Блейк Крауч

An older couple encounter a strange and menacing visitor during a camping trip in the North Carolina mountains. Friendly at first, this stranger seems to know them, seems to know their secrets, and as things escalate, they become convinced that they may never leave these mountains alive.

Peter, a disgraced meteorologist and chronic wanderer, has traveled the country for years in his Winnebago, in search of the only thing that gives his life meaning. He’s just arrived in the middle of nowhere—Hokie, Kansas—for the same purpose, but when he meets a waitress named Melanie, another sufferer, he’s faced not only with his first real human contact in years, but perhaps someone who can sa...

At 25 words, the shortest story I ever wrote. But it packs a wallop.

A conversation between two people—devastating, tragic, and beautiful.

Бывший секретный агент Итан Бёрк крепко застрял в Заплутавших Соснах – Городе в Нигде, куда ведет лишь одна дорога – и ни одной обратно. Но жизнь продолжается, и Итан, используя свои прежние навыки и знания, занимает пост местного шерифа. Казалось бы, что это за работа – охранять покой в райском уголке, где и так все спокойно, где все живут мирно и в согласии – и откуда преступнику все равно не сб...

From the Foreword by J.A. Konrath: "Crouch is one of the best thriller short story writers I know. He uses words like an artist uses a paintbrush; to hurt, to stun, to shock, to provoke, to touch. This collection also features my very favorite short story of all time. Not just my favorite by Crouch, but the best one I've ever read by anyone. It's called "Unconditional." It is flat-out br...

Tim and Laura West receive a bizarre voicemail on their answering machine that seems to have unintentionally recorded a brutal murder. But what happens when the killer realizes their mistake? This story develops over one terrifying evening, and this young couple will never be the same.

A group of four hard men trying to reach a remote 19th Century mining town become stranded in an early blizzard and resort to drastic, terrifying measures, to stay alive.

Tragic events unfold in a snowy, sleepy Colorado town. From the first scene, in which a man sits alone in the cold, watching a father and son in a diner, you know something is about to go horribly wrong. You may think you know what’s happening, but in this thrilling, heartbreaking story, nothing is as it seems.

The classic horror short I wrote with J.A. Konrath, in which we turn our attention to the twin golden rules of hitchhiking: # 1: Don’t go hitchhiking, because the driver who picks you up could be certifiably crazy. # 2: Don’t pick up hitchhikers, because the traveler you pick up could be a raving nutcase. So what if, on some dark, isolated road, Crazy #1 offered a ride to Nutcase #2?

An older couple encounter a strange and menacing visitor during a camping trip in the North Carolina mountains. Friendly at first, this stranger seems to know them, seems to know their secrets, and as things escalate, they become convinced that they may never leave these mountains alive.

Peter, a disgraced meteorologist and chronic wanderer, has traveled the country for years in his Winnebago, in search of the only thing that gives his life meaning. He’s just arrived in the middle of nowhere—Hokie, Kansas—for the same purpose, but when he meets a waitress named Melanie, another sufferer, he’s faced not only with his first real human contact in years, but perhaps someone who can sa...

At 25 words, the shortest story I ever wrote. But it packs a wallop.

A conversation between two people—devastating, tragic, and beautiful.

Бывший секретный агент Итан Бёрк крепко застрял в Заплутавших Соснах – Городе в Нигде, куда ведет лишь одна дорога – и ни одной обратно. Но жизнь продолжается, и Итан, используя свои прежние навыки и знания, занимает пост местного шерифа. Казалось бы, что это за работа – охранять покой в райском уголке, где и так все спокойно, где все живут мирно и в согласии – и откуда преступнику все равно не сб...