Air elemental Zack Stevens is on a roll. His bounty-hunting business is thriving, he’s survived a battle with a master vampire, and he’s taken on four new partners: an introspective Werepanther, a hyper (and distractible) vampire, an inventive Mr. Hyde-type creature, and a shadow-traveling blue alien with a penchant for Full Metal Jacket.

They’ve chosen their first case: Someone—or something—is murdering humans across the vast and sparsely populated forests of northern Ontario. The pattern is random, the crime scenes are gruesome, and there is little evidence to lead the team to an answer.

But where there’s a will, there’s a way, and Zack and his motley crew are determined to discover it. As they begin to unravel the mystery, however, they find themselves facing a foe so cunning and deadly, they fear they’ll never be ready for it. To stop the killings—and collect the $2.5 million bounty—they’ll need help from a few new friends, hoping all the while that their first case doesn’t become their last…

Markus Matthews' profile page

It took a midlife crisis for Markus Matthews to realize his dream of becoming an author. After twenty-five years as an IT professional, he turned to writing fantasy fiction.

He and his wife, Kathy, live in southern Ontario, Canada, with their two cats. He enjoys drinking wine, cooking, playing video games, and reading urban fantasies.