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Raves for Stephen Blackmoore’s Eric Carter novels:

“For a book all about dead things, this novel is alive with great characters and a twisty, scary-funny story that teaches you not to tango with too much necromancy. My favorite book this year, bar none.”

—Chuck Wendig, author of the Miriam Black series

“Blackmoore employs Chandleresque prose to smoothly incorporate a hard-boiled sense of urban despair into a paranormal plot, with occasional leavening provided by smart-aleck humor. Urban fantasy readers will appreciate the polished, assured writing and hope for a bevy of sequels.”

—Publishers Weekly

“Not only met, but exceeded, my expectations. . . . Plenty of action and magic-slinging rounds out this excellent second novel from one of my favorite authors.”

—My Bookish Ways

“In Dead Things, Stephen Blackmoore expands upon the Los Angeles supernatural world he first conjured in City of the Lost. Blackmoore is going places in urban fantasy, and readers fond of dark tales should keep their eyes on him. Highly recommended.”

—SFRevu

“Blackmoore can’t write these books fast enough to suit me. Broken Souls is hyper-caffeinated, turbo-bloody, face-stomping fun. This is the L.A.-noir urban fantasy you’ve been looking for.”

—Kevin Hearne, author of The Iron Druid Chronicles

“Eric Carter’s adventures are bleak, witty, and as twisty as a fire-blasted madrone, told in prose as sharp as a razor. Blackmoore is the rising star of pitch-black paranormal noir. A must-read series.”

—Kat Richardson, author of the Greywalker series

“Fans will find plenty to enjoy in the long-awaited third outing of necromancer Eric Carter. Blackmoore infuses his increasingly detailed and dangerous urban fantasy landscape with grim yet fascinating characters, and ensures that every step of Carter’s epic journey is a perilously fascinating one.”

—RT Reviews

Novels by Stephen Blackmoore available from DAW Books:

CITY OF THE LOST

DEAD THINGS

BROKEN SOULS

HUNGRY GHOSTS

FIRE SEASON

GHOST MONEY*

*Coming soon from DAW Books

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I set out to write a jaunty little list humorously talking about and thanking all the wonderful people who helped me get this book into your hands.

And then California burned.

In and of itself that’s not new. California burns every year. The whole U.S. West burns every year. But this year. Jesus. This year.

As I’m writing this California is recovering from the Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire it has ever seen. Not one of the deadliest. Not in the top 10. THE DEADLIEST. It’s the worst the entire nation has seen since 1918. Eighty-six people dead. Almost 19,000 structures destroyed, more than half of them single family homes. Over 150,000 blackened acres. The entire town of Paradise wiped from the face of the planet.

The previous California record holder was here in Los Angeles in 1933 in Griffith Park. Only 29 people dead. Only. As if any number could be acceptable.