Every small town has ghosts. King’s Branch has Marla. A reclusive young woman who lives with her mother in a creepy Gothic house, Marla Gorman is the stuff of urban legends. Some believe she’s a prisoner. Others claim she’s a witch. The evening of the first murder, Detective Carl Lancaster sees Marla leering at him from her bedroom window. He sees her again at the exact moment a second man is killed. And though Marla was nowhere near either murder site, Carl is convinced she’s connected to the crimes. To Carl, Marla is a menace. To social worker Annie Frost, Marla bears a bizarre connection to her past. To Dylan Ellison, a struggling college student, Marla might be the companion for which he’s been longing. But none of them understands Marla’s true nature. She’s about to plunge them—and everyone in King’s Branch—into an unspeakable nightmare and teach them the true meaning of terror. "Marla charges hard out of the gate and never stops moving until its final pages. Janz’s tale is propulsive and sometimes gut-wrenching, yet ultimately shot through with a strain of tenderness and heart that I didn’t see coming." —Nick Cutter, author of Little Heaven "The nightmare tension and dread Janz generates in Marla is top-notch, and reaches a new level of intensity I’ve not seen in his rich prose before. This is Janz in top form. Marla is dark, disturbing, and beautiful...but mostly it’s terrifying." —James A. Moore, author of the Blood Red trilogy

“They say that as a young pup she liked to bite. She ripped chunks of flesh from three servants and nearly bled one of them to death.” In Barranquilla, Carnival belongs to the living, the dead, and the women who feed on both. Julieta Vanterroso was born with fangs, a beautiful little monster in a family that knew exactly what to do with monsters. Her grandmother, Julia Vanterroso, has built an empire out of the Sanguina factory, the Highblood Club, the old Carnival families, the politicians, the servants, the bodies that can be drained and paid and forgotten. In Barranquilla, the Vanterrosos do not hide what they are. They dress it in lace, teach it to dance, put it on a float, and call it tradition. Now Julieta is meant to become Queen of Carnival. She must smile, dance, read the Bando, marry the man chosen for her, and step into the future her grandmother has prepared since the day she was born. But as Carnival approaches and the Vanterroso family begins to turn on itself, bodies appear where they shouldn’t, old rituals start to fail, and the women around Julieta grow hungry in ways even blood cannot satisfy. By the time Carnival crowns its queen, Julieta will have to decide how much of herself she is willing to lose to become what her family has been waiting for. Drawing from Afro-Caribbean spiritual traditions, Highblood transforms Barranquilla Carnival into a landscape of blood, spectacle, and ritual, where women inherit hunger like a family heirloom and survival depends on who is willing to devour whom first.

The groundbreaking book that launched America's urban legend obsession! Folklore scholar Jan Harold Brunvand assembles the best-known urban legends―including "The Hook," "The Spider in the Hairdo," and "The Baby-Sitter and the Man Upstairs"―and provides an enlightening and entertaining analysis of their variants and evolution. The Vanishing Hitchhiker was Professor Brunvand's first popular book on urban legends, and it remains a classic. The culmination of twenty years of collection and research, this book is a must-have for urban legend lovers.

The groundbreaking book that launched America's urban legend obsession! Folklore scholar Jan Harold Brunvand assembles the best-known urban legends―including "The Hook," "The Spider in the Hairdo," and "The Baby-Sitter and the Man Upstairs"―and provides an enlightening and entertaining analysis of their variants and evolution. The Vanishing Hitchhiker was Professor Brunvand's first popular book on urban legends, and it remains a classic. The culmination of twenty years of collection and research, this book is a must-have for urban legend lovers.

Fake dating turns deadly at a sinister couples retreat in this swoony horror rom-com from the internationally bestselling author of How to Kill a Guy in Ten Dates. Filmmaker Laurie Hamilton knows a red flag when she sees one, and the Kindred Souls couples retreat sets off every alarm. On a hunch there’s a story to investigate, Laurie heads undercover with Connor Kincaid, a dangerously handsome podcaster and the almost-boyfriend she swore she’d never see again. Posing as the perfect match, they infiltrate the Catskills getaway to discover whatever Kindred Souls has been hiding. Once inside, there’s no leaving. Surrounded by lovers desperate to prove they’ve found their twin flame, Laurie (with Connor’s help) quickly realizes the retreat isn’t about finding love—it’s about deciding who deserves it. As couples engage in increasingly dangerous tests of their devotion, Laurie must decide what she’s willing to risk, and whether the man she’s secretly falling for is the key to making it out alive. For fans of Brynne Weaver and Grady Hendrix, While You Were Screaming delivers a sharp, darkly funny romance that proves falling in love can either be the time of your life…or the end of it.

From beloved romance author Cat Sebastian comes a new, queer, contemporary romance, perfect for readers of Heated Rivalry. Two former childhood costars reunite, but will the sparks that fly be enough to overcome the secrets of their past? When they were teenagers, Gabriel and Matthew were the faces of a popular television show. They were best friends, media darlings, and possibly more. But that was 15 years ago. Then Gabriel became a star and Matthew…didn’t. Now, Matthew has reinvented himself as a celebrity journalist and mostly stays out of the spotlight. He certainly stays as far away as possible from any mention of Gabriel. A few years ago, Gabriel abruptly quit Hollywood, and now the internet thinks he’s the latest victim of the family curse that ended the careers of his movie star father and grandfather. When he agrees to come out of hiding long enough for Matthew to interview him, Matthew knows it’s a terrible idea. Sometimes the past needs to stay in the past. But curiosity—and old hopes—get the better of him. Will a week in a crumbling New Hampshire cottage be the answer to their problems? Or are these star-crossed lovers destined never to be together?

Step into the magical world of ELF with this captivating oral history, written by beloved comedian and actor Andy Richter, who watched the on-set shenanigans unfold before his very eyes, and featuring a foreword by Will Ferrell Ever since Elf hit theaters, audiences around the world have fallen in love with the story of Buddy, the charming (and oversized) "elf" with a heart of gold. But what most people don’t know is that when the screenplay first hit Hollywood, no studio was willing to touch it. How, then, did such a risky gamble turn into one of the most beloved Christmas classics of all time? In this laugh-out-loud oral history, comedian and co-star Andy Richter goes on a mission to find out by reconnecting with the very people who brought this festive vision to life. Through exclusive interviews, hilarious anecdotes, and heartfelt reflections with key players like Will Ferrell, Zooey Deschanel, director Jon Favreau, and many others, Andy ultimately unwraps the story of how a quirky holiday film about a human raised by elves became such an enduring cultural phenomenon. Packed with never-before-seen photos, behind-the-scenes secrets, a foreword by Buddy himself (aka Will Ferrell), and a sprinkle of festive fun, this book is the perfect gift for anyone who believes in the magic of Christmas—and knows that the best way to spread holiday cheer is by singing loud for all to hear.