As an arson investigator, Anya has seen a great deal of tragedy in the flickering embers that have consumed much of Detroit. Too many lives have been lost to decay and the failings of time on equipment, when whatever luck has been keeping fire from igniting for years eventually runs out.

Then there are the crimes of passion by twisted arsonists whose small, shy initial attempts at playing with fire become a sexual addiction of mounting conquests; the path of destruction in the wake of an arsonist only gets more devastating with each new success. As of late, Detroit has been riddled with more fires than usual, and the appearance of an unidentified symbol at several of the sites marks them as the work of a rapidly progressing arsonist.

Anya’s closely guarded secret is her affiliation with a ghost-researching squad that works the many volatile areas of Detroit by night. More than just a hunter, she is a lantern; in fact, she has never known of any other lanterns, and never met another individual capable of doing what she can. While all other hunters exorcise the spirits in their own fashions, Anya consumes them.

Just as the arsonist has been unsettlingly more active in recent weeks, the spirits have been more violent and difficult to exorcise as well. Anya’s services have been needed much too often for the removal of the spirits, and she needs to step away. Nevertheless, one case more can’t find closure without her. When she forges ahead into the battle, no one can argue her success—for the victim. Anya, however, has lost a battle that may see her to the grave before she can save her city and friends.

Anya’s arson investigation reveals not only the man responsible but his motives and skills as well. Most would consider this good news, but as his talents draw from the spirit and demon worlds, he is a threat most cannot defeat. If Anya is unable to stop him, Detroit (not to mention the world) will be dealt and agonizing end by the flames of an unconquerable horror.

Embers is on fire in the smoking supernatural world of urban fantasy. Sparking to life as new author Laura Bickle’s debut novel, this hot, gritty, paranormal mystery brings originality to a genre that covets expanding creativity in the paranormal and supernatural realms. For those who enjoy reads like Demon Inside by Stacia Kane, Matters of the Blood by Maria Lima or Deadtown by Nancy Holzner, Embers is right in league with this diverse selection of comparables.