You think you know the secret of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You don't. A perfect jumping-on point for the Afterverse books of Kyle Robert Shultz—spoiler-free; no prior continuity required! Archaeologists are not often consulted by gods. However, Malcolm Blackfire is not a typical archaeologist

Dragons are exceptionally good at not dying, so a ghost of a dragon is a rare thing…but when one does show up, nobody is safe. When dragon archaeologist Malcolm Blackfire unearths the hoard of a deceased old acquaintance in search of a magical artifact, he and his assistant Melody Nightingale soon find themselves in over their heads. Defeating a dragon is difficult enough under normal circumstances. How do you defeat one who's already dead?

Paris, 1983. KGB Agent Piotr Volkov is sent to investigate yet another report of the Russian Grand Duchess Anastasia's survival. He finds an old woman who calls herself Marya Morevna...and who has a remarkable tale to tell. Her story is not what Piotr expects. It is a story of ancient and ruthless magic, of warriors who transform into monstrous bears, of a wicked sorcerer desperate for power...and of a dragon named Malcolm Blackfire. The tale of Marya Morevna cannot possibly be true...can it? This story is best enjoyed after reading the first two books of the Beaumont and Beasley series, as well as the Beaumont and Beasley novella The Last Days of Lady Cordelia.

Assess the problem. Erase the humans' memories. Move on. That's Malcolm Blackfire's usual strategy when fellow dragons make the mistake of revealing their true forms to unwitting humans. Unfortunately, there's a bit of a snag this time. For one thing, the bottle of magic water Malcolm is using to get rid of troublesome memories isn't working properly. For another, there's a pesky human detective determined to solve the "mystery" of the dragon sightings. And he's really not supposed to meet Malcolm. Not yet. But no one—not even Malcolm—knows what the future holds. Or, for that matter, the past...