Goodness may appear in many forms; evil need only take one. The Chicago PD Deviant Data Unit specializes in the dark and cruel aspects of criminal behavior. When a serial killer who leaves his victims oddly posed starts terrorizing the city, Detective Rafe Douglas leads the team tasked to find this sadistic killer. Still recovering from severe injuries sustained in the line of duty, Rafe’s tenuous hold on what is real is further tested by someone who wants in on the case and won’t take no for an answer. Private Investigator Ashley Scott experiences the world through unveiled eyes. She alone can see that Hell’s inhabitants are breaking free from their confines and are bringing their evil to Earth. She believes the killer isn’t human and knows she has to convince Rafe there are more things happening in the Windy City than anyone could possibly realize. Only together can they solve the secrets revealed in the killer’s brutal slayings.

Landing the lead role in a movie is exactly the break TV actress Cole Calder needs. Her rise to fame has made her the target of an obsessive group of fans who ship Cole with her straight, married costar, turning what used to be her dream job into a nightmare. Thankful for the opportunity to start something new, Cole is more than ready to leave the show, and its troublesome fans, behind. Eris Whyte has her career path all planned out, and accepting her first movie role opposite Cole Calder is an unmissable opportunity. Eris has no plans to be distracted from the course she’s set for herself, but unfortunately, Cole is gorgeous and very distracting. Cole and Eris are dedicated to making their movie a success, but one fan won’t accept that Cole has moved on. She’ll stop at nothing to see her favorite characters together again, no matter who she has to hurt in the process.

Drew Dawes’s life revolves around fantasy. She’s the geeky owner of a comic book store, cosplays at conventions, and loves her superheroes. Her life is a million miles away from the one her parents envisioned for her as a musical prodigy. They expected fame, fortune, and headlining the stages in Nashville. Drew never wanted the life they forced onto her as a child, and their deaths changed her world forever. Since then, the songs in Drew’s heart are silent. Wren Banderas has her career planned out in minute detail. Becoming head chef at a very popular restaurant is just another step closer to her biggest dream: a restaurant bearing her own name. Her star is rising, yet self-doubt plagues her. Drew and Wren couldn’t be more different, but each still carries wounds from the past. Falling in love was never part of the plan, but they just need each other to heal and make their dreams come true.

After surviving a devastating car crash, Bryce Donovan is plagued by crippling nightmares that leave her terrified to close her eyes. She still bears the scars from that night, both emotionally and physically. Her job at Tweedy Contractors brings the diversion she is desperate for, and the new apprentice painter is a welcome distraction. As a gifted artist, Scarlet Tweedy creates beauty in every medium she employs. But she’s always been expected to take over her father’s business. The problem is she doesn’t want to follow in his footsteps while she has dreams of her own to pursue. But can she choose her own path over what has always been expected of her?

Originally published as: Second edition. (Helm field guides): London: Christopher Helm, 2011.

Tharfen might be the only person who can save the Phaer Isle, but she is missing a very important part of herself. In Book 3 of the Spell Crossed series, Tharfen, now eighteen, is still playing unwilling host to a shattered piece of her old friend turned enemy, Xemion. But no one seems to know where Xemion is, though rumours abound. As the Great Kone approaches its first full turn in fifty years, the unstable magic it unleashes grows more and more dangerous for all the Phaerlanders. Meanwhile, other perils abound: a vast influx of refugees from the Civil War in the north threatens to overwhelm the resources of Ulde while a Cyclopean armada approaches the isle from the west, its commander intent on revenge. Tharfen must find Xemion, but if she does, will the cost of restoring her missing piece be far too high a price to pay? CCBC’s Best Books for Kids & Teens (Spring 2017) Selection