From the author of Desert Places and Locked Doors comes this 40,000-word collection of six stories and novellas.
Perfect Little Town β Ron and Jessica Stahl are a power couple from California, on a Christmas holiday in Colorado. When they stop for the afternoon in sleepy Lone Cone, they're charmed by the quaint tourist town. But the folksy hospitality will vanish as the sun drops behind the mountains. The Stahls couldn't have picked a worse night of the year to get snowed into this perfect little town with a dark, dark secret.
Serial β 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?
The Newton Boys' Last Photograph β At 25 words, the shortest story I ever wrote. But it packs a wallop.
The Meteorologist β 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 nowhereβHokie, Kansasβfor 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 save him.
Unconditional β A conversation between two peopleβdevastating, tragic, and beautiful.
The Pain of Others β Letty Dobesh, a gorgeous, degenerate thief, is fresh out of the clink and back to her old tricksβin this case, burglarizing suites at a luxury hotel in Asheville, North Carolina. But when she's surprised by returning guests on her last room of the day, she's forced to hide in the closet to avoid getting caught, and inadvertently overhears a hitman being contracted to murder the wife of a wealthy lawyer.
Six in the Cylinder also contains introductions to each story by the author, an interview with Blake, excerpts from his novels, and an excerpt of The Walk by Lee Goldberg.