"The House on Pine Terrace" is an intricate puzzle--a crime that leads to a romance that triggers another crime that ends with a mystery, which makes you question every event in the story. "The Desert Here and the Desert Far Away" is a haunting exploration of the wounds our warriors bear, not all of which are visible. For one soldier back from Iraq, the war is far from over. When his old squadmate comes to him for help, he sets off a chain of events that will lead him to question everything he believes--and just how far he's willing to go. "On the Run" is a classic adventure story. On an isolated trailhead in the unforgiving mountains of New Hampshire, Gus Winter and the fugitive holding him at gunpoint will grapple in a life-and-death struggle. "Can You Help Me Out Here?" mixes humor with suspense and features villains that make us smile even as they send chills down our spine. The characters in "Crossed Double" might be made of questionable moral fiber but they are not without their own code of honor, as a father tries to explain to his wayward son. "The Lamented" examines the toll greed can take on the human conscience, even in characters who seem to lack one of their own. When their past pays them a visit, some unsavory individuals discover how easily the line between reality and imagination is blurred.