In Eric Stringer's first novel, Charles Claymore Task, a man who has been labeled a psychopath by hypocrites who see themselves as "normal," is asked by a group of wealthy investors to detail for a film...

Mr. Kristen dreams of world domination. Finally his chance comes. He finds himself in a launch bunker with the red button before him. Yes, that red button. And what he launches will not soon be forgotten. 

Some boys are reared by cruel fathers. For them, the beatings don't stop until they're old enough and large enough to fight back. Carson McCullers once wrote, "The hearts of small children are delicate...

What's a mobster punk to do when the detective he's talking with about an attempt on his life turns and walks away? Or worse yet, simple fades out and disappears? 

Johnny Marsden sets out for home after a few hours' fishing. His grandfather becomes concerned and goes out looking for him. But what happens with Johnny and his grandfather is far from anything you might...

What's a guy to do when he just narrowly avoided taking a bullet in the skull? Where can he hide? What can he do? Maybe he should sit in a dumpster for awhile and mull his future. 

These ten intense short stories also are included in the five-story collections About Town and Rare Women."But Babies Are Just So Cute!" is a touching story of how human beings react to babies. All babies....