Witchfinder (Kewin)

When Danesh Shahzan gets called to a crime scene, it's usually because the police suspect not just foul play but unnatural forces at play. Danesh is an Acolyte in Her Majesty's Office of the Witchfinder General, a shadowy arm of the British government fighting supernatural threats to the realm. This time, he's been called in by Detective Inspector Nikola Zubrasky to investigate a murder in Cardiff. The victim had been placed inside a runic circle and their eyes carefully removed from their head. Danesh soon confirms that magical forces are at work. Concerned that there may be more victims to come, he and DI Zubrasky establish a wary collaboration as they each pursue the investigation within the constraints of their respective organisations. Soon Danesh learns that there may be much wider implications to what is taking place and that somehow he has an unexpected connection. He also realises something about himself that he can never admit to the people with whom he works...

Of all the denizens of the circles of Hell, perhaps none is more feared among those of a high-minded sensibility than the succubi. The Assizes of Suffolk in the eighteenth century granted the Office of the Witchfinder General the power to employ 'demonic powers' so long as their use is 'reasonable' and 'made only to defeat some yet greater supernatural threat'. No attempt was made in the wording of the assizes to measure or grade such threats, however - making the question of whether it is acceptable to fight fire with fire a troublingly subjective one. Now, in the twenty-first century, Danesh Shahzan, Acolyte in Her Majesty's Office of the Witchfinder General, had been struggling with that very question ever since the events of The Eye Collectors. An unexpected evening visit from his boss, the Crow, was alarming enough - but when it turned out to be to discuss his thesis on succubi, Danesh was surprised yet intrigued. Clearly, another investigation beckoned. Cover design: Alison Buck

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? There is clearly someone in the Office of the Witchfinder General who is working for or with English Wizardry, and Danesh and the Crow are determined to track them down. It might even be one of the Lord High Witchfinders. Who can they trust? Can Danesh even trust the Crow? To ensure the traitor is not alerted, Danesh conducts an off-the-books investigation under cover of an inquiry into a cold case. But not all cold cases stay cold; not all dead witches stay dead; and not all traitors stay hidden... ... and what is the significance of the goat's skull? Cover design: Alison Buck

In the British Isles, vampirism is strongly associated with the aristocracy Having revealed and removed the mole in the Office of the Witchfinder General, Danesh is a hero - but also a target. The Warlock sends his most fearsome lieutenant to dispose of him. Danesh must work with Lady Coldwater and Gilroy to prepare for the inevitable showdown. He's pretty sure he can trust the Crow, but struggles to keep his secrets from his friends. Is his mother ready for the truth? Who else can he rely on? Will Sally Spender help him? What about Arthur Stonewall? Meanwhile, someone or something is digging up graves in Cardiff and taking bones...