House of Rose: A Magic City Story

The life of Birmingham, Ala., rookie cop Rose Brighton, the narrator of this promising paranormal series launch from Thorne (Noah’s Wife), veers into the extraordinary one night when she and her partner, Paul Nix, are called to apprehend a burglary suspect. What happens after Rose follows the suspect down a dark alley challenges everything she thought she knew about reality. As the burglar stops and stares in her direction, a “smudgy version of him peels away and turns toward the alley’s end,” where Paul is supposed to block his escape. Rose sees the shadow version of the burglar fatally shoot Paul as he gets out of his patrol car. Instantly, she’s pulled back to the moment before, and, knowing what will happen, she shoots the suspect, thus saving Paul. Her subsequent investigations unearth links to her past, and she discovers that she’s part of a dynasty of witches who settled in Birmingham generations ago and that her life is under threat. Thorne, a retired captain in the Birmingham PD, grounds the fantasy with authentic procedural details and loving descriptions of the city and its lore. Readers will look forward to Rose’s further adventures. [em]Agent: Kimberley Cameron, Kimberley Cameron & Assoc. (Nov.) [/em]