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Unclean Spirits: Book One of the Black Sun's Daughter
Unclean Spirits: Book One of the Black Sun's Daughter
Unclean Spirits: Book One of the Black Sun's Daughter
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Unclean Spirits: Book One of the Black Sun's Daughter

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules.

Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers—and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College.

Led by the ruthless Randolph Coin, the Invisible College harnesses demon spirits for their own ends of power and domination. Jayné finds it difficult to believe magic and demons can even exist, let alone be responsible for the death of her uncle. But Coin sees Eric's heir as a threat to be eliminated by any means—magical or mundane—so Jayné had better start believing in something to save her own life.

Aided in her mission by a group of unlikely companions—Aubrey, Eric's devastatingly attractive assistant; Ex, a former Jesuit with a lethal agenda; Midian, a two-hundred-year-old man who claims to be under a curse from Randolph Coin himself; and Chogyi Jake, a self-styled Buddhist with mystical abilities—Jayné finds that her new reality is not only unexpected, but often unexplainable. And if she hopes to survive, she'll have to learn the new rules fast—or break them completely …
LanguageEnglish
PublisherPocket Books
Release dateDec 2, 2008
ISBN9781416584315
Unclean Spirits: Book One of the Black Sun's Daughter
Author

M.L.N. Hanover

M.L.N. Hanover is an International Horror Guild Award-winning author living in the American southwest.

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Rating: 3.637313507462687 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

335 ratings31 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Really enjoyed this book can’t wait to read the next
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    What do you do when the world you thought you knew turns out to be a load of proverbial BS? Jayné definitely knows how that feels. Starting with her Uncle Eric's mysterious death, it all spirals down from there. Family secrets anyone? I don't read a lot of Urban Fantasy normally, but I was willing to give Unclean Spirits a shot to step out of my box. Thank goodness I did! This book was everything I wanted it to be.

    M.L.N. Hanover writes a character that is strong enough to face what comes, but still just flawed enough to be believable. Jayné isn't without her weak points. Love still affects her, as well as concern for her companions. She's just trying to get by the best she can. In fact, Jayné still isn't sure who her uncle was, or for that matter who she really is. I loved that she had the ability to go from normal to kick ass heroine in a matter of seconds when faced with danger. Unbelievable? Maybe a little, but this is fantasy! Jayné is my kind of woman!

    There is just enough sizzle and motion to keep things interesting, as Jayné navigates her new upside down world. Her companions are just as well written and fascinating as she is, and that is a fact that I really fell in love with. Aubery, Chogyi Jake, Midian and Ex all have their own quirks and their own flaws. Each one of these characters is completely easy to become involved with. In fact, I read this book through nonstop because I absolutely had to find out what happened to them. Let's just say that this plot isn't just fast moving, it's like lightning. Strap yourself in.

    For those of you who do read more of this genre, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what Hanover has offered up in this series. Sure there is your standard fare of vampires, demons and the like, but also a nice twist. These baddies don't just exist on their own. Oh no, they ride. Imagine being trapped inside your own body but unable to do anything at all of your own free will. Imagine if you will, a being that is hundreds of years old, bloodthirsty, and vengeful living inside your head. Anyone could be hosting a rider. Your mom. Your sister. Even your grandma. Welcome to Jayné's world.

    As a reader who doesn't often read Urban Fantasy, mostly because I haven't really been introduced to any of it until recently, I have to say that M.L.N. Hanover definitely blew me away! If this is what all UF contains, count me in. Epic battles, a kick ass heroine, smoking scenes and, of course, a rip roaring plot line that keeps you reading well into the night. My hat is off to the author. I'm looking forward to some more Jayné and soon!
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This is a very fun urban fantasy! I don’t know why it hasn’t been on my radar sooner. Jayné is an engaging character and I love how she (and us readers) are tossed into the middle of things when her uncle Eric passes away. She’s surprised to learn that she was his sole heir and that gives her a chance to restart her life. Yet there’s a glitch – Randolph Coin! Let the badass magic and hand-to-hand combat start!It was great that this story didn’t follow the standard urban fantasy Book 1 formula. Jayné and crew plan, practice, and go forth to battle evil… and things go wrong. We still have half the book to go! What will happen next? I loved it – I couldn’t guess how things were going to fall out. The team is breaking up, no longer acting like a team, and totally disheartened by their failure. Jayné will either rise, bringing them together, or take her inheritance and restart her life in some other city.The side characters are all very interesting too. There aren’t many female characters, so I would like to see a better balance. The immediate team that worked with Eric are all guys (Ex, Aubrey, Midian, Chogyi Jake). Later on, a wife/husband team joins the group since Jayné did them a solid favor early in the story. For me, Midian and Ex were the most interesting side characters because they obviously have pasts and are conflicted over them.In this tale, our heroes combat Riders, which are malevolent spirits that hijack human bodies. They come in different flavors and a few are explained in this book. I expect more will be explained later in the series. I like that this sometimes makes their job harder as they will try to save the human by expelling the Rider. This isn’t always possible, which causes some moral indigestion for some of our heroes. I love these complications.There’s a side romance that was just so-so for me. It added some drama to the story, but I don’t feel the plot needed more drama. After all, we were saving the world! That’s drama enough. All together, 4.5/5 stars.The Narration: Suzy Jackson was perfect for this story. She nailed Jayné’s voice. Jackson had distinct voices for all the characters. There were a few times I felt her male character voices needed a little more masculinity, like for Chogyi Jake’s soft voice or for Aubrey in quieter moments. Most of the time, her male voices were just fine. There were no technical issues with the recording. 4.5/5 stars.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    In which our heroine Jayné discovers her beloved black sheep uncle has left her a fortune, and inadvertently a new family and a mantle to take up if she wishes.

    I've had this whole series for a couple of years, but somehow packed book 1 apart from the others, and then couldn't find it! So I never read it. Situation now remedied (it was in a box of books stashed in the back of the shoes and winter coats closet in the hall. Of course it was.)

    I'm a little non-plussed. I feel like I shouldn't like it quite as much as I did, a "your fave is problematic" kind of feel. But I can't deny the fact it grabbed me, and I polished it off really quickly. Maybe writing a review will help me figure it out.

    Plotwise it's very standard, even pedestrian. Imagine Grimm with a much younger girl lead instead of a cop, and 'riders' being spirits that take over bodies and are responsible for pretty much all our myths from vampires to werewolves, and that's about it. Except Jayné also lands on her feet by inheriting a huge fortune, houses all over the world, and a rag-tag bunch of friends and 'co-workers' from her uncle. Oh and a mysterious unexplained set of abilities/powers.

    It actually sounds pretty lame: a bit pedestrian, 'seen it before' and with a Mary Sue of a heroine. But it just works. Even if I didn't already have the other four books (I hope I can find *that* box now) I'd probably look at picking them up.

    Recommended for: UF fans who like the romance in the back seat, not driving the show.

    Longer review @Booklikes
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The premise: When Jayne Heller's uncle is murdered, she's shocked to learn that not only did he leave her EVERYTHING, but there was more to him than the millions upon millions he bestowed upon his niece. Eric was locked in a battle with the wizards of the Invisible College, and that battle got him killed. Jayne thinks it's all crap, and that her uncle's friends and colleagues are insane, but when the Invisible College targets her, she's got to do whatever it takes to survive.My RatingMust Have: I must admit, after reading the disappointment that was Hunting Ground, I was worried that my reading tastes were changing to the point that urban fantasy just wasn't going to do it for me any more. NOT SO. This is a solid book that takes the familiar conventions of urban fantasy and just does a great job with them. There's so much of this book that's made of win, but the heroine and her supporting cast just really shine. I can see these characters as real people, because they act as real people do, flaws and all. Most important, they're able to fail and get back up again, and I loved reading an urban fantasy plot that evolved out of the cast's actions rather than the cast reacting to actions completely outside of their control. This book is such a must have that I want to buy it again, and I'm not kidding: for whatever reason, book two, Darker Angels, will be released in mass-market instead of trade, and I want the mass-market copy of Unclean Spirits so my books look the same on the shelf. That's how much this book is worth it: I'm willing to buy it TWICE. So ignore the stereotypical cover, and don't fret over the prologue and seemingly more traditional UF elements in the book, because I promise, by time you're done, you're going to enjoy almost every second of the ride.Review style: stream-of-conscious style, because there isn't a tangible divide between what I liked and what I didn't. I liked it a lot, and it's easy to explain why. Spoilers? Yes, because the spoilers help distinguish what makes this urban fantasy stand out from the rest. So if spoilers don't bother you, feel free to hop over to my LJ for the full review. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome. :)REVIEW: M.L.N. Hanover's UNCLEAN SPIRITSHappy Reading!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Not something I couldn't put down but good. I'll try the next book
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The beginning was a bit slow and there were a few unlogical issues, but from a third into the book, and it was becoming a really good book and a compelling story.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I'm going to be a little lazy and put my review from Amazon here:I literally read this book in one day. I don't know much about urban fantasy, but I picked it up on a whim. This book kept my attention as it rolled along at a good adventure style pace. I will definitely buy any future books in this series.The setting is very interesting, as you have a spiritual world interfering with the "normal" world. In this case, the spiritual or demonic possession is being looked at as a parasite attaching to a host.The characters are fairly well developed, and I find I actually cared about them. There are a lot of loose ends. Jayne is a young woman, and doesn't appear to have a lot of baggage. The supporting cast, on the other hand, have me very curious regarding their background stories. I don't want to give much away here, but I'm wondering how a buddhist, an ex priest, a scientist got mixed up in all of this. Also, what an awesome legal team at Jaynes disposal. Who are those people? Midian was a lot of fun. I expect these will be clarified in the next two books.One thing that bothered me:*** SPOILER ***I'm going to try and not give anything away here, but there is a major part at the end that doesn't seem as if it would work. If you turn off the magic, then why would you expect a magic bullet to still work?*** SPOILER ***

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Tip: The most helpful reviews are at least 25 words long
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    A fascinating book filled with magic and demons with an underlying more serious strain of what it means to do the right thing. Jayne's doubts and internal struggles make her a more compelling heroine.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    This was not at all what I expected. I went in thinking I was going to get a kick ass female and her posse. I expected kick ass fights with evil beings and magic. What I got... was a boring story consistin of hardly any magic and no ass kicking what so ever! I honestly had to force myself to finish this book...not a good sign. The main character was far from what I'd expected. She went from a poor girl to one with unsurmountable wealth and what does she do with it? NOTHING! Nothing fun or exciting. She jumps into bed with the first guy she sees and then cries and complains when that backfires. Actually everything she does seems to backfire. And there was hardly ANY real magic! NOthing fun! All in all a poor read.

    3 people found this helpful

  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    sometimes it's easy for writers to fall back into the same old cliches, but this series avoids that pitfall. the heroine is strong but believable. and the story takes the lead, answering and bringing up new questions as the series continues.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    When a book is part of a series, a test for me is whether I close the book anxious for the next one. Unclean Spirits did that for me, with a good mix of character building and interesting plot twists to get me excited about where Hanover will take these characters next. I appreciated the unique take Hanover has for urban fantasy, and can't wait for the story to continue.

    1 person found this helpful

  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    have I read too many novels of this sort? Am I just getting bored with them? I asked myself this several times & I don't think so. The writing just wasn't that good & the heroine wasn't very believable or well done. I wouldn't have minded if she or anyone else died.

    The basic idea wasn't bad, a different take on the whole vampire/werewolf thing. Riders, spirits from another dimension, take over human bodies & make the bad guys. Her uncle fights them. She does now too. She suddenly can fight really well, with no explanation. The magic is pretty poorly done as well.

    There could be some hope for the next book, but I'm not in a rush to read it. If it falls into my lap, I'll give it 50 pages. If the writing hasn't improved drastically, I won't finish it, though.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The tone of this book was very tactical, Jayne moves through events like a stone skipping across a pond. Sometimes I liked how details were dropped into the story without elaboration (the circumstances of her break up, connecting the dots about her tattoo), other times it made her seem like a caricature more than a character. The ultimate plot reminded me of a bounty hunter reality TV show crossed with a paranormal Batman theme. It was touching watch Jayne find relationships with her uncle's old crew, though the romance side of things didn't seem particularly heartfelt (perhaps purposefully). Over all, good enough to have me looking for the next book in the series, but not a favorite in it's own right.

    Sexual Content: Kissing, references to sex.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Jayne's life turns upside down when her long lost uncle names her as the sole inheritor to his wealth, estates, and supernatural enemies.The reason I loved this book as much as I did was because of the main character. Jayne was the perfect combination of smart, tough, and vulnerable. I also felt a strong kinship because her upbringing and subsequent life choices were so similar to my own (minus the rich uncle who hunted demons, lol). I loved Jayne's progression from deadbeat dropout to woman with a purpose and a strong band of friends to support her. Although I wasn't as impressed with Aubrey, her love interest, the romance touched me.I also liked that the heroine didn't start the book knowing about the demons or magic. The way Jayne went from disbelief to acceptance felt very natural to me. Also, the plot was interesting, but not overly complex, making the book easy to follow.If I had any complaints, it was that - at times - the style was overly narrative ("I did this and then I saw this and then I felt this way). But beyond that, this was definitely a five-star read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Summary from Goodreads:"In a world where magic walks and demons ride, you can't always play by the rules.Jayné Heller thinks of herself as a realist, until she discovers reality isn't quite what she thought it was. When her uncle Eric is murdered, Jayné travels to Denver to settle his estate, only to learn that it's all hers -- and vaster than she ever imagined. And along with properties across the world and an inexhaustible fortune, Eric left her a legacy of a different kind: his unfinished business with a cabal of wizards known as the Invisible College."My Thoughts:Unclean Spirits was a satisfactory beginning to this urban fantasy series with a unique and entertaining world. And although I thought that this book was a solid read, I did have a few issues with it. Let's start off with the positive first and what I enjoyed. The storyline and world building in this book were very unique which was one of the best things about this book. The author created an unusual world where vampires and demons used human bodies to live and were called "riders". Jayne is kinda thrown into this world which makes it interesting as we get to learn about the world (and all of these supernatural things) right along with her. She gets caught up in the struggle against the riders and their leader after her beloved uncle dies.Jayne was an interesting main character. She came across as very realistic as she struggled to come to terms with all of the changes in her life. And unfortunately she doesn't really have anyone that can give her all of the answers even though she does develop a group of allies that she works with. I really liked the different characters that made up Jayne's inner group. They were all unique and with their own stories...I hope that we get to continue to learn more about them in future books. And although I liked Jayne's character, I struggled with her indecisiveness at times as well as her lack of confidence in herself. There were times that I just wanted her to be more assertive and ready for whatever was going to thrown at her next. This could just be my preference when it comes to female urban fantasy heroines...I fully admit it. But her character did affect my enjoyment of the book at certain points. That being said, I am eager to continue on with the series. I feel like the ending of the book helped to show a stronger, more confident side to Jayne, and I'm hopeful that it will carry on as the books progress. Plus, I'm curious to see what will happen next!Overall, this wasn't my favorite beginning to an urban fantasy series but I did enjoy it. I really enjoyed the world that the author created as it was nice and dark while still being original. I will definitely be picking up book two in this series. Recommended.Bottom Line: An enjoyable read but with a few flaws.Disclosure: Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book. My thoughts are my own :)
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Disappointing. The characters were hard to like or keep one's interest and the plot was formulaic and derivative. Not recommended.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Solid work in the "urban fantasy" genre, much better than average for that type of novel.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Our main character is thrown into a world she never imagined when her Uncle is murdered and she travels to attend to his affairs. Jayne thought she knew her Uncle, at least as well as she could with her father forbidding her to see or talk to him, but she really had no clue about him. Thrown into a world of 'Riders', demons or spirits who possess people, Jayne begins to come into her own. With the help of her Uncle's friends, she begins her journey into learning about this world. I felt the book was a little wordy at times, but overall I enjoyed it and look forward to the second book in the series. I am really curious about Jayne's abilites and 'mojo' and where/when/how it was acquired.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Review Courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: A unique world with interesting and likable characters.Opening Sentence: It was raining in Denver the night Eric Heller died.The Review:Unclean Spirits is the first book in M.L.N. Hanover’s series, The Black Sun’s Daughter. M.L.N. Hanover is just one of the pseudonyms for science fiction/fantasy author, Daniel Abraham.Jayne Heller’s uncle dies and leaves her with a fortune and his unbelievable work as a paranormal hunter. She is thrown into this chaotic life, hunting riders and she takes it all in and keeps on going. We see her struggle and make monumental mistakes and that makes her a more believable and approachable character. She falls in with a rag tag group that band together to complete her uncle’s last quest and to get revenge for his death. We watch her grow into a stronger person as she learns to stand up and take control. I look forward to seeing her and her group come into their own as the series progresses.I was really excited to read Unclean Spirits, from the description it sounded like it would be a great read. I was disappointed that I had such a hard time becoming invested in the story and I literality had to make myself continue reading in the beginning. Something was just off. There was plenty of action and fighting but it wasn’t believable to me. Hanover didn’t take the time to hash out and explain the magical aspects of the fights, they just happen, leaving me feeling disconnected. There was too much explanation of the mundane tasks such as eating and showering and it seemed that this was being used to create filler space around the repetitious planning the group did (don’t get me wrong it was nice to see some mundane tasks since we usually don’t get this but there is a certain point when you want to say enough already). I think that this time could have been better utilized by explaining more how the characters learned and used these magical powers. I am glad that I kept plugging along because toward the end of the book I was finally drawn in and didn’t want to put the book down.Hanover created and brought to life a very intriguing and unique world. It is a superb setting for an urban fantasy with a new twist to what most have become used to as common paranormal creatures. It was because of this premise that I stuck with the book. In his world the paranormal creatures are riders, spiritual parasites that cross over from an abstract world that is parallel to the real one, to possess people. There are a variety of different riders, which include vampires, werewolves and demons. All of which have some degree of magical powers.It is clear that Hanover spent a lot of time planning and developing such an elaborate world but he did not seem to put as much effort into the characters. They all seemed kind of flat. I liked them all well enough, but a connection was just missing. I knew Jayne and Aubrey had chemistry only because I was told that they did, I never actually felt it. I loved Midian with his quick and sarcastic humor. It would have been nice to know more about the characters, to feel more connected to them.I am happy that I stuck it out and completed Unclean Spirits. The beginning was slow but the ending pulled it together and made it a worthwhile read. I see so much potential with the story line, characters and the unique premise of the world that I am looking forward to reading Darker Angels.Notable Scene:What the fuck was he sitting next to?As casually as he could, he brought a hand to his mouth. He crushed the fresh sage and peppermint leaves in the cuff and breathed in the scent. His mind clicked into trance, the aroma acting as trigger. His eyes felt like they’d been washed clean. Everything around him was intensely real, the edges sharp, the textures vibrant. He could hear the individual raindrops striking the car. He felt each fiber of his shirt pressing against his skin. And the glamour fell away from the others. The ink of their markings seemed to well up from inside them like blood from a cut. The driver was entirely bald, labyrinthine tattoos rising from his collar and crawling up over his ears. The two beside Eric were just as marked, their faces covered with symbols and sigils.It had been a setup from the start. The contact, the face-down at the bar, the creosote breath. There were no gangbangers. No loupine.One of them glanced at Eric.“He knows,” the guard said.The big sonofabitch in the front was still a big sonofabitch. He turned, looking over his shoulder. His lips were black, his eyes set in a tangle of something half Arabic script, half spiderweb.“Mr. Heller,” he said, as if they were meeting for the first time. His voice was low as tires against asphalt. With his senses scraped raw by the cantrip, Eric could feel the man’s breath on his skin.“This isn’t what you boys think it is,” Eric said.We know what you’ve been doing, Mr. Heller,” the other man said. “It stops tonight. It stops now.”With a despairing cry, Eric went for his gun.The Black Sun’s Daughter Series:1. Unclean Spirits2. Darker Angels3. Vicious Grace4. Killing RitesFTC Advisory: Pocket Books provided me with a copy of Unclean Spirits. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. In addition, I don’t receive affiliate fees for anything purchased via links from my site.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    M.L.N. Hanover is an alias for Daniel Abraham. And I was surprised by that it was a guy, but I'm not sure why. This year (as many years) DH and I gave each other books for Christmas. They all looked good, and covered the wide gambit of my tastes. This one I was really unsure about though, but he was so excited about it, I agree to read it first. After all, not so long ago he picked me a book that got me out of a reading funk, so maybe he did know my tastes pretty well. So, I finished the pile of reviews I had to catch-up on from last year, and dove in. It was exciting. Then it was confusing. Then it was intriguing. Then it kept me from sleeping because I was a little scared. Then I couldn't sleep because I couldn't stop thinking about it. And I just plain just couldn't stop turning pages. Jaynes character is the underdog. And pretty much has the maturity and mentality of a college student. And she takes you from her old life to her new one in a believable manner. The money, and the responsibility. She starts to meet people from her uncle Eric's world. And they are all 'characters' to themselves. Aubrey, Ex, Jake and Midian, all bring something to the table she needs, both emotionally and fighting the Invisible College. There was one moment when I about threw the book across the room, with a scream to wake the dead in rage (and I probably would of if it wasn't 1 am, and I was up way to late reading. Again.). I felt tricked. But, the pull of the book at that point brought me back, and I found that it was justified and explained, even if I still didn't love it. With that said, I was 7 pages from being done when DH came home today. He was handed money and immediately sent out the door for the sequel, so I could start it right away. Will it hold up to the first? Time will tell, but right now, I am REALLY hoping so...
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Jayne is an interesting character, but she forms the backbone of this novel. She is a loner, not particularly social and does not have close ties to family. When her uncle dies, she is surprised to learn she inherited a fortune. However, not everything can go right for poor Jayne as she discovers that she inherited far more than money from her dearly departed uncle. Jayne will have her hands full with wizards among other paranormals. The author places a new spin on just what paranormals truly are. The reader will enjoy this latest explanation, complete with details. Although Jayne is certainly the focus of the novel, there are many other secondary characters that take a fairly large part of the book. The reader will enjoy the humor of Midian and the wit of Aaron. This book is fast-paced and action-packed, recommended to young adult/teen readers.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I enjoyed it, it was a fun read - dark and gritty without being gruesome. Good characters with room for growth and a story that is worth following up on.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this book. I'd like to read the latest one (the 2nd) and, if it's just as good, I'd like to continue it as a series. I really felt this was very "hip" in the way that I like my urban fantasy to be. Google is all over the place without feeling like a selling tool. Hanover regards Carrie Vaughn (of the Kitty Norville series) as one of her "auxiliary" supporters for the book and I see it, I really do. For those of us who heart the Kitty series, this is a good one to go to. I'm not so sure about the touchy "rider" stuff...it's not what I'd call traditional as an approach to this kind of mumbo jumbo, but it's got a strong narrative and character behind it. I'd tell you to give it a try, if you liked this kind of stuff (like I do).
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Fantasy, in whatever nook or cranny, is a difficult genre to create because of the difficulty in striking a good balance between exposition and suspense. Every fantasy story introduces us to a new world and a new civilization. (Sorry, I just finished watching Star Trek.) In order to understand and connect with the characters and the world, the writer has to give the reader some basic information about how this new world operates and how the people who populate it interact with one another. Vomiting out such a cold description at the outset of a story tends to be off-putting. So, most good fantasy fiction drops the reader into the middle and explains what is necessary while on the ride. But drop too few details into the story, and the reader is left cold and unable to engage. M.L.N. Hanover’s first novel, [Unclean Spirits] never strikes that vital balance. Jayné has come to Denver to execute her uncle’s last will and testament. She finds that he’s left her a fortune and properties around the world. But he’s also left her his life-long mission of destroying The Invisible College, a group of evil wizards bent on breaking down the barriers between the world we know and the world that exists underneath. Jayné joins her uncle’s band of eccentric warriors to fight the forces of evil with magic and élan.Hanover has all of the right elements but they are too loosely fitted together. Starting appropriately in the midst of the action, with the murder of Jayné’s uncle, there is too little explanation for how this new world is different from the world we know. As the story progresses, Hanover focuses too much on Jayné and her difficulties assimilating her new knowledge and powers and too little time constructing the battle lines between the forces of good and evil. While it’s clear that the Invisible College are the bad guys, Hanover doesn’t spend enough time explaining why. I wanted to like this book, principally because it was written by a local author and I always like to see locals succeed. There is nothing dislike, really. The book was a passable, readable story. There’s just not enough to draw me in for the two promised follow-on installments. 2 ½ bones!!
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I liked the story line but the characters were very under developed and it felt like I was having potatoes without the meat. Jayne is too shallow for me to take serious as the risk taker, dare devil, jump in sack with a guy I just met and call it love, maybe, the next day.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Good first book in what I hope is a series. Jayné inherits her uncle's estate, but with vast wealth comes responsibility. She learns of a hidden world of demons who 'ride' unsuspecting humans. She attempts to track down the man who killed her uncle whilst discovering things about herself. A little clichéd in places, but easy to read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I don’t read urban fantasy – or so I thought. I tried a novel or two when the bookshelves started to fill up with covers depicting women scantily clad in black leather, all with tattoos on their lower backs and weapons of one sort or another in their hands, but they seemed rather generic and – at least the ones I read – not all that well-written.Then I heard about that M.L.N. Hanover was actually Daniel Abraham, the author of the Long Price Quartet. So far I’ve only read the first in that series, A Shadow in Summer, but I admired it greatly, and am looking forward to reading the next three straight in a row when time allows. So much did I like Abraham’s work that I was willing to take another chance on urban fantasy and try out the two novels in the series titled The Black Sun’s Daughter, written by Abraham’s alter ego.I’m glad I did. The two novels published in the series to date, Unclean Spirits and Darker Angels, are a kick to read, just pure adrenaline-fueled fun. I haven’t had this much pure entertainment since I rode the Screaming Eagle at Six Flags in Gurney, Illinois a million years ago. I wish there were more books in this series available right now, because I’d swallow them whole right this minute.Unclean Spirits starts when Eric Heller dies and leaves his entire estate to his niece, Jayné Heller (her first name is pronounced zha-nay, but it’s frequently mispronounced as plain old Jane). Jayné is just a few days shy of her twenty-third birthday when she learns that she has suddenly become wealthy – the kind of wealthy that not only doesn’t have to worry about where the next meal is coming from, but doesn’t even have to worry about keeping a roof over her head, because she can always pay cash for a house if she needs one. She meets her uncle’s lawyers and his assistant, Aubrey, all of whom seem normal. Although she’s pretty dazed at her sudden good fortune – especially given that she’s just dropped out of college, has been disowned by her immediate family, and hadn’t figured out what to do with herself when this news came out of the blue – everything seems as normal as it can seem when you’ve essentially won the lottery but lost the only relative you cared about.That is, it seems normal until Jayné goes to her uncle’s apartment in Denver and finds a corpse in the bedroom. Things quickly get worse when the corpse opens its eyes and speaks to her. But everything’s okay; Midian is simply very, very old. In fact, he was born the year they stormed the Bastille, he explains. And oh, by the way, it was a bunch of evil wizards who killed her uncle. Jayné is dubious until four figures break into the apartment and try to kill her, and she is able to fight with a great deal more ability than she ever imagined. Between the two of them, Midian and Jayné kill the four strangers – and Jayné is now deeply into something about which she knows nothing.Unclean Spirits tells the tale of how Jayné begins to learn who her uncle was and what magic is, and a very little bit about who she is herself. She does this while attempting to destroy the magician who killed her uncle, working with his allies. There are a number of disasters along the way, including the near death of a young man Jayné finds herself beginning to love. Relationships with others begin for the sake of convenience and turn into strong bonds of friendship and sometimes enmity. As the book ends, Jayné is still alive and has accomplished what she set out to do, but she is still almost completely ignorant about her inheritance – both in terms of what material things are out there, and in terms of what she has gained by learning of the magical world she lives in. Jayné is strong, sexy and smart, but she isn’t too much of any of these; she is far more real and vulnerable than your average heroine.Darker Angels opens six months later. During the interim, Jayné has had her staff – her uncle’s former assistant and two men who had helped him out from time to time, one an ex-priest known as Ex and one who is – well, Chogyi Jake is hard to describe, but the feeling emanating from the character is peace, even in the context of incredible violence. The group is in Athens, Greece, performing an inventory of Jayné Uncle Eric’s possessions in his house – now Jayné’s house – magical and otherwise. They’ve been skipping from city to city around the world doing the same thing, and they’re all exhausted.Which means they’re not really in good shape to take on a new case. But when a call comes in to Eric’s cellphone (still programmed to say “Hey, you’ve got a call” in Eric’s voice, freaking out everyone who hears it) from a former client, asking for help in New Orleans, Jayné jumps at the chance to get more information about her uncle. If it means dealing with a supernatural beastie attempting to take over a teenager’s body, well, why not perform a good deed in the meantime?But Jayné and her group are getting involved with New Orleans voodoo, and they don’t know the territory. Legba gives Jayné a good, strong warning early on that she barely survives; but Jayné is stubborn. The group fractures under the pressure, but still the notion of helping that teenager is so compelling that Jayné can’t help but soldier on.In this second book, each of the characters becomes more clearly defined. Ex is no longer merely the one who performs exorcisms; he is a whole person, with his own loves and past and issues. Chogyi Jake becomes something more of a mascot to the group, with the way he exudes calm, though he is still more of a cipher than the others. Aubrey and Jayné both develop and retard their relationship, much like relationships usually work.In the meantime, the reader gets a good look at New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. And the reader gets a lesson in voodoo and the power it gives its practitioners in this alternate universe, especially to women. And it’s all written with such tension that the book nearly vibrates in your hand. I read it in less than 24 hours, barely pausing to work, eat or sleep.So I guess I read urban fantasy after all. At least, I read it when it’s written by M.L.N. Hanover. This is great stuff, and at mass market paperback prices, you can’t afford to pass it up.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Jayne's uncle Eric dies unexpectedly and Jayne inherits more than she expected. Turns out here uncle was some sort of shaman/demon killer and he was in the middle of a job when he died. Jayne and a bunch of guys that Eric knew team together to finish the job. Actually, the book was better than that cliched description, I liked that Jayne was the daughter of extremely conservative Bible thumpers and how her parents beliefs tripped her occassionally. (though I did think it odd that they would call their daughter, exotically, Jayne. And then call their son Jay? Clearly overlooked in editing!) I liked the unliked crew that forms, esp Midian and Chogyi Jake. I didn't mind the world building, though it wasn't anything especially clever or new. It was familiar but well written enough that it was fun to spend time with these characters and I'll quite likely look for them in the next book that comes out.

Book preview

Unclean Spirits - M.L.N. Hanover

Introduction

It was raining in Denver the night Eric Heller died. The clouds had rolled in late in the afternoon, white pillars ascending toward the sun with a darkness at the base that was pure threat. Seven minutes after five o’clock—just in time for the rush-hour traffic—the sky opened, rain pounding down onto the streets and windows. It was still going three and a half hours later. Falling water and flashing lightning hid the sunset, but Eric could feel it. It was a side effect; he could always feel the dark coming on.

Something’s happening, the voice from his cell phone said. Something big.

I know, Aubrey. I’m on it.

I mean really big.

"I’m on it."

Across from Eric in the dim orange light of the bar, a man laughed and the waitress smiled a tight little smile that didn’t reach her eyes. Eric tapped his glass, the tick-tick-tick of his fingernails sounding like the rain against the window.

Okay, Aubrey said. But if there’s something I can do, you’ll tell me. Right?

No question, Eric said. Take care of yourself, okay? And maybe fly low for a while. This might get a little messy.

Aubrey was a decent guy, which meant he did a lot of decent-guy things. Eric’s present job didn’t call for that skill set. He needed a hard-ass. And so he was sitting in this bar in one of the worst parts of Five Points, waiting for someone he’d never met while a monsoon beat the shit out of the city. And while Coin and the Invisible College did something in the dangerous almost-reality of the Pleroma. Something big.

You want another one, Pops? the waitress said.

Yes, Eric said. Yes, I do.

He’d finished the other one and moved on to a third when the door swung open. The curl of rain-chilled air moved through the bar like a breath. Then five men walked in. Four of them could have been simple violence-soaked gangbangers. The fifth one, the big sonofabitch in sunglasses, had a rider. Eric couldn’t tell by looking whether it was a loupine or nosferatu or any of the other thousand species of unclean spirit that could crawl into a human body, but he could feel power coming off the man. Eric’s hand twitched toward the gun in his pocket, wanting the reassuringly solid grip under his fingers. But that would be poor form.

The big sonofabitch approached and loomed over Eric, just close enough to be a provocation. The other four split up, two standing by the door, two lounging close to Eric with a fake casual air. Apart from the radio blaring out a hip-hop tune, the bar had gone silent.

You’re Tusk, Eric said. Nice belt buckle you’ve got there. Shiny.

Who the fuck are you, old man? the big sonofabitch asked. His breath smelled like creosote. Loupine, then. A werewolf.

My name’s Eric Heller. I’m looking for someone to do a job for me.

We look unemployed? the big sonofabitch asked. The two who weren’t by the door smiled mirthlessly. You think some Anglo motherfucker just come in here and whistle, we gonna jump?

Eric reached up and plucked the sunglasses off the big sonofabitch. The black eyes met his. Eric pulled his will up from his crotch, up through his belly and his throat, pressing cold qi out through his gaze. The big sonofabitch tilted his head like a dog hearing an unfamiliar sound. The others stirred, hands reaching under jackets and shirts.

I’m looking for someone to do a job, friend, Eric said, pressing the glasses into the man’s blacksmith-thick hand. If it’s not you, it’s not you. No offense meant.

The big sonofabitch shook his head once, but it wasn’t really a refusal. Eric waited.

Who are you? the loupine asked. The humanity had left the voice. Eric was talking straight to the rider now.

Eric. Alexander. Heller. Ask around, he said. I can offer you the Mark of Brute-Loka. Might be useful to someone in your position.

The black eyes went wider.

What do you want for it? You want someone killed?

I want someone killed, Eric agreed softly. Everyone was quiet. Quiet as the grave. You want to talk about it here with all these nice people around? Or should we go someplace private?

Chango, the big sonofabitch said. One of the men by the door stepped forward, lifting his chin. Get the car.

Eric swilled down the last of his drink, and the big son-of-abitch stepped back enough to let him stand. Eric dropped two twenties on the table. A very generous tip. It always paid to be kind to the help.

Outside, the rain had slackened to merely driving. A black car pulled up to the curb, Chango at the wheel. The loupine and his three homies clustered around Eric, ignoring the downpour. Two of the three minions got in the back with Eric stuck between them. The loupine had a short conversation with the last guy, then took the front. The last gangbanger spat on the street and went back into the bar as the car pulled away. They drove east toward Park Hill. Eric didn’t speak.

For the first time that night, Eric felt that the plan was coming together. The muscle was the last piece he needed. The trick now was to fix the timing. The whole thing had to come together like clockwork, every element in place just when it needed to be there. Him, and the loupine, and the old-timer.

The driver sneezed. The thug to Eric’s left murmured Gesundheit, and Eric’s spine crawled with fear. Since when did Five Points gangbangers say gesundheit?

What the fuck was he sitting next to?

As casually as he could, he brought a hand to his mouth. He crushed the fresh sage and peppermint leaves in the cuff and breathed in the scent. His mind clicked into trance, the aroma acting as trigger. His eyes felt like they’d been washed clean. Everything around him was intensely real, the edges sharp, the textures vibrant. He could hear the individual raindrops striking the car. He felt each fiber of his shirt pressing against his skin. And the glamour fell away from the others. The ink of their markings seemed to well up from inside them like blood from a cut. The driver was entirely bald, labyrinthine tattoos rising from his collar and crawling up over his ears. The two beside Eric were just as marked, their faces covered with symbols and sigils.

It had been a setup from the start. The contact, the facedown at the bar, the creosote breath. There were no gangbangers. No loupine.

One of them glanced at Eric.

He knows, the guard said.

The big sonofabitch in the front was still a big sonofabitch. He turned, looking over his shoulder. His lips were black, his eyes set in a tangle of something half Arabic script, half spiderweb.

Mr. Heller, he said, as if they were meeting for the first time. His voice was low as tires against asphalt. With his senses scraped raw by the cantrip, Eric could feel the man’s breath on his skin.

This isn’t what you boys think it is, Eric said.

We know what you’ve been doing, Mr. Heller, the other man said. "It stops tonight. It stops now."

With a despairing cry, Eric went for his gun.

One

I flew into Denver on the second of August, three days before my twenty-third birthday. I had an overnight bag packed with three changes of clothes, the leather backpack I used for a purse, the jacket my last boyfriend hadn’t had the guts to come pick up from my apartment (it still smelled like him), my three-year-old laptop wrapped in a blanket, and a phone number for Uncle Eric’s lawyer. The area around the baggage carousel was thick with families and friends hugging one another and saying how long it had been and how much everyone had grown or shrunk or whatever. The wide metal blades weren’t about to offer up anything of mine, so I was just looking through the crowd for my alleged ride and trying not to make eye contact.

It took me a while to find him at the back of the crowd, his head shifting from side to side, looking for me. He had a legal pad in his hand with my name in handwritten letters—JAYNE HELLER. He was younger than I’d expected, maybe midthirties, and cuter. I shouldered my way through the happy mass of people, mentally applauding Uncle Eric’s taste.

You’d be Aubrey? I said.

Jayné, he said, pronouncing it Jane. It’s actually zha-nay, but that was a fight I’d given up. Good. Great. I’m glad to meet you. Can I help you with your bags?

Pretty much covered on that one, I said. Thanks, though.

He looked surprised, then shrugged it off.

Right. I’m parked over on the first level. Let me at least get that one for you.

I surrendered my three changes of clothes and followed.

You’re going to be staying at Eric’s place? Aubrey asked over his shoulder. I have the keys. The lawyer said it would be okay to give them to you.

Keys to the kingdom, I said, then, Yes. I thought I’d save the money on a hotel. Doesn’t make sense not to, right?

Right, Aubrey said with a smile that wanted badly to be comfortable but wasn’t.

I couldn’t blame the guy for being nervous. Christ only knew what Eric had told him about the family. Even the broad stroke of My brother and sister-in-law don’t talk to me would have been enough to make the guy tentative. Much less the full-on gay-hating, patriarch-in-the-house, know-your-place episode of Jerry Springer that had been my childhood. Calling Uncle Eric the black sheep of the family was like saying the surface of the sun was warmish. Or that I’d been a little tiny disappointment to them.

Aubrey drove a minivan, which was kind of cute. After he slung my lonely little bag into the back, we climbed in and drove out. The happy crowd of families and friends fell away behind us. I leaned against the window and looked up into the clear night sky. The moon was about halfway down from full. There weren’t many stars.

So, Aubrey said. I’m sorry. About Eric. Were you two close?

Yeah, I said. Or…maybe. I don’t know. Not close like he called me up to tell me about his day. He’d check in on me, make sure things weren’t too weird at home. He’d just show up sometimes, take me out to lunch or for ice cream or something cheesy like that. We always had to keep under my dad’s radar, so I figure he’d have come by more often if he could.

Aubrey gunned the minivan, pulling us onto the highway.

He protected me, I said, soft enough that I didn’t think Aubrey would hear me, but he did.

From what?

Myself, I said.

Here’s the story. In the middle of high school, I spent about six months hanging out with the bad kids. On my sixteenth birthday, I got very, very drunk and woke up two days later in a hotel room with half a tattoo on my back and wearing someone else’s clothes. Eric had been there for me. He told my dad that I’d gotten the flu and helped me figure out how to keep anyone from ever seeing the ink.

I realized I’d gone silent. Aubrey was looking over at me.

Eric was always swooping in just when everything was about to get out of control, I said. Putting in the cooling rods.

Yeah, Aubrey said. That sounds like him.

Aubrey smiled at the highway. It seemed he wasn’t thinking about it, so the smile looked real. I could see why Eric would have gone for him. Short, curly hair the color of honey. Broad shoulders. What my mother would have called a kind mouth. I hoped that he’d made Eric happy.

I just want you to know, I said, it’s okay with me that he was gay.

Aubrey started.

He was gay?

Um, I said. He wasn’t?

He never told me.

Oh, I said, mentally recalculating. "Maybe he wasn’t. I assumed…I mean, I just thought since my dad wouldn’t talk about him…my dad’s kind of old-school. Where school means testament. He never really got into that love-thy-neighbor-as-thyself part."

I know the type, he said. The smile was actually pointed at me now, and it seemed genuine.

There was this big falling-out about three years ago, I said. Uncle Eric had called the house, which he almost never did. Dad went out around dinnertime and came back looking deeply pissed off. After that…things were weird. I just assumed…

I didn’t tell Aubrey that Dad had gathered us all in the living room—me, Mom, my older brother Jay, and Curtis the young one—and said that we weren’t to have anything to do with Uncle Eric anymore. Not any of us. Not ever. He was a pervert and an abomination before God.

Mom had gone sheet-white. The boys just nodded and looked grave. I’d wanted to stand up for him, to say that Uncle Eric was family, and that Dad was being totally unfair and hypocritical. I didn’t, though. It wasn’t a fight I could win.

But Aubrey knew him well enough to have a set of spare keys, and he didn’t think Eric was gay. Maybe Dad had meant something else. I tried to think what exactly had made me think it was that, but I couldn’t come up with anything solid.

Aubrey pulled his minivan off the highway, then through a maze of twisty little streets. One-story bungalows with neatly kept yards snuggled up against each other. About half the picture windows had open curtains; it was like driving past museum dioramas of the American Family. Here was one with an old couple sitting under a cut glass chandelier. One with the backs of two sofa-bound heads and a wall-size Bruce Willis looking troubled and heroic. One with two early-teenage boys, twins to look at them, chasing each other. And then we made a quick dogleg and pulled into a carport beside a brick house. Same lawn, same architecture. No lights, no one in the windows.

Thanks, I said, reaching around in the seat to grab my bag.

Do you want…I mean, I can show you around a little. If you want.

I think I’m just going to grab a shower and order in a pizza or something, I said. Decompress. You know.

Okay, he said, fishing in his pocket. He came out with a leather fob with two keys and passed it over to me. I took it. The leather was soft and warm. If you need anything, you have my number?

Yeah, I said. Thanks for the lift.

If there’s anything I can do…

I popped open the door. The dome light came on.

I’ll let you know, I said. Promise.

Your uncle, Aubrey said. Then, Your uncle was a very special man.

I know, I said.

He seemed like he wanted to say something else, but instead he just made me promise again that I’d call him if I needed help.

There wasn’t much mail in the box—ads and a water bill. I tucked it under my arm while I struggled with the lock. When I finally got the door open, I stumbled in, my bag bumping behind me.

A dim atrium. A darker living room before me. The kitchen door to my left, ajar. A hall to my right, heading back to bedrooms and bathrooms and closets.

Hey, I said to nothing and no one. I’m home.

I NEVER would have said it to anyone, but my uncle had been killed at the perfect time. I hated myself for even thinking that, but it was true. If I hadn’t gotten the call from his lawyer, if I hadn’t been able to come here, I would have been reduced to couch surfing with people I knew peripherally from college. I wasn’t welcome at home right now. I hadn’t registered for the next semester at ASU, which technically made me a college dropout.

I didn’t have a job or a boyfriend. I had a storage unit in Phoenix and a bag, and I didn’t have the money to keep the storage unit for more than another month. With any luck at all, I’d be able to stay here in the house until Uncle Eric’s estate was all squared away. There might even be enough money in his will that I could manage first and last on a place of my own. He was swooping in one last time to pull me out of the fire. The idea made me sad, and grateful, and a little bit ashamed.

They’d found him in an alley somewhere on the north side of the city. There was, the lawyer had told me, an open investigation. Apparently he’d been seen at a bar somewhere talking to someone. Or it might have just been a mugging that got out of hand. One way or another, his friend Aubrey had identified the body. Eric had left instructions in his will for funeral arrangements, already taken care of. It was all very neat. Very tidy.

The house was just as tidy. He hadn’t owned very much, and it gave the place a simplicity. The bed was neatly made. Shirts, jackets, slacks all hung in the bedroom closet, some still in the plastic from the dry cleaner’s. There were towels in the bathroom, a safety razor beside the sink with a little bit of soap scum and stubble still on the blade.

I found a closet with general household items, including a spare toothbrush. The food in the fridge was mostly spoiled, but I scrounged up a can of beef soup that I nuked in a plain black bowl, sopping up the last with bread that wasn’t too stale. The television was in the living room, and I spooled through channels and channels of bright, shining crap. I didn’t feel right putting my feet on the couch.

When I turned on the laptop, I found there was a wireless network. I guessed the encryption key on my third try. It was the landline phone number. I checked mail and had nothing waiting for me. I pulled up my messenger program. A few names appeared, including my most recent ex-boyfriend. The worst thing I could have done just then was talk with him. The last thing I needed was another reminder of how alone I was. I started typing.

JAYNEHELLER: Hey. You there?

A few seconds later, the icon showed he was on the other end, typing.

CARYONANDON: I’m not really here. About to go out.

JAYNEHELLER: OK. Is there a time we can talk?

CARYONANDON: Maybe. Not now.

His name vanished from the list. I played a freeware word search game while I conducted imaginary conversations with him in which I always came out on top, then went to bed feeling sick to my stomach.

I called the lawyer in the morning, and by noon, she was at the door. Midfifties, gray suit, floral perfume with something earthy under it, and a smile bright as a brand-new hatchet. I pulled my hair back when she came in and wished I’d put on something more formal than blue jeans and a Pink Martini T-shirt.

Jayné, she said, as if we were old acquaintances. She pronounced it Jane too. I didn’t correct her. This must be so hard for you. I’m so sorry for your loss.

Thanks, I said. You want to come into the kitchen? I think there’s some tea I could make.

That would be lovely, she said.

I fired up the kettle and dug through the shelves. There wasn’t any tea, but I found some fresh peppermint and one of those little metal balls, so I brewed that. The lawyer sat at the kitchen table, her briefcase open, small piles of paper falling into ranks like soldiers on parade. I brought over two plain black mugs, careful not to spill on anything.

Thank you, dear, she said, taking the hot mug from my hands. And your trip was all right? You have everything you need?

Everything’s fine, I said, sitting.

Good, then we can get to business. I have a copy of the will itself here. You’ll want to keep that for your files. There is, I’m afraid, going to be a lot of paperwork to get through. Some of the foreign properties are complex, but don’t worry, we’ll make it.

Okay, I said, wondering what she was talking about.

This is an inventory of the most difficult transfers. The good news is that Eric arranged most of the liquid assets as pay-on-death, so the tax situation is fairly straightforward, and we get to avoid probate. The rest of the estate is more complicated. I’ve also brought keys to the other Denver properties. I have a copy of the death certificate, so you only need to fill out a signature card at the bank before you can do anything with the funds. Do you have enough to see you through for a day or two?

She handed me a typewritten sheet of paper. I ran my finger down the list. Addresses in London, Paris, Bombay, Athens…

I’m sorry, I said. I don’t want to be a pain in the ass, but I don’t understand. What is all this?

The inventory of the difficult transfers, she said, slowing down the words a little bit, like maybe I hadn’t understood them before. Some of the foreign properties are going to require more paperwork.

These are all Uncle Eric’s? I said. He has a house in London?

He has property all over the world, dear. Didn’t you know?

No, I said. I didn’t. What am I…I mean, what am I supposed to do with this stuff?

The lawyer put down her pen. A crease had appeared between her brows. I sipped the peppermint tea and it scalded my tongue.

You and your uncle didn’t discuss any of this? she said.

I shook my head. I could feel my eyes growing abnormally wide. I thought he was gay, I said. It occurred to me just how stunningly underqualified I was to execute anybody’s will, much less something complex with a lot of paperwork.

The lawyer sat back in her seat, considering me like I had just appeared and she was maybe not so impressed with what she saw.

Your uncle was a very rich man, she said. He left all his assets specifically and exclusively to you. And you had no idea that was his intention?

We didn’t talk much, I said. He left it to me? Are you sure? I mean, thanks, but are you sure?

The majority of his titles are already jointly in your names. And you’re certain he never mentioned this?

Never.

The lawyer sighed.

Ms. Heller, she said. You are a very rich young woman.

I blinked.

Um, I said. Okay. What scale are we talking about here?

She told me: total worth, liquid assets, property.

Well, I said, putting the mug down. Holy shit.

I THINK lottery winners must feel the same way. I followed everything the lawyer said, but about half of it washed right back out of my mind. The world and everything in it had taken on a kind of unreality. I wanted to laugh or cry or curl up in a ball and hug myself. I didn’t—did not—want to wake up and find out it had all been a dream.

We talked for about two hours. We made a list of things I needed to do, and she loaned me six hundred dollars—to keep me in shoes—until I could get to the bank and jump through the hoops that would give me access to enough money to do pretty much anything I wanted. She left a listing of Eric’s assets about a half inch thick, and keys to the other Denver properties: two storage facilities and an apartment in what she told me was a hip and happening neighborhood.

I closed the door behind her when she left and sank down to the floor. The atrium tiles were cold against my palms. Eric Alexander Heller, my guardian uncle, left me more than I’d dreamed of. Money, security, any number of places that I could live in if I wanted to.

Everything, in fact, but an explanation.

I took myself back to the kitchen table and read the will. Legal jargon

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