“A beautifully written story that emphasizes intelligence and diplomacy. Recommend to fans of Patricia Wrede and Tamora Pierce, as well as lovers of traditional fantasy.” —School Library Journal, starred review Keri has been struggling to run her family bakery since her mother passed away. Now the father she barely knew—the Lord of Nimmira—has died, and ancient magic has decreed that she will take his place as the new Lady. The powerful position has never been so dangerous: the magical mists that hide Nimmira from its vicious, land-hungry neighbors have failed. Now Keri’s people are visible to strangers for the first time in generations. Meanwhile, half brothers with their own eyes on the crown make life within the House just as perilous as the world outside. Keri has sources of guidance: her mysterious Timekeeper, a wise and intimidating man; her clever Bookkeeper and best friend since childhood, Tassel; and her steadfast Doorkeeper, Tassel’s stoic but noble cousin. Thrust into the spotlight after a lifetime of avoiding it, Keri must find the will to lead—or lose everything. “Neumeier delivers intriguing political problems, complicated and charming personal relationships, and magic running the gamut from the domestic hominess of Nimmira to the terrifyingly gorgeous enchantments of Eschalion.” —Publishers Weekly

A Coast Guard commander faces Nazi aggression in American waters in this “beautifully written and nerve-wrackingly suspenseful” novel of WWII (Nelson DeMille). North Carolina, 1941. Among the wind-swept Outer Banks, Killakeet Island is home to a peaceful community of fishermen, clam stompers, oyster rakers, and a few lonely Coast Guard sailors. Dominating the tiny island landscape is the majestic Killakeet Lighthouse, which has been overseen by the Thurlow family for generations. But now Josh Thurlow, the Keeper’s son, has chosen another path . . . Seventeen years ago, Josh lost his younger brother at sea. Still wracked with guilt, he searches relentlessly for him as commander of a Coast Guard patrol boat. But Josh’s obsession with the past is complicated by the arrival of a beautiful stranger—and a foreign enemy. In Killakeet to escape the outside world, Dosie Crossan has stirred Josh’s heart. Meanwhile, a wolfpack of German U-boats has arrived to soak the island’s beaches with blood and oil. One of the U-boats is captained by the infamous Nazi warrior Otto Krebs. But Krebs has brought more than torpedoes to Killakeet. He may also have the answer to the mystery that haunts Josh Thurlow.

First Published in 2005. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.