Deadly Treats: A Halloween Anthology [Kindle Edition]

Pat Dennis (Author), David Housewright (Author), Michael Allan Mallory (Author), Stephen Blackmoore (Author), Bill Cameron (Author), Anne Frasier (Author), Marilyn Victor (Author), Lance Zarimba (Author), Mark Hull (Author), Paula L. Fleming (Author)

Book Description

Deadly Treats

Where mystery and Halloween collide...

Celebrate Halloween with this collection of Halloween short stories by bestselling, award-winning authors and emerging new talent. Deadly Treats features witches, zombies, vampires, food critics, crazy writers, dumb criminals, interfering ghosts, ex-cops, suburban housewives, swamp monsters, and aliens. This delightful collection includes stories by Bill Cameron, David Housewright , Jason Evans, Heather Dearly, Julia Buckley, Kelly Lynn Parra, LK Rigel, Marilyn Victor, Mark Hull, Leandra Logan, Pat Dennis, Patricia Abbott, Paul D. Brazill, Michael Allan Mallory, Shirley Damsgaard , Stephen Blackmoore, Lance Zarimba, Paula L. Fleming, Daniel Hatadi, Theresa Weir, and Anne Frasier.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"High points include Stephen Blackmoore's cleverly conceived and darkly funny zombie story, "World's Greatest Dad"; the pretentiously vindictive restaurant critic of Mark Hull's "Friday Night Dining with Marianne"; the optimistically charming earthbound alien in Paula L. Fleming's "Treats, Tricks, and Terror in Tin Lake"; and Frasier's own "The Replacement," a punchy reanimation tale." Publishers Weekly

"If  you're ready to get into the Haloween mood by reading, Deadly Treats is the anthology for you. A nifty paperback."  Pioneer Press
"Deadly Treats was delightfully fun from cover to cover. Oh sure, as with any such anthology, there are stronger voices than others, but as a whole this gathering of Halloween tales offers a fantastic mix of edge of your seats chills and tongue firmly in cheek howlers.

Notable stories within include "The Replacement" by the editor herself, Stephen Blackmoore's "World's Greatest Dad", "Slurp!" by L.K. Rigel, and, perhaps my favorite of the lot -- David Housewright's "Time of Death".

All in all, Deadly Treats is an anthology that delivers and is a perfect companion for those long and lonely nights when the air turns chill and you bury yourself in a blanket on the couch, book in hand." Occult Detective

 "Including veteran and debut writers of suspense and horror, this is a pleasant choice for Halloween aficionados and an optional addition to library collections." Library Journal

From the Back Cover

"High points include Stephen Blackmoore's cleverly conceived and darkly funny zombie story, "World's Greatest Dad"; the pretentiously vindictive restaurant critic of Mark Hull's "Friday Night Dining with Marianne"; the optimistically charming earthbound alien in Paula L. Fleming's "Treats, Tricks, and Terror in Tin Lake"; andFrasier's own "The Replacement," a punchy reanimation tale." Publishers Weekly

"If  you're ready to get into the Halloween mood by reading, Deadly Treats is the anthology for you. A nifty paperback."  Pioneer Press
"Deadly Treats was delightfully fun from cover to cover. Oh sure, as with any such anthology, there are stronger voices than others, but as a whole this gathering of Halloween tales offers a fantastic mix of edge of your seats chills and tongue firmly in cheek howlers.

Notable stories within include "The Replacement" by the editor herself, Stephen Blackmoore's "World's Greatest Dad", "Slurp!" by L.K. Rigel, and, perhaps my favorite of the lot -- David Housewright's "Time of Death".

All in all, Deadly Treats is an anthology that delivers and is a perfect companion for those long and lonely nights when the air turns chill and you bury yourself in a blanket on the couch, book in hand." Occult Detective

 "Including veteran and debut writers of suspense and horror, this is a pleasant choice for Halloween aficionados and an optional addition to library collections."Library Journal

Product Details

• File Size: 674 KB
• Print Length: 158 pages
• Publisher: Belfry Press (April 9, 2012)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B007SYF22W
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Not Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #490,896 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars OK. Kinda adolescent November 11, 2012

By An Average Joe

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I always "treat" myself to a Halloween mystery book each year. This one seemed kinda adolescent. Spooky rather than creepy, rather simple language, not very interesting plots. I'd recommend instead "Murder for Halloween" which I bought from Amazon for LAST Halloween.

10 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Ghost stories ain't what they used to be... March 7, 2012

By CraftyCat

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have always loved Halloween and the great old ghost stories that featured scary houses, spectral knights unable to leave their castles, and monsters in the basement. Sadly today the terms "Halloween" and "Horror" have changed from ghosts in deserted houses dragging around chains to men stalking women to murder them. Frankly(and sadly), if I want that kind of horror I only need to read the daily news. Shame on writers who rely on any form of contemporary violence for their horror or terror plots.

Overall the stories were OK, but not great. I did enjoy "The Ogre of her Dreams" about a teenage witch who is both selfish and impatient. She forces her magic teacher to produce her soulmate for her, and the results are not what she intended. "The Replacement" is another story I thought worked well. A man returns from the dead, but to keep on living he has to take the life of someone living. Not an original concept, but well done with a good ending.

This book is promoted as "Halloween Tales of Mystery, Magic and Mayhem" but aside from one or two, Halloween had nothing to do with the plot. Or it was just thrown into the story to hopefully make it scarier, but it was not a vital element.

If you like contemporary terror tales with a little magic thrown in, you'll enjoy the book. If, like me, you prefer Halloween stories that evoke the more traditional terror, magic and spookiness of the holiday, then this book probably won't fit the bill.