SAFE AS HOUSES It’s hard enough for Alastair Stone to keep his two lives—powerful mage and mundane Occult Studies professor—separate without an old friend asking him to take on a new apprentice. Especially after a university colleague wants him to investigate a massive old house for things that go bump in the night. Still, Stone figures it’s an easy job: just turn up, put on a little show, and announce that the house is clean. Only it isn’t. A malevolent spirit is reawakening in the basement, imprisoned between dimensions and intent on escape. If it succeeds, countless people will die. Worse, a trio of dark mages want to help it break free so they can control it for their own sinister purposes. They’ll do whatever it takes—including seducing Stone’s young apprentice and using him against his master—to get what they’re after. With time running out, Stone has to stay alive long enough to uncover the spirit’s secrets. But even if he does, he fears that his own power won’t be enough to send it back.

NOWHERE TO RUN, NOWHERE TO HIDE Dr. Alastair Stone, Occult Studies professor and powerful mage, is walking off a breakup in San Francisco when he encounters a desperate woman preparing to jump off the Golden Gate Bridge. She can't stop hearing voices and seeing her stalker ex-boyfriend—a man she's certain hasn't left his home in the Midwest. She's sure she's going crazy. Stone doesn't believe it. Convinced something supernatural is behind the manifestations, he's compelled to investigate—which marks him as a target as well. Before he knows what's going on, he's drawn into a web of murder, illusion, and jealousy that threatens not only the woman's life, but his own. When he finally discovers the truth about the stalker, the only way to stop the attacks is to take the fight to its source—knowing full well that if they do that, he and the stalker's victim could be walking into a deathtrap. TURN TO STONE is a standalone novella in the Alastair Stone Chronicles urban fantasy series. Don't miss the rest of the series: Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices and two standalone novellas: Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone

“A witch wants my baby!” Tamara Huntley is as mundane as they come. A suburban mom with two young children, her life revolves around her family, her job, and the comforts of home. So when her estranged, wild-child sister comes to her, begging for help and claiming a witch murdered her husband and wants to steal her baby daughter in payment for a long-ago oath, Tamara thinks she’s gone crazy. Until she turns up dead, and the baby vanishes without a trace. If Tamara’s going to get her niece back, she’ll have to expand her worldview fast. She’ll also need some expert help. But where can a normal, practical woman find help dealing with an evil witch? Fortunately for her, aid is closer than she thinks. Who better to give button-down Tamara a crash course in things that go bump in the night than Stanford occult studies professor Dr. Alastair Stone? At least he can offer some tips, even if she’s sure he can’t help her any other way. Because magic isn’t real…right? Welcome to the spooky side of the street, Tamara. Hope you survive the experience. Devil's Bargain is a short, standalone novel in the world of the Alastair Stone Chronicles urban fantasy series. Don't miss the rest of the series: Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices Game of Stone Steel and Stone Stone and Claw The Seventh Stone and two standalone novellas: Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone

Librarian note: alternate-cover edition of B0084O96RW. When a friend asks Alastair Stone to question a disturbed child who's committed a horrific act, Stone has no idea what kind of rabbit hole he's starting down. His investigations uncover more instances of appalling crimes, all committed by people with no history of violence. And other people have turned up missing... It's not long before Stone crosses paths with Jason Thayer, a young man searching for his runaway sister who might be a victim of the same bizarre affliction. Together, Stone and Jason are embroiled in a network of odd homeless people, strange symbols, a growing conspiracy, and deadly danger. Even if they find Jason's sister in time, there's no way to know if they can help her—and it's soon clear that the problem is a lot worse than they originally suspected. What do you do when you discover an extradimensional plot that threatens the safety of the entire world, but you can't tell anyone about it because literally anyone on Earth could be part of it?

This is an alternate cover edition for ASIN: B00D55MG2C The Evil was only the beginning... It's been less than a month since Jason Thayer, his sister Verity, and mage Alastair Stone discovered a monstrous conspiracy to take over our world one mind at a time. The battle in San Francisco struck a major blow—but it didn't eliminate the threat. Not even close. Where do the Evil come from? How did they get here? As Jason, Verity, and Stone delve deeper into these questions, they make a shocking discovery about the nature of the Evil—and what happened that brought them into our dimension. What they find sends them on a desperate cross-country race from the wilds of West Virginia to the dark neon wonderland of Las Vegas as they attempt to stop the Evil at its source before it's too late. From a new colony of Forgotten to a powerful and mysterious gray mage with unclear motives, they will find help in their efforts—but will it be enough? "The Threshold" is the third book in the Alastair Stone Chronicles series.

The portals are closed. The Evil have lost their pathway between their home and ours. No longer does humanity need to worry about extradimensional bodysnatchers with a thirst for pain and terror pouring through to wreak destruction on Earth. So that means Stone, Jason, and Verity can rest for a while, right? Yeah, maybe not. The problem is, while there might not be any new Evil coming through, a whole lot of very powerful, very angry Evil are still stuck on our side. Desperate now, they're forced to put aside their differences and work together to come up with an ambitious plan to get their pipeline of soldiers up and running. And now they've got a dangerous ally on their side: a black mage with a longstanding hatred of Stone. Will Stone and his friends figure out what the Evil are up to before they can set into motion something that can't be stopped—and that will end up killing thousands of people in the process?

UNACCEPTABLE LOSSES Alastair Stone knew it would take a big sacrifice to end the Evil’s hold over our world. He was ready to make that sacrifice—but he expected it to be his life. Never in his worst nightmares did he think it would be his magic. Despairing and grief-stricken at the loss of the abilities that defined his existence, he’s on the fast track to self-destruction when a dear friend convinces him to take a desperate last chance. He heads to Las Vegas to find the only man who might be able to help him, but instead finds some old allies in dire need of his own help with a deadly—and very magical—threat. Stone’s answer to nearly every problem has always been magic—but that’s off the table now. All he’s got are his wits and his courage to keep himself and his friends alive. Can he put aside his pride and bitterness long enough to prove there’s more to him than magic?

BOUND IN BLOOD When his friend Jason Thayer disappears after heading to his home town to attend a wedding, the only clue Alastair Stone has to his whereabouts is a cryptic phone message about "something weird" Jason saw shortly before he vanished. Stone travels to the picturesque tourist town where Jason was last seen and is soon caught up in a horrific web of murder, malevolent magic, and a mysterious and ancient force that's resurfaced even more powerful than ever after a long dormancy. What is it, how is it connected to the town and its residents, and why has it returned now? What does it want with Jason? Alone and without his usual resources, Stone must find a way to track down and defeat the malignant entity before it cuts a swath of death across the town—and before it uses its insidious powers to destroy Stone's reputation, his livelihood, and his life. Book 6 of the Alastair Stone Chronicles series

STRANGE ATTRACTIONS With Jason and Verity in southern California, Alastair Stone quickly discovers he misses his best friends and favorite confidants far more than he expected to. It isn't long, though, before he's got some new matters to occupy his mind: a student who may have fallen under the influence of a magical cult leader, and a budding relationship with a sexy, intelligent, and stunningly beautiful woman who's everything he never dared to dream of. As his connection with his new lover grows ever deeper, Stone is drawn into a dangerous web of dark magic, an ancient, malevolent grimoire, and plans within plans that could lead not only to his own destruction, but those of his beloved and his student as well. Pursued by a terrifying duo who are immune to magic, Stone must unravel the purpose of the grimoire and defeat a powerful enemy before it's too late. But what will he do if he's forced to choose between his own student and the woman he loves?

DINNER IS SERVED When mage Alastair Stone’s fiancée dumps him for loving magic too much and her not enough, he never sees it coming. Craving a change, Stone picks a big one: moving halfway around the world to teach Occult Studies at Stanford. He expects to pick up where he left off, resuming a quiet life of study and putting the past behind him. But when a gang of cannibalistic serial killers targets the area, he’s certain their origin is supernatural. Drawn into the case after stopping a murder, he soon encounters a bizarre secret society that has its own reasons for wanting the murderers dealt with. But is the solution as bad as the problem? With the killers hot on his trail, Stone must work with his odd allies to track them down before they strike again, and before he—or someone he loves—becomes their next victim. This fast-paced, standalone tale from the early days of Dr. Alastair Stone's magical career is perfect for new readers and longtime fans alike.

HEART OF THE MATTER When a police detective approaches Alastair Stone to consult on a grisly occult-related murder, he initially considers it nothing more than an intriguing puzzle to fill a few dull late-summer hours. But then the detective becomes a victim, and the murderer begins taunting Stone, daring him to discover the truth before more of his friends join the list of targets. As he delves deeper into the case, Stone soon learns that the murderer isn't human—and has committed similar crimes in the past. Why has it resurfaced again after all these years, and how can Stone stop something that can move without a trace? Aided by a devout young woman with secrets of her own, an elderly researcher, and a cat with a bizarre connection to one of the victims, Stone must call up new depths of courage as he tracks the killer to its horrific lair. But when he finds it, will he be strong enough to destroy it?

DARK DESIRES Alastair Stone and fellow professor Edwina Mortenson go together like punk rock and patchouli. So when an unwilling Stone is “volunteered” to participate in a paranormal TV reality show with her, neither of them is thrilled about it—even if the ghost town they’ll be filming in is supposedly the site of a powerful curse. As if dealing with Mortenson, the show’s overbearing producer, and its prima-donna star weren’t bad enough, Stone soon uncovers evidence that the town’s curse is very real—and it’s resurfacing again, more deadly than ever. Miles from civilization, cut off by a freak storm and a washed-out road, Stone must race to find the origin of the curse and stop it before it settles its malignant grip over everyone in the town. Meanwhile, Jason and Verity head off to tackle their first case on their own in Las Vegas, where a search for a missing family man takes them down a dark path—and leads Verity to make a desperate choice that forces her to question everything she thought she knew about her magic.

TRIAL BY FIRE After fifteen-year-old Alastair Stone is caught performing magic at his prestigious boarding school, he can hardly believe his good fortune: not only isn't he punished, but his father arranges a trial apprenticeship—three years early—with one of the most powerful mages in all of Britain. He'll have a month to prove himself, or he'll be packed back off to school. But when Alastair arrives at his new master's vast, remote country house, he soon finds that his teacher's draconian style and exacting standards aren't the only challenges he'll have to face to pass his trial. The house holds deadly secrets, and not all of his master's staff are on his side. There's also the matter of the village girl he can't stop thinking about... All this is bad enough—but when events spiral out of control, unleashing a murderous enemy to stalk the dark halls of the manor, Alastair is left as the only line of defense against a potential bloodbath. Can a barely-trained, fifteen-year-old mage on his own use his wits and courage to save not only his life, but his master's? This eleventh book in the Alastair Stone Chronicles urban fantasy series can be read as a standalone story or as part of the ongoing series.

SINS OF THE PAST Alastair Stone has barely begun to recover from the death of a friend when he’s rocked by yet another—this time someone who was closer to him than his own father. It looks like natural causes...but a grief-stricken Stone isn’t convinced. As England’s magical community comes together to mourn the shocking loss, Verity meets a group of powerful female practitioners who offer to teach her potent new magical skills—a group whose leader seems strangely familiar. And meanwhile, Stone’s shocks have only begun as new revelations come to light—revelations that point at horrific acts from his past, cast chilling new suspicions upon the accident that killed his father, and prove that everything he thought he knew about his dead mother was wrong. As Stone uncovers more terrifying secrets from the earliest years of his life, the darkness in his past at last catches up with him. To save those he loves and prevent some old enemies from committing a monstrous act, he’ll have no choice but to make sacrifices of his own. Don't miss the rest of the Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices and two standalone Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone

POINT OF NO RETURN Alastair Stone, determined to harness enigmatic mage Trevor Harrison’s potent power source, takes a desperate chance—he travels to the dimension where it originates, hoping to convince Harrison to teach him its secrets. He should have expected things wouldn’t go as planned. Stranded without his power in an exotic, unfamiliar world rich in magic and ruled by tyrannical practitioners, Stone knows his only chance of getting his magic back is to find Harrison—a man who has good reasons for not wanting to be found. But first, he has to stay alive long enough to do it. Don't miss the rest of the series: Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices Game of Stone Steel and Stone and two standalone novellas: Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone

WILD MAGIC Things are looking up for Alastair Stone. He's just moved into his new house, Jason's opening his investigation agency, and best of all, the University has finally hired a new professor for the Occult Studies department. Carefree days never last long for Stone, though. The smart, sexy new professor turns out to have secrets—dangerous secrets. When he agrees to help her track down a powerful magical artifact, Stone is drawn into a deadly conspiracy involving a mysterious and reclusive clan, alchemical mayhem, and crimes even more horrific than either of them suspected. And as if all that weren’t enough...his cat has started talking to him. Don't miss the rest of the series: Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices Game of Stone Steel and Stone Stone and Claw and two standalone novellas: Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone

A father's sins. A son's wrath. An enemy's revenge. When a shadowy, sinister organization begins killing apprentices, Alastair Stone is determined to track down the people pulling its strings. But Stone’s life quickly spirals into chaos when a young man contacts him—claiming to be his son. As he pursues the trail of the murderers and struggles to deal with this new upheaval in his life, Stone has no idea of the dark, carefully-laid plan unfolding behind the scenes. An old nemesis is back, more powerful than ever and determined to finish what she started many years ago. And this time, she's set her sights on not one Stone, but two.

Immovable Object - Meet Irresistible Force When Alastair Stone investigates a tale of odd events at an abandoned Midwestern paper mill, he figures it's just another hoax. After all, he's seen hundreds of them in his career. He soon discovers this one isn't a hoax, though—and neither is the backwoods hunter who's suddenly developed healing abilities in Pennsylvania. The only thing the two have in common are the strange, possibly extradimensional rifts spontaneously appearing nearby. As Stone digs deeper, he finds forces aligned against him—including some of his most trusted and powerful friends. Why are they warning him away from the rifts? And more importantly, why do they refuse to give him a reason? But when Verity disappears during their investigation, Stone knows he has to get to the bottom of this supernatural mystery—no matter how many enemies he has to make in the process. And when he finally does learn the truth, it comes with the horrifying revelation that he might already have made a terrible mistake. Don't miss the rest of the Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices Game of Stone Steel and Stone Stone and Claw The Seventh Stone and three standalone Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone Devil's Bargain

THE PAST LIES BURIED... Alastair Stone isn't proud of the dark deeds of his family's past, but he thought they were just that—past. But when a routine renovation of his ancestral home releases a horde of angry spirits bent on vengeance against anyone of his blood, he soon learns that his family's horrific acts were even worse than he ever could have imagined. Driven from his home, Stone must rally his most trusted friends and allies to discover the truth and find a way to exorcise the relentless spirits. But the spirits aren't the only threats unearthed. A powerful enemy from the past—one with forbidden and unspeakable powers—also has a vendetta against the Stone family. And that doesn't even count the mysterious fiend in the sealed room... Stone has bested many monstrous enemies in his magical career—but is he strong enough to fight his own past? Don't miss the rest of the series: Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices Game of Stone Steel and Stone Stone and Claw The Seventh Stone Gathering Storm and four standalone tales: Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone Devil's Bargain Stone for the Holidays

THE CIRCLE WIDENS For Alastair Stone, problems rarely come one at a time. He’s busy helping an old friend with a case of blackmail when he’s contacted about a mysterious wave of minor crimes in the Oakland area—one that might involve magic. He asks Verity to look into it. When tragedy strikes and the petty crime spree leads to a friend's disastrous near-death, Stone hurries home to investigate the situation himself. What he finds suggests terrifying new connections to a problem he thought he’d already dealt with. As the situation escalates and puts more innocent people in harm’s way, Stone, Verity, and Jason will have to rely on each other—and a growing collection of allies both old and new—to track down a dangerously unstable enemy before he snaps. And as if all of that weren’t bad enough, a powerful, shadowy figure resurfaces with an offer Stone might not be able to refuse. Don't miss the rest of the series: Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices Game of Stone Steel and Stone Stone and Claw The Seventh Stone Gathering Storm House of Stone and four standalone tales: Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone Devil's Bargain Stone for the Holidays

IT WAITS... Alastair Stone needs a vacation. He’s literally stepping through the portal to his home in England when an old friend calls with a horrific tale of a grisly multiple murder committed by teenagers just back from a school camping trip. It doesn’t take long to convince Stone the supernatural is involved. Goodbye peaceful vacation, hello magical investigation. When he teams up with a local cop who’s in the know about magic, he soon discovers the problem is a lot worse than he thought. Even more troubling, they’re not the only ones tracking its source. An organization Stone thought long dead has risen again and is determined to find it first. With the cop’s young son in danger—not to mention countless other people—Stone has no choice but to join forces with his old enemies to prevent an ancient horror from being reborn. If you like creepy Lovecraftian-style horror and ancient evils awakening from long slumber, you won't want to miss this one!Don't miss the rest of the Stone and a Hard PlaceThe ForgottenThe ThresholdThe SourceCore of StoneBlood and StoneHeart of StoneFlesh and StoneThe Infernal HeartThe Other SidePath of StoneNecessary SacrificesGame of StoneSteel and StoneStone and ClawThe Seventh StoneGathering StormHouse of StoneCircle of Stone and four standalone Turn to StoneShadows and StoneDevil's BargainStone for the Holidays

Magic is Thicker than Blood Alastair Stone figures using tracking magic to help Jason Thayer and his new wife Amber find a missing child will be a good diversion. At least it will take his mind off a summer that, without Verity around, is shaping up to be a lot less eventful than he’d hoped. But when the boy’s kidnapper turns out to be a mage—one who’s using the public portal network to steal children for some mysterious purpose of his own—Stone, Jason, and Amber are thrown into a terrifying web of mystery, mad science, and deadly peril. If Stone can’t figure out who the kidnapper is and why he’s obsessed with these children, it won’t only be the kids who are in danger. As the shocking facts come to light and the madman sets his sights on his pursuers, Stone and his friends might not survive long enough to learn the sinister truth. Don't miss the rest of the series: Stone and a Hard Place The Forgotten The Threshold The Source Core of Stone Blood and Stone Heart of Stone Flesh and Stone The Infernal Heart The Other Side Path of Stone Necessary Sacrifices Game of Stone Steel and Stone Stone and Claw The Seventh Stone Gathering Storm House of Stone Circle of Stone The Madness Below Boys' Night (Way) Out (novella) An Unexpected Truth (novella) Death's Door and four standalone tales: Turn to Stone Shadows and Stone Devil's Bargain Stone for the Holidays Also, don't miss the Happenstance and Bron series, set in the world of the Alastair Stone Chronicles: The Soul Engine Chariots of Wrath By Demons Driven

Finding The Way Home Can Be Deadly It starts with an article from Jason's crank file. Some campers have discovered an unconscious "space alien" in the wilds of Colorado. Every mention of the story quickly vanishes from the internet—but not before Alastair Stone gets a look at the single, blurry photo. The "space alien" looks tantalizingly familiar... Stone's going to need some heavy-duty help to get her back where she belongs. Help he doesn't even know how to reach. And things get even more complicated when he discovers how she got here—a revelation that catches the interest of yet another powerful friend. To make this right, Stone must not only walk a tightrope between two brilliant, potent, and relentless allies and their competing goals, but also keep them from finding out about each other. And finally, at long last, he's about to learn some truths about himself that make everything that's come before look trivial by comparison. If he survives the experience, his life is about to get very interesting. (less)

Old Friends. Old Enemies. Unspeakable Evil. Alastair Stone is surprised when a long-forgotten friend breaks his self-imposed silence to contact him. It seems that two other allies from his past have disappeared without a trace, and Stone's tracking magic might be the only way to find them. Should be simple. Right? But as Stone delves into the deepening mystery, he finds connections to unexpected avenues: old enemies, forbidden magic, and even Verity's group of San Francisco vigilantes. Could it be possible that two of Stone's most powerful foes are working together—including one who's supposed to be dead? What, aside from their mutual hatred of Stone, could they possibly have in common? To have any hope of uncovering the diabolical plan and saving the victims from a horrifying fate, Stone will need to rely on his friends for help. But can all his power keep them safe? Sometimes dealing with mortality is far harder when it's not your own.