Books like this…

…make me realise just how hard a beating my credit card is going to take at Worldcon in September. If you’ve read Horn you’re going to want to read this one (and if you haven’t read Horn, what are you waiting for? Unicorns in Wrong Town, and an indelible image of glowing maggots — what more could you ask for in a novella?)

Bleed by Peter M. Ball

For ten years ex-cop Miriam Aster has been living with her one big mistake – agreeing to kill three men for the exiled Queen of Faerie. But when an old case comes back to haunt her it brings a spectre of the past with it, forcing Aster to ally herself with a stuntwoman and a magic cat in order to rescue a kidnapped TV star from the land of Faerie and stop the half-breed sorcerer who needs Aster’s blood.

Ten years ago Miriam Aster learnt a simple lesson: when a faerie asks you to kill someone, the worst thing you can say is sure. Today she’s about to learn that worse things can happen when the past refuses to stay behind you.

You can pre-order Bleed here and pick it up at Worldcon.