Home Improvement Undead Edition

The editors of the New York Times bestselling Death's Excellent Vacation bring home a new collection...with a never-before- published Sookie Stackhouse story! There's nothing like home renovation for finding skeletons in the closet or otherwordly portals in the attic. Now, for any homeowner who's ever wondered, "What's that creaking sound?" or fans of "how to" television who'd like a little unreality mixed in with their reality shows, editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner return with an all-new collection of the paranormal perils of Do-It-Yourself. Sookie Stackhouse resides in these pages, in a never-before-published story by #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. And New York Times bestselling authors Patricia Briggs, James Grady, Heather Graham, Melissa Marr, and nine other outstanding writers have constructed more frightening and funny fixer-upper tales guaranteed to shake foundations and rattle readers' pipes.

A collection of vampire tales includes Charlaine Harris's heroine Sookie Stackhouse in "Dracula's Night," Jim Butcher's wizard hero Harry Dresden in "It's My Birthday Too," and other stories by Tanya Huff, P.N. Elrod, Christopher Golden, and Bill Crider.

Welcome to the wide world of paranormal pastimes, where striking out might strike you dead. Editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner are your announcers for this collection of the most peculiar plays ever made—including a story featuring Sookie Stackhouse and Manfred Bernardo… Sports fans live and die by their teams’ successes and failures—though not literally. But these fifteen authors have written spirited—in more ways than one—tales of killer competitions that would make even the most die-hard players ask to be benched. This anthology includes tales of unusual athletics by: JAN BURKE • DANA CAMERON • ADAM-TROY CASTRO • BRENDAN DuBOIS • CHARLAINE HARRIS • TONI L. P. KELNER • CAITLIN KITTREDGE • WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER • ELLEN KUSHNER • MERCEDES LACKEY • JOE R. LANSDALE • LAURA LIPPMAN • SEANAN McGUIRE • BRANDON SANDERSON • SCOTT SIGLER

For the first time together in one volume, the complete short story collection starring Sookie Stackhouse—with a new introduction from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the series, Charlaine Harris. For the first time together in one volume, here is the complete short story collection starring Louisiana’s favorite telepathic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse—from #1 New York Times bestselling author Charlaine Harris. New fans can fill in the gaps in their Sookie lore while old friends can revisit some of their favorite moments and characters. From investigating the murder of a local fairy to learning that her cousin was a vampire, from remodeling her best friend’s house to attending a wedding with her shapeshifting boss, Sam, Sookie navigates the perils and pitfalls of the paranormal world. Belly up to the bar at Bon Temps’s favorite watering hole and hear stories that will make you wish Sookie never left, including... “Fairy Dust” “One Word Answer” “Dracula Night” “Lucky” “Gift Wrap” “Two Blondes” “If I Had a Hammer” “Small-Town Wedding” “Playing Possum” “In the Blue Hereafter” This definitive collection is the perfect binge read for people who like their stories with bite!

A puzzling corpse stirs up trouble for a Boston woman visiting her Southern hometown in this cozy mystery by a New York Times–bestselling author. A Burnette family gathering is no small affair, thanks to Laura Fleming’s ever-extending extended clan. Being back in Byerly, North Carolina, gives Laura and her scholarly husband a chance to catch up on gossip about old rivalries and rekindled romances. New love is in the air too, though uncharitable kinfolk speculate that cousin Thaddeous’s girlfriend, mill receptionist Joleen, has an ulterior motive for dating him. Byerly’s mill has long been the town’s lifeblood, but when Laura arrives to try and fix Joleen’s faulty PC, she finds that death has just paid a visit. A stranger’s body lies on the office floor, and the victim bears a striking resemblance to Big Bill Walters. Did the mill’s founder have a doppelganger, or was someone in Byerly’s first family spreading wild oats? Laura isn’t planning to get involved—she’s busy trying to help Aunt Daphine, who’s being blackmailed over a decades-old secret. But the twin mysteries will have other deadly repercussions, unless Laura can see through a killer’s disguise . . .

A crafty killer lurks among the prized collectibles of a Southern smalltown flea market in this cozy mystery by a New York Times–bestselling author. There’s nothing Laura Fleming’s Southern family likes better than a get-together, and cousin Augustus returning from the army is a perfect reason to gather for a party in Byerly, North Carolina. While Laura and her scholar husband, Richard, are in town, her formidable great-aunt Maggie has an assignment in mind. Carney Alexander was recently found dead under his own table at Tight as a Tick Flea Market, where Aunt Maggie is a regular dealer. She and the other vendors weren’t overly fond of Carney—general opinion is that the man was nosy, ornery, and had a mean streak a mile wide. Why Aunt Maggie is so intent on solving the crime is a mystery in its own right, but Laura can’t let her down. The flea market’s regulars prove as colorful and quirky as the goods they offer, and plenty had reason for wanting to see Carney and his stall shut down permanently. But locating the genuine article among a slew of motives won’t be easy—especially with the killer in the market for another victim . . . Praise for Tight as a Tick “Decidedly homey characters, country charm, and an upbeat tone should make this a popular choice.” —Library Journal

A Southern smalltown wedding attracts well-wishers—and a killer—in this cozy mystery by the New York Times–bestselling author of Mad as the Dickens. Romance is in the air—and so is murder—in the eighth in Agatha Award-winning author Toni L.P. Kelner’s small-town Southern mystery series. Laura Fleming knows that love plays by its own rules. After all, she did the unthinkable and married a Yankee. But even she’s shocked to hear that her indomitable Aunt Maggie, a spinster closer to eighty than seventy, has eloped with Big Bill Walters. Laura, her husband Richard, and their baby daughter hightail it home, where Laura discovers the real motive behind Aunt Maggie’s marriage. Someone is trying to kill Big Bill, and Aunt Maggie plans to stick close enough to find the culprit—with Laura’s help. Big Bill is Byerly’s wealthiest businessman, so it’s little surprise certain folks have a beef with him. In fact, there’s a stack of threatening letters going back decades to wade through. Claims of land theft and worker injury abound, plus Aunt Maggie’s one-time beau, Pudd’nhead Wilson, is back in town. Innocents are getting caught in the crossfire, and Laura concocts a risky plan to lure the killer into the open. But she’ll need to keep Aunt Maggie safe too, or Byerly’s oldest newlywed will soon be its newest widow . . . Praise for Wed and Buried “The Southern milieu with its friendly warmth and innumerable relatives belies the hatred and tensions smoldering beneath the surface in Kelner's eighth airy Laura Fleming cozy. . . . Good humor abounds amid the murder and mayhem in this sprawling family.” —Publishers Weekly “Decidedly homey characters, country charm, and upbeat tone.” —Library Journal

In this cozy mystery by a New York Times–bestselling author, a Boston woman is ready to show her visiting cousin around town until murder mars their plans. You can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of Laura Fleming. Though she’s happily settled in Boston, Laura is thrilled to hear that her cousin Thaddeous is visiting from North Carolina. Before she can begin showing him the best of Beantown, however, bad news also comes to call. Laura’s college boyfriend, Philip, is found dead behind her apartment building. Philip had recently contacted Laura, trying to mooch a place to stay. Guilt and old ties compel her to investigate, and Thaddeous’s Southern charm is a real asset in wheedling information out of Philip’s loved ones and friends. Not that Laura’s difficult ex had many of either; his wife had kicked him out and he was on the brink of getting fired. Working undercover at Philip’s software company, Laura begins to decode the murderer’s motive. But as she and Thaddeous root out a mess of blackmail and revenge, they edge closer to a killer who’s just waiting for them to make a fatal error . . . Praise for Country Comes to Town “Kelner brings a small-town atmosphere to Boston as computer programmer Laura Fleming, Kelner's Southern-born sleuth . . . hosts her country cousin Thaddeous. . . . Greed and jealousy in the intricate world of computers provide a nonstop pace.” —Publishers Weekly