Title: The Forest Bull
Author: Terry Maggert
Genre: Urban Fantasy/Thriller
Release: August 2013
Synopsis
Three
lovers who stalk and kill the immortals that drift through South Florida
(tourists are a moveable feast, after all) are living a simple life of leisure-
until one of them is nearly killed by woman who is a new kind of lethal.
When Ring Hardigan isn’t making sandwiches
for, and with, his two partners, Waleska and Risa (they’re cool like that),
he’s got a busy schedule doing the dirty work of sending immortals to the ever
after. Wally and Risa provide linguistics, logistics, and finding the right
place for him and his knife- together, they’re a well-oiled machine, and
they’ve settled into a rhythm that bodes ill for the Undying. Warlocks,
vampires, succubae and the odd ghoul have all fallen to their teamwork. Life is
tough, but they soldier on killing the undead, liberating their worldly goods
for charity, and generally achieving very little.
-Until
Ring wakes up after nearly dying at the hands of a woman who may or may not be
the daughter of Satan. Ring’s a tough character, for a boat bum (killing
immortals sort of rubs off on you that way), but twelve days of comatose
healing are enough to bring out the ugly side of his temper. When a letter
arrives asking for their help finding a large collection of stolen heirloom
jewelry, they form an uneasy friendship with the last Baron of a family hiding
in a primal European forest.
Cazimir, the Baron, has two skills: Jeweler
and preserver of the last herd of forest bulls. It’s an odd occupation, but
then, Ring, Risa and Wally aren’t your everyday career folks, and Cazimir’s
lodge might be sitting on something that looks a lot like hell, which,
according to a 2400 year old succubus hooker named Delphine, is currently on
the market to the strongest immortal. The Baron’s impassioned plea to find the
jewelry comes with some conditions- he doesn’t want the collection back as much
as he does the thief, Elizabeth, who happens to be his daughter- and the woman
who nearly sent Ring to his grave.
In a
tapestry of lies, it’s up to Ring, Wally and Risa to find out what is evil, who
is human, and exactly who really wants to reign over hell.
Excerpts
Florida
“You may kiss me
now,” she stated in a voice devoid of music. The mirthless bow of her full lips
betrayed her intent to me, but I knew the invitation, like my costume, was a
lie. She was pretending to be human. I adopted the persona of just another
lonely, awkward snowbird, my own illusion that had brought me to this intimate
second with her, inviting me closer with a flicker of her brow. I bought in,
leaning towards her in the alcove of a cheesy hotel that advertised in French
and English. The boardwalk nearby was a haven for the Quebecois who fled the
rigors of winter for the sun and crowding of Hollywood, Florida, squeezed
between the fashion of Miami and the canals of Fort Lauderdale.
We were a
mismatched pair because she saw what I wished: a slouching, whitebread tourist
being rewarded by the gods of fate with the company of a pale, elegant woman
whose body filled her sundress flawlessly. Other couples and groups passed us
in a late night rush between the bars and gathering places of the beach. It was
cool for November. Bursts of drunken laughter mixed with the quiet spaces
surrounding lovers who walked, faces turned to the shushing metronome of the
surf. A single set of footfalls clattered nearby, interrupting our moment of
impending passion. It was a woman dropping her keys and swearing in lightly-
accented French. With a metallic tinkling, she picked them up and moved off
into the night, leaving us alone again.
