«The clever ways in which biology, technology, and the occult interface in Carolan’s steampunk mystery debut hint at a promising new universe…Readers will enjoy the flavor of Carolan's alternate history.” — Publisher's Weekly
All Isaac Barrow wants is to be left alone to pursue his supernatural research and tinker with his inventions. But when you’re the only technomancer openly practicing the craft in 1880s Halifax, trouble has a way of finding you. When a routine mechanical service call reveals the grisly handiwork of the Nightshade Cabal — an underground cult of necromancers — Barrow finds himself in a race against time to put a stop to the Cabal’s depredations before they can kill anyone else and turn them into… office machinery?
Then there’s the mystery of Emily Skye, a missing teenager with strange abilities of her own. Believing her disappearance to be connected to the Nightshade Cabal, Barrow agrees to help track down the missing girl. But even if he can find her, will Miss Skye aid him in his struggle against the Cabal? Or might she turn out to be the deadliest threat of all?
