Wild and weird tales by the author of the Mongo Mysteries—including the novella that inspired the dwarf detective’s first adventure: Shadow of a Broken Man. The “unlimited imagination” of the creator of Mongo the Magnificent is given free rein in these eleven stories full of suspense and surprises (Publishers Weekly). An architect can read minds after surviving a fatal car wreck. The lives of schoolteachers are far from ordinary—or safe. A snake charmer visits a busy, fast-food burger joint. Two bumbling friends summon a demon who develops migraines whenever he’s asked to do anything evil. A chess grandmaster plays a game for his life, which takes him from the sea to high in the Alps. A secret organization has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for an ex–CIA agent. A bank clerk’s boring life flips upside down when a stranger hands him a thermos in the Madrid airport. Science and religion violently collide on a college campus after a murder. And a man’s dream may be his ultimate nightmare . . .