City of Shadows – serie

A stand-alone novel in the City of Shadows series.Hardboiled Noir meets Urban Fantasy in a post-WWII Los Angeles where vampires, zombies, and demons are part of the social fabric.Magic is just another way to get killed in the City of Angels.Los Angeles, 1940s. The war is over, but the shadows are growing teeth. In this gritty Historical Urban Fantasy, detective work requires more than a badge and a .38. It requires an understanding of the runes that thrum beneath the pavement.It started with a knock on the door. It usually does. Now there’s a body, a missing musician, and a trail of magic that smells like ozone and bad luck. The LAPD is out of its depth. The "square" world is waking up to a reality they aren't prepared to handle.Between the smoky jazz clubs of Central Avenue and the grease-stained floors of neighborhood garages, a new kind of power is rising. It’s electric. It’s ancient. And in the wrong hands, it’s a death sentence for the whole city.Harry Turtledove returns to the City of Shadows with a high-stakes mystery that stands entirely on its own. Whether you are a veteran of the series or stepping into this magical 1940s Los Angeles for the first time, the runes are waiting.A Standalone Noir Tour de Force No "homework" required. Jump straight into the action with a self-contained mystery that delivers a complete, hardboiled experience from the first page to the last.The Noir ReinventedExperience a Los Angeles where spells are as common as reefers and the "fuzz" has to watch out for more than just lead. It’s the Philip Marlowe detective story, transformed.Masterful Alternate HistoryNobody builds a world like Turtledove. Every detail of post-war life is rendered with surgical precision—until the magic starts to bleed through the cracks.“Old Man Mose had been sleeping on the beat-up old sofa in my office. My fuzzy red accomplice is no braver than he has to be. He disappeared under the sofa, just in case.”The shadows are calling. Order your copy of this standalone Urban Fantasy mystery today.

A stand-alone urban fantasy novel in the City of Shadows series, where hardboiled noir meets a post-WWII Los Angeles shared with vampires, zombies, and demons.The San Fernando Valley is hot, the money is dry, and private investigator Mitchell’s most frequent companion is an office cat named Old Man Mose. Most calls are a waste of time, but rent doesn't pay itself. When a known prankster with a history named Irv Lipshit dials the number offering a hundred dollars just for an audience, Mitchell takes the deal.But Los Angeles is changing, and the shadows are getting longer. The supernatural is starting to bleed through the cracks of the noir pavement, proving that ancient hunger and Wild Turkey do not mix well. Mitchell is about to find out that some jobs are priced high for a reason.Gritty supernatural noirPost-WWII alternate historySupernatural detective tropes

A stressed, middle-aged man picks up a teenage escort and commits an unspeakable crime, unaware that a homeless man – her only real friend – will do anything to find her. A shocking, race-against-the-clock, standalone thriller from the Queen of New Zealand Crime.‘Astonishingly good … compelling, horrifying, intriguing and entertaining. One of the best thrillers I’ve read this year’ Liz Nugent'New Zealand's modern Queen of Crime' Val McDermid'Fans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon' Red Magazine–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––Worn down by a job he hates, and a stressful family life, middle-aged, middle-class Bradley picks up a teenage escort and commits an unspeakable crime. Now she’s tied up in his warehouse, and he doesn’t know what to do.Max is homeless, eating from rubbish bins, sleeping rough and barely existing – known for cadging a cigarette from anyone passing, and occasionally even the footpath. Nobody really sees Max, but he has one friend, and she’s gone missing.In order to find her, Max is going to have to call on some people from his past, and reopen wounds that have remained unhealed for a very long time, and the clock is ticking…Hard-hitting, fast-paced and immensely thought-provoking, Faceless – the startling new standalone thriller from New Zealand’s ‘Queen of Crime’ – will leave you breathless.–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––‘Powerful and brilliant writing that transported me to the other side of the world … a wonderful storyteller’ Helen FitzGerald‘Edgy, thrilling and terrifyingly realistic’ Lisa Hall‘All the thrills of a brilliantly plotted crime novel with some interesting moral questions woven between the words. Fast, furious and intense' Helen Fields‘A portrait of the underbelly of society, this is a deeply involving novel and a damn good thriller’ Paul Burke, NB Magazine'Completely gripping … a poignant study of how our society shapes unlikely saints and monsters' Eve Smith‘Faceless is tauter and tougher than Symon’s delightful Dunedin procedurals … superb’ The Times‘Intense, dark and twisted, this is a fast and pulse-raising read that absolutely gripped me’ Jen Med’s Book Reviews‘I read the last couple of chapters with bated breath, heart in my throat, eyes brimming. I was completely and utterly invested’ From Belgium with BooklovePraise for the Sam Shephard series‘New Zealand's answer to Siobhan Clarke’ The Times'Fast-moving New Zealand procedural ... the Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly' Ian Rankin'A sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa reading' Kate Mosse'If you like taut, pacey thrillers with a wonderful sense of place, this is the book for you' Liam McIlvanney'Vanda Symon's work resembles Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series she knows how to tell a good story and the NZ setting adds spice' The Times'Atmospheric, emotional and gripping' Foreword Reviews'A plot that grabs the reader's attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn't let go' Sunday Times'It is Symon's copper Sam, self-deprecating and very human, who represents the writer's real achievement' Guardian'Reads like the polished effort of a genre veteran. More, please' Booklist For fans of Liz Nugent, Gillian McAllister, Trevor Wood and Sarah Hilary

Homeless on Auckland’s streets, Max Grimes fights to survive when someone starts killing the city’s forgotten. Pulled into a dark past, he must stop the killer or be next. The gripping second instalment in a breathtaking series, from New Zealand’s queen of crime.‘Brutal, raw and utterly realistic’ Trevor Wood‘Pacy, twisty, relentlessly unpredictable journey through the dark side of New Zealand’s biggest city, where a man battling his own demons must confront a far deadlier one working in the shadows’ Michael Bennett‘Absorbing and addictive. Once you’ve started you won’t be able to put it down until the end. A truly gripping thriller’ Michael Wood_______The City looks away … but someone is watching…A killer is hunting Auckland’s homeless. No one cares. No one but Max. These are his people.Max Grimes is homeless, living on the streets of Auckland, among the forgotten, the invisible. But now someone is hunting the homeless, killing them one by one. No one cares. Except Max.Trying to put his shattered life back together, Max is pulled into a deadly game when a face from his past reappears, reopening wounds he thought were long buried.As whispers of a Grim Reaper spread terror through the city, Max must race against time, not only to find the killer, but to outrun the ghosts chasing him.Because if he fails, he’ll be next._______Praise for Vanda Symon‘The setting is vivid in these dark but hopeful crime thrillers. It took three years for Max to return but it was worth the wait … this is socially aware fiction with gripping storytelling. Superb’ Paul Burke, CrimeTime‘Tauter and tougher than Symon’s delightful Dunedin procedurals … superb’ The Times‘Completely gripping … a poignant study of how our society shapes unlikely saints and monsters’ Eve Smith‘From the opening pages, this story left me gasping for breath’ Michael Robotham‘New Zealand’s modern Queen of Crime’ Val McDermid‘A one-sitting read’ Ann Cleeves‘Fast, furious and intense’ Helen Fields‘Astonishingly good … compelling, horrifying, intriguing and entertaining. One of the best thrillers I’ve read this year’ Liz Nugent‘Edgy, thrilling and terrifyingly realistic’ Lisa Hall‘Atmospheric, emotional and gripping’ Foreword Reviews‘Fans of The Dry will love Vanda Symon’ Red Magazine‘If you like taut, pacey thrillers with a wonderful sense of place, this is the book for you’ Liam McIlvanney‘A portrait of the underbelly of society, this is a deeply involving novel and a damn good thriller’ Paul Burke, NB Magazine‘Fast-moving New Zealand procedural ... the Edinburgh of the south has never been more deadly’ Ian Rankin‘A sassy heroine, fabulous sense of place, and rip-roaring stories with a twist. Perfect curl-up-on-the-sofa reading’ Kate Mosse‘A plot that grabs the reader’s attention with a heart-stopping opening and doesn’t let go’ Sunday Times‘Reads like the polished effort of a genre veteran. More, please’ Booklist