White Witch, Black Curse (The Hollows, Book 7)

“The world of the Hollows is fast-moving, funny, harrowing, and scary, and—the greatest compliment to a fantasy—absolutely real.”—New York Times bestselling author Diana Gabaldon Kim Harrison is a New York Times-bestselling phenomenon, in the superstar pantheon along with Laurel K. Hamilton and Charlaine Harris of Sookie Stackhouse fame. Return to “the Hollows” in White Witch, Black Curse, as tough-as-nails bounty hunter witch Rachel Morgan seeks vengeance for the death of her lover among the creatures of the night. Indeed, Charlaine Harris herself has nothing but praise for Harrison’s peerless protagonist, promising, “You’re going to love this bounty hunter!” White Witch, Black Curse is contemporary dark fantasy at its electrifying best.

From Publishers Weekly

Confusion reigns for characters and readers in the complicated seventh urban fantasy outing (after 2008's The Outlaw Demon Wails) for witch detective Rachel Morgan. Rachel's reputation is in tatters—to save humanity, she used powers that are considered evil—and she's still devastated by the mysterious death of her boyfriend six months earlier. Her attempts to solve his murder bleed into a case involving an emotion-sucking banshee, and soon Rachel has to bring in her PI partners—Ivy, a bisexual vampire, and Jenks, a pixie in existential crisis—along with empathic psychiatrist Ford and the banshee victim's father, Federal Inderland Bureau captain Edden. Harrison's unique vampire mythology unduly complicates world-building, and newcomers will be desperate for a glossary, but the nearly nonstop action nicely plays off the poignancy of Rachel's difficult life. (Mar.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Hell hath no fury like witch and bounty hunter Rachel Morgan when it comes to avenging her lover’s murder. Her quest for justice holds some significant realizations for her, too, such as the strength in her bond with vamp partner Ivy, who helps her withstand the waves of power coursing through her body in one of the book’s most emotionally gripping scenes. Through a welter of vampires, demons, pixies, and witches, Harrison conducts readers on a suspenseful, satisfying journey of payback, personal growth, and empowerment while setting the scene for Rachel’s new romance, which will probably commence in the next of this spellbinding series. --Whitney Scott

Charlaine Harris

“I wouldn’t miss a Kim Harrison book for anything.”

Publishers Weekly

“...the nearly nonstop action nicely plays off the poignancy of Rachel’s difficult life.”

New York Times Book Review

“Her work can read like a smoldering combination of Alice Waters and Ozzy Osbourne.”

Entertainment Weekly

“Movie Pitch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Tank Girl. Lowdown: Outlaw may be tough for newbies, but Rachel’s personal growth, series-altering revelations, and a lot of humor make it inviting. B+.”

Publishers Weekly

“Rachel boldly tackles every challenge amid a cascade of plot twists that will delight Harrison’s fans”

Jeff VanderMeer, Realms of Fantasy

“Harrison has a real flare for pacing and plotting.”

Charlaine Harris, USA Today Bestselling Author of Club Dead

“You’ll love this bounty-hunter team. . . . A fun-fair ride through a fascinating version of our world.”

Kirkus Reviews

“Harrison makes Rachel’s conflicts real and poignant without turning them into melodramatic slush. .. Harrison devotees should find ample emotional revelations and plot resolution, with enough loose ends to have them eagerly awaiting the next installment.”

Library Journal

“The well-crafted world of the Hollows continues to grow more complex … Harrison’s following has grown as readers continue to discover her work, and fans of the early books in Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series will enjoy Rachel Morgan’s supernatural adventures. Recommended.”

Publishers Weekly

“{A} demonkicking extravaganza… Action-packed and full of Rachel’s persisten erotic ruminations, this titillating tale includes a shocking finale that will leave fans panting for the next installment in the Hollows series.”

Kelley Armstrong on Dead Witch Walking

“A wonderfully fun romp through the supernatural world, a spellbinding blend of sharp wit and vivid imagination.”

Locus on The Good, the Bad, and the Undead

“A fun mystery set in an interesting contemporary world where supernatural beings live out in the open, if not totally accepted.”

Jim Butcher

“Blends the best qualities of Anita Blake and Stephanie Plum. . . . Kim Harrison carries it off with style.”

Romantic Times BOOKclub

“[A]n unforgettable supernatural mystery with bite.”

From the Back Cover

Some wounds take time to heal . . . and some scars never fade.Rachel Morgan, kick-ass witch and bounty hunter, has taken her fair share of hits, and has broken lines she swore she would never cross. But when her lover was murdered, it left a deeper wound than Rachel ever imagined, and now she won't rest until his death is solved . . . and avenged. Whatever the cost.Yet the road to hell is paved with good intentions, and when a new predator moves to the apex of the Inderlander food chain, Rachel's past comes back to haunt her.Literally.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

White Witch, Black CurseBy Kim HarrisonHarperCollins Publishers, Inc.Copyright © 2009 Kim HarrisonAll right reserved.ISBN: 9780061138010Chapter OneThe bloody handprint was gone, wiped from Kisten's window but not from my memory, and it ticked me off that someone had cleaned it, as if they were trying to steal what little recollection I retained about the night he'd died. The anger was misplaced fear if I was honest with myself. But I wasn't. Most days it was better that way.Stifling a shiver from the December chill that had taken the abandoned cruiser, now in dry dock rather than floating on the river, I stood in the tiny kitchen and stared at the milky plastic as if willing the smeared mark back into existence. In the near distance came the overindulgent, powerful huff of a diesel train crossing the Ohio River. The scrape of Ford's shoes on the metallic boarding ladder was harsh, and worry pinched my brow.The Federal Inderland Bureau had officially closed the investigation into Kisten's murder—Inderland Security hadn't even opened one—but the FIB wouldn't let me into their impound yard without an official presence. That meant intelligent, awkward Ford, since Edden thought I needed more psychiatric evaluation and I wouldn't come in anymore. Not since I fell asleep on the couch and everyone in the FIB's Cincinnati office had heard me snoring. I didn't need evaluation. What I needed was something—anything—to rebuild my memory. If it was a bloody handprint, then so be it."Rachel? Wait for me," the FIB's psychiatrist called, shifting my worry to annoyance. Like I can't handle this? I'm a big girl. Besides, there wasn't anything left to see; the FIB had cleaned everything up. Ford had obviously been out here earlier—given the ladder and the unlocked door—making sure everything was sufficiently tidy before our appointment.The clatter of dress shoes on teak pushed me forward, and I untangled my arms from themselves and reached for the tiny galley table for balance as I headed to the living room. The floor was still, which felt weird. Beyond the short curtains framing the now-clean window were the dirty gray and brilliant blue tarps of boats at dry dock, the ground a good six feet below us."Will you hold up?" Ford asked again, the light eclipsing as he entered. "I can't help if you're a room away.""I'm waiting," I grumbled, coming to a halt and tugging my shoulder bag up. Though he'd tried to hide it, Ford had some difficulty getting his butt up the ladder. I thought the idea of a psychiatrist afraid of heights was hilarious, until the amulet he wore around his neck turned a bright pink when I mentioned it and Ford went red with embarrassment. He was a good man with his own demons to circle. He didn't deserve my razzing.Ford's breathing slowed in the chill silence. Wan but determined, he gripped the table, his face whiter than usual, which made his short black hair stand out and his brown eyes soulful. Listening in on my feelings was draining, and I appreciated his wading through my emotional crap to help me piece together what had happened.I gave him a thin smile, and Ford undid the top few buttons of his coat to reveal a professional cotton shirt and the amulet he wore while working. The metallic ley line charm was a visual display of the emotions he was picking up. He felt the emotions whether he was wearing the charm or not, but those around him had at least the illusion of privacy when he took it off. Ivy, my roommate and business partner, thought it stupid to try to break witch magic with human psychology in order to recover my memory, but I was desperate. Her efforts to find out who had killed Kisten were getting nowhere.Ford's relief at being surrounded by walls was almost palpable, and seeing him release his death grip on the table, I headed for the narrow door to the living room and the rest of the boat. The faint scent of vampire and pasta brushed against me—imagination stoked by a memory. It had been five months.My jaw clenched, and I kept my eyes on the floor, not wanting to see the broken door frame. There were smudges of dirt on the low-mat carpet that hadn't been there before, marks left by careless people who didn't know Kisten, had never known his smile, the way he laughed, or the way his eyes crinkled up when he surprised me. Technically an Inderland death without human involvement was out of the FIB's jurisdiction, but since the I.S. didn't care that my boyfriend had been turned into a blood gift, the FIB had made an effort just for me.Murder was never taken off the books, but the investigation had been officially shelved. This was the first chance I'd had to come out here to try to rekindle my memory. Someone had nicked the inside of my lip trying to bind me to them. Someone had murdered my boyfriend twice. Someone was going to be in a world of hurt when I found out who they were.Stomach fluttering, I looked past Ford to the window where the bloody handprint had been, left like a signpost to mock my pain without giving any prints to follow. Coward.The amulet around Ford's neck flashed to an angry black. His eyes met mine as his eyebrows rose, and I forced my emotions to slow. I couldn't remember crap. Jenks, my backup and other business partner, had dosed me into forgetting so I wouldn't go after Kisten's murderer. I couldn't blame him. The pixy was only four inches tall, and it had been his only option to keep me from killing myself on a suicide run. I was a witch with an unclaimed vampire bite, and that couldn't stand up to an undead vampire no matter how you sliced it."You sure you're up to this?" Ford asked, and I forced my hand down from my upper arm. Again. It throbbed with a pain long since gone as a memory tried to surface. Fear stirred in me. The recollection of being on the other side of the door and trying to break it down was an old one. It was nearly the only memory I had of that night.Continues...Excerpted from White Witch, Black Curseby Kim Harrison Copyright © 2009 by Kim Harrison. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

About the Author

Kim Harrison is best known as the author of the #1 New York Times bestselling Hollows series, but she has written more than urban fantasy and has published more than two dozen books, spanning the gamut from young adult, accelerated-science thriller, and several anthologies and has scripted two original graphic novels set in the Hollows universe. She has also published traditional fantasy under the name Dawn Cook. Kim is currently working on a new Hollows book between other, nonrelated, urban fantasy projects.

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