Things to Do in Denver When You're Un-Dead

by Mark Everett Stone

Overview

For ten years Kal Hakala has been the Bureau of Supernatural Investigation's top man, the longest surviving agent in its blood-soaked history. The World At Large has no idea that The World Under exists. And its vampires, demons, zombies, and mythic monsters are growing increasingly restless. In all Kal's time with the Bureau, there has been no case he couldn't crack, no monster he couldn't kill. Then a plague of zombies comes to Denver, along with a vicious serial killer dubbed The Organ Donor. A childhood encounter with a legendary monster has left Kal with an endless supply of rage and hatred for all things Supernatural. But now the target is on his forehead, and the Un-Dead don't die easy. The Bureau has a few aces of its own-a few magicians, a cyber-ghost. Unfortunately Kal is a perennial loner ... And the World Under is wise to his tricks.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781603818599
Publisher:	Camel Press
Publication date:	07/15/2011
Series:	From the Files of the BSI , #1
Pages:	322
Product dimensions:	5.04(w) x 7.96(h) x 0.76(d)

About the Author

Born in Helsinki, Finland, Mark Everett Stone arrived in theU.S. at a young age and promptly dove into the world of thefantastic. Starting at age seven with the Iliad and the Odyssey,he went on to consume every scrap of Norse Mythology he couldget his grubby little paws on. At age thirteen he graduated toTolkien and Heinlein. In college Mark majored in Journalismand minored in English. Mark lives in Denver with his wife,Brandie, and their two sons, Aeden and Gabriel.

Read an Excerpt

If it had been a Hollywood movie, the ghoul's arm would have separated from its body in beautiful slo-mo, with little bits flying hither and yon in an orgy of special effects gore. What happened wasn't Hollywood, but it was close.

It spun away, a chattering rattle erupting from its throat, right into fire from Wilke's .44. Unfortunately, the Detective hit it only once in the chest, the explosive round leaving a softball sized hole that oozed odious black ichor. If he had hit the sucker with more than one, the fight would've been over right then and there. Instead, the monster blurred forward, the claws of its remaining hand slashing. More metal tore and Wilkes flew off to the side, .44 clattering to concrete.

My Lahti belched fire five more times, but the ghoul was ready, dodging as if it were performing some graceful undead ballet … the Damned Swan Lake. All five shots missed. It straightened from its last dodge to see a polystyrene egg case roll three feet from its toes.

I bellowed the command word written on the side of the egg. "SNOWDIRT!"

The egg case burst like a paper party popper. A Marquise cut sapphire the size of my pinky nail, glowing with a harsh blue radiance, spun madly into the air to a height of about three feet. Hair thin lines of azure light erupted from the facets, extending some six feet.

The gem spun faster, the radiant blue lines crisscrossing the ghoul hundreds of times in less than a second. This lasted for a brief moment before abruptly winking out and tinking to the floor of the garage.

I stared at the ghoul. It stared at me.

Then it toppled. And fragmented … an avalanche of ghoul spreading itself thin along the cement in thousands of pieces.

Cool beans.

That was Alex's version of a Bouncing Betty.

I vowed to get him a raise.

Editorial Reviews

5 Stars: "If you crave a really enjoyable Paranormal Suspense Thriller to read, THIS is your book. It grabs you from the very first page and drags you along (snarling for you to keep up) and dumps you at the feet of one of THE most unexpected plot twists of an ending that I have ever read. While this novel is Mark's first, it reads as a cohesive, refined product that leaves me salivating for its forthcoming sequel. "
--Jeffrey Hollar, The Latinum Vault


Five stars: "This book was an absolute pleasure to read. It is witty, funny, dramatic and a well thought out paranormal with very fine storytelling. I couldn't put it down!"
--Clarrissa Lee Moon, author of the series, The Nightwolves and Celeste Nites
"If you like quick wit, sadistic charm, and bad-ass gadgets, then you will enjoy the hell out of this book … no pun intended."
--Shay Fabbro, award-winning author of the Portal of Destiny series
"The blending of dark twisted humor in this chilling tale is utterly perfect, written with a sure hand. Comedic timing is everything, and author Stone has perfected the classic one-liner."
--Suzannah Burke, aka Stacey Danson, Author of Empty Chairs
5 Stars: "Once I picked this book up, I couldn't put it down. It was filled with all the creatures that hold my imagination, ghouls, zombies, vampires and even a few fun ones, such as Brownies…. Kal has risen to the top of my hero list, surpassing that of even Jack Reacher. I want more!"
--Lisa McCourt Hollar, author of SAM, The Wall and The Carnival

From the Publisher