new scary short stories.Scream and Scream Again! is full of twists and turns, dark corners, and devilish revenge. Collected in conjunction with the Mystery Writers of America, this set includes works from New York Times bestselling authors telling tales of wicked ice-cream trucks, time-travelling heroes, witches and warlocks, and of course, haunted houses.Read it if you dare! With twenty never-before-published scary stories from some of the most popular authors today—including Chris Grabenstein, Wendy Corsi Staub, Heather Graham, Peter Lerangis, R.L. Stine, Bruce Hale, Emmy Laybourne, Steve Hockensmith, Lisa Morton, Ray Daniel, Beth Fantaskey, Phil Mathews, Carter Wilson, Doug Levin, Jeff Soloway, Joseph S. Walker, Alison McMahan, Daniel Palmer, Tonya Hurley, and Stephen Ross—it’s sure to leave readers screaming for more.

In a relentless chase across Missouri, four brave souls confront a hidden cabal of Confederate conspirators in a battle for the nation's future.When the A.A. Western Detective Agency needs to hunt men down, it turns to its toughest operatives: former cavalrymen Oswin Diehl and Ira Hoop and their Mescalero Apache scout Eskaminzim. So when the Double-A is asked to catch bank robbers fleeing across Missouri toward the Indian Territories, it sends the three to head the gang off. Along for the hard ride is Hoop's wife and Eskaminzim's sister, Onawa, who's tired of waiting around to learn who won't be coming home from the A.A.'s latest assignment.But when the four reach Missouri, they learn that there's much more at stake than the holdings of a single bank. The "gang" they're after is actually a company of former Confederate Cherokees-and they're backed by a powerful cabal of conspirators bent on avenging the South's defeat in the Civil War.What starts out as a chase to track down bandits turns into a battle for the future of the country...one our outnumbered heroes can't possibly hope to win.

DISCOVER THRILLING WESTERN ADVENTURES WITH COWBOY DETECTIVES BIG RED AND OLD RED AMLINGMEYER In "Black List," the Amlingmeyer brothers ride into the Arizona Territory on a quest to unearth a buried secret, coveted by a ruthless cattle baron. Can Old Red's deductive skills, inspired by Sherlock Holmes, solve the mystery and protect them from the cattleman's hired guns? In "White Death," the Amlingmeyers investigate mysterious deaths at a tuberculosis sanitarium deep in the Colorado mountains. As they search for clues, a sinister figure lurks in the shadows. When a sudden blizzard traps them with the patients, staff, and the killer, the suspense reaches its peak.As a special treat, enjoy the bonus short story "Expense Report: El Paso," where Big Red embarks on his first solo mission to collect a bandit's head. But what if the head has other plans?Looking for the wildest detective tales the West has to offer? You'll find them in Black List, White Death.

Ride into a world where Sherlock Holmes meets the Wild West.Saddle up for adventure with the eccentric cowboy detectives, Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer, as they embark on a thrilling journey to establish their dream detective agency in the Wild West. In this action-packed collection of five stories, join the brothers as they navigate disastrous homecoming trips, strange newspaper feuds, supernatural kidnappings, deadly Christmas celebrations, and a high-stakes conspiracy threatening to tarnish their budding careers. With their Sherlock Holmes-inspired wit and determination, can they crack the cases and outsmart the culprits? Don't miss out on the suspenseful tales that will keep you hooked from start to finish. Get ready to solve some mysteries with Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer in this western detective saga

Summer break is about to get weird. After their parents disappear, twins Nick and Tesla are sent to live with their Uncle Newt, an eccentric inventor with his very own science lab. Soon, the young sleuths find themselves investigating a mysterious family right in their own neighbourhood. As they race to uncover the truth, Nick and Tesla must build a bottle rocket launcher, a 9-volt battery burglar alarm, and an electromagnet picker-upper to save the day. Now in paperback, the first book in the popular Nick and Tesla series features laugh-out-loud jokes, fun illustrations, and five DIY science projects with step-by-step instructions for readers to try at home.

SHERLOCK HOLMES MEETS THE OLD WEST IN THIS ACTION-PACKED WESTERN MURDER MYSTERY FULL OF RANGE WARS AND RUSTLERS.Sherlock Holmes-worshiping brothers Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer have finally achieved their dream of starting their own sleuthing business-The A.A. Western Detective Agency. But this new venture is not without challenge.Their partner, Colonel Crowe, is almost as cantankerous and secretive as Old Red himself, and his daughter insists on tagging for the agency's first assignment-which lands them smack dab in the middle of a range war where they find themselves in a shootout with rustlers instead of rustling up clues.When violence claims an unexpected victim, the cowboy detectives are called to holster their guns and use their skills to track down the killer.Can the Double-A Western Detective Agency survive its first case while being ambushed at every turn?

Summer break is about to get weird. After their parents disappear, twins Nick and Tesla are sent to live with their Uncle Newt, an eccentric inventor with his very own science lab. Soon, the young sleuths find themselves investigating a mysterious family right in their own neighbourhood. As they race to uncover the truth, Nick and Tesla must build a bottle rocket launcher, a 9-volt battery burglar alarm, and an electromagnet picker-upper to save the day. Now in paperback, the first book in the popular Nick and Tesla series features laugh-out-loud jokes, fun illustrations, and five DIY science projects with step-by-step instructions for readers to try at home.

SHERLOCK HOLMES MEETS THE OLD WEST IN THIS EXHILARATING MURDER MYSTERY ADVENTURE AT THE WORLD'S COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION. When down-on-their-luck brothers Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer attend the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago, they don't expect to be invited to participate in a contest that aims to unveil the truth behind the death of Old Red's hero-Sherlock Holmes. Despite their surprise at being allowed to partake in the competition, both cowboys find themselves in the running for the title of World's Greatest Sleuth alongside renowned detectives from across the world. But events take a turn for the worse when the organizer of the contest is found dead, and they're forced to protect themselves from becoming the mysterious murderer's next victims-all while uncovering a potential conspiracy that could shake the exposition's fabled "White City" to its very foundation.Can Big Red and Old Red use their Holmesian minds to solve the mystery before it's too late?

SHERLOCK HOLMES MEETS THE OLD WEST IN THIS EXCITING DETECTIVE ADVENTURE CHOCK-FULL OF CRIME LORDS AND CUTTHROATS.Sherlock Holmes-obsessed Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer are hanging up their spurs and bringing their sleuthing to the dangerous streets of San Francisco. And despite their unfamiliarity with city ways, one thing remains the same-their unmatched talent for getting into trouble.It's not long before the Amlingmeyer brothers face off against Chinatown crime lords and Barbary Coast cutthroats.Thankfully, they have a new-if not duplicitous-friend along for the ride, whose wily charms have the potential to save them when they stumble into the middle of a Tong war and trudge through the criminal underworld to track down the mysterious "Black Dove" in time to unmask a murderer.Will Big Red and Old Red be able to save an entire city from disaster before it's too late?

SHERLOCK HOLMES MEETS THE OLD WEST IN THIS GRIPPING ADVENTURE ON A TRAIN RIDE TO DANGER.Two Sherlock Holmes-worshiping cowpokes, Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer, are embarking on a new adventure in the Old West. When they take a job as guards for the hated Southern Pacific Railroad, they find themselves heading full-steam towards disaster.They've barely left the station when the train they're on is robbed, and the baggage man loses his head-literally.With a whole host of suspects to sift through-a drunken Pinkerton, a mysterious beauty, a secretive Chinese doctor, and a deadly swamp adder with a taste for cowboys-these wannabe bronco detectives must work hard to solve a three-pipe problem.Can Big Red and Old Red make it to the end of the line alive?

SHERLOCK HOLMES MEETS THE OLD WEST IN THIS THRILLING MURDER MYSTERY ON A KILLER RANCH.It's 1893, and wandering cowboy brothers Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer are down to their last few pennies. When a job becomes available at a ranch run by a confident and enigmatic foreman, neither brother can say no.Although the work is tiresome and their boss is bad-tempered, they have a welcome distraction-the Sherlock Holmes stories Old Red has come to love so much.But when someone discovers a dead body on the ranch, a menacing game is afoot. Old Red is determined to catch the killer using Holmes' infamous methods, and Big Red is dragged along for the wild ride-whether he likes it or not-while his brother tries to deduce his way to the truth.Can Old Red and Big Red solve the mystery with stampedes, rustlers, Holmes-hating aristocrats, and a cannibal named Hungry Bob standing in their way?

Reformed con artist-turned-tarot reader Alanis McLachlan gets paid for predicting the future. Too bad she couldn't see all the trouble in hers. First a figure from her troubled past returns to drag her back into the dark world of scams and thievery she thought she'd left behind. Then her on-again off-again romance with hunky teacher Victor Castellanos hits the skids when a surprising new suitor sweeps into town and tries to sweep Alanis off her feet. And then there's the little matter of the client who gets an ominous reading from Alanis...and is promptly murdered. Danger is in the cards for Alanis, and she'll need all her skills as a tarot reader and a con artist - as well as a lot of luck - if she's going to survive.

When Alanis McLachlan learns that her mother's been murdered, she's completely unsurprised. Not that Alanis had been given a glimpse into the future. That would be crazy, right? It's just that her con-woman mom, Barbra, was bound to cross the wrong people sooner or later. It's why Alanis was lucky to get out of her childhood alive - and why she hadn't spoken to her mother in decades.But there is a surprise in store for Alanis. Barbra left her something in her will: a New Age shop in the tiny tourist trap town of Berdache, Arizona. The White Magic Five & Dime.After going to Berdache to claim her inheritance, Alanis is drawn into the mystery around her mother's death. Did one of Barbra's customers finally get wise to her con-artist ways and take revenge? Alanis thinks she knows how to find out: She'll make those customers her own until she can find the killer. Alanis McLachlan, cynic and unbeliever, is about to become a tarot card reader.With a little help from her mother's teenage apprentice and a snarky tarot how-to book called Infinite Roads to Knowing, Alanis begins bluffing her way through phony readings. But the more she gets to know the cards, the more she sees real meaning in them...and the closer the murderer comes to making her the next victim."Hilarious." -Publishers Weekly (starred review)"A clever and compelling tale filled with colorful and engaging characters." -Foreword Reviews"Hockensmith, author of the award-winning Big Red/Old Red series, and coauthor Falco deliver a charming comic mystery." -Booklist"The story is fun and light, and the mystical background and details of tarot reading are treated with good-natured skepticism." -Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine

Super-smart kid inventors Nick and Tesla Holt have outsmarted crooks, spies, and kidnappers, but now it's time to crack their biggest mystery yet: where the heck are their parents? With the help of their eccentric Uncle Newt, the twins trace the clues to their missing Mom and Dad, scientists working on solar-power research for a clandestine government project. They'll need all their wits, along with an assortment of homemade gadgets, to outsmart the criminal mastermind who's trying to turn solar power into a secret weapon. Featuring instructions for building and using five awesome solar-powered contraptions-a hot dog cooker, alarm bell, listening device, model car, and nighttime LED signal cannon-this sixth installment is sure to please budding scientists and sleuthers alike.