Urban Fantasy Thriller

Humans have always been fascinated by darkness. Especially the darkness of a city at night, when the black sky is made ever more inky by the pools of illumination dropped under streetlights. Whether the mean streets be in an alternate past charmed with dark magic or the dirty alleyways of futuristic crowded space stations, the city—and its darkened streets—will always fascinate us. Here then, an anthology of all new stories of science fiction and fantasy with a hardboiled noir twist that acknowledge that the city is a living, breathing entity...and it isn’t always on our side.

Lily would like nothing better than to relax, enjoy her friends, and take care of business at her store, which is booming thanks to San Francisco's upcoming Summer of Love Festival. But as the unofficial witchy consultant to the SFPD, she is pulled into yet another case.

Taking a night off from running her successful San Francisco clothing store, Lily attends a local art deco ball where vintage fashions steal the show. But when a young woman at the event falls under a mysterious sleeping sickness, Lily senses that a curse was placed on the woman's corsage. Before Lily can solve the woman's magical ailment, she's asked to assist in investigating a string of poisonings in the Bay Area witchcraft community.

For centuries, the werewolves of Toronto have managed to live in peace and tranquility, hidden quietly away on their London, Ontario farm. But now, someone has learned their secret - and is systematically massacring this ancient race. The only one they can turn to is Henry Fitzroy, Toronto-based vampire and writer of bodice rippers. Forced to hide from the light of day, Henry can’t hunt the killer alone so he turns to Vicki Nelson for help.

Ten years ago, teenagers Shauna and Eli Eaton disappeared. They were never found. That’s about to change. On her way home from Hemlock Cove, Stormy Morgan finds two teenagers in the middle of the road. They can’t possibly be the same teenagers, though. Can they? Turns out they are, but they haven’t aged a day.

Alex Southerland is back, along with Smokey and Badass. Our hardboiled private dick and elementalist is searching the mean streets of the city for the secret behind a deadly curse. It all starts during a rare Yerba City heat wave when a witch with strange snake tats winding up her gams walks into his office to report that she has committed a murder. Thing is, the murdered man isn't dead, and, well, it's complicated.

Kate Rossdale once held all the promise of becoming Baltimore’s greatest sorceress. But a promise is a hard thing to hold when your coven is murdered, your magic is stripped away, and the only solace left to you comes one powdered line at a time. When she’s offered the restoration of her power by a man she doesn’t know or trust, Kate sets in motion the retribution of her enemies. Soon she finds herself racing across the globe, hunting for the magic-thief who robbed her of everything she held dear, including the most dangerous magic any sorceress can possess - hope.

Still New York’s hardest-working mage (and the long-suffering owner of a talking cat), he’s a little older and wiser now. A good thing because infernal bags are detonating throughout his city, unleashing demonic beings that rip the souls of innocents from their bodies… and that’s only the beginning. Buckle up with the Prof as he’s tested as never before, in matters both hell-spawned and of the heart.

A trip back to Pittsburgh to spend Thanksgiving with Vic's large, exuberant family means dodging old frenemies and a bitter ex-boyfriend. A cold case comes back to haunt Vic when a murdered woman's ghost begs Simon for justice. Then a new murder back in Myrtle Beach looks suspiciously familiar, and the dead man's ghost isn't playing nice. When Simon gets a vision of the next victim before the crime occurs, he realizes that all the murders are supernaturally linked. Catching the murderer will take his psychic sleuthing skills along with Vic's street smarts to avert a tragedy.

A past that won't die. A betrayal that cost him everything. Maverick Hale, the alpha of the Storm Moon Pack, has worked hard to put his past behind him. However, when a man is killed in their territory, his injuries bring back memories he'd rather forget. Especially when a witch arrives who was directly involved in his parents' death, challenging everything Maverick thought he knew. Maverick has to find his brother. With the killer still on the loose, the Storm Moon Pack must act quickly, or more will die. But they can't do this alone. They need witches and age old rituals steeped in blood.

It's just over a week until Sam will be Binding with Jared, and the only thing she wants is to spend that time relaxing and preparing for the ceremony. Unfortunately, she seems to be asking too much of fate, because suddenly she's lumbered with a number of distractions that have the potential to postpone, or even cancel, the Binding. There's a guarded fiance to crack, a complicated assignment to deal with, Jared's ex to alienate, and a bunch of snobbish Master Vampires to win over - or offend, whichever. On the upside, things couldn't possibly be any worse, could they?

Estes Park, Colorado, is a place of serenity. But it wasn't always so serene. Shortly after the Civil War, Nathan Kendall and his wife were murdered there. The crime was never solved. Now...historian Scarlet Barlow is working at a small museum attached to a B and B, the same building where that murder occurred. When Scarlet unwittingly takes pictures of people who've been murdered - just like the Kendalls a hundred and fifty years before - the police look at her with suspicion.

Ever since I found out I was adopted by my werewolf family, I longed to know where I came from, where I belonged. Now that my wolf showed me her memories, and Haworth confirmed who my father was, I want nothing more than to forget. But suffering from an identity crisis is the least of my worries now that my sister has shown me her true face. Taking over in Haworth's stead after she killed him, she's determined to figure out how to perform a very powerful possession spell, and I just happen to be the perfect candidate.

Haunted by past battles and sadness following Lucas' departure, Alex is thrust back into the fray when a brutal murder threatens to unravel the very fabric of their world.

Welcome to Spellbound, where paranormal is the new normal. This charming, feel-good series has it all: A magical town with an enchanting secret. A feisty heroine with a heart of gold. A fallen angel with a redemption arc. A snarky owl. And, of course, cozy mysteries galore. Grab your latte with a shot of sparkle, settle into a comfy chair, and escape to Spellbound. This collection includes Lucky Charm, Better Than Hex, and Cast Away.

Alchemist Zoe Faust is no stranger to magical mayhem, but when her boyfriend's new tea shop is vandalized and his special tea blends stolen, she plunges into a baffling mystery to save him. The clues lead Zoe and her gargoyle sidekick Dorian to an eerie mansion high in the Portland hills, filled with creeping carnivorous plants and enigmatic topiary monsters. When they stumble across a corpse in the conservatory that appears to have been killed by sinister shrubbery, an estranged member of the family is implicated in the murder.

Annoying but loving family? Check. Picturesque small town with a hot police chief? Check. A rescue hellhound, a black cat with attitude, and a pet python that thinks he’s a puppy? Triple check. My story has all the hallmarks of a sweet and cozy supernatural tale, but there’s a twist—I am evil. Well, I’m supposed to be evil thanks to both nature and nurture, but I fight it with every fiber of my being. I just want to live a normal life. I even joined the FBI instead of the Federal Bureau of Magic, until my powers reared their ugly head and the agency sent me packing back to my hometown.

A twenty-year-old secret lies revealed. Someone wants it reburied at any cost. She's now marked for termination with extreme prejudice. Julia Xero is in shock. At twenty-two, the introverted orphan found her dream job cleaning up after the dead and even acquired a family worth staying and fighting for. The semi-stuck-up hidden race she works for doesn't take the news that she's not entirely human well, but Julia stubbornly stands her ground despite one of them "shockingly" trying to kill her outright.

A second-year medical student, his death was far from notable. But instead of waking up in the afterlife, Favian finds himself reincarnated in a fantasy world where magic is real, monsters exist, and a bloodthirsty secret organization will stop at nothing to hunt him down. Struggling to survive in a bizarre world beyond his wildest dreams, Favian must master the unique World of Exile game system to rise through the ranks of this land and embrace his destiny. But at his heart lies a secret power - one that will get him killed if anybody discovers it.

If there is one city that Scarlett Bernard hates, it's Las Vegas. But when the cardinal vampire of Los Angeles convinces her to go investigate a new vampire-themed stage show, Scarlett quickly finds herself shoulder-deep in sequins, slot machines, and Old World intrigue. The show's creators are vampire celebrities Arthur and Lucy Holmwood, who once inspired characters from the original Dracula. Now, however, they have no qualms about announcing their true status to the human world.