"They may slay my mortal body, but I am not so easily defeated. Time is on my side, and I will spend it well." Alyssa is the last vampire, changed into one by the stereotypically evil Igor Regorash himself, before his permanent death. She's not enjoying being a vampire; being the last one in existence can be very lonely. She would like nothing better than to be human again. Victoria Haldred is a Council of Peace investigator, charged with maintaining the peace in a post war world. Murder, assassination, bombings, blackmail, not to mention politics and double-dealing, are just some of the wonderfully unpleasant circumstances she has to deal with. When a local drunk comes down with a bad case of dead, Alyssa and Victoria are set on a collision course that will change both their lives. Sinister forces are at work and it seems like no-one can be trusted. Can they survive when one of the most powerful figures in the post war world has taken an unhealthy interest in them?

"You will find peace a hard thing to keep" Kalla is a ghost, and was quite happy in that vocation (so to speak). That was until the place she was haunting exploded (not her fault!). Now she has suddenly found herself a prime witness to the incident and left wondering what to do. Dare she interact with the mortal realm to help out the living? Victoria Haldred has recovered from her wounds and is keen to get back to work. Assigned to investigate the collapse of an important bank, she soon discovers it's not just a case of shoddy construction work. Now Kalla and Victoria find themselves in possession of half the truth each. Will they cooperate to bring things to a head, before the collapse of a bank becomes the least of their worries? For time is against them and evil forces bent on bringing the world back to a state of total war are moving, and moving fast.

"Every good thing begins with a death." Many consider Shade to be the greatest assassin in history. And who better to hire if you need the Tornar ambassador dead? But Shade soon discovers that what looked like a lucrative job is not quite as simple as 'kill one person'. A complex web of deception and misdirection makes even he reconsider the contract, as well as the possible motives behind it. Victoria Haldred now has a small team working for her at the Council of Peace. Their first official job is to investigate a peace-shattering tip-off; someone is to assassinate the new Tornar ambassador on their first day of work! Victoria and Shade find themselves caught up in power struggles, politics, deception, rival organisations and rival assassins. As they each pursue their own agendas, is the Tornar ambassador safe or are they destined to fall to an assassin's blade?

In the ninth installment in Kevin Hearne’s New York Times bestselling Iron Druid Chronicles, the ancient gods are still wreaking havoc today in this hilarious, action-packed collection of original short stories featuring Atticus O’Sullivan. In ancient Egypt, Atticus agrees to raid a secret chamber underneath the library of Alexandria, dodging deadly traps, only to learn that on-site security includes two members of the Egyptian pantheon. At a Kansas carnival, fun and games turn to murder and mayhem, thanks to soul-snatching demons and flesh-craving ghouls luring visitors into an all-too-real house of horrors. In olde England, striking up a friendship with William Shakespeare lands both Atticus and the Bard in boiling hot water with a trio of infamous witches. During the Gold Rush, the avatar of greed himself turns the streets of San Francisco red with blood and upsets the elemental Sequoia. Atticus may have to fight fire with fire if he’s going to restore balance. More, you say? Indeed there is—including bogeymen, vampire hordes, wrathful wraiths, and even a journey to the realm of the dead. Prepare to be besieged with ten tantalizing tales—not to be missed, never to be forgotten. Don’t miss any of The Iron Druid Chronicles: HOUNDED | HEXED | HAMMERED | TRICKED | TRAPPED | HUNTED | SHATTERED | STAKED | SCOURGED | BESIEGED

"They may slay my mortal body, but I am not so easily defeated. Time is on my side, and I will spend it well." Alyssa is the last vampire, changed by Igor Regorash himself before his permanent death. With this transformation comes power, but also a terrible loneliness that makes Alyssa long to be human again. Victoria Haldred is a Council of Peace investigator, charged with maintaining order in a post-war world. Her days are spent combatting murder, assassination, bombings, and blackmail, not to mention dirty politics and double-dealing. When a local drunk comes down with a bad case of dead, Alyssa and Victoria are set on a collision course that will change their lives (undead as Alyssa's may be) forever. A dark entity becomes dangerously fixated on the two women. With no one to trust, and an inescapable power looming, Alyssa and Victoria must combine their strengths if they hope to survive a world turned sinister.