Book One in the Occult Special Investigator Series with Ace/Penguin
For occult forensics investigator Tess Corday, the evidence can be out of this world.
“Night Child hooks you from the very first line and doesn’t ever let you down. Can’t wait to read the sequel!” – Keri Arthur, NYT Bestselling Author
Tess Corday works as an Occult Special Investigator in Vancouver, British Columbia, dealing with paranormal crime in the place that residents affectionally call Terminal City. While investigating what seems like the routine death of a vampire, she finds herself drawn into a web of drama involving a teen girl, a magical conspiracy, and a charming necromancer who may just be the death of her. Along with her telepathic partner, Derrick, she must negotiate twists and turns that will either reveal a dark truth, or destroy everything she’s worked for.
Night Child was shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. The jury had this to say:
“Occult Special Investigator Tess Corday is a terrifically appealing heroine—determined, charming, vulnerable and very human in a world of vampires, necromancers and other supernatural menace. Night Child takes what is becoming a hackneyed genre—romantic supernatural investigator—and injects it with a kind of manic, crazy, campy fun: a little bit Buffy, a little bit CSI and even a little bit hardboiled.”
Night Child was also nominated for the Endeavour Award for Distinguished Science Fiction and Fantasy Written in the Pacific Northwest.
Fantasy Book Reviews described Night Child as a totally new twist on the combined paranormal romance and detective fiction genres:
“Night Child is an adult crime / fantasy / vampire novel that approaches all three genres from a completely new angle…Battis plays to his strengths; good characterisation; a passion for the dark; and a wonderful seam of dry, sometimes bitchy humour running throughout the tale.”
Read an excerpt
Jes Battis 