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Hell is Empty: A Friday the 13th Story, Book 3
Professor Filíp Nekola’s wife dies unexpectedly in Brno, Czechoslovakia, and his troubled teenage foster daughter, Miomir, comes under suspicion. Filíp must protect his two other wards, younger siblings brought to him six years earlier when an assassin, Karanosz Tasev, killed the children’s parents. A detective appears, telling Filíp he has learned of Tasev’s hunt for Miomir.
The Czech government’s secret police detain Filíp, forcing him to leave the children alone with Miomir and her friends. The children witness the teenagers performing a dark ritual to destroy Miomir’s enemies. Filíp must escape the secret police, rescue the children, and stop the assassin Tasev before he steals another life. The worst monsters are human.
The Czech government’s secret police detain Filíp, forcing him to leave the children alone with Miomir and her friends. The children witness the teenagers performing a dark ritual to destroy Miomir’s enemies. Filíp must escape the secret police, rescue the children, and stop the assassin Tasev before he steals another life. The worst monsters are human.
Audible Audio
Published February 21, 2023
About the author
Mark Edward Jones
18 books26 followersMark Edward Jones is an award-winning author of mystery, thriller, paranormal, and speculative fiction. A retired higher-education finance professional, he began his full-time writing career after retiring in 2017.
Born and raised in Duncan, Oklahoma, Mark developed an early love of storytelling. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science and public administration.
Detective Henry Ike Pierce Series
Mark’s debut novel, Peculiar Activities (October 2021), launched the Detective Henry Ike Pierce series and won first place in the mystery category at the 2019 Oklahoma Writers Federation contest. The second installment, Shadowed Souls, was released in 2022.
The third novel, Glass, is expected in 2027. Its manuscript won first place in the mystery category at the 2024 Oklahoma Writers Federation annual contest, marking Mark’s second first-place win in five years.
Mark is launching a new series centered on Eddie Stone, Henry Ike Pierce’s boss. The first novel, No Pain Wasted (2026), explores Eddie’s backstory, followed by The Costa Dossier in 2027.
Friday the 13th Series & Supernatural Fiction
Speculative horror, Transmission 13, was released in February 2026 and received a first-place award in the 2026 Spring BookFest. Its followup, Echo 13, is scheduled for 2027.
Mark is also a contributor to the periodic Friday the 13th series; collections of mystery, suspense, and horror released on each Friday the 13th. His first three stories, A Gentleman from the Darkness (May 2022), Hell Is Empty (January 2023), and A Wicked Fate (October 2023), follow the chilling exploits of assassin Karanosz Tasev and were later expanded into The Man in the Fedora (March 2024).
His supernatural suspense novellas Dormer (September 2024) and Dormer Christmas (December 2024) were expanded into She Watches, released in March 2025.
Science Fiction & Short Fiction
Mark’s upcoming science-fiction novel Tempus Mors is expected in 2028 and has already earned recognition, including third place at the 2023 OKC Writers’ Group contest. A short piece from that project, Don’t Forget Us, won first place in flash fiction and was named Crème de la Crème at the same contest. It was also a finalist at WriterCon 2024 and won the 2024 Southwest Writers Conference flash fiction category.
Another short work, “Alone in Warsaw,” won the 2025 Southwest Writers Conference short fiction category. Additional pieces include “The Girl in the Locket” and “The Milkman,” were published in the December 2025 Tornado Alley chapter anthology of Sisters in Crime. The short fiction called "Eve" has been published in April 2026 in the Absolute literary journal.
Noir Short Fiction
A new series of noir short stories launches in 2026, beginning with Wrong Day to Quit in July, followed by bi-monthly releases through March of 2027.
Personal
Mark and his wife have celebrated over four decades together. They have three grown children and one grandson.
Born and raised in Duncan, Oklahoma, Mark developed an early love of storytelling. He attended the University of Oklahoma, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science and public administration.
Detective Henry Ike Pierce Series
Mark’s debut novel, Peculiar Activities (October 2021), launched the Detective Henry Ike Pierce series and won first place in the mystery category at the 2019 Oklahoma Writers Federation contest. The second installment, Shadowed Souls, was released in 2022.
The third novel, Glass, is expected in 2027. Its manuscript won first place in the mystery category at the 2024 Oklahoma Writers Federation annual contest, marking Mark’s second first-place win in five years.
Mark is launching a new series centered on Eddie Stone, Henry Ike Pierce’s boss. The first novel, No Pain Wasted (2026), explores Eddie’s backstory, followed by The Costa Dossier in 2027.
Friday the 13th Series & Supernatural Fiction
Speculative horror, Transmission 13, was released in February 2026 and received a first-place award in the 2026 Spring BookFest. Its followup, Echo 13, is scheduled for 2027.
Mark is also a contributor to the periodic Friday the 13th series; collections of mystery, suspense, and horror released on each Friday the 13th. His first three stories, A Gentleman from the Darkness (May 2022), Hell Is Empty (January 2023), and A Wicked Fate (October 2023), follow the chilling exploits of assassin Karanosz Tasev and were later expanded into The Man in the Fedora (March 2024).
His supernatural suspense novellas Dormer (September 2024) and Dormer Christmas (December 2024) were expanded into She Watches, released in March 2025.
Science Fiction & Short Fiction
Mark’s upcoming science-fiction novel Tempus Mors is expected in 2028 and has already earned recognition, including third place at the 2023 OKC Writers’ Group contest. A short piece from that project, Don’t Forget Us, won first place in flash fiction and was named Crème de la Crème at the same contest. It was also a finalist at WriterCon 2024 and won the 2024 Southwest Writers Conference flash fiction category.
Another short work, “Alone in Warsaw,” won the 2025 Southwest Writers Conference short fiction category. Additional pieces include “The Girl in the Locket” and “The Milkman,” were published in the December 2025 Tornado Alley chapter anthology of Sisters in Crime. The short fiction called "Eve" has been published in April 2026 in the Absolute literary journal.
Noir Short Fiction
A new series of noir short stories launches in 2026, beginning with Wrong Day to Quit in July, followed by bi-monthly releases through March of 2027.
Personal
Mark and his wife have celebrated over four decades together. They have three grown children and one grandson.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 12, 2023
A Spooky Cold War Thriller
Mark Edward Jones’s had deftly set his supernatural thriller, “Hell is Empty,” in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, an already scary period to begin with. One of his characters is an ominous assassin who possesses supernatural abilities. In this story, he is searching for a niece who turns out to be even more ominous than her uncle. Can a good-hearted professor avoid the deadly forces arrayed against him and save two orphan children to whom he is the guardian? Read this excellent story to find out!
Mark Edward Jones’s had deftly set his supernatural thriller, “Hell is Empty,” in Czechoslovakia during the Cold War, an already scary period to begin with. One of his characters is an ominous assassin who possesses supernatural abilities. In this story, he is searching for a niece who turns out to be even more ominous than her uncle. Can a good-hearted professor avoid the deadly forces arrayed against him and save two orphan children to whom he is the guardian? Read this excellent story to find out!
Displaying 1 of 1 review