Her mom is more than willing to welcome her back, and it seems that not much has changed in the sleepy old lake town, or has it?Astrid seems to be bumping into old high-school classmates at every turn, and when her old best friend, Rachel, shows up at her birthday party she is thrilled. The feeling is short lived however, a body has turned up on the shores of Raven Bay, and the ghost has sought Astrid out, to help solve a murder.Seeing ghosts is one thing, learning you’re a witch is another.Astrid always had Raven Bay down as a quaint lakeside getaway. Upon returning home she realizes nothing is further from the truth. She’s only back in town a few days when she uncovers a decades old secret that seems to have been magically removed from everyone’s mind. To make matters worse there seems to be a connection to a new murder.Has a killer been roaming the streets of her hometown all this time?With her friend’s reputation on the line, she finds herself falling headfirst into a life-threatening murder mystery. Clues are hiding everywhere, and when she starts to uncover the truth, the killer turns their sights on Astrid.At least there’s a high-school crush back on the scene. He’s smooth, charming, and even has a pair of handcuffs in his pocket—but he is the town sheriff after all. With a murder to solve Astrid finds plenty of excuses to hang around the dreamy officer.That’s if her talking cat, Renny, can give her a minute to think.

    As a maverick wizard his life is far from perfect, and its never what he dreamt of as a student in the Guild, but its peaceful and he doesn’t have to fear crossing the laws of the Guild.Then one day seven young children and their teacher came crashing into his life, fleeing a monstrous enemy of seemingly limitless numbers. Armies of dire beasts led by hideously transformed soldiers are sweeping down from the north, overrunning the cities and driving all before them in an orgy of death and destruction.To protect his new charges, Marjan must escort them to safety in the southern lands, leaving his home behind perhaps forever, and taking up arms as a wizard, risking the wrath of the Guild as he does so.So begins Marjan’s journey, where he must not just do battle with an enemy to protect the children, but must also face down the demons of his past, and ultimately do battle with the darkest of all enemies.

    There he falls in love with his Queen Alexandra Corps nurse, Louise, and she with him.The story moves back and forth from their time at the field hospital to the west highlands of Scotland where Donald grew up. As they talk in the quiet hours he tells her the stories of the coast and glens, how his family lived and the fascinating life of a century ago: bagpiping, sheep shearing, celidhs, illegal distilling, his mother saving the life of the people of St Kilda, the navvies building the west highland railway and the relationship between the lairds and the people. Louise in turn tells her own story of growing up in the Welsh valley: coal mining, a harsh and unforgiving upbringing.They get cut off from the allied troops and with another nurse are forced to make their escape through Turkey to Greece, getting rescued by a Coptic priest and ending up in Malta. By this time their love is out in the open, but there is still another tragic twist to their story waiting on the way back to Donald’s beloved highland home . . .

    After escaping the tyranny of Marysvale, John quickly learns that old prejudices are alive in Alyth as well. When the villagers learn of his gifts, new enemies rage with old. However, a darker evil lurks in the shadows of the quiet village--one that threatens to consume John and all who live free. In order to save himself and those he loves, John must first defend the very people who seek his life.