8 POUNDS

October 2010

"The best of these eight tales, one from EQMM and the others from a variety of online magazines, are 'A Better Life,' an unforgettable gem of non-supernatural horror, and two stories of grim childhood experiences recalled years later, 'Seven Days of Rain' and 'The World Behind.'"
-Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

"This set of dark tales has an unparalleled sense of place... Of special note here is the story 'The World Behind.' It is the best single short story I have read in years.”
-Crime Fiction Lover

Spinetingler Award Nominee for Best Short Story Collection

These eight tales run the gamut from small-town horror to old-school, whiskey-slugging noir, with a touch of coming-of-age adventure thrown in for good measure. Featuring the Spinetingler Award-winning "Seven Days of Rain"; the Derringer Award finalist "The Big Score"; and "The World Behind," which originally appeared in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. "A Better Life," "A Simple Kindness, "The Toll Collectors," "Eight Pounds," and "The Well" are also included.


"I cannot recommend this collection highly enough."
-Benito Corral

"This set of dark tales has an unparalleled sense of place... Of special note here is the story 'The World Behind.' It is the best single short story I have read in years.”
-Crime Fiction Lover

"...give a look to Chris F. Holm’s terrific collection of stories, 8 POUNDS... if the events in 'A Better Life' don’t result in your freaking out the next time you hear a mouse in the house, it’s time to take your Sensitivity Zone for an oil change."
-Naomi Johnson at The Drowning Machine

"The best of these eight tales, one from EQMM and the others from a variety of online magazines, are 'A Better Life,' an unforgettable gem of non-supernatural horror, and two stories of grim childhood experiences recalled years later, 'Seven Days of Rain' and 'The World Behind.'"
-Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

"You will never get such a wonderful collection of gems again at such a bargain price, so what are you waiting for? Hit that button and download it now..."
-I Meant to Read That

"...reading this provided more entertainment than the last movie I saw... no matter how and where he ends up publishing his next work, I’ll be paying attention."
-John Kenyon

"I can’t sleep because of Chris F. Holm. Seriously. The guy’s messed up."
-KindleObsessed

"It's hard not to recommend 8 POUNDS. Yeah, the stories are many different genres, but there will be stories that hook you up and leave their mark in your flesh. In my case, there were three which I keep thinking about still, more than one week after reading. 8 POUNDS is a display of power by Chris F. Holm. No matter what he writes about, his storytelling is tight and his prose spare and focused. If there is such a strong parallel to make with Stephen King, it's not because he's a copycat. It's because he's cut from the same mold as the best selling author."
-Benoit Lelievre

"'Seven Days of Rain' and 'The World Behind' are clearly descendants of Stephen King’s (non-supernatural) best... while a couple of the others would not be out of place in Roald Dahl’s body of work."
-Lexifabricographer

"...a must have for your Kindle collection."
-Sabrina Ogden

"Holm understands that unrelenting darkness is just that: Unrelenting. You need light to be scared of the dark. You need to laugh to open up your chest for the suckerpunch. You need to believe that there is the possibility of making it out alive to really be scared for the characters. Holm gives us all of this, and in every story."
-Spinetingler Magazine

"When you’re twenty-seven deep in line at his ninth signing, you’ll still remember these stories.  They’re that good."
-Steve Weddle, Editor of Needle Magazine

"In 8 POUNDS: EIGHT TALES OF CRIME, HORROR, AND SUSPENSE Holm serves up eight wonderfully entertaining short stories that will have you up late into the night reading, and leave you hungry for more."
-Elizabeth A. White