Laura Anne Gilman
THE COLLECTED CASES OF DUCHESS, PI
The Alley is no place for the innocent, the unwary, or the just plain foolish. But if they didn't exist, Duchess would be out of work. For a fee, she can solve your problem - or make it go away. When trouble's on your tail, and you can't go to the cops, Duchess is the cat you want in your corner.
However, not even the best PI can solve every case, and her connections - from an up-and-coming police dog to a would-be thief-in-training - get her into trouble as often as they get her out…
Including:
The Case of the Tom in Trouble
Spark to Tinder
The Case of the Feckless Ferrets
Scales of Justice
The Case of the Seaside Swindle
FINDER’S KEEPER
Forbidden to practice the magic she inherited from her mother, Davida Sanderson left her comfortable Boston home for a wilderness farm, and freedom. There, she finds respect, and peace, able to use her gifts to find what had gone missing, and restore what was lost. But in the early days of the Civil War, more has been lost than can be found, and her heart won't be able to hide forever....
A Sanderson Women story.
I HAVE STRONG OPINIONS
Wisdom may be in holding your opinions close, but there’s definite freedom in letting them fly. I HAVE STRONG OPINIONS is a collection of twenty-five no-holds-barred rants from award-winning author Laura Anne Gilman on the everyday frustrations and irritations of life in the 21st century, from Facebook to fireworks, sex ed to snow tires.
BRING IT ON
The first rule of lonejacks is "don't get involved…."
Wren Valere just wants to do her job, collect a paycheck, and figure out her relationship with her business partner-turned-romantic partner, Sergei. No muss, no fuss, no outside entanglements. But when she takes on a job she shouldn't have, she finds herself once again in the cross-hairs of the Mage Council - and their aim is getting better.
Meanwhile, tensions between human Talents and the non-human residents of the city are escalating, putting one of her dearest friends in danger.
Her job, her people, and her city are at risk. And now, rather than her usual invisibility, everyone's looking at Wren to do something…
So much for never getting involved.
LIGHTNING STRIKES
There is magic in the modern world. It surrounds you, hiding in plain sight. The commuter next to you may be Talent. The barista behind the counter may not be human. The sound you hear just outside your window? May be far more dangerous than you think.
Stay inside and admire the storm. But be wary. Because for the Cosa Nostradamus, human and non-human alike, that storm is magic, and magic is power...
And power can corrupt.
BRING IT ON
The Cosa Nostradamus is falling apart….
Wren’s got enough on her plate right now, thank you very much, trying to stop her partner Sergei from self-destructing. But attacks against the non-human Fatae have escalated into hate crimes against all members of the Cosa - humans included. With the Mage Council distracted by internal struggles, the Talented and Fatae communities form a fragile alliance….with Wren and the demon P.B. at the heart of it.
But to protect themselves, they’re going to have to do something drastic, something that will change the city forever…
HEART OF BRIAR
“He has been taken. And you are his only chance.”
When Jan’s boyfriend Tyler disappears for several days, she’s worried. And then she’s angry. Then two strangers rescue her from a violent attack by creatures out of legend, and tell her that Tyler didn’t abandon her — he was stolen away to the fairy court. And Jan’s his only chance to come home.
But her rescuers aren’t human either, and they have their own secrets….
SOUL OF FIRE
Save the world, early and often.
Three months ago, Jan had a crash course in the supernatural. Werewolves, kelpies, elves, trolls —all real. But reclaiming her boyfriend from predatory, abusive elves was only the start of her story….
Now, Jan and her supernatural companions have a new deadline: ten weeks, ten days and ten hours until the elves are able to use the portals again. Until they overrun the unsuspecting world, and destroy it.
Our realm has one hope: find the missing elven queen, and use her as a bargaining chip.
But that isn’t going to be easy...and time’s up.