Dubious Magic

Renoir launches his not-too-serious urban fantasy series with a story that tips its hat to H P Lovecraft, Douglas Adams, and the Aussie Outback! After too many whiskys and a blow to the head, seemingly ordinary office worker John B. Stewart discovers he's a wizard (or else has an extraordinary gift for coincidence). He stumbles onto a bizarre plot that threatens the whole planet Earth. After repeated attempts on his life, he heads from Canberra to a secret base in the South Australian desert, accompanied by three mismatched friends and an overweight Persian cat. Armed with courage, determination, a few antique weapons, a bottle of Scotch and John B.'s dubious magic, they must do battle with a mad sorceress, angry soldiers and an ancient terrifying evil that may consume the entire world. No wonder he needs a drink...

Central Australia is big, dry, and bloody hot. For accidental wizard John B. Stewart and his friends it's also very dangerous. They have to deal with snakebite, a bike gang, a corrupt lawyer, a vicious thug in police uniform, a stubborn camel, and the peril of the scorching desert itself. There's more danger in that desert than anyone realizes. Like a madman who believes that a human sacrifice will give him the powers of a forgotten god. Surviving is going to take courage, luck, a very smart cat, and some DUBIOUS MAGIC.

For many years, Soviet scientists conducted experiments into strange psychic powers. Now the most dangerous of those scientists, a man with a strange and deadly secret - has his hands on unlikely wizard John B. Stewart. Held prisoner on a tiny island, John B. has only his wits and dubious magic to help him retain his sanity, and his life. Even if his friends can find him, to save him they'll have to overcome ruthless enemies and the storm-lashed perils of Bass Strait.

A golfing holiday in Hawaii for accidental wizard John B. Stewart and his sceptical best mate Wilko - what could possibly go wrong? Plenty, when a mysterious killer stalks the Big Island, and a human sacrifice could have earth-shaking consequences. Literally! Birdies and bogeys. Ghosts. Explosions. Maybe even romance in the air. But is John B.'s dubious magic enough to stop a volcano from destroying the island, and everyone on it?

If you die in a dream, do you die for real? It seems like it. John B. and company are in Scotland, home of strong spirits of more than one kind, where someone is using a remarkable power to gain a different sort of power. And, what secrets do the three old sisters know?

Warriors have traversed the sea passage between the Shetland Islands and Norway from the Vikings to World War 2 and beyond. On both shores, there have been death and intrigue. Unlikely wizard John B. Stewart and his beloved Q discover that hasn't changed. What they find is murder, mysticism, and an unexpected old mate. The most powerful ancient talisman in the world is being used in a bizarre quest to correct history. But when, the violence strikes too close to home John B. must pit his dubious magic against guns, bombs, and the old magic of the Norsemen.

21st-Century Maine still has a lot of old world charm. Bu,t some echoes of the past are anything but benign. Monsters on land and sea. A band of unlikely but ruthless pirates. A storm at sea, and the real prospect of a watery grave. In their search for family history and family treasure, John B. Stewart and his beloved Elizabeth, together with old friends and new, find much more than they'd expected, perhaps even more than the wizard's strange power of dubious magic can contend with.

The unlikely wizard John B. Stewart and his beloved Q are in Italy. Venice is very old, rich in history and tradition. It's also home to one of the world's great celebrations - Carnevale. Here, more than ever, John B. and Elizabeth learn that things are not always as they seem. Behind the music and partying, deceit and danger lurk in the shadows. Some of it is up close and personal, but some of it is ancient and may just unleash dark forces that threaten far more than the city of canals. Love and dubious magic must confront an old nemesis - the very embodiment of evil!