The Wages of Belief and Other Stories from the Dark Side — Elizabeth Massie

*Henson Darrow, college student, receives a desperate phone call from his brother in the Appalachian community of Beacon Cove, a place Henson had wanted to leave for good. His brother begs Henson to return, for their father is missing. Their father is the community's sineater, a terrifying position that is feared yet required by the religious people who live there. Henson seeks the advice of Joel Barker, a man who has escaped the clutches of Beacon Cove. Joel hesitates to advise Henson, however. And so, returning to Beacon Cove, Henson sets out on a journey of trepidation and then terror as he, himself, is charged with the horrible responsibility of cleansing sin from those who die. The Wages of Belief is a standalone sequel to Massie's Stoker-winning novel, Sineater.*A woman enamored with a certain soap opera believes she has been cast in a secret episode that is filming in the local grocery store. Not the best idea in the long run when simple mistakes become huge.*Three young sisters seek the truth of a man's death in a dark basement filled with a hoard of peculiar items.*A clumsy murderer finds himself caught up in something worse than legal entanglement. *Topsy, the Coney Island elephant electrocuted by Thomas Edison to prove the power of direct current, seeks revenge as an angry, though rather hapless, spirit.*Sink holes begin appearing at a rapid pace, not ordinary sink holes but deep cavernous pits that seem to have minds of their own. These are just some of the tales of darkness and dread found in The Wages of Belief and Other Stories from the Dark Side, a new collection by Bram Stoker Award-winning Elizabeth Massie.Elizabeth Massie is personally one of my favorite authors. Her writing is true, heartfelt, and wildly original. She is one of the greats. – Bentley Little, author of The Association, DMV, The BankMassie's sharp observations and eye for detail bring her characters to life. – Publishers Weekly