The “black car” has appeared both conspicuously and inconspicuously throughout the annals of fiction—its presence both mysterious and menacing, its appearance enough to pause your heart. It’s the sedan just within sight that seems to be mimicking your speed and movements as you walk down the dark deserted street late at night. As the hairs rise on the back of your neck you wonder, Who is behind the wheel and what is the driver’s intent? It’s The Black Car Business and its presence means your life is about to abruptly change. You try to assure yourself there’s nothing wrong, but your pace quickens nonetheless, and soon you’re running, desperate for that narrow sliver between two buildings to slip through, the one too narrow for the black car to pass through. It’s that car parked just down the block that sends chills down your spine and keeps you awake throughout the night. It’s the sanctuary you race toward when you’re being chased, only to explode when you turn the key. It’s the one that skids off the icy mountain overpass and plunges into the cavernous grotto. It’s where Clemenza garrotes Carlo just as he’s about to be driven to the airport. It’s The Black Car Business. If The Black Car Business Volume 1 made you nervous Volume 2 will have you climbing the walls. Here are eleven fresh takes on that ominous black whip coming out of nowhere to stun and lay waste to your psyche. You may lose a few nights sleep but we promise it will be worth it. Contributors: Jonathan Ashley, Brett Battles, Kathy Bennett, Austin S. Camacho, Tim Ellis, Ty Hutchinson, Rick Murcer, Richie Narvaez, Gary Ponzo, Jeff Soloway, and Frank Zafiro.

The “black car” has appeared both conspicuously and inconspicuously throughout the annals of fiction—its presence both mysterious and menacing, its appearance enough to pause your heart. It’s the sedan just within sight that seems to be mimicking your speed and movements as you walk down the dark deserted street late at night. As the hairs rise on the back of your neck you wonder, Who is behind the wheel and what is the driver’s intent? It’s The Black Car Business and its presence means your life is about to abruptly change. You try to assure yourself there’s nothing wrong, but your pace quickens nonetheless, and soon you’re running, desperate for that narrow sliver between two buildings to slip through, the one too narrow for the black car to pass through. It’s that car parked just down the block that sends chills down your spine and keeps you awake throughout the night. It’s the sanctuary you race toward when you’re being chased, only to explode when you turn the key. It’s the one that skids off the icy mountain overpass and plunges into the cavernous grotto. It’s where Clemenza garrotes Carlo just as he’s about to be driven to the airport. It’s The Black Car Business. Turn the pages as ten masters of the noir art befuddle and frighten you with their stories. We promise a read you’re sure to enjoy. Contributors: Eric Beetner, J. Carson Black, Cheryl Bradshaw, Diane Capri, Jeffery Hess, Lawrence Kelter, Dana King, Allan Leverone, Simon Wood, and Vincent Zandri.

The Anthony-nominated collection of crime stories without guns—the collection we didn't want to be necessary—is back for Volume 2. Two dozen more crime writers have come together to raise their voices and take pen in hand to call for a sensible and reasoned debate about guns in America. As the mass shootings continue, the avoidable accidents, the suicides, the gun violence that consumes our country rolls on unabated and unaddressed by our leadership other than to say, “Now is not the time to discuss it,” these crime writers have chosen to start the dialogue. In stories of crime, mystery and suspense these authors have left the guns out to show for a short while that we can do without them and the plot doesn’t fall apart. Maybe, in a small way, we can show that the American way of life doesn’t cease to be, either. Not anti-gun, Unloaded Vol. 2 is pro-reason. These authors comprise gun owners and non-owners, voters on both sides of the political aisle. The cause that unites us all is the desire to see the senseless killing stop and to be able to have the discussion without the divisive language, vitriol and name calling that too often accompanies this debate. The top priority in these stories is to entertain with thrilling action and suspense that readers know and love about a crime story. To do so without guns leads to some creative leaps from writers who spin tales of simians on the loose, androids with buried secrets, punk rock shows and tattoo shops. Bestselling authors like Chris Holm, Lori Rader-Day, Bill Crider, Laura McHugh, James Ziskin and John Rector along with many more join together to call for an end to the needless violence and a start to a reasoned debate. With a forward by legendary Sara Paretsky, Unloaded Vol. 2 is a book we wish wasn’t needed. But staying silent is no longer an option. Proceeds go to the non-profit States United To Prevent Gun Violence. Praise for UNLOADED VOLUME 2: “[A collection of] entertaining and often thought-provoking stories.” —Publishers Weekly

The series of groundbreaking articles analyzing the profound symbolism found in popular music videos. 1. Jay-Z’s Run This Town and the Occult Connections 2. Beyonce’s Sweet Dreams Video is About Occult Mind Control 3. The 2009 VMAs: The Occult Mega-Ritual 4. Lady Gaga’s Bad Romance – The Occult Meaning 5. Paramore’s Brick by Boring Brick: A Song about Mind Control 6. The Hidden Meaning of Lady Gaga’s “Telephone” 7. Christina Aguilera’s “Not Myself Tonight”: More Illuminati Music 8. Lady Gaga’s “Alejandro”: The Occult Meaning 9. Kanye West’s “Power”: The Occult Meaning of its Symbols 10. Jessie J’s “Price Tag”: It’s Not About Money, It’s About Mind Control 11. Lady Gaga’s “Born This Way” – The Illuminati Manifesto 12. Britney Spears, Mind Control and “Hold it Against Me” 13. Lady Gaga’s “Judas” and the Age of Horus 14. The Esoteric Meaning of Florence + the Machine’s “Shake it Out” and “No Light No Light” 15. From Mind Control to Superstardom: The Meaning of Lady Gaga’s “Marry the Night” 16. Katy Perry’s ‘Part of Me’: Using Music Videos to Recruit New Soldiers 17. Katy Perry’s “Wide Awake” : A Video About Monarch Mind Control 18. Fjögur Píanó, a Viral Video About Monarch Mind Control? 19. B.O.B. and Nicki Minaj’s “Out of My Mind” or How to Make Mind Control Entertaining 20. The Illuminati Symbolism of Ke$ha’s “Die Young” and How it Ridicules the Indoctrinated Masses 21. “Scream and Shout”: A Video About Britney Spears Being Under Mind Control 22. Lil Wayne’s “Love Me”: A Video Glamorizing Kitten Programming 23. Emeli Sandé’s “Clown”: A Song About Selling Out to the Music Industry? 24. Azealia Banks’ “Yung Rapunxel”: New Artist, Same Illuminati Symbolism 25. MTV VMAs 2013: It Was About Miley Cyrus Taking the Fall 26. Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse”: One Big, Children-Friendly Tribute to the Illuminati 27. The Occult Meaning of Lady Gaga’s Video “G.U.Y.” 28. Lindsey Stirling’s “Shatter Me” : A Video About Monarch Programming 29. The Twisted Message Behind Viktoria Modesta’s “Prototype” 30. The Hidden Meaning of Taylor Swift’s Video “Style” 31. The Disturbing Message Behind Sia’s Videos “Chandelier”, “Elastic Heart” and “Big Girls Cry” 32. Muse’s “The Handler” : A Song about a Mind Control Slave Singing to His Handler 33. Rihanna’s “Better Have My Money” Promotes the Elite’s Obsession With Torture 34. Justin Bieber’s “Where Are U Now” is Full of Quickly Flashing Illuminati Imagery 35. The Meaning of The Weeknd’s “The Hills” and “Can’t Feel My Face” 36. “Self Control” by Laura Branigan: A Creepy 80’s Video About Mind Control 37. The Deeper Story of Kendrick Lamar’s Album “To Pimp a Butterfly” 38. The Occult Universe of David Bowie and the Meaning of “Blackstar” 39. The Occult Meaning of Rihanna’s “ANTIdiaRY” Videos 40. “Torture” : A Creepy Video About the Jacksons Being Subjected to Mind Control 41. The Occult Meaning of Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” 42. Pink’s “Just Like Fire”: Another Blatant Video About Monarch Mind Control 43. Panic! At the Disco’s “LA Devotee” Clearly Celebrates Hollywood’s Satanic System 44. The Occult Meaning of The Weeknd’s “Starboy” 45. The Occult Meaning of The Weeknd’s “Party Monster” 46. Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm” Sells an Elite-Friendly “Revolution” 47. The Dark Occult Meaning of Nicki Minaj’s “No Frauds” 48. Katy Perry’s “Bon Appétit” is a Nod to Occult Elite Rituals 49. Kesha’s “Praying” is a Sad Reminder That She is Still Owned by the Industry 50. Selena Gomez’s “Fetish” is Symptomatic of a Sick Popular Culture 51. “Butterfly Effect” or How Travis Scott Got Recruited by the Industry 52. The Sinister Meaning of Taylor Swift’s “Look What You Made Me Do” 53. Lil Uzi Vert’s “XO Tour Llif3” is Straight Up Satanic

Issue four closes our exciting first year with the very talented debut of Arthur Klepchukov. His intelligent “A Damn Fine Town” is followed by film director and writer John Shepphird and a prequel to his award-nominated “Shill” trilogy, a bit of a teaser for those of you who may not have discovered Jane Innes…yet. Brian Silverman is up next with a story set on his fictional Caribbean island of St. Pierre featuring his characters, Leonard and Tubby. The featured story this issue is of the most excellent Inspector Kubu by the writing team of Michael Stanley. If “Shoot to Kill” is your first Kubu tale, believe me, he’s only better when he’s in a novel. Our featured historical story is by the very prolific, very good Frederick C. Davis, who became one of Harry Whittington’s “St. Pete Boys,” the group of writers like Gil Brewer, Day Keene, and occasionally John D. MacDonald, that met on Sunday afternoons at Harry’s house. Davis’s story is the first Secrets, Inc. installment, “Blood on the Block.” We close out the issue with an offbeat heist story by Robb T. White called “Inside Man,” and a short piece by the always terrific Lissa Marie Redmond, who first appeared in issue two, called “We Don’t Talk About Lester Anymore.” There’s a good reason for that.

In this wide-ranging study Stephen Foster explores Puritanism in England and America from its roots in the Elizabethan era to the end of the seventeenth century. Focusing on Puritanism as a cultural and political phenomenon as well as a religious movement, Foster addresses parallel developments on both sides of the Atlantic and firmly embeds New England Puritanism within its English context. He provides not only an elaborate critque of current interpretations of Puritan ideology but also an original and insightful portrayal of its dynamism. According to Foster, Puritanism represented a loose and incomplete alliance of progressive Protestants, lay and clerical, aristocratic and humble, who never decided whether they were the vanguard or the remnant. Indeed, in Foster's analysis, changes in New England Puritanism after the first decades of settlement did not indicate secularization and decline but instead were part of a pattern of change, conflict, and accomodation that had begun in England. He views the Puritans' own claims of declension as partisan propositions in an internal controversy as old as the Puritan movement itself. The result of these stresses and adaptations, he argues, was continued vitality in American Puritanism during the second half of the seventeenth century. Foster draws insights from a broad range of souces in England and America, including sermons, diaries, spiritual autobiographies, and colony, town, and court records. Moreover, his presentation of the history of the English and American Puritan movements in tandem brings out the fatal flaws of the former as well as the modest but essential strengths of the latter.

Tanner Fritz has it all—he’s good-looking, well-liked, fabulously wealthy, and has a beautiful wife. He’s a veritable well of goodwill and happiness. So why do his four best friends want him dead? Each of them believes they have a genuine reason—he stole Marty’s wife, swindled Carson out of a fortune, caused Barry’s traumatic brain injury, and… well, no one is exactly sure why Serena wants to kill him. The foursome’s grievances quickly escalate into something truly terrifying, planning Tanner’s murder—only to run into a seemingly insurmountable hitch. Who actually gets to do the deed? Who has suffered the most at his hands? A cacophony of bumbling exploits follow as each tries to off Tanner Fritz, while the other three sabotage those efforts. Sprinkled with site gags and belly laughs to tickle both the cultured and the philistine, No Dibs on Murder pulls no punches… and neither do these harebrained would-be killers.

Edited by Rick Ollerman. Alphabetical list of contributors: Scott Adlerberg, Eric Beetner, Kristi Belcamino, Michael A. Black, Michael Bracken, Don Bruns, Gary R. Bush, Austin Camacho, Dave Case, Jessie Chandler, Reed Farrel Coleman, Jen Conley, John Gaspard, Lois Greiman, Libby Fischer Hellmann, David Housewright, William Kent Krueger, Jess Lourey, Michael Allan Mallory, Terrence McCauley, Jenny Milchman, Stuart Neville, Rick Ollerman, Nick Petrie, Gary Phillips, Lissa Marie Redmond, Michael Stanley, Duane Swierczynski, Randy Wayne White, and Case Younggren. Many of today’s top writers get together to celebrate the themes of books and bookstores (and even a tuba or two!) As we celebrate the life of Mystery Writers of America Raven Award-winning Gary Shulze, long-time owner of the legendary Once Upon a Crime bookstore in Minneapolis. Gary left an indelible mark on the crime fiction community across the world before he passed away in 2016 due to complications from leukemia. Join as Duane Swierczynski, William Kent Krueger, Randy Wayne White, Jess Lourey, Stuart Neville and more come together in this tribute to a man whose legacy will not be forgotten.

Malefactors is defined as “those who commit an offense against the law”, or more simply put, “one who does ill toward another”. This collection of short stories from Jim Wilsky is chock full of them. Tales that are all different, yet all the same. The locales and characters range from rural to urban. Office buildings, swamps, wealthy estates and corn fields are some of the places. The people range from folks with money to flat broke, from those who have a lot on the line to those who have nothing to lose, old and young alike. There are stone cold killers to good guys and those in between. Those walking on that shaky bridge, that thin tightrope that connects good and evil. The stories all share the same common ingredients though. Plots that are brutal, chaotic, desperate, vengeful and violent. These pages paint the rage and burning fire that dwells within almost everyone but only surface and re-erupt in some. From guns, to knives, to swords and bare hands, this collection will push all the right buttons for crime fiction readers. These specially selected stories touch every base. So, buckle up and read on.

When Jack was six years old, his parents were brutally slain by a serial killer. The police later found drifter Clyde Colsen driving a stolen car, his clothes soaked in blood. He was tried, convicted and executed. Jack grew up knowing the police got their man. Now a decorated homicide detective in New Rhodes, Jack arrives at the third crime scene of the “South End Killer” murders and finds his name. He will soon find out something else: thirty years ago, they got the wrong guy. And now the right guy’s come back to pay Jack and New Rhodes his bloody respects. As Jack struggles to stay on the case, his cat-and-mouse game with the killer makes him wonder if he’s the cat or the mouse. His family and everyone in his life is fair game. As the killer escalates and threatens the entire city, Jack has a question he must answer in his desperation: can he stop the monster without becoming one? Praise for WELCOME BACK, JACK: “I’ve been following Liam Sweeny’s writing career for several years. He started out pretty good and now—with Welcome Back, Jack —he’s become smokin’ good! I predict this novel will propel him to the highest ranks of novelists writing police procedurals. That may look like I’m climbing out on a limb and if so, it’s an extremely stout and solid limb. This ranks with the best of the genre and Sweeny is poised to become a writer of the highest rank. Remember his name—you’re going to be seeing it a lot.” —Les Edgerton, author of The Genuine, Imitation, Plastic Kidnapping, The Rapist, The Bitch and others “A new dark, very dark star has appeared in the noir spectrum and what a star it is. Welcome Back, Jack is the real deal, as down and deliciously dirty as it gets but with a wonderful fresh style and artistry that is as compelling as it is addictive. This is one hell of a start to what promises to be a unique series.” —Ken Bruen, author of the Jack Taylor series “When a triple homicide in New Rhodes bears worrisome similarities to one from police officer, Jack LeClere’s, childhood, nothing can stop him from following the sinewy clues to their horrific conclusion. As long as writers like Liam Sweeny can work the police procedural to such great affect, readers will follow Jack back to the gritty streets of New Rhodes gladly. Sweeny’s writes beautifully and Welcome Back, Jack is full of memorable characters. Claustrophobics beware!” —Patricia Abbot, author of Concrete Angel “Equal parts police procedural and psycho-thriller, Liam Sweeny reinvents a genre with Welcome Back, Jack. When serial killing gets personal, Jack LeClere is dragged underground into the past. Literally. With crisp, taut dialogue, fast-paced action, and more plot twists than the subterranean tunnels Jack must navigate to earn redemption, Sweeny taps into modern-day, urban paranoia, mining the best of Ellroy, Cain, and Westlake. Sweeny pays homage while tearing up some serious new ground.” —Joe Clifford, author of Lamentation and December Boys “Do yourself a favor: Before you start reading Welcome Back, Jack, clear your schedule. You’re not going to be able to stop until you’ve seen it through to the explosive finale.” —Rob Hart, author of New Yorked