I’m going to give myself a finally on this one.

Back in the summer of 2014, I was still working full-time as an editor at Macworld and I hadn’t yet sold my first novel, but having written the first two Galactic Cold War books, I felt like I needed to take a break, cleanse my palate with something totally different. So inspired by my love of classic hardboiled detectives and the supernatural mysteries of Mike Carey and Ben Aaronovitch, I set out to write a quick little story about a spiritual consultant who works out of an office in the city of Somerville, Massachusetts (where I happen to live). I figured I could dash it off and sock it away to sell after my sci-fi series took off.

Not unlike my debut novel, it ended up taking way longer than I expected. I actually teased the book in a blog post seven years ago called “Finishing Things”1 and I think I mentioned it in my newsletter once or twice.

Still, persistence is the better part of valor, or something like that, and now, after nine years, I’m delighted to announce that All Souls Lost is coming out at last, thanks to the tireless effort of the team at JABberwocky Literary Agency. You can check out the full cover and an excerpt over at FanFiAddict for a taste of the book, but here’s a quick description for you:

Say hello to Mike Lucifer, Spiritual Consultant. He’s back in town to take care of business. Unfortunately, when business is good, things must be very, very bad.
 
After two years trying to run away from his past, Mike Lucifer’s back in his office less than ten minutes when a persistent young woman shows up asking for help: her boyfriend’s been possessed by a demon.
 
That’s exactly the kind of mess that drove him from his hometown of Boston to a sunny beach—and the bottom of a bottle—in the first place. But there are some problems that even booze can’t drown, and while Lucifer may be no hero, his dwindling bank account provides a thousand reasons to take the case.
 
No sooner is he back in the game then the complications and corpses start to add up. The boyfriend’s not possessed—he’s dead. The tech company where he worked is looking shadier by the second. And Lucifer’s client definitely knows more than she should…about everything. The deeper Lucifer digs, the more he wonders if whatever sinister entity lurks behind this case wants him to be the last to die…

I know authors are supposed to love all their books equally, but I admit to this novel having a special place in my heart. It’s spooky, funny, and even has a little bit of heart baked into it—plus it’s literally close to home. I’m so glad that I finally have a chance to share it with all of you, so I hope you’ll check out Mike Lucifer’s first(?) adventure.

All Souls Lost will be available on October 17 as an ebook and (fingers crossed) the audiobook should arrive at the same time. You can preorder the ebook today from all the usual suspects; audiobook preorders will be at a later date.