From the Foreword by J.A. Konrath:
"As a horror writer, I often get asked what scares me. My answer is always the same: Blake Crouch. More than any other author working today, Crouch knows how to make the reader squirm. This short story collection is a perfect introduction to Crouch’s skewed world. But before you dive in, please heed my warning. I don’t care how tough you think you are. You still need to brace yourself. Because this is going to hurt…"
From the author of DESERT PLACES, ABANDON, and “Serial,” comes this 21,000-word collection of four short thrillers.
*69 - Tim and Laura West receive a bizarre voicemail on their answering machine that seems to have unintentionally recorded a brutal murder. But what happens when the killer realizes their mistake? This story unfolds over one terrifying evening, and this young couple will never be the same.
REMAKING – Tragic events unfold in a snowy, sleepy Colorado town. From the first scene, in which a man sits alone in the cold, watching a father and son in a diner, you know something is about to go horribly wrong. You may think you know what’s happening, but in this thrilling, heartbreaking story, nothing is as it seems.
ON THE GOOD, RED ROAD - A group of four hard men trying to reach a remote 19th Century mining town become stranded in an early blizzard and resort to drastic, terrifying measures, to stay alive.
SHINING ROCK – An older couple encounter a strange and menacing visitor during a camping trip in the North Carolina mountains. Friendly at first, this stranger seems to know them, seems to know their secrets, and as things escalate, they become convinced that they may never leave these mountains alive.
FOUR LIVE ROUNDS also contains a Foreword by J.A. Konrath, introductions to each story by the author, an interview with Blake, excerpts from all four of his novels, and “The Agreement,” a bonus short story by J.A. Konrath.