Play Dead

Johnny had been to the top. Young and slick, he knew how to play the high roller, dress the part, and make his opponents sweat. He'd ridden into Vegas on a winning streak a mile wide. But Vegas took everything, even his lucky gold tooth. You'd think he couldn't fall any lower than a homeless shelter full of the downtrodden. And he couldn't possibly have anything left to lose. But you'd be wrong. Johnny soon discovers there's a game going on at the shelter. A game where before you play the cards you have to make them. A game where the payout is survival and folding means death. A game where the question becomes: are you playing the cards or are they playing you? Using 52 chapters Arnzen's novel-of-cards is stacked with mischief and thrills. Like the most accomplished blackjack dealer Arnzen will keep you guessing at his hand. Are you ready to play?

About the Author

Amityville-born horror writer Michael Arnzen holds four Bram Stoker Awards and an International Horror Guild Award for his often funny, always disturbing fiction and poetry. An expanded, 10th anniversary edition of the "best of Arnzen" -- his Stoker-award winning story collection, Proverbs for Monsters -- is slated for release from Dark Regions Press in 2017. Other recent Arnzen titles include his novel, Grave Markings (Raw Dog Screaming Press), a non-fiction study, The Popular Uncanny (Guide Dog Books), and a writer's helper, Instigation: Creative Prompts on the Dark Side (Mastication Publications). Arnzen holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Oregon and since 1999 has taught fulltime at Seton Hill University, near Pittsburgh, in their MFA program in Writing Popular Fiction. Always experimenting, Arnzen's work in the genre has appeared in everything from poetry magnets (Fridge of the Damned) and Palm Pilots (Gorelets) to playing cards (Play Dead) and moving pictures (Exquisite Corpse). Learn the latest and sign up for his newsletter at gorelets.com

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