In this dynamic collection of short stories, including eight from Winners on the Pass Line (1985), Dagoberto Gilb captures the texture of the Southwest's working class in clear, ironic, and bitingly realistic fiction about regular people going about their complex lives.

Magic stirred in me, offering whatever I wanted. With little more than a thought and a gesture or two, I could make magic do anything. So long as I was willing to pay the price… Allison Beckstrom knows better than most that when magic’s involved, nothing’s free. She’s had to pay its price of migraines and forgetfulness while working as a Hound, tracing illegal spells back to their casters. And even though magic has stolen her recent memory—including her history with the man she supposedly fell in love with—Allie isn’t about to give up on Hounding, or the city she cares about. Then the police’s magic enforcement division asks her to consult on what seems to be a straightforward missing persons case. But what began as a way to make rent leads Allie into grave danger when the trail she’s following draws her into the dark underworld of criminals, ghosts, and blood magic. There, Allie discovers it will take more than just magic to survive. “We’re going to be hearing a lot more of Devon Monk.” —New York Times Bestselling Author Patricia Briggs “Monk’s writing is addictive, and the only cure is more, more, more!” —New York Times Bestselling Author Rachel Vincent

“High stakes, big heart, and lots of Black Girl Magic…unputdownable.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him. After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic. Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her? With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.

In a magical realm, the enemy kingdoms of blood mages and soul mages, Meris and Lysmir, are unexpectedly on the brink of war after two mysterious royal murders. The two royal families quickly cast blame on each other, but not everything is as it seems. Princess Sivrehya of Meris and Prince Ivar of Lysmir separately vow to determine the truth. Unbeknownst to each other, the mortal enemies journey to the Twin Cities of the solar and lunar mages to search for a mythical and deadly monster that cannot lie and knows all. During their quest, Sivrehya and Ivar strive to uncover what really happened to their families while fighting the urge to kill each other along the way.

Silla is damaged and lost since the death of her parents. Nick is the new boy in town with a chilling past of his own. A mysterious spell book steeped in blood magic will bind Silla and Nick together. But at what cost?

A pirate princess and a cursed assassin find their fates intertwined in this gorgeous and thrilling adventure. Ananna of the Tanarau abandons ship when her parents try to marry her off to an ally pirate clan. She wants to captain her own boat, not serve as second-in-command to a handsome and clueless man. But her escape has dire consequences when she learns that her fiancé’s clan has sent an assassin after her. And when this assassin, Naji, finally finds her, things get even worse. Ananna inadvertently triggers a nasty curse—with a life-altering result. Now, Ananna and Naji are forced to become uneasy allies as they work to complete three impossible tasks that will cure the curse. Unfortunately, Naji has enemies from the shadowy world known as the Mists, and Ananna must face the repercussions of betraying her engagement that set her off on her adventures. Together, the two must break the curse, escape their enemies, and come to terms with their growing romantic attraction.

Zľie Adebola remembers when the soil of Ors̐ha hummed with magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zľie's Reaper mother summoned forth souls.