Mix together a heaping cup of crime drama, a pinch of paranormal, a motley assortment of monsters, and a dash of creepy comedy and you get Toxic Candy, a thoroughly enjoyable and diverse collection of quick, fun stories from veteran suspense writer Weldon Burge. A few of my favorites include:

“The Old Man on the Porch” – An elderly man sits on his porch day and night, never moving, never speaking to his only neighbors across the street. Perhaps he’s not even human.

“Melvin and the Haunted Mansion” – Is a creepy ticket attendant of the Haunted Mansion ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware still hanging around four decades later, or is his ghost lurking among the mechanical monsters?

“To See the Elephant” – During the Civil War, a mysterious creature roams the battlefields, never straying far from the wounded and dying. No one knows what it is, until a Confederate doctor witnesses its horrifying manifestation.

“Vindictive” – A hitman finds himself haunted by the ghost of one of his recent targets, wreaking havoc with his next two assignments and putting him in hot water with his boss.