Fall of Shadows

These are the case files of Henry Churchill, a private investigator in New York City who's spent the last 25 years specializing in supernatural cases, and Lexie Winston, an army veteran and former small town police officer who got tangled up in the case that got his last partner killed. Unwilling to forget that supernatural dangers exist, Lexie becomes Henry's new partner, a difficult proposition given that on paper they're complete opposites.

Henry is Black, in his late 40s, married with two teenage children, and grew up in the suburbs of New York City. Lexie is an emotionally closed-off lesbian, in her 20s, and a stand-offish loner who grew up in the north country of upstate New York. Henry is Progressive, scholarly, and a talented practitioner of magic who learned his skills during his activist college days. Lexie is apolitical, apathetic, and quick to solve problems efficiently with her fists, her tactical baton, and/or her trusty Walther pistol.

With secrets and mistrust affecting their partnership, can they come to an understanding before it's torn apart and there's no one to help their loved ones and the clients that need their help?

This is the second collection of stories of from the initial year of the Winston & Churchill Case Files series, including:

A SHADOW UPON THE SCENES: Henry has concocted a plan to discover the identity of the magic dealer they've been tracking, thanks to the assistance of a customer that just barely survived his encounter with them. The plan isn't without it's dangers though, and if they don't tread carefully they'll find themselves trapped by Henry's darkest secret with no way to survive.

A WOLF IN WOLF'S CLOTHING: Lexie and Henry’s partnership is at a delicate juncture. Unsure of how to trust each other, Lexie strikes off on her own to help a bounty hunter track down something that steals not just the identities but the faces and lives of its victims. What should be a simple job turns deadly, and Lexie finds herself alone and facing a killer that's just as deadly no matter what face it wears.

INJURIES OF THE PAST: In the wake of a nearly partnership ending case, Lexie expresses concern about Henry's secrets to the wrong person, setting off a chain of events that jeopardizes not only Henry's soul, but his entire family's lives as well. If Lexie can't undo the damage she's done, it won't just end their partnership but unleash a powerful evil.

A BODYGUARD OF LIES: Henry and Lexie finally have a solid lead on the elusive and reckless dealer of dangerous artifacts and tomes they've been tracking, but to capitalize on it they'll have to do some favors for an unsavory collector of supernatural items. Thanks to their carelessness, a part of his collection has been let loose on a wealthy New Jersey suburb, and they'll have to find a way to contain it before it tears that town apart. When that's dealt with, will they be able to face the truth that's been hidden from them both?