Dorian Lake spent years cornering the Baltimore hex-crafting market, using his skills at the hermetic arts to exact karmic justice for those whom the system has failed. He keeps his magic clean and free of soul-corrupting Netherwork, thus avoiding both the karmic blow-back of his practice and the notice of the Presidium, a powerful cabal of practitioners that polices the esoteric arts in America. However, when an unscrupulous Netherworker interferes with both his business and his personal life, Dorian’s disarming charisma and hermetic savvy may not be enough to keep his soul out of jeopardy. His rival, a soul monger named Neil Osterhaus, wouldn’t be such a problem were it not for Carmen, Dorian’s captivating ex-lover. After two years’ absence Carmen arrives at Dorian’s doorstep with a problem: she sold her soul to Osterhaus, and has only two weeks to buy it back. Hoping to win back Carmen’s affections, Dorian must find a replacement soul without tainting his own. As Dorian descends into the shadows of Baltimore’s underworld, he must decide how low he is willing to stoop in order to save Carmen from eternal damnation… with the Presidium watching, waiting for him to cross the line.

The one person standing between Hell… and an innocent girl… is a man without a soul. A regular life isn’t in the cards for Dorian Lake, but with his charm-crafting business invigorated, and the prospect of a serious relationship within his grasp, life is closer to normal than Dorian could ever expect. In the heat of the Baltimore mayoral campaign, Dorian has managed to balance his arrangements with Deputy Mayor Julian Bright with his search to find his lost soul. Dorian soon learns of a Netherworker, the head of a dangerous West Coast cabal, who might be able to find and return his soul. The price? Just one curse. Sounds easy… but nothing ever is for Dorian. A dark presence arrives in the city, hell-bent on finding Dorian’s soul first. Innocents are caught in the crossfire, and Dorian finds it harder to keep his commitments to Bright. When the fight gets personal, and the entity hits too close to home, Dorian must rely on those he trusts the least to save the ones he loves. As he tests the limits of his hermetic skills to defeat this new enemy, will Dorian lose his one chance to avoid damnation?

War is coming… how much hell will Dorian Lake unleash when the gloves come off? Saddled with both a new pupil and a bar to run, Dorian has to pick his battles carefully if he is to find his soul. When the Dark Choir bargains with Dorian in exchange for his loyalty, the power they offer may be too valuable to refuse…for a new menace threatens the hermetic order in America. Members of the Presidium are being outed in the press, and the formidable cabal’s response is swift and brutal. But Dorian has no time to hide from the Presidium’s fury, as the new Deputy Mayor taps him to investigate a string of occult crimes. Dorian soon uncovers an ancient enemy of the Presidium, which threatens to plunge America into a lawless era not seen since the Dark Ages. To sway Dorian to their cause, the Presidium gives him free rein to practice Netherwork. But even if the man without a soul can survive this conflict, if he can protect his friends and allies, if he can mean the difference between order and chaos… will this mandate save Dorian Lake from the schemes of the Dark Choir?

Surrounded by evil on every side, Dorian Lake is about to face his most personal challenge yet… A wave of dark voudon magic is rolling into Baltimore. With new rivals on every street corner and hidden enemies out for blood, hex peddler Dorian Lake is doing his best to keep his head above water. All he wants is a chance to reclaim his soul, but an unseen adversary is driving the city into chaos around him. Dorian suspects The Dark Choir, which has both haunted and hunted him for too long, is behind a groundswell of violence in the city. He’s more certain than ever that they are manipulating events to exterminate the human species. Aided by a handful of close allies—a powerful Stregha, a metaphysical scientist, and a coven of Wiccans—Dorian must follow a series of labyrinthine clues to unravel his greatest enemy’s plans before they come to fruition, even if it means facing off with megalomaniacs, nickel-and-dime gangsters, and even City Hall itself. Dorian goes on the offense, pulling every tool from his magical arsenal to rain down the vengeance he’s believed by so many to wield. Dorian has never embraced his identity as a Curse Merchant, but his life is on the line, and he’s about to become a true believer in his own power. Sometimes you just have to fight fire with fire—or, in this case, darkness with darkness.

Now that Dorian Lake has found his soul… it has never been farther from his grasp! Living without a soul has brought Dorian to new lows. Now a full-fledged Curse Merchant, he has solidified his stranglehold over the city of Baltimore, ruling like a true Netherworker. Romantically entwined with a Strega, guilty of killing with magic, and free of Presidium oversight, Dorian Lake needs his soul more than ever if he wants to avoid damnation. And at long last… he’s found it! The catch: Dorian can’t secure his soul without destroying the lives of everyone he holds dear. There is no time to find a solution, as the Dark Choir has sent Felix Parrish to acquire the soul. Parrish will stop at nothing to capture his quarry… raising an army of possessed minions, pitting Dorian against Federal agents, even calling in the Surgical Swordsman to capture the soul’s vessel. The chase leads Dorian on a journey across America, into the hands of old friends and enemies alike, searching for some way… any way… to beat the Dark Choir at their own game. Can Dorian survive the onslaught and save the ones he loves? And will the secrets he uncovers in his own family’s history prove to be the key to freeing his soul, or the very road to eternal damnation?