Books like 'Guardian'
Readers who enjoyed Guardian by A.J. Hartley also liked the following books featuring the same tropes, story themes, relationship dynamics and character types.
historical fantasy mystery urban fantasy action / adventure steampunk industrial-era historical-fiction lgbtq female-mc
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The Empty Grave by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.62 of 5 stars · 38 ratingsFive months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kipps on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series... -
![Dealing with Mapinguari and Dogged Engineers by A.J. Sherwood]()
Dealing with Mapinguari and Dogged Engineers by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsAs Shakespeare once said, the course of true love never did run smooth.Since parting with Adrien after their first case, Hugh Quartermain has committed himself to one he wants Adrien. With the months’ long trip to Brazil ahead of them, Hugh should have no problem confessing, right?The problem is the universe seems determined to thwart Hugh... -
![A (Non) Comprehensive Guide to Sea Serpents by A.J. Sherwood]()
A (Non) Comprehensive Guide to Sea Serpents by A.J. Sherwood
Rated: 4.47 of 5 stars · 15 ratingsTwo new apprentices. One charming engineer. A potential battle with both sea serpents and evil sorcerers.When Sorcerer Adrien Danvers takes on a job that leads him into the slums of England, he never imagined he’d end up with not one, but two apprentices. Despite his doubts in himself, he’s the only chance the two pre-teens have to escape their hellish life... -
![Deosil by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Deosil by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsWhyborne, Griffin, and their friends have faced down cultists, monsters, and sorcerers. But their greatest challenge is now upon them.On the return voyage from Balefire Manor, Whyborne receives the worst news possible: Widdershins has fallen before the onslaught of the Fideles and their servants. There’s still time to stop the return of the Masters, but that window grows shorter by the hour...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era law-enforcement lgbtq action-adventure adult angst audiobook -
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![Balefire by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Balefire by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.43 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsWhyborne’s Endicott relatives have returned to collect on the promise he made to help them take back their ancestral manor from an evil cult. In exchange, they’ll give him the key to deciphering the Wisborg Codex, which Whyborne needs to learn how to stop the masters...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era law-enforcement lgbtq steampunk action-adventure adult angst -
![Bloodline by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Bloodline by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsBetween his bullying father and dissolute brother, Percival Endicott Whyborne has quite enough problematic family members to deal with. So when his sister returns to Widdershins asking for help solving the mystery of a derelict ship, Whyborne is reluctant to get involved. Until, that is, a brutal murderer strikes, leaving Whyborne and his lover Griffin no choice but to take the case...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era law-enforcement lgbtq steampunk action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Hoarfrost by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Hoarfrost by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsSorcerer Percival Endicott Whyborne and his husband Griffin Flaherty have enjoyed an unprecedented stretch of peace and quiet. Unfortunately, the calm is shattered by the arrival of a package from Griffin’s brother Jack, who has uncovered a strange artifact while digging for gold in Alaska. The discovery of a previously unknown civilization could revive the career of their friend Dr...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era law-enforcement lgbtq steampunk action-adventure adult audiobook -
![Breaking and Entering 101 by Honor Raconteur]()
Breaking and Entering 101 by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.45 of 5 stars · 21 ratingsSince Jamie and Henri agreed to be Kingsmen consultants, they’d not had much call to actually consult. Which is a fortuitous thing, as Henri is up to his neck in labwork and interviews for a new Magical Examiner due to Sanderson’s departing. He is hardly in any position to add more tasks onto his shoulders.Which, naturally, means two disasters strike at once...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure adult angst -
![Stormhaven by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Stormhaven by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.28 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsan alternate cover edition can be found hereMysterious happenings are nothing new to reclusive scholar Percival Endicott Whyborne, but finding one of his colleagues screaming for help in the street is rather unusual. Allan Tambling claims he can’t remember any of the last hour—but someone murdered his uncle, and Allan is covered in blood...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era law-enforcement lgbtq steampunk abuse action-adventure adult -
![Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) by Honor Raconteur]()
Charms and Death and Explosions (oh my!) by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.39 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsA dead charm maker is only the beginning. Humanity seems determined to come up with increasingly clever ways to murder one another. They seize upon new technological advances in a way that’s alarming, their creativity and blood-thirstiness knowing no bounds...Categorized as:
female-mc industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure adult alpha-mc assassins -
![Claimed by Magic by Jasmine Walt]()
Claimed by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsFenris and Mia's story continues in the second book of this Baine Chronicles spinoff trilogy...Now that Fenris and Mina have finally admitted their feelings for each other, for the first time, they both face something they’d thought impossible—settling down with someone who accepts and loves them for who they are...Categorized as:
industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure adult assassins book fiction -
![A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur]()
A Matter of Secrets and Spies by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.40 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsHow many ways can a marriage proposal go wrong?One: the ring gets stolenTwo: a storm destroys the beachThree: a dead body, seriously?Four: A THEFT RING?!Come hell or highwater, he WILL propose before leaving this benighted island... -
![The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley]()
The Lost Future of Pepperharrow by Natasha Pulley
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 29 ratings1888. Five years after they met in The Watchmaker of Filigree Street, Thaniel Steepleton, an unassuming translator, and Keita Mori, the watchmaker who remembers the future, are traveling to Japan. Thaniel has received an unexpected posting to the British legation in Tokyo, and Mori has business that is taking him to Yokohama... -
![Death Over the Garden Wall by Honor Raconteur]()
Death Over the Garden Wall by Honor Raconteur
Rated: 4.58 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsThree modus operandi to die. Four employees, six house guests, and not a single witness.Confusing clues and no helpful leads cloud the death of Countess Giada Barese, who washed up on shore two weeks after her mysterious disappearance. Henri and Jamie have no idea if her death is a homicide, suicide, or accidental death, for nothing adds up... -
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![Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine]()
Sword and Pen by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.32 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWith the future of the Great Library in doubt, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone must decide if it's worth saving in this thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.The corrupt leadership of the Great Library has fallen. But with the Archivist plotting his return to power, and the Library under siege from outside empires and kingdoms, its future is uncertain...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era lgbtq steampunk action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
![The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud]()
The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
Rated: 4.24 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsWhen the dead come back to haunt the living, Lockwood & Co. step in . . .For more than fifty years, the country has been affected by a horrifying epidemic of ghosts. A number of Psychic Investigations Agencies have sprung up to destroy the dangerous apparitions.Lucy Carlyle, a talented young agent, arrives in London hoping for a notable career... -
![Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine]()
Smoke and Iron by Rachel Caine
Rated: 4.22 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsFor the US hardback, see ISBN13: 9780451489210.To save the Great Library, the unforgettable characters from Ink and Bone, Paper and Fire, and Ash and Quill put themselves in danger in the next thrilling adventure in the New York Times bestselling series.The opening moves of a deadly game have begun...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era lgbtq steampunk action-adventure alternate-history audiobook book -
![The Shadow of Water by Jacquelyn Benson]()
The Shadow of Water by Jacquelyn Benson
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsLily Albright can see the future, and it looks like hell. In an England on the brink of war, Lily is plagued by visions of the cataclysmic destruction of London. An ancient prophecy is coming to fruition, and it starts with the gruesome discovery of a corpse in the sewers.To save her city, Lily must untangle a web of conspiracy and violence... -
![Murder on Hunter's Eve by Morgan Stang]()
Murder on Hunter's Eve by Morgan Stang
Rated: 4.50 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA werewolf terrorizes the city of Lamplight!It's the week of Hunter's Eve, a yearly celebration of monsters, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. But for Huntress Isabeau Agarwal, the event is a stark reminder that in her line of work, there is never a day's rest.Murders rock the city, and Isabeau is charged with solving them before the killer strikes again... -
![Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier]()
Ruby Red by Kerstin Gier
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 45 ratingsAlthough I had never seen him before, I recognized him immediately. I'd have known his voice anywhere. This was the guy I'd seen on my last journey back in time.Or more precisely, the one who'd kissed my doppelganger while I was hiding behind the curtain in disbelief.Sixteen-year-old Gwen lives with her extended - and rather eccentric - family in an exclusive London neighborhood... -
![In Plain Sight by Dan Willis]()
In Plain Sight by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.37 of 5 stars · 20 ratingsWhen a magical plague is released in a Depression-era New York soup kitchen, private detective Alex Lockerby finds himself in a desperate hunt to catch a madman before he can strike again.His investigations lead Alex to a famous thief, a daring heist, and the search for a mythic book of ancient magic, but none of that brings him any closer to finding the man responsible for the massacre... -
![Saved by Magic by Jasmine Walt]()
Saved by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.38 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsFenris and Mina's story concludes in the final book of this Baine Chronicles spinoff trilogy!Alerted that Sunaya and Iannis's wedding may be the target of a Resistance plot, Mina and Fenris travel to Solantha despite the very real possibility that Fenris could be recognized and thrown into prison should any of his enemies spot him...Categorized as:
industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure adult book fiction historical -
![Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg]()
Spellmaker by Charlie N. Holmberg
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 24 ratingsDead wizards, stolen enchantments, and broken promises force a young spellbreaker out of the shadows in the next thrilling installment of the Spellbreaker series by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Paper Magician.England, 1895. An unsolved series of magician murders and opus thefts isn’t a puzzle to Elsie Camden... -
![Fugitive by Magic by Jasmine Walt]()
Fugitive by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.30 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsWhat happened to Fenris after he fled Solantha? Find out in this epic new trilogy following the events of Scorched by Magic from the Baine Chronicles… Fenris is no stranger to picking up the pieces of his life and starting over...Categorized as:
industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure book fiction historical insta-love -
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![The Long Chain by Dan Willis]()
The Long Chain by Dan Willis
Rated: 4.51 of 5 stars · 13 ratingsWhen New York is blanketed in an unnatural fog, Private Detective Alex Lockerby finds himself on the trail of a missing scientist, a stolen military secret, and a merciless killer leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.In a city the size of New York, things go missing all the time. When a Nobel-Prize winning Chemist vanishes without a trace, his granddaughter taps Alex to find him... -
![Undertow by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Undertow by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 12 ratingsNote: This novella takes place at the same time as events in Fallow (Whyborne & Griffin 8). Shy secretary Maggie Parkhurst knows there’s nothing special about her. She’s neither sorceress, nor fighter, nor scholar...Categorized as:
female-mc historical-fiction industrial-era lgbtq steampunk action-adventure adult angst -
![Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh by R.L. LaFevers, Yoko Tanaka]()
Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh by R.L. LaFevers, Yoko Tanaka
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 14 ratingsIn this fourth book in the series, Theodosia sets off to Egypt to return the Emerald Tablet embedded with the knowledge of some of the ancient world s most guarded secrets. Accompanied by her cat, Isis (smuggled along in a basket), Theo plans to return the artifact, then explore the mysteries surrounding her own birth and oh, yes help her mother dig up treasures on her archeological expedition... -
![Marking Time by April White]()
Marking Time by April White
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsSeventeen-year-old tagger Saira Elian can handle anything... a mother who mysteriously disappears, a stranger who stalks her around London, and even the noble English Grandmother who kicked Saira and her mother out of the family... -
![The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman]()
The Mortal Word by Genevieve Cogman
Rated: 4.21 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsA corrupt countessA spy in dangerAnd an assassin at largeThe fifth title in Genevieve Cogman's witty and wonderful Invisible Library series, The Mortal Word is a rollicking literary adventure.Peace talks are always tricky, especially when a key diplomat gets stabbed. This rudely interrupts a top-secret summit between the warring dragons and Fae... -
![The Tempest Sea by Robin D. Mahle]()
The Tempest Sea by Robin D. Mahle
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA rescue mission turns into a fight against a force more powerful than they could have imagined.With the amulet still stuck around her neck, Addie must outwit her powerful captors who will do anything to get to the power held within the ancient artifact. If they find out she doesn’t know how to use it, she’s dead...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era steampunk action-adventure book exploration family fiction -
![Forsaken by Magic by Jasmine Walt]()
Forsaken by Magic by Jasmine Walt
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA novella exploring the origins of Fenris, one of the most beloved characters from the Baine Chronicles. Lord Polar ar’Tollis has everything he wants. Wealth, power, respect, beautiful women eager to marry him—there is very little the Chief Mage of Nebara lacks in his life. Except, perhaps, compassion...Categorized as:
industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure book fiction historical magic -
![Suspects & Scales by Maz Maddox]()
Suspects & Scales by Maz Maddox
Rated: 4.33 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDeputy Cody Moore is shattered. The murder of someone dear to him has pushed him to a breaking point and awakened the monster sleeping inside him. While the young man is no stranger to tragedy and death, having someone slaughtered under his watch has left him rattled with heartache...Categorized as:
lgbtq law-enforcement historical-fiction industrial-era romance fantasy mlm paranormal -
![Worth Dying For by Kory M. Shrum]()
Worth Dying For by Kory M. Shrum
Rated: 4.25 of 5 stars · 8 ratingsRead the series with 700 five-star reviews! A contemporary fantasy series unlike any other. Don’t believe us? Download a free sample and see for yourself!With enough power coursing through your veins, it's hard to remember whose side you're on.Jesse Sullivan's father commands a dark and terrible army under the guise of beloved church leader... -
![The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman]()
The Lost Plot by Genevieve Cogman
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 35 ratingsAfter being commissioned to find a rare book, Librarian Irene and her assistant, Kai, head to Prohibition-era New York and are thrust into the middle of a political fight with dragons, mobsters, and Fae. In a 1920s-esque New York, Prohibition is in force; fedoras, flapper dresses, and tommy guns are in fashion: and intrigue is afoot... -
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![The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman]()
The Dark Archive by Genevieve Cogman
Rated: 4.19 of 5 stars · 30 ratingsA professional spy for a mysterious Library which harvests fiction from different realities, Irene faces a series of assassination attempts that threaten to destroy her and everything she has worked for.Irene is teaching her new assistant the fundamentals of a Librarian's job, and finding that training a young Fae is more difficult than she expected... -
![Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey]()
Whisper the Dead by Alyxandra Harvey
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsCousins Gretchen, Emma, and Penelope are all dealing with what it means to be a Lovegrove. For Gretchen, it means she often feels like her head is going to explode. As a Whisperer, Gretchen constantly hears the whispers of other witches' spells...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era steampunk action-adventure book fiction ghosts historical -
![WildSpark by Vashti Hardy, Cecelia Ramsdale]()
WildSpark by Vashti Hardy, Cecelia Ramsdale
Rated: 4.20 of 5 stars · 10 ratingsA year after the death of her older brother, Prue Haywood's family is still shattered by grief. But everything changes when a stranger arrives at the farm. A new, incredible technology has been discovered in the city of Medlock, where a secretive guild of inventors have developed a way to capture spirits of the dead in animal-like machines, bringing them back to life...Categorized as:
industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure audiobook book children children-books -
![The Prisoner's Key by C.J. Archer]()
The Prisoner's Key by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 16 ratingsIndia's study into the language of spells is interrupted by the arrest of her teacher for an unpaid debt. Before Matt can repay it for him, the powerful magician escapes from his prison cell. To make matters worse, the moneylender is murdered and the magician is implicated...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era steampunk action-adventure audiobook book fiction gaslamp -
![Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk]()
Hexbreaker by Jordan L. Hawk
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 17 ratingsWill a dark history doom their future together?New York copper Tom Halloran is a man with a past. If anyone finds out he once ran with the notorious O'Connell tunnel gang, he'll spend the rest of his life doing hard time behind bars. But Tom's secret is threatened when a horrible murder on his beat seems to have been caused by the same ancient magic that killed his gang... -
![The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman]()
The Secret Chapter by Genevieve Cogman
Rated: 4.18 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsA Librarian’s work is never done, and once Irene has a quick rest after their latest adventure, she is summoned to the Library. The world where she grew up is in danger of veering deep into chaos, and she needs to obtain a particular book to stop this from happening... -
![Closer by Roderick Gordon]()
Closer by Roderick Gordon
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsAt the centre of the Earth, in a world that no one knows exists, Will is in trouble. His enemy, the Styx, are close behind. They'll pursue him to the ends of the world - any world. Meanwhile Drake - with help from the unlikeliest of allies is preparing to fight the Styx from above. But will his daring plan bring him closer to victory ..Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era steampunk action-adventure archaeology audiobook book children -
![The Apothecary's Poison by C.J. Archer]()
The Apothecary's Poison by C.J. Archer
Rated: 4.11 of 5 stars · 18 ratingsWhen a newspaper report of a medical miracle catches Matt's eye, he and India go in search of Dr. Hale in the hope he is more magical doctor than miracle worker and can lead them to Chronos. But Hale turns out to be an apothecary magician keen to educate the public about magic. Their disappointment at not finding Chronos is soon forgotten when Hale is murdered, and Matt becomes a suspect... -
![A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark]()
A Master of Djinn by P. Djèlí Clark
Rated: 4.15 of 5 stars · 32 ratingsNebula, Locus, and Alex Award-winner P. Djèlí Clark returns to his popular alternate Cairo universe for his fantasy novel debut, A Master of DjinnCairo, 1912: Though Fatma el-Sha’arawi is the youngest woman working for the Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities, she’s certainly not a rookie, especially after preventing the destruction of the universe last summer...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era lgbtq steampunk action-adventure adult africa alternate-history -
![The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi]()
The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi
Rated: 4.12 of 5 stars · 37 ratingsThey are each other's fiercest love, greatest danger, and only hope. Séverin and his team members might have successfully thwarted the Fallen House, but victory came at a terrible cost -- one that still haunts all of them. Desperate to make amends, Séverin pursues a dangerous lead to find a long lost artifact rumoured to grant its possessor the power of God... -
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![Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede]()
Magician's Ward by Patricia C. Wrede
Rated: 4.13 of 5 stars · 29 ratingsWhen Mairelon made Kim his ward, he promised to teach her to be a lady and a magician. But magic proves to be harder than it looks for a girl who has just learned to read, and being a lady is even harder. Before frustration - and Merrill's formidably correct aunt - can drive her mad, a mysterious gentleman attempts to burgle the Merrill town house... -
![The Dragon Machine by Ben S. Dobson]()
The Dragon Machine by Ben S. Dobson
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsA missing girl leads the Magebreakers into a deadly race, with her life as the prize. Thaless is still reeling from the actions of the assassin known as the Emperor’s Mask, and in the aftermath, believers in magical superiority have been greatly emboldened... -
![Hold The Dark by Frank Tuttle]()
Hold The Dark by Frank Tuttle
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsDemons in a feeding frenzy drive the world-weary Markhat to the brink… A Markhat story. Quiet, hard-working seamstresses aren’t the kind that normally go missing, even in a tough town like Rannit. Martha Hoobin’s disappearance, though, quickly draws Markhat into a deadly struggle between a halfdead blood cult and the infamous sorcerer known only as the Corpsemaster...Categorized as:
industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure adult book early-modern fiction -
![Firebrand by A.J. Hartley]()
Firebrand by A.J. Hartley
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsOnce a steeplejack, Anglet Sutonga is used to scaling the heights of Bar-Selehm. Nowadays she assists politician Josiah Willinghouse behind the scenes of Parliament. When government plans for a secret weapon are stolen, their investigation leads right to the doorsteps of the city’s superexclusive social club, Elitus...Categorized as:
historical-fiction industrial-era law-enforcement steampunk action-adventure audiobook book fiction -
![The Timeseer's Gambit by Kate McIntyre]()
The Timeseer's Gambit by Kate McIntyre
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsIt’s been three months since mild-mannered Christopher Buckley began working with Olivia Faraday, the eccentric Deathsniffer. They’ve hunted killers, solved murders, and learned to work together. But their greatest challenges are yet to come…As a brutal heat wave wracks an increasingly unstable Darrington City, someone is killing young priests. Worse, they are using bound elementals to do it...Categorized as:
industrial-era lgbtq steampunk action-adventure adult alternate-history alternate-universe book -
![The Warrior by Jim Butcher]()
The Warrior by Jim Butcher
Rated: 4.17 of 5 stars · 6 ratingsHarry Dresden and Michael Carpenter are sitting on the diamond's bleachers, where Carpenter is coaching his daughter's softball team, discussing a number of pictures that Dresden received, depicting Carpenter in his day-to-day activity. Dresden feels his friend is in danger, Carpenter minimizes it all, stating he's not going to live in fear, and that Amoracchius has passed out of his hands...Categorized as:
law-enforcement steampunk industrial-era urban-fantasy fantasy fiction mystery audiobook
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