Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, with more than 30 million books sold, writer Dean Wesley Smith published far more than a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres.

At the moment he produces novels in several major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the Old West, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, a superhero series starring Poker Boy, a mystery series featuring the retired detectives of the Cold Poker Gang, and the Mary Jo Assassin series.

His monthly magazine, Smith's Monthly, which consists of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and offers readers more than 70,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month.

During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, he wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.

He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.

Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing, where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as series editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series.

For more information about Dean's books and ongoing projects, please visit his website at www.deanwesleysmith.com.

A Twist of a Knife edited by Dean Wesley Smith

Stories in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine cover all genres, from science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, and literature. And just about everything in between all of those. Editor Dean Wesley Smith looks for great stories that don't fit, that just feel sort of different, but in a good way.

This volume contains ten great mysteries from all the mystery stories published in the first ten issues of Pulphouse. From old spies with attitude, to a heartbreaking tale of a grieving father, to an assortment of detectives including one hard-boiled with fancy sunglasses, one zombie, and a ghost, to a dramatic story behind a famous painting, these stories will entertain readers, make them laugh, and even touch their hearts.

Includes:
"The Geezer Squad" by Annie Reed
"Don't Make Me Take off My Sunglasses" by O'NeilDe Noux
"Looking for the Bastard" by David H. Hendrickson
"Heartbreaker" by Kevin J. Anderson
"The Time Cop" by Patrick Alan Mammay
"Red Carnation" by Lee Allred
"Just Desserts" by R.W. Wallace
"Under the Blood-Red Maple" by Joslyn Chase
"The Distant Baying of Hounds" by J.Steven York
"The Case of the Vanishing Boy: A Spade/Paladin Conundrum" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

 
 

BOOK PREVIEW

Excerpt

Introduction

Dean Wesley Smith

It has been a fantastic first few years for me editing Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. I have enjoyed every minute of it, but most of all finding the great stories by great writers. It is always such a thrill for me to read a story and go, "Wow, that would fit perfectly in Pulphouse."

Stories in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine cover all genres, from science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, romance, and literature. And just about everything between all of those. In fact, I look for the stories that are not only high-quality fiction, great stories, but also just a little off.

Stories that don't fit, that just feel sort of different, but in a good way.

And with each issue I also try to balance the different genres as much as I can. So even though you think you might not like a science fiction story because you read mystery, in Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, you might discover you really like that science fiction story that follows that great mystery story.

In fact, mixing the genres, both from story to story and often in the stories themselves, is one of the great features of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. A feature that I intend to continue as long as I can find good stories.

With this fun book, my task was to narrow it down to ten great mysteries from all the mystery stories published in the first ten issues (from Issue Zero through Issue #9.) Actually, it wasn't a task at all. It was a pleasure. The task was which great story to pick. I had so many.

But with the great help of Gwyneth Gibby, the WMG Publishing associate publisher, and Josh Frase, the managing editor of this Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, my task was made easier. Thank you.

So now sit back and enjoy ten of the best mysteries from the pages of Pulphouse Fiction Magazine. I guarantee, it will be like no other mystery anthology you have ever read.

Dean Wesley Smith
Las Vegas, Nevada