He ne'er is crowned with immortality who fears to follow where airy voices lead.But Chloe wasn't hearing voices; she was having visions. Troops of bloodred Adonis flower gone feral; a monument of dark granite that seemed more gargoyle than angel, moving and writhing and threatening: these were ...
Sequestered by her mistress at Fintry Castle on the Scottish coast, Hexy Garrow sheds seven tears from her past, which are swallowed by the waves. When the water joins those tears, it completes an ancient ritual that summons a mythical prince who is everything that Hexy has ever desired in a man....
When a biographer proves to know more about his life than the now-immortal Lord Byron expects, he draws her into a dangerous game�and his passionate arms.
Evil forces were on the rise, and lo was part of a secret association dedicated to stopping them. Lutins were replacing society's bigwigs and no one was safe. The only solution was to infiltrate the menace, travel beneath the Motor City into the hordes thronging Goblin Town, rendezvous with Jack ...
"Come to me."Beneath the crumbling turrets of Duntrune Castle, Tafaline heard the call. Many years before, the keep had been captured, betrayed. She had heard the tale; all self-respecting Scots knew of the massacre and of the brave piper who had given his life so that some of its defenders might...
DUST, DANGER... Down a dirt road that might have been a relic from the days of Cortez, Seraphina Sandoval fled her past. She was not often afraid, and never witout reason. But someone in her position could trust no one---not even the sublime stranger she met on her way. The Comte de St. Germain ...
It was sometime in the late afternoon when Mark liked to take a nap. The silhouette in the doorway looked familiar but didn’t manage to rouse Mark’s attention until it spoke. “Get out of bed, you lazy slacker!” the gruff voice of Pete Mitchell insisted. “Get your clothes and pack on and meet me o...
—Scottish nursery rhyme There was little time to prepare for the wedding ceremony, as Colin did not announce their intention until after everyone had broken their fasts, and law dictated that nuptials and the bridal feast had to be performed before the sun had set on the shortening autumnal day. ...
There was no rain, but the trees along the street danced in the wind, swaying left and right and whispering incessantly as they continued to disassemble themselves and leave their colorful litter in the gutter. Juliet had left the compound early. She decided not to be temp...
Apparently I am not real good at lying to myself.Alex called around eleven to wish me a happy Halloween. I figured he would since he had called every hour since eight o’clock and left messages on my machine. Alex Lincoln is my sometimes boyfriend. We had met last spring when he was hired to inves...
I would have liked to have hit the snooze button and rolled over for another hour of shuteye, but Alex had to be at work. He rolled out of bed in a sour mood and with a raging hangover. I got up to lend moral support. Then I made coffee in the bathroom while he showered and got dressed. He looked...
—“The Maiden of Morven” Back at the cottage—which was happily empty of all life save Herman—I made a fresh pot of tea and stirred up the ash on the hearth so that I could build another fire. The villagers would sneer at my weakness, but I was from a warmer clime and didn’t like the cold. This tas...
Not Dolph’s, but about the poor woman in the chimney. Her death had been officially neglected, at least so far, in favor of the current homicide. Which made perfect sense, given that there was a killer on the loose who could possibly harm someone else. The woman’s killer had already passed beyond...
Adora asked the Satanic instrument in her hand, knowing it would relay her question to Ben. Glancing over at Kris, she lowered her voice. “I haven’t a clue. And even if I did, that is confidential material beyond the scope of the book and I won’t discuss it. Ever. So don’t ask again. . . . Did th...
You wouldn’t believe what we saw yesterday on the train tour! He cut in: You wouldn’t believe what we saw yesterday at Lord Bithersby. Liesl the Weasel got her hair chopped! Now she looks like a burned match — pale and skinny, with just a bit of black at the top. You fooled her with that phony e-...
They got lucky that morning and drew the long straw. Sheriff Garret arrived only twenty minutes later. He was accompanied by an ambulance that doubled as the coroner’s van and was attended by Dr. Hyder, who was prepared to give either first aid or pronounce death, depending on which was needed. H...
A Galloway girls’ reunion, you might say. Now, I don’t mind quality time with the maternal unit. But watching her and Madge slide raw oysters down their throats at the outdoor café was totally gross. “What are you two, contestants on Fear Factor?” I asked as Mother and Madge proceeded to squeeze ...
The Wings was kind enough to get me to Winnipeg without any stunt flying or smart remarks once he heard that my father was badly hurt and I was on my way to see him. He even offered me the loan of his car. The Wings kept a car in the city for the rare occasion when he had to stay over for busines...
It was Bradley Costello’s voice, faint and scared. I struggled to open my eyelids. They were heavier than planet Earth. Just trying to open them sent pain shooting through my head. I was slumped beside the locker. How did I get here? Trying to remember hurt. Oh, yeah. Someone had slammed me. I fo...
Talbert asked as he stared out the window of Juliet’s cottage, not looking for anything but just being watchful. “It is said that it will make them sour.” Talbert wasn’t even trying to mimic the manners of someone who cared, at least superficially, about how Juliet was get...
Max had begun to ululate the moment we left the community center and he often does that when Wendell is nearby. Wendell’s uncle, Old Thunder, had passed away last autumn and Wendell had been spending more time in town since then. Usually he went to the Moose, but often he came to visit Max and me...
The sun glinted on the handcuffs dangling from one officer’s belt. I shoved the phone back under the cashier’s window. I glanced out at the street. Baseball Cap had left—unaware that I’d seen him. Ducking under the turnstile, I barreled through a line of people waiting to get in. I felt like a bo...
None of them were smiling. All of them appeared to be agitated.“Chloe, where have you been?” my father demanded as I stepped out of the car.“At the mayor’s insistence, we stopped off for a drink or two,” I explained.My father opened the passenger side door and Mayor Gilhoolie’s body fell out onto...
So, unable to put it off, I swung by Aunt Dorothy’s house on my lunch hour and bullied mom into showing me where Aunt Dot kept her gun.The only problem with this plan—aside from upsetting my mother—was discovering that the gun appeared to be missing from the bedroom closet. For a moment I wondere...
All rights reserved, including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. Prologue It was not the dry air or the slicing sand tossed by the cruel wind that made it hard to breathe. This was the realm of the god of the smoking mirror, bringer of death. T...
This time I was sure I’d gotten it right. The wandering one had been located.My linen skirt rustled as it moved through the field and I had to keep a hand on my sunhat because the playful breeze was determined to whisk it away. I found myself wishing that I had time for some kite-flying.The man s...
Fortunately the storm had stopped completely, and he was able to open the cabin door with no more interruption than a small gust of cold air swirling into the room and disturbing the dwindling fire. Though the urge to hurry was upon him, Nick walked carefully, crunching through the odd snow that ...
Cubby strolled into the trailer. He’d toweled some of his makeup off, but a white sheen remained. It made him look ghostly or badly in need of a blood transfusion. I didn’t have time to reply. Pooch bared his teeth and growled at him. Cubby jumped. The dog advanced. Cubby backed away, frightened....
It’s dank in the winter and smells like bad breath in the summer. However, it’s a great place for wine and storing daffodil bulbs. It was a bit late in the season but I decided to go ahead and plant the three-year-old King Alfred and Pheasant’s Eye Narcissus I’d been storing and see what happened...
The manager was an art fan and once she mentioned she was part of the group from Bartholomew’s Woods, he wanted to know all about Raphael and Asher. He also asked her if she wanted a goldfish for her room. Juliet stared at him until she recalled that the inn was pet-friendly and would supply you ...
A robber of grave-worms. One who supplies the young physicians with that with which the old physicians have supplied the undertaker. The hyena. Grave, n. A place in which the dead are laid to await the coming of the medical student. —Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary Some thought that being ...
Liquefied by the dropping, plopping mini-blobs, city hall collapsed, followed by the museum and several stately houses. “Isn’t it time for Deathstalker to arrive?” I mused, forking out a hole in my mashed potatoes so the gravy could flow in and smother them. The same effect, you might say, as a m...
In fact, one could get burned by the sparks flying off the ax he was grinding and people had taken to avoiding him. Unfortunately he was in line ahead of me at Daddy’s Donuts so there was nothing to do but wait for his tirade to end or abandon all hope of an apple fritter and decent coffee. I had...
Well, I did: one ghost, at any rate. And why shouldn’t a girl have a variety of friends? At school they were always telling us to believe in diversity. Feeling very sorry for myself, I did what any junior sleuth would do. I turned my attention to a loose end. “A loose end,” Pantelli repeated as I...
The key to great gingerbread is rum-soaked raisins and candied ginger minced super fine. Lots of people only use ginger powder and it makes for anemic gingerbread.The next morning’s weather reassured me that I wouldn’t be needed at work— the snow had fallen all night long and there was at least a...