Urban Mystery

Athena and Rosemary must embark on a perilous journey to the Underworld. Along the way, they uncover clues about a prophecy and encounter allies and adversaries in the dream realm. As they get closer to their goal, they face unexpected challenges, and true motives are revealed. Can they unravel the mysteries of the past before it's too late? The fate of the future hangs in the balance in this magical tale of fae, gods, and ancient prophecies.

Caitlyn Le Fey came to England to search for her family. She didn’t expect to find witches, magic, romance, chocolate...and murder. Enjoy the first two stories from the Bewitched by Chocolate Mysteries, plus an exclusive short story, in one handy collection!

Local gangster Dante (Jack Boy) knows more than anybody how dangerous and ruthless the streets can be. But against his better instincts, he allows himself to fall for a local female gangster named Alinna, considered to be somewhat of a competitor to Dante because she leads her own all female crew. Alinna, too, is very well aware of the dangers that come with letting feelings get in the way of business. But like Dante, she decides to embrace the attraction anyway. That however proves to be a mistake when she discovers Dante is two-timing her with a female gang unit officer.

Aileen has a few rules for her life. Do her job and go home safe. Keep the supernatural world away from her human family. Stay off the vampire radar. And, above all, don't get involved in spook politics. But when Liam comes back into town bringing a mystery that threatens the life she's built, she finds every closely guarded rule flying out the window as she sinks ever deeper into the supernatural world. Ultimately, it may be the people she loves the most who pay the price in the high-stakes game that vampires call life.

When radical terrorists take hostages in Indonesia, Captain Ezekiel Fortunes is called to lead the rescue team. Part of a classified government experiment, Zeke is a super soldier with enhanced abilities. He can see better, run faster, disappear when necessary, and hunt the enemy along any terrain. There are those in the world willing to do anything for power like that. A formidable spy genetically engineered to hide in plain sight, Bellisia rarely meets a man who doesn't want to control her or kill her. But Zeke's different.

For more than 30 years, Ellen Datlow has been at the center of horror. Bringing you the most frightening and terrifying stories, Datlow always has her finger on the pulse of what horror fans crave. Now, with the 11th volume of the series, Daltow's back again to bring you the stories that will keep you up at night. With each passing year, science, technology, and the march of time shine light into the craggy corners of the universe, making the fears of an earlier generation seem quaint. This light creates its own shadows. The Best Horror of the Year chronicles these shifting shadows.

There are a lot of monsters in Anita Blake's life. And some of them are human. One such individual is the man she calls Edward, a bounty hunter who specializes in the preternatural. He calls her to help him hunt down the greatest evil she has ever encountered - something that kills and maims and vanishes into the night. Something Anita will have to face alone.

Librarian Sherry Pinkwhistle keeps finding bodies—and solving murders. But she's concerned by just how many killers she's had to track down in her quaint village. None of her neighbors seem surprised by the rising body count...but Sherry is becoming convinced that whatever has been causing these deaths is unnatural. When someone close to Sherry ends up dead, and her cat, Lord Thomas Crowell, becomes possessed by what seems to be an ancient demon, Sherry begins to think she’s going to need to become an exorcist as well as an amateur sleuth.

Mattie can't remember a time before she and William lived alone on a mountain together. She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that they’re not alone after all. There’s something in the woods that wasn’t there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws. When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for the creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry.

When Lucy Swift's cousin Violet decides to take over as the fortune teller at Moreton-under-Wychwood's annual summer fête, Lucy thinks being her assistant will be a fun way to spend a Saturday. That is, until someone's murdered, and the locals turn on Violet, who foresaw the death. To save her, Lucy and her band of undead amateur sleuths have to find out what's really going on in this charming Cotswolds village. What better way than to offer knitting classes? No one has to know that the teacher is a vampire.

I’m Val Thorvald, and I’m an assassin. When magical bad guys hurt people, I take care of them. Permanently. This doesn’t make me popular with the rest of the magical community — as you can tell from the numerous break-ins and assassination attempts I’ve endured over the years. But thanks to my half-elven blood, a powerful sword named Chopper, and a telepathic tiger with an attitude, I’ve always been able to handle my problems with aplomb. Maybe some cursing and swearing, too, but definitely aplomb.

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.

There's a witch running loose in the town of Excelsior, Minnesota, and her brew is…beer. Actually, Leona Cunningham, co-owner of The Barleywine, is a practitioner of Wicca, which many mistakenly believe to be sorcery or black magic. Then, after one too many pints, local alcohol aficionado Ryan McMurphy accuses Leona of being a real witch, blaming her for the series of accidents. When Ryan ends up dead, without a mark on his body, Leona is not only the target of a witch hunt but also the prime suspect.

Have you ever wished your cat could talk to you? If so, allow my story to be your cautionary tale. My aunt Lavender is in danger, and it's up to me and my reluctant familiar to save her. Unfortunately, the sassy cat isn't big on the whole concept of teamwork. With no idea where Lavender is and our leads in short supply, we turn to an archivist who might have the answers to our questions. But when he turns up dead under suspicious circumstances, our last glimmer of hope goes dark.

Called to tiny Doraville, North Carolina, Harper investigates the disappearance of several young boys. After finding them buried in a secluded wood, it becomes clear that a sadistic serial killer is stalking the town's children.

When a 15-year-old girl is abducted by vampires, it’s up to U.S. Marshal Anita Blake to find her. And when she does, she’s faced with something she’s never seen before: a terrifyingly ordinary group of people - kids, grandparents, soccer moms - all recently turned and willing to die to avoid serving a master. And where there’s one martyr, there will be more.

Sawyer Matthews is a retired and presumed-dead assassin. Ripped from her life of shadows and secrets, she's decided to gamble it all and accept a new chapter in her life - one that may lead to a brighter future. New beginnings come with new problems, though, and she's always lived by the belief that she doesn't deserve of redemption - a painful truth Sawyer has held in her heart for years. Their first case takes the team to Texas, where members are confronted with more than just Sawyer's painful past.

Hannah, bientôt dix-huit ans, était loin d'imaginer que sa vie prendrait un tel tournant. Ses vacances tant redoutées à Wick vont finalement se transformer en véritable conte de fée... puis en cauchemar. Sa petite vie tranquille, ses idées bien arrêtées, ses projets... tout va changer, brutalement. Elle devra affronter l'inimaginable, faire face à ce qu'elle n'aurait jamais pensé croire un jour, car les légendes n'en sont pas toujours... Leith ne s'attendait pas non plus à Hannah. Il tombe de haut, l'Esprit a choisi : c'est elle, son âme sœur.

Jane Finch wishes her problems ended with a bad commute and no coffee. But when she and her beloved Great Dane, Schrodinger, emerge from a locked room they discover a city changed for the undead. Zombies are everywhere. Some are endlessly cycling through their last actions, others have turned feral—and hungry. Jane and Schroddie's best chance for survival? Reaching her parents' bunker on the city's north shore. Not an easy commute on foot—when surrounded by zombies. Dodging stray bullets and feral zombies is one thing. But soon Jane realizes one of the zombies is following her.

Sawyer Matthews is a retired and presumed-dead assassin. Ripped from her life of shadows and secrets, she's decided to gamble it all and accept a new chapter in her life - one that may lead to a brighter future. With her first case over and budding relationships with some of her teammates, Sawyer finds herself feeling more secure. Sawyer's found a place on the team, and wants to keep it, no matter the struggles that come from it. It should have been a standard, mundane trip to New York, and the base of operations for the IMPO and the WMC.