Showing results by author "Luke Smitherd" in All Categories

On a quiet seafront in the middle of the afternoon the sun sets, the clouds part and something like a pale, elongated human figure appears on the horizon. For Maria, watching from the beach, it’s proof that she should never have dared to return. Five years earlier, her life shattered by the arrival of the Stone Man, she’d fled the country. But now she can’t escape: suddenly, there are news reports of ‘Empty Men’ materialising all around the coast, and the roads are gridlocked. The Empty Men are killers, and they’re heading inland.

One moment he is in a supermarket aisle, deciding between two jars of sauce and trying to pretend that counts as a plan. The next, the floor is gone and he is in falling through an endless chasm, one that glows with eldritch light. Arms pinwheeling, stomach lurching, the store wiped away as if someone hit delete, he tries to understand the strange wall markings and patterns that fly past. Above him there is only darkness. Below him, too…except for a purple light, a pinprick at first, hanging impossibly far away.

The afterlife doesn't come with a manual. In fact, Hart and Bowler (two ordinary but dead men) have had to work out the rules of their new existence for themselves. It's that fact (along with being unable to leave the boundaries of their city center, unable to communicate with the other lost souls, unable to rest in case The Beast catches up with them) that makes getting out of their situation a priority. But Hart and Bowler don't know why they're there in the first place; if they ever want to leave, they will have to find all the answers to be able to understand the physics of the dead.

There are hangovers, there are bad hangovers, and then there's waking up inside someone else's head. Bartender Charlie Wilkes is faced with this exact dilemma when he wakes to find himself trapped inside The Black Room: a space consisting of impenetrable darkness and a huge, ethereal screen floating in its center. It is through this screen that Charlie sees the world of Minnie - his unwitting and unwilling host - while he undergoes an out-of-body experience like no other.

Nobody knew where it came from. Nobody knew why it came. When an eight-foot-tall man made of stone appears in the middle of a busy city center one July afternoon, two-bit (and antisocial) reporter Andy Pointer assumes it's just a publicity stunt. Indeed, so does everyone else...until the Stone Man begins to walk, heading silently through the wall of the nearest building, flattening it, and killing several people inside as a result.

Madison has seen better days. Reeling from a bad breakup, self-soothing with junk food, and totally consumed by her lack of direction, she's in need of a big reset. When she runs into an old acquaintance at the gym, Madison is shocked by how fit they've suddenly become. The cause? An all-female fitness boot camp led by ex-military guru Ellie Fellowes. The course is characterized by grueling reps and minimal contact with the outside world, and when Madison signs up to experience it herself, something doesn't feel right.

In Coventry, Eric and Harry watch helplessly as they find themselves face to face with the latest arrival at Ground Zero. Tired and coming to terms with Eric’s devastating injuries, how can two men hope contain such an indestructible force, let alone escape the impenetrable energy shield that now envelops them and the city?

Guy is about to finish writing his breakthrough online article. He overheard the story by chance in a pub and it’s guaranteed to go viral - all he needs to do is persuade the World’s Unluckiest Man to talk to him. His best friend Larry’s quest for killer clickbait material has led him to a recently appeared shanty town in Glasgow, where he finds some kind of urban voodoo cult. Ex-cop Sam has already come face-to-face with the terrifying force behind both these phenomena, but he’s been trying to put it out of his mind.

The internationally bestselling Stone Man series returns! The five battered survivors of the Fifth Arrival have reached the Isle of Skye, only to face an impossible mission: destroy the Barrier that has trapped the country and stop the ever-growing army of Stone Men. The survival of humanity itself hangs in the balance, and though they’ve been given their greatest weapon yet, our heroes must first learn how to wield it... before time runs out.

Here are the rules. Method: you can't use a gun. You can't use explosives. You can't use poison. It has to be up close and personal. You don't have to worry about leaving evidence; that will be taken care of. Victim: no one suicidal. No one over the age of 65. No one with a terminal illness. Choose your method. Choose your victim.

There are hangovers, there are bad hangovers, and then there's waking up inside someone else's head. Thirty-something bartender Charlie Wilkes is faced with this dilemma when he wakes up to find himself trapped inside The Black Room - a space consisting of impenetrable darkness and a huge, ethereal screen floating in its center. It is through this screen that he sees the world of his female host, Minnie.

From the author of Audible #1 bestsellers In The Darkness, That’s Where I’ll Know You, The Physics of the Dead, and The Stone Man - shortlisted for the Audible Audiobook of the Year award 2015 - comes this special omnibus edition collecting three of Luke Smitherd's books: Hold On Until Your Fingers Break, The Man On Table Ten, and My Name Is Mister Grief, plus exclusive bonus story "The Crash", unavailable anywhere else!

From the author of the Audible #1 bestsellers The Stone Man, The Physics of the Dead, and In the Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You. Five more stories from Luke Smitherd to keep you intrigued, shocked, and asking what you would do...

He seems to know everything you want before you do. He's insightful, kind, and understands you in ways you don't even understand yourself. He's everything you ever dreamed of. But there's always a catch, and now it's time for "The Man with All The Answers" to tell you the truth about his incredible, impossible gift. About the friends that died in its creation. About the terrible price he's had to pay.

From the author of Audible #1 bestsellers In The Darkness, That's Where I'll Know You, The Physics of the Dead, and The Stone Man (shortlisted for the Audible Audiobook of the Year award 2015). Ever wished the world would revolve around you? Be careful what you wish for... Martin Hogan feels like he's being watched by everyone and everything, and doesn't know why. Even his pets are acting strangely. Each night he sees animals gathering outside his house in the darkness, staring up at his windows with glittering eyes.

In a day that starts with amnesia, mysterious old men, and a scrawled, barely-legible note that says only "DON'T TRUST HIM", follow Tom as he tries to piece together not only his memories of the day before, but the answer to the question... what happens when you never let go of the ones you love?

It's 1998. The Internet age is still in its infancy. Google has just been founded. Eighteen-year-old supermarket shelf-stacker Nigel Carmelite has decided that he's going to become a vigilante. There are a few problems: how is he going to even find crime to fight on the streets of Derbyshire? How will he create a superhero costume - and an arsenal of crime-fighting weaponry - on a shoestring budget?

In this page-turning, provocative horror novel, two desperate souls attempt to turn their lives around, with nightmarish consequences if they fail. Madison has seen better days. Reeling from a bad breakup, self-soothing with junk food, and totally consumed by her lack of direction, she’s in...

There are hangovers, there are bad hangovers, and then there's waking up inside someone else's head. Bartender Charlie Wilkes is faced with this exact dilemma when he wakes to find himself trapped inside The Black Room, a space consisting of impenetrable darkness and a huge, ethereal screen floating in its center. It is through this screen that Charlie sees the world of Minnie - his unwitting and unwilling host - while he undergoes an out-of-body experience like no other.

It's a story that he hasn't told anyone for fifty years. A secret that he's kept ever since he grew tired of the disbelieving faces and doctors' reports advising medication. He's been careful. He hasn't even touched a single drop of booze since that one, fateful evening. This is why his decision on this day - the decision to have three drinks - will change the life of bright young waitress Lisa Willoughby forever. For today, the Man on Table Ten has decided that he wants to share his incredible tale.