Showing results by author "James R. Nelson" in All Categories

Thirty-nine terrifying stories that will keep you up all night and make you want to call in sick to work. Enjoy stories of karma, fear, supernatural horror, deadly women, and retribution.The Better Off Dead Series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk. These masters of horror will haunt your dreams and stalk your nightmares, taking you to the edge of sanity before pushing you to the brink of madness!

Speeding south from Indiana after a brutal crime wave, tormented Willard Ferguson and his 16 year old girlfriend, Anna Mae, leave a wake of death and destruction behind them. Anxious to find a safe haven from the authorities, they end up taking refuge in an odd attraction called Doctor Merryweather's Menagerie. Rather than offering the solace they had hoped for, Willard and his girlfriend find themselves thrust into a grotesque world far removed from anything they ever thought existed. Several seemingly separate events slowly merge into one, as the Menagerie of Broken Dreams pulls everyone into a dark web of danger, deceit, and murder.

Stephen Moorehouse is very excited to be traveling to his uncle's mansion, perched high on an isolated Lake Superior shore, deep in the woods of northern Michigan. Stephen is hoping his famous uncle, known for directing spooky horror movies, will have many Hollywood starlets visiting his estate for the summer. Stephen's long train journey from New York City to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan takes a dangerous turn when it appears he is being followed by a mobster in a wrinkled suit.

It’s been four years since young Stephen Moorehouse spent his first summer at his Uncle Phillip Kahle’s mansion overlooking Lake Superior in Michigan’s untamed Upper Peninsula. Stephen’s kidnapper, the murderous Paulie Deluca, has broken out of prison. Will he come for Stephen again? The beautiful scream-queen, Barbara Jenkins, pays an unexpected visit to Cliffside Manor. Why is Phillip being so secretive about her visit, and why did she bring enough luggage to stay six months?

Arnold Spivey and his mother have opened up their old farmhouse to tourists who enjoy hiking the sprawling 60,000-acre mountain wilderness area several miles down the road. A woman’s skull is discovered by a lost hiker. It puzzles the local authorities because nobody in the area has been reported missing. Where did it come from? When Olivia Thompson disappears on a hiking trip with her new boyfriend, it’s up to her older sister, Rachel, to figure out what happened. Disturbing new facts about Olivia’s companion confirm Rachel’s fears that her sister may be in grave danger.

A woman scorned. The sanctity of her sanctuary threatened. The betrayal of trust...even loyalty. Don’t ever tell her not to take it personally, because that’s exactly what it is. Personal. Your first blunder was mistaking her kindness for weakness. Your second was betraying her. The third? Underestimating her. Don’t say we didn’t warn you. Take the plunge into these tales of deadly women who will stop at nothing until vengeance is theirs. The Better Off Dead series delves into the farthest corners of your mind, where your deepest, darkest fears lurk.

After the tragic death of his wife during a robbery at his Chicago condo, mystery author Eric Ballard accepts an invitation from his brother-in-law to spend time in the small town of Red Cedar Cove. Eric’s hoping the new atmosphere away from memories of Claire will be the incentive he needs to write again. When a young boy’s dog digs up a human bone on an island just off the shore of Lake Michigan, whispers of what happened to two girls who disappeared 20 years before begin to circulate. On the other side of town, Cheryl Foster seeks answers about her past.

Beautiful Lauren McAllister has suspicions her husband is fooling around...again. She hires Archie to corroborate her assumptions. A sudden, untimely death plunges Archie into the dark underbelly of the wealthy McAllister family, where things are not what they appear to be. The story heats up when the shady Mrs. Culpepper rents a storefront several doors down from Archie’s office, and her hot-tempered son, Slim, starts paying unwanted attention to Archie’s new office manager. What exactly are the Culpeppers up to?

With this collection of stories, James R. Nelson, takes the listener on a magnificent journey that ranges from a young boy finding love at the circus to an old man mourning the death of his wife. Many different genres are explored including mystery, horror, ghost stories, and more.

Brad Feldman is desperate to come up with a novel idea for his failing television series, America's Most Haunted Locations. A friend reminds him about Doctor Louise Hilton and her groundbreaking research in parapsychology at Duke University during the 70s. Doctor Hilton invites a select group of people to join her and Brad at an old Victorian mansion in Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula. At first, Brad is delighted when unexpected happenings start to occur, but his joy soon turns to fear as things quickly spiral out of hand.

This short story is about the day young Jeremy Dawson thinks a vampire just moved in next door.

Sarah Morrison decides to travel to Michigan’s sparsely populated Upper Peninsula to see if she can find her long lost college friend, Eleanor Kincaid. Sarah’s not prepared for her less than friendly reception when she encounters Eleanor’s family living in the dark, imposing Hawthorn House. When rumors about the Hawthorn House start to surface, It soon becomes apparent Sarah has taken on a task that is more than she bargained for...and downright dangerous, too.

Things change quickly when Archie Archibald receives his new private detective license. He knows his wife will not be happy, but he isn’t prepared for what happens next. When his good friend gets caught up in an investment scam, Archie decides to look into it. His inquiries are interrupted when his first client shows up, and her case takes a sudden turn toward the bizarre. When the Everglades catch on fire, South Florida gets even hotter as Archie finds himself thrust into a world of well-connected politicians, sex for hire, and a murder where the only evidence points to him.

Shortly before the arrival of his friend, Candace, Archie makes a grim discovery. Then, a series of puzzling incidents unfold that make him wonder about the safety of his guests and himself. As Archie starts asking questions, he feels uneasy. Why do some of the residents of tiny Cedar River act like they have things to hide? Why doesn't the prominent attorney living down the beach ever mention the beautiful blonde who shares his expensive lake shore mansion? What about Archie's reclusive neighbor who none of the other residents have ever seen?

With the unexpected death of their Aunt Thortis, John Barrington and his sister Ellen suddenly find themselves as the new owners of an old mansion located in the middle of Michigan's wild and beautiful Upper Peninsula. The house, known to the locals as The Four Chimneys, had been constructed by a rich and powerful lumber baron and was now being watched over by the caretaker Mrs. Pritchard and her son Elroy.

Just weeks after his arrival, the area's wealthiest woman, 84-year-old Clara Silverman, mysteriously vanishes from her gated estate, and Archie is asked to take on the case. Sixteen hundred miles away, in Michigan's remote Upper Peninsula, John Barrington gets a mysterious call asking him about an aunt he thought had passed away years before.